Books: A true story

My Mailbox (44)

Jessica — Sat, 18 May 2013 05:22:17 +0000

My Mailbox is where I show all the books I?ve gotten by various means throughout the week.

I will be linking up with Mailbox Monday and Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga?s Reviews :)

Since I LOVE book cover art on my kindle, I took my own pictures of the covers of my ebooks.

Bought

Ever since I signed up for the Kindle Daily Deals email I have been hoarding books that cost a dollar.

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver for only $0.99!

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield on sale for $1.99.

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson on sale for $0.99!

The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey - on sale from Amazon.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - I’ve already finished this so I’m all ready to go see the movie this weekend!

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo - I got this in paperback even though I have the hardcover because I’m on the book blogger appreciation page! AHHH!

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl - at the book signing in Provo.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins - at the book signing in Provo.

Library

Asunder by Jodi Meadows

What did you get in your mailbox this week? Leave a link and I?ll come look!

Book Review: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

Jessica — Thu, 16 May 2013 07:00:20 +0000

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter #2) by J. K. Rowling
Series: Harry Potter #2
Published On: June 2, 1999
Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade
Source: Purchased

Buy the Book Goodreads

The Short, Sweet, and Spoiler-Free Blurb:

The Dursleys were so mean and hideous that summer that all Harry Potter wanted was to get back to the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. But just as he’s packing his bags, Harry receives a warning from a strange, impish creature named Dobby who says that if Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts, disaster will strike.

And strike it does.

My favorite thing about this book is how we get to see that wizards and Muggles are much the same. Mr. Weasley actually thinks that Muggles are fasinating and even “magical” in their own way. It’s a nice little theme that I only picked up since it was my third time reading it. It’s a subtle contrast to the “Muggle-born” hate the goes along with the opening of the Chamber of Secrets.

And enter Lockhart – the fun, semi-villain. He’s fun to make fun of and laugh at but I think he represents a villan that we are more likely to encounter in real life or even become ourselves if we’re not careful. He’s selfish, vain and will do anything to get ahead including hurting others.

Honestly, this book gave me chills when I first read it. I was not expecting what I considered to be a “kids” book to be scary. I had to finish it in one night so I could sleep. If I didn’t find out how Harry got rid of the voices talking about blood and killing, my subconscious would have no way to fight back in my nightmares. I have nightmares about everything.

The magical world J.K. Rowling has built is so fantastic and unbelievably real that it makes me ask questions like, “Why is Peeves physical when ghosts are not and why is he afraid of the Bloody Baron?” And I seriously want an answer. There is no level of detail that is too much in my mind. I must know all the things about Hogwarts. And oh how I love Professor Binns. He’s the ultimate old and boring teacher (another thing that Muggles sadly have, too).

I really can’t get over how very relatable this book is to kids. It deals with the big and small struggles that kids go through every day. It shows how the characters deal with unfairness and how tedious and boring school can be. And Harry really acts like a kid - he doesn’t tell Dumbledore important things in the fashion of any kid who is afraid. Who as a kid didn’t tell their parents something even though they knew they should?

After reading it for the third time, it’s fun to pick up on the foreshadowing that I missed. I’m noticing that Ms. Rowling often disguises important things as jokes or just another detail to make the world more interesting and colorful. Ooh I just get chills when they figure out who Moaning Myrtle is. See? She’s important although at first she appeared to just be a colorful character to annoy them in the bathroom.

I can’t end this review without the best quote of the book:

It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.

- J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (p. 333)

Content Rating: Mild, for talk of killing and blood, some scary scenes, and some mild swearing.

About J. K. Rowling

J K (Joanne Kathleen) Rowling was born in the summer of 1965 at Yate General Hospital in England and grew up in Chepstow, Gwent where she went to Wyedean Comprehensive. Jo left Chepstow for Exeter University, where she earned a French and Classics degree, and where her course included one year in Paris. When her marriage ended, she returned to the UK to live in Edinburgh, where “Harry Potter & the Philosopher’s Stone” was eventually completed and in 1996 she received an offer of publication. The following summer the world was introduced to Harry Potter.

