Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Local Book News (TTYL by Lauren Myracle)

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Sexually graphic book found in Bossier middle school - KSLA News 12 Shreveport, Louisiana

BOSSIER CITY, LA (KSLA) -
A book with graphic sexual language was found in a Bossier City middle school library Friday.

Julie Camp, a parent, now wants it banned from the library. She says the book, titled TTYL, was checked out by her young daughter for extra credit. Camp says she was shocked to find out it had several inappropriate sexual references and cuss words. "It was vulgar. It was pornographic," says Camp.

Monday, January 30, 2012

Best Escapist Book Locations (2)

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Narnia


When I was in the second grade, my elementary school library had a bit of a problem with me. While the other children were still reading mostly picture books and smaller chapter books, I held my nose up firmly in the air at them. I had been reading by myself for years, and I had very little interest in what the librarians were trying to put in my hands. Thankfully, those amazing ladies were well-equipped to deal with stubborn little smartypants like myself. (I would have never believed at the time that being a children's librarian required just as much school as a lawyer. Now I believe they deserve as much pay, but that is another topic for another day.) One day, Mrs. M. took me aside and gave me one of the "big kid" books.


I am not exaggerating in the slightest when I tell you that this book changed my life entirely. I loved that books were windows into other worlds, but this book was different. It was a doorway. From the time I opened the cover until I flipped through the final pages, I was with Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy through their incredible journey inside the wardrobe. I was still young enough that as soon as I finished reading the book, I checked every cabinet, closet, and doorway in my home to see if some other land would appear before me. My grandmother's walk-in closet was my favorite because she had furs. I would hide in there for what seemed like hours at a time, hoping for a way into Narnia.

I went on to read the other books in the series. I did not enjoy Prince Caspian or The Silver Chair as much as the others because I did not like Caspian or his son very much. (Puddleglum is worth mentioning as being completely awesome. He would be my best friend in Narnia.) I think I liked The Voyage of the Dawn Treader because of Reepicheep and the Dufflepuds. Shasta from A Horse and His Boy is probably one of my favorite characters, but that is only because I wanted to be Aravis and marry him when I grew up. The Magician's Nephew terrified me, and I cannot really tell you why. I suppose it was a darker book, and Jadis was truly horrible. The Last Battle is heartbreaking, and I have only read it three or four times. (If you have seen any indication of my reading habits, that is an astoundingly low number. I am an obsessive re-reader, but that one is too hard to muck through.)

I will never read the series in chronological order. I enjoy taking the journey as C. S. Lewis wrote them, regardless of what his stepson wishes. I am a firm believer that we are not to know who Aslan is in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and the various back stories in the followup books are treats for returning readers. My dream is to find the MacMillan 1970s paperback editions of the books, because that is what I had as a child. (Yes, I know that they are on Amazon, but I haven't bought them. Yet.) I adore HarperCollins, but it irritates the peediddlings out of me to see the wrong numbers on my beloved books.

I am currently reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe to my daughter. We read a chapter every night, and it has brought about an improvement in her nighttime habits. I'm taking it very slowly. I know that the day will come that she will want to hear me read The Last Battle, and it pains me to think of it. One of the worst things about visiting people and places that we love is telling it goodbye.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Thursday is Now "Thenadays"

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For the sake of trying something different here at Bibliophila, Please, I am turning Thursday into Thenadays.

     Thenadays - Adv. At that time; then; in those days; -- correlative to nowadays.

Each Thursday, I am going to feature a book from the past that I have read or want to read if that sneaky villain Time ever allows it. Today, I am going with an old favorite that is celebrating its 50th birthday this year.




It was a dark and stormy night; Meg Murry, her small brother Charles Wallace, and her mother had come down to the kitchen for a midnight snack when they were upset by the arrival of a most disturbing stranger.

"Wild nights are my glory," the unearthly stranger told them. "I just got caught in a downdraft and blown off course. Let me be on my way. Speaking of way, by the way,
there is such a thing as a tesseract".

