Reading Wolf

Review: Allegiant

noreply@blogger.com (Reading Wolf) — Tue, 19 Aug 2014 17:31:00 +0000

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This final installment of the Divergent series started off slow, a little boring, and a little too romance heavy for my tastes. Tris and Four are still a little rocky and his attitude is still aggravating to me. Tris still has a "I must think of others before myself" complex that makes me feel little affection for her as a character. I did enjoy the story once the action started but the switching from one "oh noes there is a problem" to another is for the birds. However, the book ended in a way so that I don't have to worry about any of my hang ups with characters or plots anymore. I wish Tobias would have taken the memory serum though. Boy could use a new personality.

The writing was good, the premise was good, execution was okay, and the world building was surprisingly good. So it would be enjoyable and a fast paced read considering those attributes.

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Review: Hannah

noreply@blogger.com (Reading Wolf) — Sun, 08 Jun 2014 01:03:00 +0000

Hannah by Kathryn Lasky

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Just a short review.

I liked the amount of detail put into scene description, I found the servant scenes to be my favorites. Some of the information about the time period is a little inaccurate, but it does give readers the general gist of the era.(Truthfully the author did a lot of research about the 19th century and drew from personal experiences. I would say any inaccuracy is irrelevant considering the fact that households were not all ran the same way. I looked up the lexile score for this book and it is listed as 800L. That is usually considered a fourth or fifth grade reading level. It was a very easy read so based on that and the Lexile score, I would consider this more Middle Grade than Young Adult. But it should definitely be enjoyable to teens, after all what does a reading level score matter in terms of enjoyment?

Hannah is an orphan and upon reaching age fifteen, technically fourteen is the preferred age but ya know Scarlet Fever and all that year, must go out into the workforce. When she is found unsuitable by some vindictive matron, she is sent to the midwest. This makes her physically sick so she comes back. This time a nice lady places her with a wealthy family as a scullery maid...she even gives her a book instructing her on the norms of domestic servitude. Then our heroine begins to really change. Into what she does not know. All she knows is the sea is calling her.

Hannah was interesting, a little dull but likeable. The anatgonist of the story is a real troubled girl. Jealousy, hysteria, and friendship are experienced in this tale of a lost girl searching for a sense of belonging.

One of my only complaints is the ending. It felt rather abrupt and while the last line spoke volumes without saying anything, I feel it could have been dealt with easier.

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Review: The One

noreply@blogger.com (Reading Wolf) — Mon, 12 May 2014 01:26:00 +0000

The One by Kiera Cass

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I had so many issues with this book that I do not even have the urge to write a review.

- Senseless killing off characters
- Wishy Washy Romance
- Complete character 180s just because it is Tuesday
- Predictable ending with no real drive
- Annoying main character
- Annoying love interests of main character
- Subplot that had little resolution or a very hurried resolution
- HEA ending with more character development than the entire series

But I am glad Kiera Cass wrote this series because others seem to love it and that is always great.

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May is Lupus Awareness Month

noreply@blogger.com (Reading Wolf) — Fri, 02 May 2014 13:29:00 +0000

For those of you who do not know, May is Lupus Awareness Month. Lupus is a serious disease that changes the life of those who suffer from the symptoms. Some Lupies experience mild symptoms, but for those who suffer from the severe effects, life is an endless struggle.

In March 2010, I was diagnosed with Lupus (SLE). It was my last semester of college. The previous semester, I noticed I was having more difficulties climbing the stairs to our apartment and the stairs at my college. I also had a pretty bad rash on my face and no idea what was causing it. I was having trouble remembering things and concentrating in class and on my studies.

I developed two staph infections on my left arm. One at the bend of my elbow where I had a bug bite and one on my outer elbow. I still have the scars. The infection on my outer elbow got so bad that I went to the ER on Thanksgiving day 2009. The doctor never looked at my facial rash or listened to me when I told him my entire body hurt and I was exhausted all the time. He drew a circle around my infection, told me it was a staph infection, and treated me as if I was a drug addict looking for a fix. (Our small town hospital usually treated people this way. So I was used to it.) I wanted blood tests and an explanation for my symptoms. I didn't want a ball point pen circle on my arm and a "get the fuck out of here" look.

This is the point where I started to research my symptoms on WebMD. (Which is a VERY scary place to go looking for possible causes of your symptoms.) At first I thought, maybe it is this, maybe it is that, but I finally clicked on the description of Lupus. And my heart stopped. I told family members about it and they said it could not possibly be Lupus. EVERYTHING WOULD BE OKAY.

But the next semester I was still sick. In fact things got worse. I started to get nauseated everyday. My throat was swollen and I could barely eat. What I did eat did not stay down. My hair began to fall out. I left hair everywhere. The shower was covered. It was constantly being swept up when I cleaned the floors. My family even found my hair in the refrigerator. Ewwww.

