Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should be Reading. 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!

"Marcus threw up his hands. Chop wood. Carry Water. Sharpen your sword. Anything to get you out from underfoot."

 
 
 
Synopsis from Goodreads: "A powerful healer, she has sworn an oath of loyalty to Keir the Warlord, and his people. Now the Warlord and his chosen mate face enemies within the tribe and danger lurks on every hand as they journey toward Keir's homeland.
When they reach a village marked with the warnings of the plague, Keir forbids Lara to heal the sick, commanding that she not risk her own life. But both Lara and Kier are strong of will and neither will bend easily, even for love; and when Lara disobeys, she pays the price: both she and Kier are plague-struck... and so is their entire encampment.
In the midst of the dying, Iften, a rival warrior, gathers his followers and challenges Keir for the right to rule their tribe. If Keir, weakened by the sickness, loses — he dies.
And so does Lara.
To save her love, her life, and her adopted people, Lara must find a cure for the plague — and fully embrace her sworn role as Warprize to her Warlord."



Review of Warprize by Elizabeth Vaughan

Synopsis from Goodreads: "Xylara is the Daughter of the Warrior King, Xyron. With her father dead and her incompetent half-brother on the throne, the kingdom is in danger of falling to the warring Firelanders.

Before she was old enough for a marriage-of-alliance, Xylara was trained as a healer. She can't usurp her brother or negotiate a peace--but she can heal the brave ones injured in battle.

But not only her countrymen are wounded, and Xylara's conscience won't let Firelander warriors die when she can do something to save them. She learns their language and their customs and tries to make them as comfortable as possible, despite their prisoner-of-war status.

She never expects that these deeds, done in good faith, would lead to the handsome and mysterious Firelander Warlord demanding her in exchange for a cease-fire. Xylara knows must trade the life she has always known for the well-being of her people, and so she becomes...

The Warprize."

My Review: Fantastic Book! I picked this one up at the book store and on the front cover was a quote from Anne McCaffrey stating "Possibly the best romantic fantasy I have ever read." So honestly how can you pass up advise like that?! So I started reading it right away and was quickly sucked into the book. I love the characters, the strong, selfless and loved Lara and the handsome, brave and intelligent Warlord Kier! Even the subcharacters were fantastic!! I loved Jorden and Simus and Marcus, the interplay between them all was smooth and believable. The story line pulled you in and if you were paying attention left an additional plot line to continue in the next book. It was impossible to put this one down!


My Rating: I have to give this book Four Paws and a Stump Wag! It was fantastic and I urge other to read it! It is an adult fantasy romance but nothing too risque.



Shelving Saturday - #6

Welcome to Shelving Saturday

Shelving Saturday is a weekly blog event I have started here at Eastern Sunset Reads.   Each week I will post a shelving dilemma or question and you can join me in the response.

 

Please feel free to post on your blog and link back here, please be sure to post the link to your response in the comments so I can come and check your Shelving day out!

This week's question is how do you decide what genre shelf you put your books on, if you shelve by genre? Do you go by what the book store has it shelved under? Or do you read it and then decide for yourself where the book belongs?

This has been a personal dilemma for me for some time, I try to read the books and then decide what shelf to put them on. The problem occurs when I have a series like Robin D. Owens' Summoning series that is both fantasy and romance, so do I put it under fantasy or do I put it under romance, or do I create a whole new shelf?! Drives me crazy, but since my romance shelf is pretty full, this particular series sits on the fantasy shelf.

 

So how about you?

Bedtime Story: Curious George

Time again for a bedtime story on Friday night. 

Curious George by H.A. Rey

Synposis from Goodreads: " The first adventure in this highly popular series tells how the little monkey Curious George, caught in the jungle and brought back to the city by a man in a yellow hat, can't help being interested in all the new things around him. Though well meaning, George's curiosity always gets him into trouble. Young readers can easily relate, and Rey's cheerful illustrations celebrate Curious George's innocence."

My Thoughts: A great classic book every child should remember! Now that I re-read it I have to remind myself that it was written in 1941! So many kids have loved this book. I remember when I was little after my mom read this book to me and then later to my brother I decided I was going to work in a zoo or foster baby wild animals.  The colors and the artwork in Curious George attract children's eyes and all the trouble he gets into can be used to remind kids what not to do.

My Rating:  While I enjoy Curious George and definitely respect its long standing time as a favorite, Curious George wasn't my favorite.  I give it a rating of Three Paws and I will read this to kids in my life!