This is one of those books that I can truly say had a very huge influence on my life. I cannot remember being interested in anything remotely scientific or based in the Real World, but Mrs. L'Engle inspired me to look outside my comfort zone. I did not just love the Time Quartet, but I learned to love other books by giving them a chance.

Meg Murry is a teenage girl who doesn't quite fit in with her schoolmates, her community, or even her own family. As her brother Charles Wallace puts it, she's not one thing or another. In addition to finding herself, she is faced with challenge of finding her missing father with her four year old brother and sports star Calvin O'Keefe. While it is a coming of age novel, it is also a great example of The Hero's Journey. Meg has to travel across the universe on a quest, battle an epic villain, and learn from her travels.

With all of that said, the best thing about the book is the characters. Every time I read or think about the book, I always wish that I had Charles Wallace as a little brother, a Calvin O'Keefe to long after, and three science-maven godmothers to lead me in the right direction, but let me follow my own path.

I'm always disappointed to hear that this book is no longer required reading, but my daughter will be required to read it because it's a beautiful story about love that transcends genre, religion, and science.


What is one of your favorite books from "thenadays"?

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday

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Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly awaiting.


Title: Harbinger
Author: Sara Wilson Etienne
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Release Date: February 2, 2012

Girl, Interrupted meets Beautiful Creatures in this fast-paced thriller

When sixteen-year-old Faye arrives at Holbrook Academy, she doesn't expect to find herself exactly where she needs to be. After years of strange waking visions and nightmares, her only comfort the bones of dead animals, Faye is afraid she's going crazy. Fast.

But her first night at Holbrook, she feels strangely connected to the school and the island it sits on, like she's come home. She's even made her first real friends, but odd things keep happening to them. Every morning they wake on the floors of their dorm rooms with their hands stained red.

Faye knows she's the reason, but what does it all mean? The handsome Kel tries to help her unravel the mystery, but Faye is certain she can't trust him; in fact, he may be trying to kill her - and the rest of the world too.

Rich, compelling writing will keep the pages turning in this riveting and tautly told psychological thriller. (Goodreads)


This is my first time doing Waiting on Wednesday, and I had to go with Harbinger. I am extremely excited about this book, mainly because it's supposed to be a standalone. Yes, I know that I'll have to let go of the characters, but hopefully that means no cliffhangers to wait out for a year or two. Also, I haven't came across very many YA thrillers lately. I grew up reading Christopher Pike, R. L. Stein, and Lois Duncan, and there is very little along those lines anymore. Am I just missing it? Anyway, the cover is gorgeous, too. I know that really doesn't have much to do with what is inside the binding, but I'm an artsy person. I like the pretty.

I won a preorder of this book from the lovely Sarah at Workaday Reads, so I'm hoping that it will be here soon!

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Tuesdays at Krazy Book Lady

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Hello, kittens. I'm sure you are wondering when I am going to post my Top Ten Tuesday. Well, I did already. I'm now a contributor over at Krazy Book Lady, and I'll be posting it there.

Don't worry! I'll still be doing fun things over here, too. This just means you can find me in two places. Now, without further ado, go check out today's post.

Monday, January 23, 2012

My 25th Birthday Giveaway

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I have a birthday coming up. I want to give one of YOU a present. Since there are only a few of you followery types, I figure your chances are fairly good at winning this thing. If more followers come along, I suppose it's up to your guys to have a death match or something.

KIDDING! No death matches. At least not over here. *glares* I don't want y'all getting icky on my dinky blog. Anywho, I bet you want to know more about this present thing. How about I give you my favorite book from 2011?!

Sunday, January 22, 2012

W3-2k12 Wrap Up

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Work has been insane this week, so there was only one book finished over here on my end. I need to really get on the ball, as I will be contributing reviews and doing the Top Ten Tuesday for the Krazy Book Lady blog. I am extremely excited about this.