Then I REALLY started to get fatigued. I would go to class around 9 am in the mornings. By noon I was so tired I started to sleep in my SUV between classes. Then I stopped waking up and began to miss classes. I would rest in the women's bathroom at school, and fall asleep. My grades started to suffer. I could not remember anything. And I was still getting sick everyday. My weight dropped below 100lbs. I was constantly cold but sweating at the same time.

Finally, on my mom's birthday my best friend's family, whom I was staying with at the time, forced me to go to the ER. I had a temperature above 101 and I hadn't been able to keep anything down for over a week. So I went to the hospital. The doctor, totally different doctor than the doctor at Thanskgiving, took on look at my face and asked if I had Lupus. ONE LOOK AT MY FACE.

He asked what symptoms I was experiencing. Then told me not to worry that I was suffering from a severe stomach virus made worse by the possible disease the believed I was suffering from...and told me to go see my general practitioner as soon as possible. I had not been able to afford to see my doctor because all money was going toward gas for school. Oh did I mention by this time I was too tired to even drive, I had a friend who went to the same college driving me.

I saw my doctor, he ran bloodtests and referred me to a rheumatologist, who then did further tests. And then the news came and I did have Lupus. So I went on anti-malarials, corticosteroids, and ointment for my face. And I got better.

But then I could not afford healthcare and here we are now. I stay out of the sun as much as I can, I take NSAIDs for inflammation and pain, and I pace myself. I am just hanging on until I can afford healthcare again. I cross my fingers everyday and wait. But I am still here and do not plan to give up anytime soon. I get depressed. I have flares. But I hold on to hope.

Thank you for listening.

All infographics are from the Lupus Foundation of America website.

Can We Talk About Neanderthals For a Moment?

noreply@blogger.com (Reading Wolf) — Fri, 02 May 2014 02:07:00 +0000

Something has been bothering me for quite some time and I believe now is the time to address it.

For goodness sakes people stop stereotyping neanderthals. They were just like us. #browsbeforeplows

It has long been theorized that neanderthals died out because they were not as intelligent as their homo sapien neighbors.

I for one find it fascinating that two somewhat equal species of man existed around the same time and in around the same locations.

In fact neanderthal man may have boiled their food. In fact that may have also heated grains. Not sure how this will effect those following the paleo diet.

Here is a fun little site about neanderthals. It looks kid friendly for those of you who wish to share a little bit of history with your kids, niece/nephew, siblings, random children you meet on the street. It is the website for the neanderthal museum in Germany I believe. So yea...Germany has a neanderthal musuem and I. AM. JEALOUS.

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A Tale Dark & Grimm By Adam Gidwitz

noreply@blogger.com (Reading Wolf) — Wed, 30 Apr 2014 16:42:00 +0000

A Tale Dark & Grimm by Adam Gidwitz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A Tale Dark & Grimm follows the adventures of young Hansel and his twin sister Gretel. Well I should say Prince Hansel and Princess Gretel as it is revealed in the first chapter that they are the children of the King and Queen of The Kingdom of Grimm. (See what the author did there? Very cute.) This isn't the usual "parents leave children in the woods because there is no food" Hansel & Gretel. No this is something much more exciting. Hansel and Gretel take off on their own because they are not happy with their parents. The book follows their adventures and ties in many of fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm. Each chapter is a different fairy tale and they involve our young protagonists.

Hansel is kind of foolish in the first few chapters. He does some really silly and dangerous things but by the sixth chapter Hansel has decided to be good so...magically he becomes good. Gretel seems to be the brains of the operations in my opinion. She is always the one with a plan and sacrifices in order for the children to accomplish their goals. As for the parents, the son is definitely the offspring of his father. The King is rather foolish in the beginning, also sort of a kidnapper but that is beside the point, but he redeems himself in the end and seeing the error of his ways makes a very generous gift to his children. The Queen, she is just there, she is like the draperies and carpets. She just exists because she has to exist. I'm sure she is a nice lady and all that jazz but girl is a static character through and through. But the story isn't about her so that is totally understandable.

I really enjoyed this book because of the integration of so many less familiar tales. There were a few that I could pick out easily but some I had to look up. Gidwitz wove these tales together so well that it reads not as separate tales just stuck into a collection, but as one continuous adventure. Some of my favorite parts come from the interruptions of the narrator. The narrator breaks into the story every little bit to give advice to readers to hurry small children off to bed cause things are about to get "awesome", to explain something to the reader, or to give spoilers. The narrator was the funniest part of this book. Some of the comments made me giggle and some made me laugh out loud, which then made my husband look at me like I was insane because it is 3am and I should really be asleep.