Sleep Good and Sweet Dreams

Follow Friday # 3 & In My Mailbox #6

 To join the fun and make now book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

1. (Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host { Parajunkee.com } and any one else you want to follow on the list
2. (Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers - http://magnet4books.blogspot.com
3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing.
4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments
5. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don't just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don't say "HI"
6. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
7. If you're new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

Q. How many books do you read in a week? And in what format do you read them, or listen to them?

It really varies, and depends on the amount of time and the genre of books I am reading. Usually though I read between 3 and 5 books a week. At least one or two are print version and the rest are on my Nook.  I am able to read books from the Nook a lot more because I have it downloaded on my work computer and can read in between clients. I do enjoy audio books as well but really prefer to read, for some reason I feel as if I can enjoy the book more using the voices in my head. The only time I prefer an audio book is if I know that I am going to end up crying (Like with Dewey the Library Cat, I wouldn't have been able to see the words if I had read the print version of it by the end).

 

 

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   In My Mailbox is a weekly event hosted by The Story Siren that I have decided to participate in.

How IMM works:
Make your own IMM post! You can post about books you've bought, gotten from the library, received for review... books don't have to arrive via your mailbox. 
I post every week, but you don’t have to. You can do one week out of the month or every other week it’s up to you. 
You don't have to call your post In My Mailbox... (some people don't even have mailboxes!)
I post my IMM on Sunday, but choose a day of the week that works for you.
Once you have your IMM posted, come back to The Story Siren on Sunday and add your link to the list. 
Try to post a comment on other bloggers IMM posts. I don’t expect you to post a comment on every single one, but pick a few!

All book bloggers are welcome, while I’d like to keep the theme to YA literature it’s NOT a requirement.

There is no right or wrong way to do In My Mailbox, you can vlog, you can take fun picture, you can use the books cover art, it’s up to you!

Most importantly HAVE FUN!

Sooo I was planning on having a book buying ban but then I needed a couple of graduation book gifts from Barnes & Noble and . . . . well . . .  I can't get out of there without at least a couple books for myself!

 

Synopsis from Barnes & Noble: "The daughter of a Warrior King, Lara was trained as a healer, helping both friend and foe. And when the enemy warlord agrees to cease hostilities in exchange for Lara, she agrees to become the Warprize."

I will have this review for you in a bit ;)  I also had to download the next two books in the series today because I couldn't wait to read them!

 

 

 

Synopsis from Barnes & Noble: "Ruith had long managed to ignore the magic in his veins, until aiding Sarah with her ill-fated quest forced him into places where his heritage was impossible to deny. Faced with an ever-increasing number of enemies who covet his power, Ruith must accept his birthright and gather his father's spells together so he can destroy them-or turn away and allow his father's evil to overcome the Nine Kingdoms.

Now, Ruith and Sarah must rely on each other more than ever-for everything they value is at risk: the Nine Kingdoms, their lives...and their hearts."

I still need to get Book #4 but I found this on sale so snagged it!

Synopsis from Goodreads: "John Knowles' beloved classic has been a bestseller for more than 30 years and is one of the most moving and accurate novels about the trials and confusions of adolescence ever written. Set at an elite boarding school for boys during World War II, A Separate Peace is the story of friendship and treachery, and how a tragic accident involving two young men forever tarnishes their innocence"

I remember reading this one in school and thought it would be an important one to have in my collection.

Synopsis from Goodreads: "When her eccentric friend Dr. Reit invents an amazing transport into other worlds, Sheila McCarthy accidentally falls through the portal into the kingdom of Arren. There, Sheila finds herself part of a band of warrior-women. Astride unicorns, they gallop toward a dazzling city made of marble. But will they arrive in time to stop the evil king and his wicked wizard henchman from carrying out their deadly plans? And will Sheila ever be able to return home?

Thus begins the spellbinding story of an ordinary teenager trapped in an extraordinary place. Swept Away! and Sun Blind are the first two novels in the dazzling adventure The Secret of the Unicorn Queen.

The Secret of the Unicorn Queen is the newest addition to the Del Rey Imagine program, which offers the best in fantasy and science fiction for readers twelve and up."

This was a favorite series of mine when I was a kid, and I could never remember the name of the books or the author.  In my free time this week I went on a hunt and finally found out, then went on a hunt to get the books and wow, they were kind of pricey. But I managed to find them at a more reasonable price, this is the first one to come in the mail, I am still waiting for the other 5.

Booking Through Thursday #3 - The RUT

Booking through Thursday is a weekly event hosted by Deb at BTT

This weeks Question is:

Do you ever feel like you’re in a reading rut? That you don’t read enough variety? That you need to branch out, spread your literary wings and explore other genres, flavors, styles?

My Answer:

Most Definitely! That was the reason I originally started this book blog was to get out of my rut of Fantasy and Paranormal Romance.  I set up this blog with my 2011 Reading Challenge in mind (which has been slow going) so that I could branch out again.  I go through this regularly, I find a genre I love and then I just following other book recommendations in that same genre and next thing I know I have read nothing but say Historical Romance for 6 months straight.

I have to say all my fellow book bloggers have opened my reading up again. I love most genres of books so it is great to come across a review for a book in a genre I haven't read in years. It reminds me how I loved that genre (even though I likely left it because I had been in a rut in the past).