My Week in Review



This isn't a book that is in my reviewing (if I can even call what I do a "review") pile, but I had to finish it. I started the audiobook ages ago, and my library download kept expiring because I wasn't listening to it in the car. (Click here to find out why I haven't been listening in the car.) Anyways, I finally just checked out the hard copy from the library so I wouldn't have it waiting in the wings forever. I only had about one hundred pages left, so it only took me about two hours to finish it when I finally got my hands on it.

I liked this book a lot better than Shiver, but I am confused as to how I ended up in the middle of a YA PNR. I am not the biggest fan of romance novels, but Maggie Stiefvater's writing is beautiful. As I said in my review, the addition of Cole and Isabel as narrators really won me over in this novel. Grace and Sam are really sweet characters, but they really lacked dimension. Yes, Grace is extremely ill, and Sam is still dealing with childhood issues, but I just never could connect to them. Yet, I keep on reading. I already put Forever audiobook on hold, and hopefully I'll have a car by the time I download it.

Random Otherness

Hopefully, my daughter and I finish The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis one day this week. Bug does not go to bed easily at night, but she is always so excited about bedtime now. She is like me in that picture books just don't do it for her. The only difference was that I was reading on my own by her age - she just doesn't feel the need yet. Maybe she'll get inspired to read since I don't read nearly as much as she would like at night. That's how I got my start. (My mom withheld The Hobbit from me.)

I'll be doing an In My Mailbox (IMM) post today or tomorrow since I've gotten quite a few goodies, and I'll link to my Top Ten Tuesday post over at Krazy Book Lady when it's up.

Friday, January 20, 2012

Best Escapist Book Locations

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I thought about making a list of my favorite book settings for next week's Top Ten Tuesday (based on the June 7, 2011 post for The Broke and the Bookish), but after starting on this one, I knew this was too huge of a topic for just one post. Each week I am going to pick another world or fictionalized version of our own to which I would love to escape.

Xanth


No, that is not Florida. Piers Anthony, the author of the fantastic Xanth series, lives in Florida an imagined a parallel world that shares many similarities. There is one main difference - Xanth is a magical realm. There is some accidental travel between lands, and there are "Waves" of civilization that comes from Mundania (our world) to Xanth. The one catch is, when someone travels to Mundania, there is no guarantee about which peninsula or time period in which you arrive.

Every human who is born in Xanth has a magical talent. Think of superheros that have just one super power. These talents can range from minor "spot on the wall" abilities where that individual can change the color of a spot on the wall or make dust devils. Then there are the Magicians. These people have extremely strong magic, such as transforming any living object into something else or making inanimate objects speak. Centaurs also have magical talents as they are mostly human, and goblins and harpies have half-talents since they are only half human.

The land is magical in every corner of its existence and plagued with puns. A breadfruit tree in Xanth has fruit that is literally made of bread. Oh, if you put someone on a pedestal, they are literally on a pedestal and cannot get down of their own accord. It is utter, blissful silliness and I would hate to tell you more and spoil the epic puns.

I read my first Xanth novel when I was nine. Crewel Lye: A Caustic Yarn caught my eye in a used bookstore in Rock Springs, Wyoming. It is the eighth book in the series, but I was bored and book-starved since I was traveling with my mom and her work. Imagine a summer with no kids your age. Yeah, you'll read anything. I managed to luck out with this one. I had the book read in a day. Then I reread it. I rinsed and repeated that cycle a few times, until my mother took me to a bookstore with a proper selection of books. I devoured every novel in the series that had been written up to that point. My friends even started to read about Xanth because I would talk of nothing else. I would be at a bookstore on release day after each book came out and would have it read within a day. My family still picks on me about that.