I would highly recommend this book to preteens who love fantasy and adventure, parents who don't mind reading stories with a little bit of violence to their children, and adults who first fell in love with fairy tales not found in the Disney vaults. I will definitely be reading the rest of this series. I checked out the synopsis of the next book, In a Glass Grimmly, which features a new set of children, Jack and Jill.

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My Favorite Quote: "You see, to find the brightest wisdom one must pass through the darkest zones. And through the darkest zones there can be no guide. No guide, that is, but courage."

My Latest DNF : Gruesomely Grimm Zombie Tales

noreply@blogger.com (Reading Wolf) — Tue, 29 Apr 2014 15:13:00 +0000

"Read" April 20 - 22 but ended up as a DNF.

Gruesomely Grimm Zombie Tales by T.W. Brown
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Seemed like a great idea, but poor execution. Some of the tales you can guess what they are from the story line and some just didn't not seem like anything recognzable at all. And you can't tell what story is a retelling of what cause the Grimm title is entirely in German. It wasn't horrible but I sure did not like it.

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I tried and tried to rouse the interest to finish this book. I just could not do it. I love Grimm's Fairytales because they are dark and thrilling. I thought if the author added zombies, these stories would be even more awesome. But they were not. In some stories the pacing felt off. In some the characters just felt like cardboard cut outs of their original selves. Some of the stories seemed a little too silly. (A beefy bodybuilder woman holds a young lady hostage.) It was a good idea but it just didn't come off as well as I hoped.

Reviews: 4 Novellas And One Comic

noreply@blogger.com (Reading Wolf) — Tue, 29 Apr 2014 14:11:00 +0000

UR by Stephen King
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This novella started out interesting. A man orders a Kindle and ends up with a different, pink device instead. Then he notices the strange previously unpublished works by well known authors and news articles for days not yet past! And that is all that I enjoyed. Usually King has strong, complex characters. But this Professor, I don't even remember his name anymore, is a schmuck. He is just there it seems. And his unrequited love bothered me. The story was a motivational tool only.

I feel most of King's short stories are captivating and make me want to hide my head under the covers. This one was just a fluke. One out of hundreds of stories.

The Guard by Kiera Cass
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It was interesting to see what was going on in Aspen's head and what his motivation was throughout the second book. The excerpt from The One, first two chapters, made me grind my teeth at Maxon. I mean that guy is such a jerk. Honestly. But now I really want to read The Prince novella. I wanna see why this guy is such a immature a-hole.

What Once We Feared by Carrie Ryan
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This just didn't turn out as well as I hoped. It did not have the intensity of Ryan's novels. Admittedly, it could have been because it was so short. I think it was the unrelatability of the characters. I did not feel for any of them. And I did not feel the story truly showed the terror they felt in a whole gone chaotic.

I'm Starved for You by Margaret Atwood
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This characters...man oh man. The sexual tension...so intense. This was interesting. The world set up by Atwood drew me into the story. A world where people switch places between prisoner and community service. Now that is how I imagine one sets up a true utopia. People would truly understand one another. The only thing I took issue with in this short story was the twist. It felt so blah. I felt more sexual tension when the main male character was fantasizing. Then at the end it just seemed hurriedly concluded.

The Walking Dead, Issue #1 by Robert Kirkman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was free on Google Play books. I have not read many comics or graphic novels, so this review is from the POV of a noob.

I, like millions of other people, love the Walking Dead TV show. So I found it impossible to pass up the first issue.

This is the beginning of Rick Grimes journey post-apocalypse. After being hospitalized, Rick awakes to a world changed, a world gritty and raw.

This issue did a good job aquainting the reader with the world Rick has awoken to, a world where the walking dead are around every corner. We learn very little about Rick in this issue. The sole purpose of it is to introduce the reader to the premise of the series.

It wasn't action packed, the amount of zombie attack left me a little underwhelmed, but it is engaging. it made me want to buy Vol. 1 so that I could continue the adventure. That will have to wait though, I would prefer to read something like this in the physical form rather than digitally.

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Spring Cleaning

noreply@blogger.com (Reading Wolf) — Thu, 24 Apr 2014 20:11:00 +0000

When my husband and I moved into this house we had an agreement. He gets 50% of the room for his stuff and I get 50%. However, recently his space has bled into my space and now I need feel suffocated. So I decided today to tackle a small piece of spring cleaning.

You can see the before and after and also how much nicer my bookshelf looks.

Only took me two hours and a piece of glass in the foot. And I may have rebroken my finger.

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Review: Off-Topic: The Story of an Internet Revolt

noreply@blogger.com (Reading Wolf) — Sat, 09 Nov 2013 08:18:00 +0000

Off-Topic: The Story of an Internet Revolt by G.R. Reader

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Edit: Nov 9, 2013
Finished reading this a few minutes ago.
I do not feel I could add anything to my review written pre-reading. All my opinions and feelings about the book are as true after reading the book as they were after pre-reading.
I feel in an organized manner, this book laid out the main points and reasonings behind the members who are actively rebelling against the new GR policies.
The discussion of the meaning of censorship, starting on page 177 of 211, was particularly interesting to me.