I think its good to try a variety of styles of writing and genres, it keeps your mind open to new things and ideas.  The only books that I don't really read are Mysteries (but I am working on changing that) and current Non-Fiction (because I read to escape the current world).


So how about you? Are you in a rut or have been in a rut? How did you get out of it or do you prefer being surrounded by your favorite genre?

Been lost in the country Panem . . .

So I know I have been MIA for several days but I do have a very good reason, I swear!  I finally decided to read the Hunger Games trilogy, and boy what the heck was I waiting for?!



Synposis from Goodreads: "In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love."

My Thoughts & Review:
When I originally finished the book, I couldn't even put any decent thoughts together so I through a quick comment up on goodreads so I would remember the moment: "I can't say a lot not because my heart is still racing and Hunger Games literally left me breathless! I had to take several deep breaths after finishing it to try to settle my nerves and heart! Why oh Why did I wait so long to read this book?! Unfortunately now I have a wedding to go to and don't think it would be proper for me to sneek my nook in with me hahaha!"

As I said above when I first finished this book I was out of breath literally, my heart was racing and my hands were shaking. It was amazing that an author could get a reader so involved that the body actually reacts to the events taking place. I loved the characters Suzanne created and the world they live in could easily be imagined,unfortunately. The action in the book is fantastic, its a constant adrenaline rush and it kept me involved throughout the whole book.

My Rating: I have definitely added Hunger Games to my favorite books list. I definitely give this one Four Paws and Stump Wag! I had too much of a reaction to the book not to give it a top rating.



Synopsis from Goodreads: "Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark won the annual competition described in Hunger Games, but the aftermath leaves these victors with no sense of triumph. Instead, they have become the poster boys for a rebellion that they never planned to lead. That new, unwanted status puts them in the bull's-eye for merciless revenge by The Capitol."

My Review: I read through this book really quickly, it really almost seemed like a transition book to me. Maybe it was the addition of allies that made the drama not as intense to me, but I wasn't left breathless or shaking like with the Hunger Games. Catching Fire definitely seemed to be moving more into the political battle as opposed to the main characters just trying to survive and get their digs in every once in a while. By the end though I did want to know what happened next and was eager to read the next book.

My Rating: Due to the fact that the first book left me so shaken, Catching Fire left me a little disappointed. So I give it a rating of Three Paws. It was a good book, one I kept reading but it didn't catch me the way I expected it too.

Synopsis from Goodreads: "Young Katniss Everdeen has survived the dreaded Hunger Games not once, but twice, but even now she can find no relief. In fact, the dangers seem to be escalating: President Snow has declared an all-out war on Katniss, her family, her friends, and all the oppressed people of District 12. The thrill-packed final installment of Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy will keep young hearts pounding."

My Review: This final installment was a must read, you couldn't leave this trilogy without concluding it. Unfortunately for me, Katniss lost nearly all her appeal. I almost wish that Suzanne Collins had changed the protagonist for this third book. I was much more interested what was happening with the other characters involved. Again it was another mainly political conflict book, showing the deceit, head games, and power plays people are willing to do for gain in power. It seems that there is a trend lately with trilogies I have read that the ending seems kind of abrupt to me. It left me kind of puzzled as to how after all the conflict, that things just end. The resolution seems very thrown together and not carefully thought out as the rest of the trilogy.

My Rating: Unfortunately, Mockingjay just did not live up to my expectations but it was still an interesting read and needed to complete the trilogy. I give it a rating of Two Paws and a Stump Wag. 



Shelving Saturday - #5

Welcome to Shelving Saturday

Shelving Saturday is a weekly blog event I have started here at Eastern Sunset Reads.   Each week I will post a shelving dilemma or question and you can join me in the response. Please feel free to post on your blog and link back here, please be sure to post the link to your response in the comments so I can come and check your Shelving day out!

This weeks dilemma is how do you stack your books on the shelves?  Do you line them up library style, do you stack them on their sides or do you use a combination?  Have you figured out what method holds the most books?!

I go back and forth sometimes I shelve them library style and with the smaller books I use a combination. Lately though I have been wondering that if I laid them down in stacks if I could fit more books on the shelves.  I would love to see how you display your books (or just maximize your space).

Here are two of my shelving styles:

Library style for my classics and poetry

And Combination for my Middle Reader/ Saddle club and horse books

So lets see your shelves, how do you display your books, maximize space or just cram them in there. Do you have any tips for the rest of us trying to smoosh all our books in our limited spaces.





In My Mailbox - #5 & Bedtime Story: Green Eggs & Ham

   In My Mailbox is a weekly event hosted by The Story Siren that I have decided to participate in.

How IMM works:
Make your own IMM post! You can post about books you've bought, gotten from the library, received for review... books don't have to arrive via your mailbox. 
I post every week, but you don’t have to. You can do one week out of the month or every other week it’s up to you. 
You don't have to call your post In My Mailbox... (some people don't even have mailboxes!)
I post my IMM on Sunday, but choose a day of the week that works for you.
Once you have your IMM posted, come back to The Story Siren on Sunday and add your link to the list. 
Try to post a comment on other bloggers IMM posts. I don’t expect you to post a comment on every single one, but pick a few!

