Sunday, September 30, 2012

Stacking the Shelves #3



Thanks to Tynga over at Tynga's Reviews for hosting Stacking the Shelves every week.

Now, last week I said that I hadn't gotten any books recently. Well... I needed some "retail therapy" in the form of bookstore purchasing (I'm not a clothes buyer). So I went to Books - a - Million and got some new reads.

Fathomless by Jackson Pearce

Celia Reynolds is the youngest in a set of triplets and the one with the least valuable power. Anne can see the future, and Jane can see the present, but all Celia can see is the past. And the past seems so insignificant -- until Celia meets Lo.

Lo doesn't know who she is. Or who she was. Once a human, she is now almost entirely a creature of the sea -- a nymph, an ocean girl, a mermaid -- all terms too pretty for the soulless monster she knows she's becoming. Lo clings to shreds of her former self, fighting to remember her past, even as she's tempted to embrace her dark immortality.

When a handsome boy named Jude falls off a pier and into the ocean, Celia and Lo work together to rescue him from the waves. The two form a friendship, but soon they find themselves competing for Jude's affection. Lo wants more than that, though. According to the ocean girls, there's only one way for Lo to earn back her humanity. She must persuade a mortal to love her . . . and steal his soul.
 
Sweetly by Jackson Pearce

The forest invites you in . . . but will never let you go.
As a child, Gretchen's twin sister was taken by a witch in the woods. Ever since, Gretchen and her brother, Ansel, have felt the long branches of the witch's forest threatening to make them disappear too.
Years later, when their stepmother casts Gretchen and Ansel out, they find themselves in sleepy Live Oak, South Carolina. They're invited to stay with Sophia Kelly, a beautiful candy maker who molds sugary magic: coveted treats that create confidence, bravery, and passion.
Life seems idyllic, and Gretchen and Ansel gradually forget their haunted past -- until Gretchen meets handsome local outcast Samuel. He tells her the witch isn't gone -- it's lurking in the forest, preying on girls after Live Oak's infamous chocolate festival each year, and looking to make Gretchen its next victim. Gretchen is determined to stop running and start fighting back. Yet, the further she investigates the mystery of what the witch is and how it chooses its victims, the more she wonders who the real monster is.
Gretchen is certain of only one thing: a monster is coming, and it will never go away hungry.
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

From Maggie Stiefvater, the bestselling and acclaimed author of the Shiver trilogy and The Scorpio Races, comes a spellbinding new series where the inevitability of death and the nature of love lead us to a place we’ve never been before.
Spark by Amy Kathleen Ryan

Waverly and Kieran are finally reunited on the Empyrean. Kieran has led the boys safely up to this point, and now that the girls are back, their mission seems slightly less impossible: to chase down the New Horizon, and save their parents from the enemy ship. But nothing is truly as it seems…Kieran’s leadership methods have raised Seth’s hackles— and Waverly’s suspicions. Is this really her fiancé? The handsome, loving boy she was torn from just a short time before? More and more, she finds her thoughts aligned with Seth’s. But if Seth is Kieran’s Enemy No. 1, what does that make her?

In one night, a strange explosion rocks the Empyrean—shooting them off course and delaying their pursuit of the New Horizon—and Seth is mysteriously released from the brig. Seth is the most obvious suspect for the explosion, and Waverly the most obvious suspect for releasing him. As the tension reaches a boiling point, will Seth be able to find the true culprit before Kieran locks them both away—or worse? Will Waverly follow her heart, even if it puts lives at risk? With the balance of power precarious and the clock ticking, every decision counts… every step brings them closer to a new beginning, or a sudden end...
How was your book haul this week?

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Review - The Visitor: A Magical Understanding of Uncertainty by Karen McDermott

Sometimes things happen to test us, it's only if we pass the test do we receive the true gift. The time has come for the visitor to arrive. When this happens it is a life changing event for those he encounters. Their lives have reached a turning point and with the watchful eye of the "Visitor" they will each recieve a gem. By passing the test comes the opportunity to recieve the true gift if they are fortunate enough. His journey with each of these five women leads him to not only change their lives but also his own. From all negative situations is the potential for a positive outcome.
I read The Visitor by Karen McDermott some months ago. It's taken a while for the review because for the longest time I wasn't sure what to make of the book.

It took me a long time to understand exactly what was happening. Which, I will admit, was very frustrating. I don't like being more than halfway through a book without the slightest clue as to what's going on. Things were introduced but not explained and so I was left to try and piece together meaning on my own, which is fine for a lot of books. But not books like this one.