This book retains the 4 stars I originally rated it, well earned and well deserved.
_____________________________________________________

Looking forward to reading this soon. I've tried to keep up with the subject on which this book is based, but I'm positive I have missed at least half of the conflict. (This book is 211 pages long, I had to have missed quite a bit.)

The preface, titled "How this book got written", gave the basic background of the conflict and illuminated why the author chose to pen this book. While critics may contend that this book is just a glorified revenge piece and has no place on Goodreads, I believe this book is valuable as a documentation of the experiences of those "21" reviewers who were censored in their attempt to speak out against behavior they found unfavorable. I believe this book shows that it is not "off-topic" to discuss author behavior. As a consumer I would honestly like to know what type of author I am supporting. Even if my support only amounts to having their book on my huge to be read shelf.

I am rating this four stars at this time based on the skim read I have done of the book, my interest in the book, and my opinion on it's validity. It is my right to rate as I see fit and this is me exercising that right.

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Review: Stupid Perfect World

noreply@blogger.com (Reading Wolf) — Sat, 09 Nov 2013 06:36:00 +0000

Stupid Perfect World by Scott Westerfeld

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This review is going to be full of spoilers. But considering it is a novella there is not much I can say about the characters, plot, and setting that wouldn't spoil the story. So your basic run down is the plot is interesting, the characters are actually funny at times, and I only found a few flaws in the story.

So it starts out set in a world where teens teleport to their classes on different continents, don't sleep, have their hormones regulated, don't get sick, and they learn about the old world in a class called Scarcity. Kieran has to do a project for his Scarcity class and unfortunately Barefoot(what kind of parent names their kid Barefoot...honestly)Tillman distracted him before he could remember to put a reminder in his headspace to do research for choosing a topic. So on the fly Kieran chooses to sleep. He wonders how bad could it really be to lay unconscious for a few hours.

The other main character in this short fiction, Maria, is a "meeker" (apparently this means nerd/overachiever), who has chosen to give up her hormone regulation for the assignment. Two weeks of teen angst, crawling skin, and uncontrollable urges. Kieran jokingly tells her not to start writing poetry. Which she actually ends up doing...cause you know teens naturally do that right off the bat. Ok, I did write a few poems as a teen, but not everyone does that.

So here they both are, trying to master the art of snoozing and feeling all kinds of conflicting feelings they have never felt before. Kieran experiences what it is like to dream. And of course he dreams about Maria. Cause you know that's how dreams go...I personally dreamed about outlandish things like werewolves breaking in the house, living in a dollhouse will tiny plates, and being able to magic myself into Walmart after hours (back when they were not 24 hour supercenters) to go shopping for all the things I could never have in real life. (It's not stealing if you use magic.)

There were some flaws such as in the beginning when he talks about everyone tries not to fall asleep in class. (They don't even know what sleep is...)
"It wasn't a real course with grades and everything, so only the most pathetic meekers worked hard at it. The rest of us just showed up and tried not to fall asleep."

And if their hormones are so well regulated then why would his father deny him his request for a bed...and not even LISTEN when he tried to explain it was for a class project. Didn't really matter, Kieran made due by putting a bunch of parkas on the floor of his room. (Apparently dude either lives in Antarctica or he owns a lot of parkas because of his interest in building a snow habitat.

Even though somethings were a bit, come on that wouldn't happen, it was a very interesting book. I kind of wish it had been a full length standalone novel. I liked Kieran and Maria well enough, but the WORLD is the one I would love to hear more about.

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Review: Dust Girl

noreply@blogger.com (Reading Wolf) — Sat, 09 Nov 2013 05:52:00 +0000

Dust Girl by Sarah Zettel

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I cannot say I truly enjoyed this book. It was boring at times and though full of wonderful details, none of them added anything to the story in my opinion. We know Callie has features of both white and black, she talks about how coarse her hair is plenty to get the point across. But we really never see her struggle because of her mixed "race". She is either assumed to be a white girl or glamoured when her skin color would give her away. There is only the internal struggle. Bull Morgan doesn't count. He knows she is mixed and he knows she is human and fairy because he is a dead person being brought back by her Uncle to kill her. These are not things he already knew. This are things he is informed about by her fairy uncle. So his use of the word pickaninny to describe her doesn't count.