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads

Book Review: Bullies by Gary Taaffe

Jessica — Wed, 15 May 2013 07:00:24 +0000

Bullies (Urban Hunters #5) by Gary Taaffe
Series: Urban Hunters #5
Published On: February 1, 2013
Genres: Fiction, Young Adult
Source: For Review

Buy the Book Goodreads

The Short, Sweet, and Spoiler-Free Blurb:
The son of the mongrel old man who Billy speared wants revenge. Billy could lose the pups. A bloody battle ensues but Diesel doesn?t count on Amber; or Larry, Curly and Moe for that matter.

Another fun short story in the Urban Hunters series. I really liked how we got to learn a little more about Billy and Amber and their personalities. We get to see their relationship grow in little, adorable ways. But I really struggled with the conflict in this one. It just didn’t feel real to me that an adult, no matter how angry, would actually try to physically harm young kids. I mean it was cool that we got to see Amber and Billy take care of themselves, but if I’m supposed to see this guy as a sympathetic character afterwords, it just didn’t work for me. But way to go girl power for Amber! And there was some great humor at the end.

Overall, there’s some cute moments at the beginning and fun humor at the end, but the conflict just didn’t work for me this time.

Content Rating: Medium, mildly descriptive violence.

I received this book for review from the author, Gary Taaffe, in exchange for an honest review. I was not told what to say, I was not paid to write this review and all the opinions expressed are my own.

About Gary Taaffe

Gary Taaffe lives in a small coastal town in NSW, Australia. There’s open ocean on one side, a massive saltwater lake on the other and enough virgin bushland in the surrounding areas to lose yourself for a week. When he’s not writing, Gary’s hunting deer for the freezer or putting around the lake fishing for flathead.
He’s a Toolmaker by trade, a successful inventor and now, a writer. Urban Hunters is the culmination of his inventiveness, his enthusiasm for the outdoors and his fun-filled sense of humour.

Blog ? Twitter ? Facebook ? Goodreads

Shelving by Covers: May 14, 2013

Jessica — Tue, 14 May 2013 07:00:17 +0000

Here are the brand new YA releases out today!

I?ve ?shelved? them purely based on their cover. Hope you laugh and find some new, shiny books.

The Red Green Show

And Then She Thought Up Harry Potter

It’s Gotta Be The Good Life….

I Wonder How Cold That Water Is

Acting Lesson 1: Dramatic Damsel

Running

I Can See Your Nose Hairs From This Angle

Mirror, Mirror, Does Black Leather Look Good On Me?

Do Robot Horsies Eat Carrots?

The covers are affiliate links. If you click a link and purchase anything, it really helps support my blog. Thanks for stopping by!

Book Review: Taken by Erin Bowman

Jessica — Wed, 08 May 2013 07:00:20 +0000

Taken (Taken #1) by Erin Bowman
Series: Taken #1
Published On: April 16, 2013
Genres: Dystopian, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Source: For Review

Buy the Book Goodreads

The Short, Sweet, and Spoiler-Free Blurb:
There are no men in Claysoot. There are boys?but every one of them vanishes at midnight on his eighteenth birthday. The ground shakes, the wind howls, a blinding light descends?and he?s gone. They call it the Heist. Gray Weathersby?s eighteenth birthday is mere months away, and he?s prepared to meet his fate?until he finds a strange note from his mother and starts to question everything he?s been raised to accept . . .

Taken reminded me a little of The Maze Runner – they both had this engrossing quest for answers. The plot delivers on answering a lot of the questions that come up. The story moves quickly and kept me glued to the pages. The interesting world was the strongest part of this book. But, sadly there were a few things that kept me from really loving it.