All book bloggers are welcome, while I’d like to keep the theme to YA literature it’s NOT a requirement.

There is no right or wrong way to do In My Mailbox, you can vlog, you can take fun picture, you can use the books cover art, it’s up to you!

Most importantly HAVE FUN!


I got nothing in my mailbox this week, but I did download a couple of books onto my Nook to finish up the series I was working on.  I have already posted the reviews of all of them too so you can check out my other posts this week for the synopsis of each of them.



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Now a little Friday night bedtime story . . .

Green Eggs & Ham by Dr. Seuss

Synopsis from Goodreads:  "Back in 1957, Theodor Geisel responded to an article in Life magazine that lamented the use of boring reading primers in schools. Using the pseudonym of "Dr. Seuss" (Seuss was Geisel's middle name) and only 223 words, Geisel created a replacement for those dull primers: The Cat in the Hat. The instant success of the book prompted Geisel and his wife to found Beginner Books, and Geisel wrote 44 books in this series. These affordable hardcover books combine large print, easy vocabulary, and large, bright illustrations in stories kids will want to read again and again. Grades 1 - Grades 2."

My Review:  Well who doesn't love Green Eggs & Ham?!  This was one that was read to me so many times I didn't really need to read it again, I could recite it from memory.  It has a fun lesson for kids to try new things (including green things) wrapped up in the rhymes of Dr. Seuss. Green Eggs and Ham isn't my favorite Dr. Seuss but its one that I can actually read out loud without getting my tongue tied in knots!

My Rating:  Me, Niko & Valerie all decided to give it Four Paws! The great classic illustrations, fun colors and unique combinations (Goat in a Boat?!) make it a great book for kids of all ages!

Goodnight, Sweet Dreams

Follow Friday #2 & Review of If I Stay and Where She Went by Gayle Forman

 To join the fun and make now book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

1. (Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host { Parajunkee.com } and any one else you want to follow on the list
2. (Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers - http://magnet4books.blogspot.com
3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing.
4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments
5. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don't just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don't say "HI"
6. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
7. If you're new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

Q. It's circle time. Time for us to open up and share. Can you tell us FIVE quirky habits or things about you? We all have them...

1. I love bacon! My hubby makes fun of me that if bacon bought and cooked itself I would have married it!

2. My favorite animal, oddly enough, is an armadillo. They are soo unique and cute!

3. I grew up in a tiny town in Wyoming but now live in a city in Rhode Island, talk about change.

4. I am terrified of moose, spiders & thunder, oh and being on boats.

5. I have never met some of my best friends in person, only online, but they are some of the most amazing friends ever!

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Synopsis from Goodreads: "In a single moment, everything changes. Seventeen-year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall riding along the snow-wet Oregon road with her family. Then, in a blink, she finds herself watching as her own damaged body is taken from the wreck...
A sophisticated, layered, and heartachingly beautiful story about the power of family and friends, the choices we all make—and the ultimate choice Mia commands."


My Review: An amazing and emotional journey! Gayle Forman brings you a long and shoves you into Mia's memories and decision. You can't help but be drug into the mix of emotions Mia feels and she struggles with a decision to stay or to go with her family. It makes you wonder what you would do? Could you stay if you knew you had lost so much and could possibly loose more? Or would you fight for what small hope there could be?

My Rating: I definitely loved this book, everything came together, the emotions, the writing, the characters so If I Stay gets a whopping Four Paws and a Stump Wag!!  Thats as high as my ratings go!!






Now I will review the second book, some things may be given away so if you don't want to spoil your reading experience of If I Stay  I suggest you stop reading now.  I don't give any spoilers in my reviews but the synopsis does a little bit.

Synopsis from Goodreads: "It's been three years since the devastating accident . . . three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life forever.
Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Juilliard's rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia's home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future–and each other.

Told from Adam's point of view in the spare, lyrical prose that defined If I Stay, Where She Went explores the devastation of grief, the promise of new hope, and the flame of rekindled romance."




My Review: Wow, a beautiful follow up to If I Stay! I love that it continues the story but from a different point of view. The emotions we followed Adam through are extreme, you feel his anguish, his heartbreak, hope and confussion. I can almost hear the songs he writes as I read the book. Gayle Forman presents us with realistic takes on stardom and life, we can't have some dreams without sacrificing others, we can have everything without feeling pain, its up to us what pain we feel and what we choose to achieve.

My Rating: Gayle Forman knocked another one out of the park! Again all the elements came together for me, the voice of the book is so perfect! Another rating of Four Paws and a Stump Wag!!  I really suggest you take a look at these two books!

Phew! Thats a lot but I wanted to get it all done instead of flooding all your inboxes and feeds!