The plot seemed to go nowhere for the majority of this book. She sets out to look for her mother and in the end still hasn't found her mother. She doesn't even for sure know where her mother is located. She thinks her mother is in California because of the movie she saw in the theatre but it is never reveal if she is actually in Hollywood. Not until the end does the plot pick up and then it's just a fast paced blur of circles. Never ending circles. First she is looking for her mother. Then she is taking care of guests. Then she is running from the guests along with Jack. Then she meets some other fairy folk. Then she is looking for her mother again, headed to California. Then she is running from Bull Morgan. Then she is being rescued from the Trixies and Bull Morgan. Then she meets back up with one of the fairy folk. Headed toward her grandparents. Then she is held hostage by Bull Morgan. Then she is headed again toward her grandparents. Then she is running from her grandparents. Then she is dead, well half dead. Then she is looking for her mother again. The whole thing was just confusing and unnecessary. Couldn't she just go looking for her mother and run from Bull Morgan. But I guess she needed to meet her grandparents to understand they were not the people she wants to be associated with and that her Uncle is a jealous jerk who will kill her to gain the throne. And the book ended with nothing resolved except a subplot and no real insight into what in the world is going on with the whole ordeal.

Callie herself was somewhat interesting but the majority of the time was spent talking about the color of her skin. Yes we know she is mixed, I would be more concerned with learning what it means to be a fairy than I would be with something I have known since I was a child.

I liked to story but honestly I don't know if I would want to read the next two books. If they go nowhere or have no real hook to keep me reading, I can't say I would want to read them. I would rather just read a book that pulls me into the story.

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Review: Off-Topic: The Story of an Internet Revolt

noreply@blogger.com (Reading Wolf) — Thu, 07 Nov 2013 03:17:00 +0000

Off-Topic: The Story of an Internet Revolt by G.R. Reader

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Looking forward to reading this soon. I've tried to keep up with the subject on which this book is based, but I'm positive I have missed at least half of the conflict. (This book is 211 pages long, I had to have missed quite a bit.)

The preface, titled "How this book got written", gave the basic background of the conflict and illuminated why the author chose to pen this book. While critics may contend that this book is just a glorified "revenge piece" and has no place on Goodreads, I believe this book is valuable as a documentation of the experiences of those "21" reviewers who were censored in their attempt to speak out against behavior they found unfavorable. I believe this book shows that it is not "off-topic" to discuss author behavior. As a consumer I would honestly like to know what type of author I am supporting. Even if my support only amounts to having their book on my huge to be read shelf.

I have rating this four stars at this time based on the skim read I have done of the book, my interest in the book, and my opinion on it's validity. It is my right to rate as I see fit and this is me exercising that right.

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Review: Fortunately, the Milk

noreply@blogger.com (Reading Wolf) — Mon, 04 Nov 2013 22:28:00 +0000

Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A boy and girl are left at home with their father while their mother goes out of town. Unfortunately there is no milk in the house for their cereal. So the father sets off to what he thinks is a short trip to the corner shop for milk. Little does he know how that container of milk will save not just his kids from hunger but the world as well.

Great storytelling for such a short book. Funny and imaginative. I will recommend this to all my younger cousins.

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Review: After the Ball

noreply@blogger.com (Reading Wolf) — Mon, 07 Oct 2013 07:02:00 +0000

After the Ball by Sarah Cross

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Back in May 2012, I picked up Sarah Cross' Kill Me Softly from my local library. 

Kill Me Softly was about a girl named Mira who runs away to the town of her birth. That town just happens to be inhabited by people from fairytales. I enjoyed that story well enough and rated it 3 stars on GR. (See Review) 

While looking through books I have read in the past year, I came upon Kill Me Softly. And I wondered what else Sarah Cross had written. Then I discovered this short story related to Kill Me Softly and the fairytale town of Beau Rivage. (If you want to download and read it, Cross has the story available on her site. Here)

This short story was about the Cinderella Curse. I found it entertaining and liked that characters a lot. It plays out like a modern version of Cinderella. Except Dusty (Cinderella) doesn't really like Max (Prince Charming), well she likes him but she doesn't want to be with him.?!?! I can totally understand that, dude tells me he loves me after dancing with him three nights in a row, I'm gonna give him some side-eye as well. 

But anyways it was a pretty good story and I wish Cross would write more. I'm looking for her book Dull Boy because it seems like it would be interesting. 

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Review: Starcrossed

noreply@blogger.com (Reading Wolf) — Sun, 07 Jul 2013 05:52:00 +0000

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Not the worst and not the best. I enjoyed the idea of the story. The constant plot twists that really went nowhere and the glaring similarities to a certain book that still makes me cringe took away from the story for me. I am just very thankful there was no love triangle...even if there was instalove. Lucas was a bit too bossy for my tastes and Helen seemed to always need rescuing even though she is apparently superwoman.

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Review: The Witch Of Blackbird Pond

noreply@blogger.com (Reading Wolf) — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 09:16:00 +0000

The Witch Of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

FIVE STARS for a captivating story!!