I am not obsessed with Xanth anymore, sadly. I grew up and lost interest in the childhood fantasy. I think I stopped around book #25 - Anthony has published thirty-five in the series now. I always say that I'm going to catch up, but I never do. However, I did have to go back to Xanth one more time when I was desperately ill last March. There was no greater comfort while I was hospitalized than visiting old friends in Question Quest - the one book that I have reread more than any other. I don't mean just from the Xanth series. I am not exaggerating in the slightest (probably grossly underestimating) when I tell you that I have read that book more than thirty times. Can you blame me? We all need a safe, familiar place to escape to sometimes.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

2012 Debut Author Challenge

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I decided at the end of last year to participate in The Story Siren's Debut Author Challenge for 2012. I have my list over on my Goodread profile, but I suppose I should put it here as well. You know, in case one of my three followers are interested, because they're awesome. (Don't be jealous.) I have twelve chosen for now, but I have a feeling that I will be adding more as I go along (and removing others). When I finish and review the book, I'll make the title a link to it. As always, my reviews will be on Goodreads, but I'm sure I'll give an informal spew of  nonsense over here.

Read


Release Date - January 24, 2012
Date Read - January 2, 2012


Release Date - January 31, 2012
Date Read - January 13, 2012


Release Date - February 8, 2012
Date Read - January 29, 2012


Release Date - March 13, 2012
Date Read - April 8, 2012


Release Date - April 17, 2012
Date Read - May 18, 2012


Release Date - June 12, 2012
Date Read - May 25, 2012

Release Date - April 24, 2012
Date Read - May 28, 2012

Release Date - July 10, 2012
Date Read - July 2012

Release Date - August 28, 2012
Date Read - July 8, 2012


Breathe by Sarah Crossan
Release Date: October 2, 2012
Date Read: September 20, 2012


The Dark Unwinding by Sharon Cameron
Release Date: September 1, 2012
Date Read: September 26, 2012


Mystic City by Theo Lawrence
Release Date: October 9, 2012
Date Read: October 11, 2012


Black City by Elizabeth Richards
Release Date: November 13, 2012
Date Read: October 18, 2012

TBR


The Gathering Storm by Robin Bridges
Release Date - January 10, 2012
Date Read - 


Fracture by Megan Miranda
Release Date - January 17, 2012
Date Read - 


The Book of Wonders by Jasmine Richards
Release Date - January 17, 2012
Date Read - 


Harbinger by Sara Wilson Etienne
Release Date - February 2, 2012
Date Read - 


Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood
Release Date - February 7, 2012
Date Read - 



Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock
Release Date - May 8, 2012
Date Read - 


Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard
Release Date - July 24, 2012
Date Read - 


Skylark by Meagan Spooner
Release Date - I've seen August & October
Date Read - 


Velveteen by Daniel Marks
Release Date - October 9, 2012
Date Read - 

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Top Ten Tuesday

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Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created and hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

Top Ten Books I'd Recommend to Someone Who Doesn't Read: Fantasy

I am leery of this blog thing, but who can resist a list? I am choosing to recommend some of my fantasy favorites because a lot of people try to steer clear of the genre. It is far and away my absolute favorite, and as I've said many times (but probably not here) - if my mother hadn't pushed me when I was younger, it would be the only thing that I would read. Seriously. As it stands, I only allow myself to read one fantasy book for every four or five that I read of other genres. It's not like pulling teeth, but I would escape into the land of magicians and dragons for eternity if I had half the chance. So without further ado, in no particular order (in the first four and last six), my list!


1. Dragon Wing by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman

I found this book originally at a garage sale. I read it in one sitting and liked it so much that I read it again. Then I read it another time. Rinse and repeat until my mother pried it out of my hands and told me to go find something else. I think I was nine. I have, by far, reread this book more times than anything else that I own. It has an assassin, elves, magicians, a king, an evil child, dwarfs, and ancient enemies. What's not to love about it? Even better - it's the first book in the Death Gate Cycle, so there are six more books to read after you finish this one.