I have mixed feelings about the plot. I loved how it was so fast-paced and surprised me once or twice, even if it had a few minor plot holes. I like fast moving plots in books, but I think this was a rare example of the plot moving too fast. It’s amazing the amount of ground this 360 page novel covers. Since so much is happening, there is a lot of “monologuing” if you will (to use a term from The Incredibles). Instead of getting to experience the newly discovered layers of this world, the characters would often have mini-speeches explaining the newest development. Then the characters would immediately act on the new revelations. It made for an addicting and zippy plot, but I found myself missing the fleshed-out little details that would have made the world rich and believable. Sometimes things felt over-explained and sometimes the characters are running for their lives when they feel the need to monologue something new and explain the world a little more. I wanted to strangle all of them and remind them that they should be running for their lives. If this book would have taken it’s time with building the world naturally and not skipped over so many details, it would have been an incredible book instead of just an average one. The matriarchal society structure that Gray grew up in was so interesting. I so wish that it had gone into more detail about the society!

The main character Gray was so likable at the beginning, but I felt his character progressed into kind of an unforgiving jerk. There were a few cute, romantic moments at the beginning – like them talking about wanting to be like the birds – that were so adorable. But I found the way the love triangle unfolded to be very unappealing. It’s possible that I have a gender bias that love triangles are okay for girls and not boys, but I still felt this “love triangle” was more like unfairly dragging two girls along. Another reason I felt Gray was a jerk was when he has to make decisions through the story that could potentially hurt those he cares about, he completely justifies his actions without some much-needed honest indecision. It gave me the impression that he didn’t care as much as he said he did.

I didn’t like some of the language used in the writing. There are a few descriptions of his chest “heaving” when he’s attracted to a girl. Gross. And the word “slatings” for dates? That’s such a bizarre phrase. The word pairing used later on in the book was much better.

Overall, it had a fast-paced action filled plot that was addicting to read, but it was at the expense of building a fleshed-out world. This book started out so strong at the beginning and sadly fizzles out towards the end.

Content Rating: Medium, for some swearing and violence.

I received this book for review from the publisher, HarperTeen, through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. I was not told what to say, I was not paid to write this review and all the opinions expressed are my own. I read an Advanced Reading Copy for this review.

About Erin Bowman

Erin Bowman used to tell stories visually as a web designer. Now a full-time writer, she relies solely on words. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband and when not writing she can often be found hiking, commenting on good typography, and obsessing over all things Harry Potter.

Website • Tumblr • Twitter • Pinterest • Goodreads

Shelving by Covers: May 7, 2013

Jessica — Tue, 07 May 2013 07:00:19 +0000

Here are the brand new YA releases out today!

I?ve ?shelved? them purely based on their cover. Hope you laugh and find some new, shiny books.

Smooth Criminal

Under Da Sea…Under Da Sea…

She Doesn’t Look Sneaky… AT ALL

Titanic Sails the Universe

It’s the End of the World As We Know It

Don’t Go Chasin’ Waterfalls

Classy Like Benedict Cumberbatch

At Least You Went To Paris??

I Don’t SEE This Relationship Going Anywhere

“Hey Look! I’m Picasso!”

“Uhh…I don’t get it.”

“You uncultured swine!”

The covers are affiliate links. If you click a link and purchase anything, it really helps support my blog. Thanks for stopping by!

Dusty Bookshelf May Theme and Soundtrack Your Book!

Jessica — Mon, 06 May 2013 18:30:28 +0000

Welcome to the April Theme read and mini-challenge!

May Theme is A Book You Started Once

Is there a book on your shelf that you started once but just didn’t finish? Now’s the time to pick it up! You can tell us about it on our Goodreads Discussion this month or in the comments.

Last month I read East of Eden which I had started in high school but I just really didn’t get it. I’m glad I picked it up now because I did get it this time and I loved it.

May Mini-Challenge – Soundtrack Your Book!

Pick any of your books on your shelf – one you’ve read this year or one you want to read this month – and pick a song that goes with it! Easy right? Leave your song choice in the comments or in the May mini-challenge thread in the Goodreads group.

I read Life in the Pit last month which was a cute romance about a girl who loves to play the cello. So I had to pick a song by Yo-Yo Ma because he is THE cello player. This is the Bach Cello Suite No.1 Prelude. It’s heavenly.

Hope you all have a great May!