Kit Tyler comes from a very different place than Puritan Connecticut. She is from a land with brilliant sunshine, crashing waves, and warm sand. When her grandfather dies she has the option to stay in her island home or strike out for an unfamiliar environment living with the only family she has left. Once in this new country she is surprised by the strict lifestyle she must adhere to living with her relatives. She is used to freedom and being in control of her own actions. She never dreamed that befriending an outsider could threaten her life.

The main theme of this story that stood out to me the most, revolves around Kit finding her identity within a new world. Once carefree and somewhat spoiled, she is now thrust into a life of constant piety and hard work. The beautiful silks she once wore are replaced with wool and calico. The warm, bright sunshine is now replaced with diamond-like snowfall. She must change who she is and where she belongs.

I remember reading this book for the first time in elementary school. Don't ask me when cause I cannot tell you. All I remember is the joy I felt connecting a troubling time in American History learned from my Social Studies lessons with this free-spirited girl named Kit. I was not ignorant of the sadness and despair caused by the Witch Trials in Colonial America during my childhood. I have always looked for answers to my curiosity within the pages of books and encyclopedias. Whether this book stirred that intense need to know the hows and whys of Witch Hunting in America or I chose this book because of my need to find out more about the culture of the time, I do not recall. But I know this book stood out as a fond memory and when I saw the old battered 1980 copy in one of my local Goodwill Thrift Stores, I had to buy it.

It is truly amazing how you can see a book and suddenly remember that you have read it and you believe you enjoyed it. You may not remember exactly what the story was, who all the characters were, or how it ended. But in your memory you remember that you have held these words in your mouth before and it was delicious. As a child reading a book, you may not have noticed the great foreshadowing. The excellent pace and how the author withheld the climax to build up this long forgotten world so foreign to your own. You may remember feeling connected to the protagonist but don't know why, perhaps you too felt like you were a colorful bird among wrens and sparrows.

I can easily see why this won the Newberry Award.

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Review: Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life

noreply@blogger.com (Reading Wolf) — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 07:50:00 +0000

Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life by Rachel Renée Russell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was right about this being a fast read. I finished this little gem in one night....stayed up until 3 am reading it but I had to be a "human alarm clock" for my husband anyways.

Nikki Maxwell is anything but cool, in fact she is a DORK. But how many of us were not dorks at 14? I know I was one of the biggest dorks in my school. I have quite a few embarrassing accidents in my past due to my dorkiness. That is exactly why I found Nikki such an easy character to relate to. Though I never had the artistic talent Nikki has, I was more like her book crazed bffs, her disastrous exploits in the world of Middle School were very reminiscent of my disastrous exploits into the world of 6th grade and 7th and 8th and......oh who am I kidding.... I still have disastrously embarrassing moments....and I am 28!

Guess you are never really too old to be a dork. :)

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Graphic Novels and Falafels

noreply@blogger.com (Reading Wolf) — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 05:00:00 +0000

A lot of my online time is spent switching between Goodreads, Tumblr, and Google Reader. Tonight I was cruising through my Tumblr and saw a post by Neil Gaiman which was a reblog of someone's post with a youtube video of an Arthur episode. I remember this episode from when I was younger and my brothers would watch the show with me after school. It deals with Sue Ellen's encounter with Gaiman. He encourages her to write a graphic novel. The graphic novel itself reminds me quite a bit of Flatland by Edwin A. Abbott. It also talks quite a bit about Falafels. (Mmmmm Fooooood) I think my favorite line from the episode is "You can't just abandoned your falafel like that!"

Finished: Outpost by Ann Aguirre

noreply@blogger.com (Reading Wolf) — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 12:18:00 +0000

Outpost by Ann Aguirre

My rating: Not Rated Yet

Well the first finished book of 2013. Not sure what to rate this yet until I write up my review and figure out where I feel it stands. There were things I liked a lot about the later half of this book...but there were also things I didn't like, mostly in the first half. I guess I will just have to sit down and sort them out. Expect a review shortly.

This ebook was borrowed from my library's Overdrive Digital Library.

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Review: The Selection

noreply@blogger.com (Reading Wolf) — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 06:52:00 +0000

The Selection by Kiera Cass

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Not as bad as I thought it would be, but not as good as it should have been.

I am going to make this fairly simple and separate this into things I liked and things I did not like about The Selection.

Things I Liked:
1) The background on the History of Illea. I found the background to be believable and explanatory of the society in which they live. It was interesting that the members of society were separated into castes based on what service they could provide for society.

2) Maxon and America seemed to have good chemistry. It started out as a sort of friendship and then of course things got complicated. But they seem to need each other in a way. Maxon doesn't have to put on a show when he is around America and she can be herself as well. I was glad she opened up to him from the beginning and didn't distance herself just because of her past relationship.

3) Maxon seems like a pretty decent man. I'm sure he has his flaws, one probably being that he has been way to sheltered but that is to be expected, but beyond that Maxon seems like the kind of Prince who really cares for his subjects. Which leads me to my 4th thing I liked.