The book goes between three points of view (if I remember correctly): Hugh the hand, an assassin who is being paid for a nearly impossible job with his life; Limbeck, a Geg who doesn't find centuries of tradition to be a good enough reason to go along with the status quo; and Haplo, a world-traveler in a literal sense - he is traveling between worlds to find any sign of his people's ancient enemy who imprisoned them in a deadly Labyrinth. Each character is so well-developed and the supporting cast is absolutely amazing. Hugh the Hand is one of my all-time favorite literary characters, but I don't want to give anything away. 

I recommend this book to anyone that I talk to who loves fantasy. I'm yet to have anyone come back and tell me that they didn't enjoy it. I also feel that I should add that when I watched the opening scene thingy of Skyrim with Bookboy (my wonderful assistant at the library I manage), I immediately thought of this book. I told him that he had to read this book. I will probably have to buy it for him, since I can't find any of the 5+ copies that I've bought over the years. My mom probably has them.


2. The Magic of Recluce by L.E. Modesitt, Jr.

Before I had my daughter, I worked in a large chain bookstore. Since the blogosphere wasn't the huge beast that it is now, and I didn't know about Goodreads, I was constantly looking for something to read. One of the tweens that came in to play Pokemon on Saturdays recommended this book to me. (Don't look at me like that - geeks know their business.) The only thing I ever regretted about this buying this book is that I now own every book in this series.

It is the typical story of good vs. evil, or Order vs. Chaos in this series. The protagonist, Lerris, lives in Recluce with his family. Since he has shown dissatisfaction with life there, he is given the option of either exile or taking on a quest. He is trained and dropped off on the continent of Candar to do his thing. (I don't want to give away spoilers.) It is a wonderful example of the hero's journey, as many epic fantasies are.

Instead of putting more Recluce books on my list, I'll just tell you about the series in general. It is fantastic in that it doesn't focus on the same old character. We don't have to watch the idiot hero get in trouble over and over again like some series like to do. The Saga of Recluce jumps around to different periods in the world's history. Towers of the Sunset is the second book in the series, but is set 900 years in the past. Some of the books are even told from the "evil" chaosmaster's point of view. Fun, right?


3. The Hobbit: or There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkien


J.R.R. Tolkien's own description for the original edition: If you care for journeys there and back, out of the comfortable Western world, over the edge of the Wild, and home again, and can take an interest in a humble hero (blessed with a little wisdom and a little courage and considerable good luck), here is a record of such a journey and such a traveler. The period is the ancient time between the age of Faerie and the dominion of men, when the famous forest of Mirkwood was still standing, and the mountains were full of danger. In following the path of this humble adventurer, you will learn by the way (as he did) - if you do not already know all about these things - much about trolls, goblins, dwarves, and elves, and get some glimpses into the history and politics of a neglected but important period.

For Mr. Bilbo Baggins visited various notable persons; conversed with the dragon, Smaug the Magnificent; and was present, rather unwillingly, at the Battle of the Five Armies. This is all the more remarkable, since he was a hobbit. Hobbits have hitherto been passed over in history and legend, perhaps because they as a rule preferred comfort to excitement. But this account, based on his personal memoirs, of the one exciting year in the otherwise quiet life of Mr. Baggins will give you a fair idea of the estimable people now (it is said) becoming rather rare. They do not like noise.

Now that we got all of that out of the way, we can get to why I chose this work as a "must read". Firstly, it is not as epic as The Lord of the Rings. I can completely understand why non-fantasy folk would shy away from it. The Hobbit is lighter, funny, and a nice starting place for newbies. Secondly, and most important to me, is that this book is why I am a reader. When I was a very small child, my mother pulled her copy down from the bookshelf and read me a few chapters. I was completely entranced by Middle Earth. If I remember correctly, she read up to the point where the dwarves got tangled up with the trolls. The next night, I asked my mother to keep reading. She told me no. She said that it was a book that I should read and enjoy by myself. I was horrified, as I was probably only at Dick & Jane level. Needless to say, I started reading voraciously so I could become a good enough reader to fully appreciate The Hobbit. I could have read it in middle school (or junior high, whatever), but I knew a boy who was really picked on for doing a book report on it. I seriously regret allowing others' closed minds to affect what I chose to read. I can honestly say that was the only time I recall that happening. Back to the point, I read it when I was fifteen, and it was amazing. I breezed through the rest of Tolkien's work. I think the most important part of this story was the inspiration it gave me to read.