Review: Books 2 & 3 of the Summer Series by Jenny Han



Synopsis: "Can summer be truly summer without Cousins Beach?
It used to be that Belly counted the days until summer, until she was back at Cousins Beach with Conrad and Jeremiah. But not this year. Not after Susannah got sick again and Conrad stopped caring. Everything that was right and good has fallen apart, leaving Belly wishing summer would never come.

But when Jeremiah calls saying Conrad has disappeared, Belly knows what she must do to make things right again. And it can only happen back at the beach house, the three of them together, the way things used to be. If this summer really and truly is the last summer, it should end the way it started--at Cousins Beach."

My Review: I read this one right after The Summer I Turned Pretty and I still maintain my dislike for Belly, she is so immature, but there are 16 year olds who act that way. I really enjoyed being able to get to know Jeremiah's character a little more, and even Conrad's. There was a lot of pushing and pulling between the love triangle as to be expected. Unfortunately it seems that Belly is too self centered give a sacrifice like each of the boys. This wasn't my favorite book of the Summer Series but I think it was a necessary building block. Once again though I absolutely love Jenny Han's writing style!

My Rating: I think I would give Its Not Summer Without You Two Paws and a Stump Wag.  A little middle of the road but thats how I felt. I definately would suggest people reading it if they liked the first one, it has an important role in building the relationships for the third book.


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Synopsis: "It's been two years since Conrad told Belly to go with Jeremiah. She and Jeremiah have been inseparable ever since, even attending the same college-- only, their relationship hasn't exactly been the happily ever after Belly had hoped it would be. And when Jeremiah makes the worst mistake a boy can make, Belly is forced to question what she thought was true love. Does she really have a future with Jeremiah? Has she ever gotten over Conrad? It's time for Belly to decide, once and for all, who has her heart forever"

My Review: Just when everything seems so clear life comes and gets you again. I was glad I forged ahead and read this final book of the Summer series even though I dislike Belly. I have to say she did finally start to mature in this one, still has a temper and gets stubborn but it seems she has learned to keep her mouth shut (sometimes). I wouldn't have made the same decisions she does but I can see she makes them out of love. Unfortunately this book seemed a little rushed, I am not sure if it was the frantic timeline the characters themselves laid out or if it was that there was so much turmoil. I also was a little disappointed at the abrupt ending after all the build up (I am talking about the a couple years later chapter), I felt like it was a little off handed just to throw that ending in there without any emotion.

My Rating: This one was a little harder to rate, but I think I come to the conclusion of Three Paws and a Stump Wag.  It could have been four paws if the last chapter hadn't just rushed past any emotions, I feel like there should have been a fourth book instead of one brief chapter.

Review of The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

Synopsis from Goodreads "Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer--they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one terrible and wonderful summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along"

My Review: A beautifully written book in my opinion. I love how Jenny Han draws you into the story and lets you in on the characters little inside jokes and memories. I didn't exactly connect with Belly, and some readers my not but we all know someone like her! Actually I don't know if I really connected with any of the characters or if they all just got me thinking about my own memories. Honestly I think that what makes The Summer I Turned Pretty so good, is you coast through reading about Belly, Conrad, & Jeremiah, Susannah and Laurel, investing a little time in them and then wondering off into your own memories. It is great to have that something done or said trigger a little thing in the back of your mind that you haven't thought of in years.

Last night I was thinking about what I would write in review of this book and I just kept thinking how opposite I was from Belly. I wasn't a complainer or whiner like she is, and I definitely did not get my way. But the one thing we had in common was our want to be included, we just went about it in different ways, Belly tried to tag along when she was young and tattle when she didn't get her way so the boys would be forced to take her. I on the other hand set out to impress. The thing with being a girl and trying to hang with the guys is you have to be braver, tougher and faster than not only a girl but the guys too. Some how I accomplished that when I was a kid and became one of the guys. The problem with that was again opposite than Belly, Conrad and Jeremiah suddenly noticed her, along with other guys she encountered because she was seen as beautiful, and pretty. On the complete other hand was me, one of the guys, even when I did finally turn pretty I could never be viewed that way. I had worked so hard to be included one way only to be excluded in a different way down the road. Not that I would change that, I ended up meeting an amazing man when I left that tiny town behind. The Summer I Turned Pretty just made me think about all of this while reading it.  The beautiful writing style Jenny Han uses lets you have your moments to ponder.

My Rating: All in all I loved this book and have to give it Four Paws! I wasn't a fan of Belly's but I grew to like her (kind of like that annoying cousin or sibling) and the other characters. I am an absolute fan of Jenny Han's now, I really enjoyed how she didn't let the cancer take the main focus of the book, she let her characters find their own way as would be typical of a young teen girl and teen boys.