4) Maxon listens to America's insight about problems in society. He listens to her when she tells him about starvation, children being punished harshly for law breaking, and even cuts back the payments made to the girls family so that he can improve things in society such as education and help end starvation. If you have ever seen the movie Ever After you will see a similarity between this in The Selection and how Henry reacts to Danielle's insights into society. Henry was originally sort of your typical spoiled Prince. After meeting Danielle he decides he wants to build a University where anyone can study. (And he wants to invite the gypsies to the ball. LOL.) I kept picturing Maxon as Prince Henry and imagining him busting into his parents bedroom ranting about how there are people starving and how could this be happening. He seems to want to do a good job as leader.

5) There are rebels attacking the palace....and America is not the one leading them. I know it sounds sort of weird for me to stay but I think this adds an important element to the story. It contrasts the wealth and leisure the royal family enjoy. Here they have this wonderful palace and fancy clothes, but they also have to worry about rebels attacking the palace and which set of rebels it might be.

6) America stands up for her maids. I liked that she cared about them and did not ask them to do things for her which she could do herself. She was rather independent. (Or as independent as you can be when you are a potential princess.)

Things I Did Not Like:

1) Most of the background history came in one big info dump in Chapter 17. I felt it would have been better to sprinkle it throughout the book or at least have this sort of scene in the beginning of the book. Instead of the girls in The Selection reviewing history of Illea, I think it would have been better if America's mother was quizzing the girls (May and America) on the history of the country. Then again it might have been better absorbed in the 17th chapter than if it was in the 2nd or 3rd chapter. Who knows.

2) Aspen and America have so much of a "physical connection" Lust and Hormones that they do not think about the gravity of the consequences to their actions. I mean I get it...I really do but HELLO....bad things can happen guys. Really bad. These are deadly games to play.

3) Celeste, way to stereotypical villan. I expected the girl to come strolling around the corner and grab America, tie her to some train tracks, and then stand there twirling a fake mustache while rubbing her hands together. GIRL WAS SERIOUSLY OFF KILTER! She was too over the top. Nothing she did was shocking because I pegged her as the underhanded and dramatic one from the beginning. So predictable.

4) I could just about predict EVERYTHING that would happen. The happiness America radiated while having her picture taken, got her chosen as a contestant. Maxon was going to start to like her as more than a friend. Aspen would show up at the palace and what she thought was a relationship with another girl would not be a relationship with another girl. Crazy Witch Celeste would totally douse Kriss with whatever was in the wine glass. Which she did..and of course Kriss ran away. Spoiling the party. I even knew Maxon was going to not believe America when she told him Celeste was a bad egg. While this is great and all when it turns out I am right, I wanted some twists, some turns, I wanted to be surprised!

5) America makes unwise choices. She does not consider the consequences of her actions. She does not straight up tell Maxon from the beginning that Celeste is cray cray. She does not form an alliance with the other girls to get Celeste booted. Her first interaction with the Prince begins with her getting a sudden case of claustrophobia and trying like some mad animal to escape from the palace into the garden. Then she yells at him. She DOES NOT tell Maxon that Aspen is the guy she was trying to avoid by not going home. (True Maxon might have taken it a little too far and found some sort of heartbreaking punishment or sent Aspen to war.) And I really wish she would have told Aspen from the start to stay away from her. Or at least kept her maids in the room...

So because of these reasons I had to give this just three stars. I plan to read the next book in the series because I hope to see some changes and growth for America and Maxon as well. Plus I really want to see Celeste fall flat on her face....but I predict that might be a long time coming. I am pretty sure Celeste will be the only other contestant in the running besides America. It will come down to these two and I want to see who Maxon chooses.

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Review: Quidditch Through the Ages

noreply@blogger.com (Reading Wolf) — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 05:44:00 +0000

Quidditch Through the Ages by J.K. Rowling

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

You know, I don't know why being a Potterhead I never made an effort to read this before now. I guess I just didn't really care that much about the Quidditch portion of the books because while interesting I always considered them filler. After reading this, I might look at Quidditch in a whole new light. I felt the background of this wizard sport was interesting. As the "author" talks about the early broom sports in Europe you can see the bits and pieces that would later come together to form the game we all wish we could play. As with all of J.K. Rowling's books this one is detailed and comes together in such a way that readers forget they are reading about a fictional sport and begin to believe that Quidditch could be a reality. I liked the part about America having it's own broom sport based off an element of a European sport. Like that has never happened in the real world. ;)

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Behind on Reading

noreply@blogger.com (Reading Wolf) — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 18:07:00 +0000

I need to read 13 more books to reach my 90 book goal on Goodreads. I have shamed my family. LOL.