The main character, The Visitor, is who is narrating the story and giving us glimpses in to each one of these "situations" (there are a few different stories within the story). He gives each subject a "gem" and then observes them for some time to determine which subject is worthy enough to keep the gift that comes with each gem.

That was one of the parts that got to me. Is that the "gems" are not explained. It's just assumed that you know what they are and then left at that. So I was left confused for a long time until I realized, through the subjects themselves, what was going on.

I don't want to give too much away. I will say that the ending was a surprise one. And not exactly one that I was thrilled with for several different reasons. One is a reason, not personal to myself but to a family member of mine, and not something that I take lightly.

I guess I'm still not sure what to make of this book. And I know this review was kind of all over the place, but that illustrates my feelings on the whole thing. Had the concept been explained a little bit better from the beginning, I think it would have been an easier and somewhat more enjoyable read. But it wasn't. And I don't like giving negative reviews so I'm not going to say that I disliked it, but I will say that it wasn't a favorite.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Covers Around the World - Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan

Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan doesn't necessarily have a LOT of different covers, but I think the ones that belong to the title are gorgeous.


ARC cover, small differences between this and finished copy
 

US Cover
 

UK edition, isn't it gorgeous?
 

another English language edition (not sure if it's US)
 

German edition (love it!)
 

Turkish edition, I think this is one of the prettiest book covers I've ever seen
 
 
So what do you think? Do you all have a favorite? 

Monday, September 24, 2012

Happy Hobbit Day

Saturday was Hobbit Day being that it was both Mr. Frodo's and Mr. Bilbo's birthdays.

My boyfriend, girls, and I celebrated by having a hobbit style dinner, reading a small bit from the book, watching the new trailer for the movie, and then watching the cartoon movie. Sure, some of the foods are a stretch, but we did what we could. :-)

We had some nice juicy fruits (strawberries, blackberries, etc), mashed po-ta-toes, honey butter biscuits, pickles, sliced meats and cheeses... we had apple cider to drink (and fruit smoothies, just because I wanted to make them) and then some good old modern day popcorn to enjoy during the movie.









Both the dog and my littlest one fell asleep on my leg about halfway through the cartoon. And yes, I do put a loose muzzle on my dog because she gets mouthy and likes to "chew" people and clothing and things. She is still a puppy though.

It was a fun "celebration" and an over-all entertaining night.

Did any of you celebrate Hobbit Day?


Stacking the Shelves # 2



First of all, thanks to Tynga's Reviews for hosting Stacking the Shelves every week.

I haven't done one of these posts in a while because apparently I've just bought all the books my shelf will hold (and my wallet will support) for a bit. However, I did go to a yard sale this past weekend and got myself a cool little treasure.


What you can't see is that it has gold fringe all the way around. I took this picture with my cell phone though so it's not a terrific one. But how cool is that? The other side just has a big H on it in gold. And if you look close, you'll see everything in gold is glittery too.

What did you all get this week?

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Hobbit Read Along



Sawcat's Book Blog is hosting a Hobbit read along for anyone interested in breaking out their dusty copies of one of the greatest stories I've ever read. Just hop on over to the blog and sign up!

Here's what the schedule looks like -

Oct 1 - Start
Oct 8 - Chapters 1 & 2
Oct 15 - Chapters 3 through 5
Oct 22 - Chapters 6 & 7
Oct 29 - Chapters 8 & 9
Nov 5 - Chapters 10 through 12
Nov 12 - Chapters 13 through 15
Nov 19 - Chapters 16 through 19 (End)

Anyone interested? Go check it out!

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Bad Lip Reading: The Hunger Games

These videos are hilarious so I had to share one.




You can see more Bad Lip Reading videos HERE on Youtube. They've got Twilight, Taylor Swift, Newt Gingrich, Barack Obama... all kinds of hilarious videos. Definitely check it out if you're looking for a laugh. Or even if you aren't, because I'm sure you'll be laughing by the end regardless.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Bookshelf Cleaning EPIC Giveaway Hosted by Evie @ Bookish



Hi guys! I'm in between reviews (currently reading Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck and another wonderful book by A.M. Hudson) right now but I wanted to let you know about an awesome giveaway hosted by my friend Evie over at Bookish.

Apparently it is possible at some point to just have too many books and so what Evie's doing is she's giving away FOUR BOXES of books she put together while cleaning off her shelves and rearranging things. Giveaway IS international so everyone can enter. Head on over to her giveaway blog post to check out specific details and get those entries in! Giveaway is open until October 31st!

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