New Meme Launch – Reading Queue

Jessica — Sat, 04 May 2013 00:51:25 +0000

I’m so excited to invite you guys to our new meme!

Reading Queue is a monthly meme where you share what books you plan to read for the month. You can hop to other blogs and see what others are reading and maybe find someone reading the same thing as you! Or you can ask for people to vote on what you should read next if you can’t decide. Reading Queue is hosted by Book Tasty and Books: A true story.

I know there are memes out there where you talk about what you are reading weekly, but I see so many bloggers (including me) doing a monthly recap of what they read last month and what they are planning to read in the coming month. And I wished so much that there was a meme to link to so I can see what more of you are planning to read! My biggest hope for this meme is to just talk about books. And wouldn’t it be so fun if you found someone planning to read the same book as you? Or if you have a huge list of books and you want recomendations on what to read next?

The idea for this meme came from a chat on twitter with Book Tasty. She has amazing ideas and I’m so lucky to have her hosting with me!

We are currently working on a badge and we will have a linky for you next month. We wanted to announce the meme this month, give you an idea of what it is, and see how many of you would be interested in joining us. The focus of this meme is what you are planning to read, but if you already do a monthly recap post that has things in addition to what you are reading, feel free to join us! Let me know in the comments if you’d like to join and if you have questions! Official start date is June 1st.

My Reading Queue

I’m one book behind on my Goodreads goal, so I picked a few short ones this month to make up for the huge chunk of April that it took for me to read East of Eden. I also put an adult book in there since I have a lot of YA to read this month For Review:

Harken by Kaleb Nation

This is my very last review book! After I finish this review book, I’m going to keep my review pile at zero for the summer so I can just read on a whim. Harken has got assassinations and supernatural stuff. Should be a fun read!

For a Reading Challenge:

Infinity Ring: Divide and Conquer by Carrie Ryan

I bought this book last month. There is a fun map at the front and I’m going to play the game that goes along with it. It should be a quick, entertaining read and I can’t wait. This book will count towards my MG Fantasy challenge.

Book I Own:

Elizabeth Street by Laurie Fabiano

My sister got me this book for Christmas and I haven’t read it yet. I think it will be a nice break to read an adult book this month since I have so many YA titles to read. This book is based on true events and has tons of Italian words in it. I’m totally geeking out!

Library:

Asunder by Jodi Meadows

I wasn’t planning on reading Asunder this month, but it was just sitting there at the library all cute and lonely. I wasn’t a huge fan of the first book, but I’ve heard there are more answers in this book and curiosity got the best of me.

How I Did Last Month

Taken by Erin Bowman

DONE!

The very fast-paced plot made it a page-turner, but i had a lot of issues with it.

East of Eden by John Steinbeck

DONE!

What an amazing story about good and evil. I was surprised by how much I got sucked in to the story. It was such a page-turner towards the end. Who knew? Great plot, great characters, great themes, great everything.

Life in the Pit by Kristen Landon

DONE!

Cute romance that was mildly chessy but still entertaining.

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

DONE!

Finished it today. It ended how I thought it would….100 pages early. The ending was fascinating and the epilogue blew me away!! It was a little melodramatic sometimes, but such a satisfying and epic ending to the series.

So what are you reading this month? Have you read any of these books? Is Asunder better than Incarnate? Are you interested in joining our meme? Let me know!

Online Events and Utah Signings for May

Jessica — Wed, 01 May 2013 22:33:11 +0000

Online Events

Armchair BEA

What: Armchair BEA is an online conference that runs in conjunction with Book Expo America in New York City. There are a large number of people around the world that are not able to join in the literary celebrations in the Big Apple, so Armchair BEA brings the celebration to you by allowing networking among other book bloggers, authors, and publishers as well as special coverage of the event, all from the comfort of your own comfy armchair.

Where: Armchair BEA blog

When: Monday, May 27 ? Sunday, June 2, 2013

Utah Signings

Margaret Stohl – Icons

What: Margaret Stohl in conversation with Ally Condie, Shannon Hale, and Stephanie Perkins. Join us for an evening of YA fun as we celebrate the release of Margaret Stohl’s new book, Icons. Stohl will be joined by three of Utah’s own local authors, all of which specialize in young-adult fiction.