I will have reviews of both Its Not Summer Without You and We'll Always have Summer, the final two books of the trilogy in a post for you tomorrow. <3

Review: Eternal Rider & other news

 

 

Eternal Rider by Larissa Ione

Book 1 of the Lords of Deliverance

Synopsis from Goodreads: " They are here. They ride. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

His name is Ares, and the fate of mankind rests on his powerful shoulders. If he falls to the forces of evil, the world falls too. As one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, he is far stronger than any mortal, but even he cannot fight his destiny forever. Not when his own brother plots against him.
Yet there is one last hope. Gifted in a way other humans can't-or won't-understand, Cara Thornhart is the key to both this Horseman's safety and his doom. But involving Cara will prove treacherous, even beyond the maddening, dangerous desire that seizes them the moment they meet. For staving off eternal darkness could have a staggering cost: Cara's life."

      My Review:  I absolutely loved this book! I think Ione just gained another follower! Eternal Rider had great dynamics between the characters.  The siblings (Four Horsemen) had your typical family love hate relationship.  The character descriptions of the Hellhounds, horsemen and demons was very interesting, I so want to be a horseman and have a horse with me at all times like they do, so cool!  The struggle between good and evil that Ione portrayed was interesting, the good had flaws and the evil even had some redeeming factors, there was so much gray area it seemed very realistic.  Ares was a great character, I enjoyed his harsh but down to earth point of view, it was a great contrast to Cara's timid and look for the good in everything point of view.  Oddly enough the Hellhound pup, Hal added some great comic relief on occasion. What I really loved was that Larissa Ione really stuck with the main plot of the book and didn't get distracted by the physical parts (read sex scenes) as I have read in the past.  

Note: There is adult language and situations described in detail through out this book, there is also a good amount of blood and guts, just a forewarning.

