Bloggin 'Bout Books Blog

Hello Lovelies!! Today's Top Ten Tuesday (as per usual, brought to you by The Broke and The Bookish ) features an easy topic for me. This week's topic is Ten Most Recent Books Added to Your TBR. So without further ado... The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness Where Bear? by Sophy Henn Talon by Julie Kagawa Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel The Heir by Kiera Cass Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Septys Black Dove White Raven by Elizabeth Wein Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta Fire by Kristin Cashore AND The Winner's Kiss by Marie Rutkoski (which does not yet have a cover) If anyone is interested, I pulled these titles from my Goodreads Wish List, although I skipped a few which I've technically read, but still want to own copies of.  So there are the ten most recently added books to my TBR. What are yours lovelies? Leave me a note in the comments! I love to know what other people are reading!...

The Wrenchies by Farel Dalrymple mostly just left me feeling confused. I'm honestly so ambiguous about this book because I feel like I have no idea what happened. I needed to read a graphic novel for the Popsugar challenge, and I'm always up to reading new and interesting graphic novels. I had seen The Wrenchies on Amazon and thought it sounded really cool, so when I saw it at my library, I picked it up. Instead of a super cool, superhero-eque storyline, I found a mish-mash time-travel pseudo-plot with largely one-dimensional characters and no explanations.  It seems like Dalrymple spent so much time on the idea of the world and the creatures which embody the antagonist that he left no room for who or why. I didn't necessarily hate it. I just feel nothing for it at all. The art style is pretty cool, occasionally more graphic than I would prefer, but that's just me. I also really like certain spreads, like this one:  I just wanted something more from...

Finnikin of the Rock is Melina Marchetta's brilliant fantasy epic about a people who have lost their kin and their country.  Finnikin pledged his life to protect his friends, heirs to the kingdom, and his country, Lumatere. When the Royal family is murdered, and his country is thrown into chaos, 8-year-old Finnikin is sent out of the country with  the King's First Man. Finnikin has spent the last decade and change learning the languages of the land and trying to account for the exiled people of Lumatere. Now there's a rumor that Finnkin's lost best friend is alive and ready to bring the exiles back to their magically hidden kingdom. This book starts so light, but it immediately turns rather dark. I kept waiting for the book to return to its lighthearted beginning, but it really doesn't which makes sense. Once you have experienced the horrors of war which the Lumaterans experience, there really is no return to lightness. It's only about finding new j...

Dreams of Gods & Monsters by Laini Taylor is a fantastic finish to the Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy.  Lovelies, I loved every single thing about this series. It had me anxiously on the edge of my seat. It made me laugh. It made me cry. It made me rage against the antagonists. Taylor did a phenomenal job writing this series. Every character, while not always likable, is absolutely realistic. They all have their strengths and flaws. Even characters that were not introduced until the book ratcheted to the top of my faves list. This book follows Akiva and Karou as they try to stop the evil machinations of Jael, current emperor of the Seraphim. Of course, there are barriers around every turn, and new problems pop up as soon as they conquer old ones. I really cannot say enough about this series. I'm livid that I waited so incredibly long to read it. If you haven't read it yet, lovelies, get to it. I also need to track down Laini Taylor's other books now. ...

I started this series in early college, and I loved it.  Gena Showalter's Lords of the Underworld series are fun, quick, sexy paranormal romances. I think I've read every single one of them in one sitting.  Each book follows a different Lord of the Underworld. These men are each cursed with one of the escaped demons from Pandora's Box. They're living with the demons while attempting to find Pandora's Box and return the demons to it.  The series is still ongoing, and I'm a few books behind. But my favorite so far is third: The Darkest Pleasure . It's not necessary to read these books in order for each main plot, however there is an overarching plot that will be hard to follow if you read them out of order. I would recommend these books to people looking for a little bit of racy romance. The relationships so far are entirely heterosexual, just as a heads up.  My ratings vary by book, but for the series as a whole, I'd give it.....

This author won me over with her transitional reader when I did Middle Grade March last year. I'm still not over it. Lenore Look has created several novels for young readers: the Alvin Ho series (which is my absolute favorite!), the Ruby Lu series, and several picture books.  Look makes school appearances regularly. She encourages young readers to pursue dream of writing and follow her process at her "glob" (or blog ). She even answers questions posed to her on the Q & A page! Look also maintains contact with schools on her Twitter .  Look grew up in Seattle, and now resides in New Jersey. She credits Alvin Ho with making her a Red Sox fan and gatherer of trivia about Fenway Park. Look's first book was published in 1999. Her books tend to reflect her own experience of growing up as a Chinese-American in America and draw on her experience as an American visiting China. Her characters struggle with their own identity and connecting to family. Al...