4. Imajica by Clive Barker

This is an insanely immense book. It is broken into two volumes, and it is not an easy read. It is, however, one of the most imaginative, beautiful, and horrifying novels that I have ever read in my life. Clive Barker is able to create things in this world that I cannot even picture in my head. I can usually follow an author's thought process and understand how s/he invented a particular element of the story. That is not the case for Imajica. It is completely unlike anything that I read before or have read since. Hell, I don't think I can even break it down for you. I suggest you Google the book, buy it, and read it immediately. It is so beyond worth it.



~*~Those four were the most important to forming me as a reader, so the rest will just be the list.~*~




5. Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett


6. Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings


7. Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll


8. Many Waters by Madeleine L'Engle


9. Lord Foul's Bane (First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant) by Stephen R. Donaldson


10. Ariel by Steven R. Boyett


So, there you have my list. I know that a few are hardcore epic fantasies, but they are so much more than their genre. I think reading any of these would open someone's heart to Fantasy.

Monday, January 16, 2012

W2-2k12 Wrap Up

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The story of my life - a day late and a dollar short. Sorry for the delay. This has been an incredibly slow week for me. I had four books going at once, but I only managed to finish one of them. Sometimes, having a five year old at home puts a damper on everything else. It also doesn't help that work expects me to come in and do All The Things, so there's not as much "up all night" reading.

My Week in Review



Let me start off by saying that this cover is absolutely beautiful. It is very simple, but it really fits the book. Now that I look at it, the holes in the wings are somewhat disturbing. *ponders* *shrugs* Whatever. It doesn't take much for butterflies to disturb me, as I don't like any insects, especially those that fly. I'm getting a little off subject, aren't I? I bet you want my review. You can find it here. I guess all I can say about the book that wasn't in the review is that it wasn't Incarnate's fault that I read so few books this week. This was a good book and an interesting read. You should go read it when it comes out on January 24, 2012


Hopefully I'll have more next week. I have a feeling that one of the books that I'm currently is going to be a rare unfinished one. I hate to do it, but I'm dreading the thought of picking it up. Do you want to know which one it is? Well, that's too bad. All books deserve an opportunity to be read, even if I don't like it.

Sunday, January 8, 2012

W1-2k12 Wrap Up

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That title looks like a whole lot of stinky nonsense, doesn't it? Let me break it down for you folks that have a case of the Sundays, and the brain is on sleep mode until Monday.

W1 = Week One
2k12 = Two thousand and twelve AD, CE, or The Years The Mayans Chose For Us To Die
Wrap Up = Yeah, I think you have this one. If not, you can still party with me.

So, this is a new thing (obviously) since the blog is still new. Please, disregard the echo. Unless you like that sort of thing. I suppose this is somewhat like being isolated in the mountains. ::ponders:: Anyways, I need to stay on subject. I'm going to share with you what I read last week, as well as what released that I have read. Don't let that confuse you if you're not a blogger - that just means that I'm a lucky duck that gets a hold of some materials before they come out. Let's do this.

My Week in Review

Is this really in review? Yeah, I guess since I'm reviewing what I read with you. Okay, we'll keep this section title for now. (Don't you just love working through the kinks with me?) Anywho, let's go through what I've read.