My Rating:  I definitely give this book All Four Paws! I really enjoyed nearly ever aspect of Eternal Rider and can't wait for the next book in the series to come out late this year!



~~~~~~~~~~~~

In other news I am back from vacation!! I read 4 almost 5 books this last week so I will try to post the reviews in between getting caught back up with work and house chores.  I have so much reading on the blogs I follow to catch up on, who knows when I will get done!  I hope you all had a great week!

Here is a silly picture from my vacation, my BFF and I went to Salem MA for a visit and decided to do one of those old fashioned photoshoots and this was one picture that made me giggle!

Bwahahahahaha!

Shelving Saturday - #4

Welcome to Shelving Saturday

Shelving Saturday is a weekly blog event I have started here at Eastern Sunset Reads.   Each week I will post a shelving dilemma or question and you can join me in the response. Please feel free to post on your blog and link back here, please be sure to post the link to your response in the comments so I can come and check your Shelving day out!

So this week's question is . . . What is your odd man out book? What book just doesn't fit anywhere in your collection?

Come on, we all have at least one book that just doesn't fit on a shelf.  My personal Odd Man Out book is Confessions of a Shopaholic. Most of my books are fantasy, paranormal, historical, romance and thriller (especially medical). Now where does chic book fit in there?! So I just move it around from shelf to shelf filling a space where needed until some others can join it.  So spill the beans whats your odd man out book?

In My Mailbox - #4

   In My Mailbox is a weekly event hosted by The Story Siren that I have decided to participate in.

How IMM works:
Make your own IMM post! You can post about books you've bought, gotten from the library, received for review... books don't have to arrive via your mailbox. 
I post every week, but you don’t have to. You can do one week out of the month or every other week it’s up to you. 
You don't have to call your post In My Mailbox... (some people don't even have mailboxes!)
I post my IMM on Sunday, but choose a day of the week that works for you.
Once you have your IMM posted, come back to The Story Siren on Sunday and add your link to the list. 
Try to post a comment on other bloggers IMM posts. I don’t expect you to post a comment on every single one, but pick a few!

All book bloggers are welcome, while I’d like to keep the theme to YA literature it’s NOT a requirement.

There is no right or wrong way to do In My Mailbox, you can vlog, you can take fun picture, you can use the books cover art, it’s up to you!

Most importantly HAVE FUN!

So Here is my In My Mailbox #4



Some great books there! I had to pick up some books from the Amazon 4 for 3 sale ;)  

I apologize again for my absence and I promise many reviews next week when I return! I have already finished one book and am nearing the end of another, hopefully finish one or two more before the end of my vacation on Tuesday!

Hope your days are filled with fun!

Teaser Tuesday -#2

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should be Reading. 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!

Eternal Rider by Larissa Ione (Adult warning)

Synopsis from Goodreads: " They are here. They ride. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

His name is Ares, and the fate of mankind rests on his powerful shoulders. If he falls to the forces of evil, the world falls too. As one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, he is far stronger than any mortal, but even he cannot fight his destiny forever. Not when his own brother plots against him.
Yet there is one last hope. Gifted in a way other humans can't-or won't-understand, Cara Thornhart is the key to both this Horseman's safety and his doom. But involving Cara will prove treacherous, even beyond the maddening, dangerous desire that seizes them the moment they meet. For staving off eternal darkness could have a staggering cost: Cara's life."

"You were going through my things."
Carefully, she placed the toy animals in the box, along with the wooden rattle.  But she ran her thumb over the bronze ring and the milky green emerald set into it. "It's beautiful," she whispered.
His throat closed up . "It was my wife's".
She set it in the box. "And the other things?"
"The were my sons'. Now get out."
"The light was on --"
"Get. Out."

from page 261-262

So how about your teasers? Lets see them

Someone's Got the case of the Mondays!

Yes siree! I am tired and cranky today, my eyes are watering from the effort of keeping them open. 

This is what I get for the clean-a-thon of my house this weekend getting ready for company tomorrow. So I just want to give you all a little update in case I don't make it back here, I will be on vacation from tomorrow afternoon until the following Tuesday afternoon.  My best friend will be visiting, but thankfully she is a major bookworm as well and wants to go to the park and read most of her visit.  I will hopefully be able to get online and post a few reviews for you this week.

So here is a little beginning of week update for you:

Currently Reading:
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
Immortal Rider by Larissa Ione
A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin

Bedtime Story this week is going to be Green Eggs & Ham!

My current writing adventure: 13,892 words (I started out strong and then faded sadly, but hoping to get some work done while at the office today and tomorrow).

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and find lots of  new adventures in your books!
~Ang

Shelving Saturday - #3

Welcome to Shelving Saturday

Shelving Saturday is a weekly blog event I have started here at Eastern Sunset Reads.   Each week I will post a shelving dilemma or question and you can join me in the response. Please feel free to post on your blog and link back here, please be sure to post the link to your response in the comments so I can come and check your Shelving day out!

Today's Shelving Saturday Question:  Do you have a shelf dedicated to a particular author? Or perhaps rather long series by an author?

I do (actually I have a couple)!

I started reading Robin Cook's medical mysteries when I was in high school and planning on becoming a neurosurgeon. I absolutely loved each one of his books so I have continued to collect them. There are so many I have dedicated an entire shelf to his books.  I don't quite have them all so Thomas Harris has joined him on the shelf and one of Laurell K. Hamilton's as well, just as space holders until I do finish my Robin Cook collection.

I also have a shelf dedicated to all the Saddle Club Books by Bonnie Bryant.  This was a set of books I loved as a girl. My friend and I use to act them out, and pretend that we were the characters on our horses.  I was Carol and she was Stevie.  It took me a while to get all of the books but I finally did, all 108 of them! The shelf now shares with several of my middle reader horse book collections (this shelf is usually stacked double deep but I pulled the first row off so you could see the set).

So tell me about your favorite authors that have whole shelves or boxes in your home! Lets see those pictures too if you have them!

~Ang

In My Mailbox - #3 & Bedtime Story: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

   In My Mailbox is a weekly event hosted by The Story Siren that I have decided to participate in.

How IMM works:
Make your own IMM post! You can post about books you've bought, gotten from the library, received for review... books don't have to arrive via your mailbox. 
I post every week, but you don’t have to. You can do one week out of the month or every other week it’s up to you. 
You don't have to call your post In My Mailbox... (some people don't even have mailboxes!)
I post my IMM on Sunday, but choose a day of the week that works for you.
Once you have your IMM posted, come back to The Story Siren on Sunday and add your link to the list. 
Try to post a comment on other bloggers IMM posts. I don’t expect you to post a comment on every single one, but pick a few!

All book bloggers are welcome, while I’d like to keep the theme to YA literature it’s NOT a requirement.

