Bloggin 'Bout Books Blog

Hunter by Mercedes Lackey Published: September 1, 2015 Publisher: Disney-Hyperion Received: Egalley from Netgalley (Thanks Disney-Hyperion!) I was so excited for this book. I loved Lackey's Elemental Masters books and her Valdemar books, plus dragon (!!) on the cover of this one. What could go wrong??  Apparently a whole lot.  This seriously felt like a first novel of an untrained writer. I kept thinking to myself, maybe this is her first book written with a ghost writer? It did not read like a Lackey novel at all. Even the world-building was incredibly subpar compared to her other novels. It felt like she had the barest bones of an idea, and she figured since she was writing for a younger audience that she didn't need to put in as much as effort. I was so disappointed.  The premise is great: Hunter Joy has been secretly training in her mountain village for years, but has now been called to the big city (Apex) to join her Uncle and pick up train...

Hello Lovelies! As usual Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the wonderful people over at The Broke and the Bookish . This week's topic is 10 Authors I would Auto-Buy meaning if these authors were to publish anything, I would be at the bookstore that week, money in hand.  Anne Bishop: I'm currently finishing up the only series of hers I haven't read, and she's one of the few adult authors who I seriously adore. I would (and will) buy anything she writes. Jandy Nelson: Omg, I'm obsessed with   I'll Give You the Sun and I really enjoyed The Sky is Everywhere . I can't wait for her next book release! John Green: I mean, I've read almost everything he's written (still missing a couple short stories, dang it!), and I'll continue to do so. Kate DiCamillo: She won me over completely with The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane , but I've really enjoyed her other titles too. Can't wait to see what she publishes n...

Chasing Secrets by Gennifer Choldenko Published: August 4, 2015 Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books Received: E-galley for review through Netgalley (Thanks Wendy Lamb Books!) Lizzie doesn't have friends at school--Miss Barstow's, a school for young ladies to learn how to become perfect wives. Lizzie would rather read books or accompany her doctor father on visits to patients. That's why Lizzie can recognize the problems with the quarantine of Chinatown. Nobody is wearing protective gear, for one thing. But nobody will admit that the plague is in San Francisco. What lengths will adults go to in order to keep the news of plague quiet? I remember reading Al Capone Does My Shirts  when I was younger, and I enjoyed it. This book left me feeling a little unfulfilled. It was good, but I also felt like Choldenko tried to encompass too many threads without deeply exploring any. I thought the book was about the plague, but really that's tangential. It only becomes ne...

Charlie, Presumed Dead by Anne Heltzel Published: June 2, 2015 Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers Received: An Egalley from the publisher on Netgalley! Thanks HMH!! Charlie Price just died in a fiery plane explosion, Except all that's been recovered is his bloody jacket. So technically he's missing, presumed dead. But Lena doesn't care about technicalities or improbabilities. As Charlie's girlfriend, she's certain he's still alive, still out there somewhere, waiting for her to find him.  Aubrey had to find out about her boyfriend's death through the internet. He wasn't answering her texts or calls. But he'd encouraged her to sign up for his campus newspaper. And the paper announces the missing student. When she finds out about his funeral service, she heads to Paris. Where she meets Lena, Charlie's other girlfriend who is convinced he's still alive. Aubrey agrees to chase after Charlie. But Aubrey's just looking for...

Hello Lovelies!! As usual Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the wonderful bloggers at The Broke and the Bookish.  Today the theme is Fairy Tale Retellings I Want to Read. I went a little loose with the definition of fairy tale (a.k.a. I have books that are just retellings of famous stories). So without further ado: A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston (A Thousand and One Nights) Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter (Alice in Wonderland) Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge (Little Red Riding Hood) Spinning Starlight by R.C. Lewis (The Wild Swans) The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani (Various) Winter by Marissa Meyer (Cinderella) Valiant by Sarah McGuire (The Brave Little Tailor) For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund (Persuasion) Jane by April Lindner (Jane Eyre) Spindle's End by Robin McKinley (Sleeping Beauty) Those are all the retellings I am dying to read! What about you lovelies? Anything I should add to my lis...