Bloggin 'Bout Books Blog

One Tiny Lie by K.A. Tucker Published: June 11th 2013 Publisher: Atria Books Received: Bought at discount price! "How do you figure out the right way to live your life?" One Tiny Lie  follows Livie as she enters her first year of college at Princeton. Livie is anxiety prone and scholastically-driven. Her pseudo-psychiatrist, Dr. Stayner, convinces Livie to attend a party and get drunk her first night at Princeton. This leads to Livie getting a tattoo as well as making-out with the hottest guy on campus, Ashton. Of course Ashton has a girlfriend, and even though Livie struggles to put their encounter out her mind, she finds herself meeting the guy she'd always imagined she would end up with. Livie must decide whether to follow the dream she'd built when her parents were still alive or find a new path. I love K.A. Tucker's books. One Tiny Lie shows grow in Tucker's writing style. And I have to give her kudos for tackling characters with me...

The Giver by Lois Lowry is the phenomenal story of one young boy's transition from child to adult and from mindless drone to individual making choices. The Giver has been around for 22 years, and in that time, it has been banned, it has been read, it has been adored.  I first read The Giver in 4th grade. I remember loving it. I remember feeling like it was the greatest thing ever written. I remember reading it several times that year. But I didn't really remember the book itself . Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending a talk by Lois Lowry about The Giver, so in preparation for that talk, I wanted to reread the book that I had loved. I'm so glad I did. One of the biggest things I noticed in this reread was my reaction to the end. As I got older and people talked about the ambiguousness of the ending and what happened to Jonah, I always thought they were stupid. But this time, I was like oooooh. I could see either interpretation of the ending. I also notic...

Heir of Fire is the third book in Sarah J. Maas' Throne of Glass series.  Heir of Fire finds Celaena in (self-imposed) exile and struggling with depression. Celaena needs to find the third Wyrdkey, but she can barely make herself move from the sun-warmed roof. Chaol struggles with the truth of Celaena and his agreement to his father even while he works to protect Dorian. Dorian wants to hide his newfound magic. And then there's the newest viewpoint: a dark witch attempting to live up to her grandmother's expectations. I simultaneously loved and hated Heir of Fire. I loved seeing Celaena struggling with her actions in the past. I love seeing consequences to actions in books. And I think Celaena's spiral into depression and self-hatred was incredibly well-done. I wasn't entirely sure about the introduction of Manon, but I ultimately found myself really liking her. I think Maas does an excellent job of introducing a "bad" character and then chip...

Hello Lovelies!! It's my finals week, so I'm going to make this one quick.  This week's Top Ten Tuesday (by the Broke and the Bookish ) allows us to fill in the blank! So I will be bringing you... The Top Ten Books with Characters Who are Unreliable Narrators (AKA BIG OL' LIARS). I love unreliable narrators because you never know if they're actually being unreliable or not. Occasionally they tell the truth, but occasionally they lie. So here we go... 1. Nothing by Janne Teller 2. Liar by Justine Larbalestier 3. Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman 4. Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta 5. Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout 6. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein 7. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte 8. The Princess Bride by William Goldman 9. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas 10. I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson Many of these books feature the unreliable characters as side characters and not main charac...

Hello Lovelies!! As usual today's Top Ten Tuesday is brought to you by The Broke and the Bookish . Today's topic is Top Ten All-Time Favorite Authors. So in no particular order, and without further ado...Author's whose books I've read all or almost all of and will pick up a new one immediately. Jon J. Muth - Technically as an illustrator but y'know. Gene Luen Yang Kate DiCamillo J. K. Rowling John Green Emily Bronte Rainbow Rowell Jandy Nelson Stephanie Perkins Patrick Ness What about you lovelies? Who are your favorite authors? Anyone I should try out? I've got a million authors whose books I just haven't read yet. Let me know who your favorite is in the comments!

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas is an excellent sequel to Throne of Glass.  This sequel finds Celaena working as the King's Champion: murdering people who dare to cross the King. But Celaena can't actually bring herself to kill them. Instead, she helps them fake their deaths. She's the only one who knows. But when a childhood friend of hers is next on the chopping block, she finds herself revealing her secret again and again. When the unexpected occurs, Celaena must call on every ounce of self-possession to do what's right. I loved a lot of aspects of this book. I loved that we got to see more of Celaena and Chaol. I loved that we got to learn more about Celaena and the country. But it also just didn't measure up to the first book for me. I wanted more than what I was given. I wanted less of the back and forth romance than the first book (where it was understandable and less contrived). I wanted more trust and more commitment on everyone's behal...

Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman fantastically describes a father's adventure on his quest for milk. I've been a fan of Gaiman since I read Good Omens in high school. His younger works have been hit or miss for me (loved Blueberry Girl, but The Wolves in the Walls just leaves me adrift). Skottie Young's illustrations definitely drew me to this book as well. Look at that cover! It's so beautiful and intriguing! The story is delightful and creative. Gaiman ties off every loose end except for the ultimate question of: is the father making up the trip? I loved his open ending. The illustrations accompany every twist and turn with exactitude.  This would make an excellent read-aloud in a classroom or at home. Perfect for beginning readers or those who have moved on to transitional novels (think Alvin Ho!). I read a library copy and bought one for myself within days of reading it. Favorite Quotes: We have spoons. Spoons are excellent. Sort of like fo...