There is no right or wrong way to do In My Mailbox, you can vlog, you can take fun picture, you can use the books cover art, it’s up to you!

Most importantly HAVE FUN!

So Here is my In My Mailbox #3

Barnes and Noble had a great sale for the classics that I need for my own personal reading challenge so . . .

I picked up the following titles:

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

War and Peace by Leo Tulstoy

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Anna Karenina by Leo Tulstoy

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams

Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller

And you see that last book?! A person on the mlparena announced that she had the first book in a trilogy published so I had to get a copy for myself!

The Secret of Shadow by T.J. Silver

Synopsis: "Charbroiling a cheerleader, twisting a tornado in history class, darting head-on into a Shadow-wing dragon named Drakyus...it wasn't exactly how Thunderstorm Valdar had pictured his first day at his new school, Paracelsus Academy. Thunder and his family had just relocated from Chicago to Silver Oak, a move he wasn't thrilled about. Up until that fateful day, Thunder had been an ordinary - though socially awkward - teenager who didn't know that his uneventful life was about to change forever."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And Now for a little bedtime story . . . .

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barret

Synopsis: "The tiny town of Chewandswallow was very much like any other tiny town except for its weather which came three times a day, at breakfast, lunch and dinner. But it never rained rain and it never snowed snow and it never blew just wind. It rained things like soup and juice. It snowed things like mashed potatoes. And sometimes the wind blew in storms of hamburgers. Life for the townspeople was delicious until the weather took a turn for the worse. The food got larger and larger and so did the portions. Chewandswallow was plagues by damaging floods and storms of huge food. The town was a mess and the pople feared for their lives. Something had to be done, and in a hurry."

From Amazon.com

My Review:  I had never read Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs before, and I don't recall my parents ever reading it to me or my brother either.  Now that I have read it I can kind of understand why.  Honestly, I was not thrilled with this book. I don't really understand the point of the story, there really wasn't a moral to it. Granted it was a fun little story the grandfather told but not something I would read to my own kids.

My Rating:  I think I would give Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs a rating of 2 Paw Prints.  Unfortunately, I think the movie was better than the book this time.

Follow Friday - #1

 To join the fun and make now book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

1. (Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host { Parajunkee.com } and any one else you want to follow on the list
2. (Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers - http://magnet4books.blogspot.com
3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing.
4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments
5. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don't just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don't say "HI"
6. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
7. If you're new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

I decided to join in Follow Fridays, you can never have too many friends and I always have fun reading new blogs.

Q. Circle time! Time to share. What character in a book would you most like to be, what character in a book would you most like to date?

Its hard to remember all the wonderful characters from the books I have read. I think though I would choose to be one of the heroines from the Camelot series by Sarah Zettel.  I have always wanted to be a strong woman character, who can stand her ground, fit, with a quick wit and most importantly shoot a bow and arrow, something I am determined to learn some day.

Or I thought about Anita Blake written by Laurell K. Hamilton, just because she is such a bad a$$.  She is so cool, strong, confident, sexy, everything every girl wants to be (and she gets to play with the coolest weapons), but I wouldn't want to be dealing with all the magical stuff or 'Mommy Dearest' like she has to.

As far as someone I would date, with out a doubt it would be Brigan from Fire by Kristin Cashore! The depth of his character, the harsh exterior, the amount of confidence and knowledge he has, especially considering he was put under a lot of pressure.  I love how as you get to know him you see the tender side that raises his daughter, and the gentle hand with a horse. I definitely love his character!

Ok enough of my yammering on and on!  How about you? Who would you be or date?

May RAK

I signed up for my first month of RAK - and already have plans for a few of my own to send out ;)   Please join us . . . .

RULES:

• Sign up each month that you'd like to participate.

• Show off your participation by grabbing our RAK button :)

• Create a wish list (on Amazon, Goodreads, or your blog etc) and post it in the Google Doc located in each R.A.K post for the month.

• If you choose to do a R.A.K for someone, check out their wish list and contact that blogger for their address.

• At the end of the month, SHOW US YOUR R.A.K!

Make a post saying 'Thank You' to whoever granted one of your wishes and share it with us :)

OPEN TO EVERYONE!

Let's keep our International bloggers in mind and in our hearts.

Remember, there's always the Book Depository and they offer FREE shipping!

Easy peasy!

Booking Through Thursday - #2

Booking through Thursday is a weekly event hosted by Deb at BTT

This weeks Question is:

And–the reverse of last week’s question. Name one book that you hope never, ever, ever gets made into a movie (no matter how good that movie might be).

This is much more difficult than last week's question, being as the movies I would not want turned into movies already have been. 

Of the books I have recently read I think the one I wouldn't want made into a movie would be Pegasus by Robin McKinley.  No matter how fantastic the effects are in the movie I don't think it could ever live up to my image.  Also it would be so difficult to portray the mind speak that Sylvi & Ebon use as well as the horse language itself. If it did happen to though, I would be so horribly disappointed that the Pegasi don't really exist. I would be crushed.


How about you?

Review: Broken Chords by Barbara Snow Gilbert

Broken Chords by Barbara Snow Gilbert

Synopsis from Goodreads: "Chronicles 17-year-old Clara's struggle to live up to her musical potential yet avoid the pressure of the cutthroat world of young musicians.

Seveven teen-year-old Clara Lorenzo has it all: a great family, friends, Marshall-her love interest waiting in the wings. And to top it all off, she is a brilliant pianist, on her way to a career doing what she loves best.

But does she? Sometimes Clara gets tired of constantly performing. She knows that her ability is more skill than passion. But if she stopped playing, her family would be heartbroken. Marshall would never understand.

Clara must decide whether she can risk giving up a world where her forte is revered for one unfamiliar and uncertain."

My Review:  Broken Chords was a fantastic YA book.  I didn't expect to love it as much as I did, as I don't read  a lot of YA books.  The emotions that Clara feels and the amount of pressure she feels is all too common.  Almost all teens feel the pressure to live up to their parents dreams for them.  Barbara Snow Gilbert did a great job of bringing you a long on Clara's struggles, you not only feel her pain but it reminds you of pain you yourself have felt at one point in time, making it all the more real.  It was a beautifully written book, one that I couldn't put down.

My Rating: I am giving Broken Chords a rating of Four Paws and a Stump Wag. The characters were very personable and the story line on a whole was very believable.  If you have the chance I urge you to pick this one up!