Today's Top Ten Thursday (by The Broke and The Bookish ) is all about reminiscing. These are books that I read years and years ago, and--for whatever reason--haven't reread since. Many of these may also appear on my TBT feature because they're awesome. Here's my Top Ten Books from My Childhood that I'd Love to Revisit Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls : I loved this book. I think I read it three times during sixth grade. It made me cry every time. If you haven't read it, no matter your age, you should definitely give it a try. The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare : I read this in 7th or 8th grade and fell absolutely in love with it. Nat was probably my first book crush that I recognized as a crush.  Feed by M.T. Anderson : I read this during the summer between 9th and 10th grade, I think? I was old enough (and the internet was old enough) that I recognized the parallels to nascent social media sites and was creeped o...

The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma is a paranormal mystery that focuses on the qualities of friendship and the loss of every bit of normal life in prison. I requested this for review because of the beautiful cover. (I'm a terrible cover judging person, I know.) And I thought the synopsis sounded interesting. But when I received my copy (in exchange for an honest review as always), I couldn't stop reading it. I cannot describe the first chapter of this book as anything other than compelling. The writing is stunning, and I was driven to find out what happened next.  The dual narrative switches between Amber, a sixteen year old sent to a juvenile correction facility three years earlier, and Violet, a ballerina headed to Julliard whose best friend committed an unspeakable crime. The two voices are generally distinct from one another--at least, I never had a problem telling them apart. I preferred Amber's voice so that helped me to distinguish them too.  It...

This Throw-Back Thursday goes out to the series that satisfied me between Harry Potter releases.  Graphic found through Google and attributed to abottomlessbookbag The Young Wizards series by Diane Duane was what kept me from pulling myself apart during the spaces between Harry Potter booms (or at least from rereading HP more than I already did). It's not really a fair comparison. The books are nothing alike. Their common similarities is simply that they both deal with magic, and that's about it. So You Want to be a Wizard is the first in the series. It finds young Nita -- hounded by bullies from school--discovering a book in the library. Set up like the typical series book "so you want to be a", this one, Nita is astonished to discover, finishes the sentence with wizard. And Nita is willing to try anything at this point. After taking the Wizard's Oath, she meets up with fellow young wizard Kit and together they must make it through their Ordeal...

I thought I would love Shiver, but it fell a little short for me. However, I'm so glad I gave this author a second chance with The Scorpio Races. Now I can't wait to try The Raven Boys.  Maggie Stiefvater (pronounced Steve-Otter, as she will sing to you ) has published seven novels and featured in four short stories anthology. Three of her books have been optioned for films, although one option (Shiver) has lapsed.  Stiefvater grew up in Virgina, and she lives there now with her family. She has been a wedding musician, a technical editor, a portrait artist (primarily for horses!) and a waitress. She still makes art and music along with writing. She also creates the trailers for each of her books. Basically, she can do everything. Well, maybe not everything, but she's still got a pretty cool list of accomplishments.  I find Stiefvater's writing to be emotional and vibrant. The Scorpio Races drew me in quickly, and I felt so connected to both the worl...

Hello Lovelies!! In preparation for the Spring that will hopefully be here soon, this week's Top Ten Tuesday (as always by the Broke and the Bookish ) features the top ten books I'm trying to read this Spring. So without further ado, I hope to get these read over the next few months. Hopefully while I'm outside enjoying the sunshine. Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo : This is the only MG of DiCamillo's which I haven't read yet. I'm actually going to use it for a school paper, so I'll definitely be reading this one within a few weeks. Graceling by Kristin Cashore : This might be cheating a smidge because I'm technically already reading this one, but I need to finish it! I've been letting it languish for a week or so. The Distance Between Lost and Found by Kathryn Holmes : I snagged a copy of this for free, and I was wanting to read it, so I'm going to make sure I finally get to it! Death, Dickinson, and the Demente...

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas is a stellar fantasy novel and an exciting series starter.  Celaena was the country's top assassin. But she made a mistake, and now she's wishing for death in the brutal salt mines at Endovier. Until she's dragged out to meet the Crown Prince. Turns out the King is hosting a competition to find his next champion. Out of spite, the Prince wants to submit Celaena as his own contestant. If Celaena agrees, Prince Dorian agrees to release her after four years of being the King's Champion. Celaena can't refuse the temptation of freedom. But now she has to endure fighting thirteen other champions and the presence of Prince Dorian and the Captain of the Guard Chaol. Then something starts killing champions.  I really enjoyed this book! I started reading it at the same time as Graceling, and I was struck by the similarities between the two (although they're really quite different). Throne of Glass (unlike Graceling) captured ...