Where: The King’s English (1511 South 1500 East, Salt Lake City, Utah)

When: Tuesday May 14 2013 at 7:00 pm

Facebook event link

AuthorLink with Margaret Stohl and Stephanie Perkins

What: A signing with Margaret Stohl author of Icons and Stephanie Perkins, author of Anna and the French Kiss.

Where: Provo Library (550 North University Avenue, Provo, Utah)

When: Wednesday, May 15, 2013 7:00 pm

Facebook event link

Gail Carson Levine

What: Gail Carson Levine, the award-winning author of Ella Enchanted, will be speaking in the Provo Library ballroom. Don’t miss this amazing author! After her address, she’ll sign copies of her books.

Where: Provo Library (550 North University Avenue, Provo, Utah)

When: Friday May 17, 2013 at 7 pm.

Facebook event link

Children’s Book Festival

What: Bring the kids, and come enjoy: face painting, crafts, a fortune teller, life-sized book characters, treats, games, puppet shows, book displays, a maypole, and live owls! Illustrators Will Terry and Nathan Hale will also be doing live demonstrations! Free; no tickets required. The first 500 children will receive a free book.

Where: Provo Library (550 North University Avenue, Provo, Utah)

When: Saturday, May 18 11:00 am – 2:00 pm

Natalie Whipple

What: Local author, Natalie Whipple, is presenting her debut, young-adult novel Transparent. Join us for a launch party, complete with refreshments, an author reading and, of course, a book-signing.

Where: The King’s English (1511 South 1500 East, Salt Lake City, Utah)

When: Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 7:00pm

Rachel Hawkins

What: Popular, young-adult author, Rachel Hawkins will present and sign her new book, School Spirits.

Where: The King’s English (1511 South 1500 East, Salt Lake City, Utah)

When: Wednesday, May 22, 2013 at 7:00 pm

Josh Hanagarne

What: Salt Lake City librarian and author Josh Hanagarne will read from and sign his new memoir, The World’s Strongest Librarian: A Memoir of Tourette’s, Faith, Strength, and the Power of Family.

Where: The King’s English (1511 South 1500 East, Salt Lake City, Utah)

When: Thursday, May 30, 2013 at 7:00pm

Winners

Star Wars Book Month – Cindy B!

Signed Dark Triumph – January M!

Congrats to both of you! (And sorry I forgot the Star Wars Book month winner until now. Oops!)

Classic Double Challenge: Peter Pan and Tiger Lily

Jessica — Wed, 01 May 2013 07:00:57 +0000

My first post for my Classic Double Challenge this year! This challenge is hosted by One Librarian?s Book Reviews. My goal for this challenge was to compare the re-telling to the original and see how much was the same or different. Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson was a retelling of Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie. *There are some spoilers for both of these books.*

I found these books to be vastly different and I much preferred the original Peter Pan in this case.

Read my review of Peter Pan

Read my review of Tiger Lily

Similarities

- Violence is common in the lost boys. They treat it like it has no consequences or that it’s just a game.

- There is a dark undertone in both that I found unexpected, though Tiger Lily was somewhat darker and dealt with more issues than Peter Pan (like rape and acceptance in a culture).

- They both have fairies and mermaids.

- There are pirates and tribes in both stories.

- A few details are the same like a crocodile swallowing a clock, Captain Hook losing his hand (though the reason behind him losing his hand is very different in Tiger Lily), and the bird nest floating on the water.

Differences

Peter Pan

- Set in a magical world that is part imagination and part real.

- Peter never grows up.

- The pirates, tribes, and lost boys constantly hunting each other is a game.

Tiger Lily

- The world is literal and scientific.

- Peter grows up.

- The pirates have a truce with the tribe so there is no constant hunting-each-other game.

- Captain Hook doesn’t lose his hand to Peter Pan. He lost it in a factory accident. (Making it realistic also made it kind of ridiculous in my opinion.)