This book was on a lot of "Best of 2011" lists, so I decided to see what everyone was raving about. When I wrote my review, I did not go into that much detail. This book would be difficult for me not to spoil. Let me explain my version of "spoil" to you folks who think I don't put very much in my reviews - I don't want to know much about what I read. I just want to know the general idea of what the book is about. I don't even really care if people think it's good or not. I don't need to know that, I have quirky taste. I like having a really fresh perspective going in, and I want to be surprised. Hell, if the book's story revolves on someone dying in the first ten pages, I don't even want to know that much. I am perfectly happy with someone handing me a book, telling me it's about aliens, and walking away. I got this. I'm sure you are already tired of my ranting and want to hear about the book. ::sigh:: Okay.

I really respected Rhine. She was taken from her poverty-stricken home and thrust right into the lap of luxury. However, instead of making the best of a better situation (financially), she wants to go home to her twin brother. Let me say this much - I would stay where I was. Yes, it would suck to share your husband with two other women, but Rhine's brother sounded like a complete asshole. I guess DeStefano did this to fully-flesh the characters and make shades of gray (oh boy, she did), but I would have taken the restrictions on my movements in my mansion over the restrictions of some crappy brother while living in the ghetto. Am I a sell-out? You bet. If I'm going to die in four years, I want to be comfortable, and I want to know that my babies are going to be well taken care of. Think what you will, but I can't imagine preferring being hungry, sleeping with rats, and needing a male relative to walk me to my shitty job over being the lady of the manor. But that's just me, and no one has written any stories about me. Rhine, however, has a trilogy and is fun to read about. I gave this book 4.5/5 stars. Maybe you liked it or will like it, too. Let me know.



I was lucky enough to get this book from NetGalley (I suppose I should do a disclaimer about not getting paid for reviews or whatever, but I would have a nice blog and quit my day job if I did), and I, of course, reviewed it over on Goodreads. I wrote a glowing review of this because it is an absolutely breathtaking book. That being said, it's not for me. The writing was beautiful, the story was good, and I read it in a day. I could not put it down. I want to read the sequel, but it's just not my favorite book. Honestly, I can't tell you why. To be honest, I am half terrified to say anything against it. ::looks over shoulder for angry authors:: I'm not going to beat this in the ground, but I'm sure a few of you know what I'm talking about. 

This book releases on January 24, 2012.



Yes, I am well aware this is not a book. It is a short story prequel to Cinder, Meyer's book that was released last week (and can be found below). Since I read it, I wrote a little review of it, but I didn't say much. It was a nice companion story, and it would have served its purpose of drawing me straight to Cinder if I had not read already. If you've read neither Cinder or Glitches, I recommend them both. And read them in whatever order you would like - I don't feel like I lost anything by reading Glitches second.

Umm, so, can I have Scarlet yet?



As a history major, I love historical fiction. I have absolutely no hesitation in calling Gregory's The Cousins' War series that. Yes, she is well known for writing historical romance, but her later work really doesn't have the sex and naughty bits that her books about the Tudors are known for. Anyways, this was my splurge read that was not on my "to be reviewed" list, but had been sitting on my other TBR list.

It was a fantastic adult read for me. I have been reading so much young adult stuff lately, so it was refreshing to hit one of my favorite genres. It took me a little longer to read than what I had budgeted for myself (yeah, maybe I savored it a little), but I can start fresh on my other stuff today.

Oh, here is my review.

Week One Releases (January 1-7, 2012)

These are the books that I've read previous to this week, but were not released until this week. If you click on the titles under the picture, it should take you to my reviews of that particular work. I don't think it's going to be my policy to give additional information or snark on these because hopefully they'll be on my Week in Review before coming to the Releases section. So, without any further adieu —


January 2, 2012


Skyfall (Troll Hunters) by Michael Dahl

This book was supposed to be released January 2nd, but the publisher moved the release date. Anyways, I read it and it was a fabulous example of juvenile fiction. I'll link you to my review when I'm sure of when it's coming out. Some things are saying September, so I'd hate to have my stuff up too early.


January 3, 2012







So that was my week in reading. I'm amazed that you made it down far enough to read this sentence. Thanks for stopping by!