AND I am one book behind. I was way ahead earlier this year, but a series of Did Not Finish books progressed into a I am slowly reading the books I have on my shelf. This is the danger of the internet. Procrastination. I need to get hopping and push through.

Oh and my husband stopped driving a semi-truck so we moved back to my home state and now I'm surrounded by family 24/7. But I'm so glad to be home. You have no idea. I am BACK IN CIVILIZATION! There are numerous book stores here! And a huge library.

Right now I'm reading Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce and on my brand new Nook Simple Touch (with Glowlight...I'm so happy. Kudos to husband's being out of town on your birthday and the guilty that follows.) I am reading The Selection by Kiera Cass. I've heard mixed reviews of The Selection but I hope I have a good experience.

I NEED to get hopping on the sequels and hot reads of 2011 and 2012:

The Iron Legends by Julie Kagawa (Iron Fey Series) Finished
Outpost by Ann Aguirre (Sequel to Enclave) Finished
Thumped by Megan McCafferty (Sequel to Bumped which I really didn't like but I'm hoping book two might pull through.)
Timepiece by Myra McEntire (Hourglass Series)
Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
Rebel Angels by Libba Bray (Sequel to A Great and Terrible Beauty)
The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson (Heard GREAT things about this one but I have yet to read it.)
Graceling by Kristin Cashore (Once again, heard great things but haven't gotten to it yet.)
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare (I've yet to start this series)
Crossed by Ally Condie (Sequel to Matched)
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi (I always hear good reviews of books but hesitate to read them cause I don't want to be disappointed. Ugh so many books)
Insurgent by Veronica Roth (Sequel to Divergent which I liked)
Warm Bodies by Issac Marion (NOT YA - The author made that very clear. I kind of like the concept of this book and I'm willing to give it a shot. Plus there is supposed to be a movie made of it.....which actually looks entertaining.)

But I don't think I have enough time left in the year for some of these as they have a lot of pages. It is kind of a good thing that I now have internet. I can now talk to what few friends I actually have and keep up on book reviews from bloggers I follow. However, I waste so much time looking at funny pictures of cats or....heaven forbid if they put me back on Prednisone for my Lupus.....posting crazy stuff on the boards of Goodreads.

And here is a picture of my wonderful new NST with GLOWLIGHT!!! (No more lamp on making hubby angry.)

The pink strap is a bra strap I inserted so I could keep the cover closed. I think it contrasts with the lime green very well and does no damage to the cover when inserted.

I Always Show Up Late to the Party

noreply@blogger.com (Reading Wolf) — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 19:22:00 +0000

Alright I am about to sound like a complete idiot. I did not know Google Friend Connect was losing the majority of its features. Now if you try to send a newsletter to your followers you go in circles around the help page. Apparently, this took place in March. Talk about being late to the party. So unfortunately I have had to send out a copy pasted message to all 20 followers.

I noticed that you are a follower of my blog via Google Friend Connect (GFC). If you wish to remain a follower could you do me a really big favor and subscribe via email. If you wish to no longer follow the blog that is fine as well. Thank you for your time.

Minda

I apologize for this people but it had to be done. Anyways if everyone could please subscribe via email at the top of the page should you wish to remain following this blog. ~~Feedburner still works right? Anyone know?~~ Apparently Feedburner is also going away? So I guess I will have to use Feedcat. This is some seriously confusing stuff.

Thanks and sorry for dropping the ball.

DNF Books and One Awesome Giveaway @ Bookish

noreply@blogger.com (Reading Wolf) — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 03:02:00 +0000

I haven't posted in a while and I've been having a hard time finishing books. Nothing seems to hold my interest. I mean every book I started reading was a chore to get through and I DNFed a LOT of books. I mean just look at this list:

All of these....I could not finish. Not that there was necessarily anything wrong with them...I just could not make it through them. Anyways on to happier things!

The blog Bookish is giving away FOUR boxes of books from cleaning out her bookshelves. All of the offerings look great and from each box I can count at least 3 or 4 that I have been drooling over on Goodreads. Especially the first box which includes City of Bones, City of Ashes, and City of Glass. I have been dancing around these books for the last month. I wanna buy them but I keep talking myself out of it. Anyone ever do that?

Box 2 has a hardcover of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. I have the ARC of this book and I highly recommend it. I rarely read Adult books but this one was spectacular. Also this box contains The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory. I have to say she is one of my favorite Historical Fiction authors. I loved her books about the Tudors, especially The Other Boleyn Girl. (The movie, not so much.)

Box 3 has a few ARCs I have heard of and the rest I haven't heard of but they sound interesting.

Box 4 has some of the most beautiful covers I have seen in a while. Look at that cover of Kissing Shakespeare. Tell me that is not down right breath taking.

This is definitely a do not miss opportunity. Currently there are over 10,000 entries. (But there are a possible 49 entries you can earn.)

The Giveaway ends October 31st and is International.