Saturday, June 28, 2014

Book Haul (#6)



  • Gameboard of the Gods by Richelle Mead
  • Four Great Tragedies by William Shakespeare
  • Catch-22by Joesph Heller
  • Life of Pi by Yann Martel 


Monday, June 23, 2014

Amazing Bookstores



I came across this article a while ago and thought I should share it with my fellow book-lovers. The article,17 Bookstores That Will Literally Change Your Life, is from Buzzfeed. Now, I am not sure my life has been changed, but some of these stores are incredible! 

If in my life I am ever able to travel across the world, I definitely would have to check some of these out myself. It is amazing how beautiful the stores are. 

Here is a picture of one of the stores from the article, click on it to be taken to the article itself to see more. 


If any of these stores are near you, or if you have been to any stores you feel are worth sharing, let us know! 


Sunday, June 22, 2014

Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles #2) by Marissa Meyer

Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles #2)

Hardcover452 pages
Published February 5th 2013

Rating:



Synopsis:
Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison--even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive. Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.


Scarlet is the second novel in Marissa Meyer's Lunar Chronicles series. Like it's predecessor, it is a fairy tale retelling, though not just of CInderella like Cinder. The novel is split between the perspectives of Cinder and Scarlet. This shift in PoV allows readers to be introduced to Scarlet, a character not in the first book, and also allows them to follow Cinder and glimpse into the head of Prince Kai. Meyer's shifts in narration are seamless and do not interrupt the flow of the story, or cause any confusion. This is such a relief because there have been a number of books I have read that have shifts such as these but the transitions are not smooth, and it's not always clear who is speaking: this was nit a problem in Scarlet.

Already being a fan of the characters introduced in the first novel, I fell in love with the new ones we meet. Scarlet is tough and bad-ass. She's a strong character, and one that is also easy to like and admire. Wolf is a difficult character at times. Being Lunar, it brings up the issue of trust: Lunars are the enemy, so how can he be trusted? Scarlet and Wolf made a good pair, I enjoyed their flirtatious dialogue and the romantic tension surrounding them. There were many plot twists involving these two that I did not see coming at all, which was a huge plus for me because I found parts of the first book predictable; Scarlet kept me on my feet. 

While I did enjoy Scarlet's tale, for some reason I found myself wishing the book was more about Cinder, like the first book. I slightly preferred her story to Scarlet's, but I am not complaining; both stories were essential components of this novel. The book would not be the same if it was just told from Cinder's perspective. 

Cinder is pretty kick-ass in this novel. She breaks out of prison, with some help. She's finally starting to accept who, and what, she is. She's learning how to use her Lunar powers, though she feels guilty when having to use them on people. 

I have read many reviews of this book, and the majority of people tend to say this book was better than the first. I disagree however, but if you were to ask me specifically why I feel this way, I cannot really give an answer. Scarlet had more action, more characters to love and loathe, was less predictable, yet I find myself leaning towards the first book as my current favorite. 

I would recommend this series to anyone who enjoys fairy tale retellings, aliens, action, adventure; it has a little of everything. If you have not read Cinder yet, check out my review for it and see if it sounds like something for you. This series is easily becoming one of my favorites. 

(Review for Cress, the third novel in the Lunar Chronicles series to be up shortly)

Friday, June 20, 2014

Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer


Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1)


Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. 

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.


Why? Why did I wait so long to read this book? The number of times I saw this book at the library, picked it up and contemplated checking it out only to put it back on the shelf and walk away is ridiculous. It is strange too because I knew this was a fairy tale retelling, which I love, so why I brushed off this book so many times is beyond me. However, I am so glad I finally decided to read it. 

Marissa Meyer took a well-known fairy tale and threw in a surprising twist: Cinder, the protagonist, is a cyborg living in a dystopian world. Cyborgs are not considered humans to the other people around them who do not have artificial limbs and technology embedded in their brains. It is easy to see how her life matches that of Cinderella, and really, Cinder...Cinderella...if that did not indicate to readers what fairy tale this story is based on, I would be concerned.

Cinder is clever and humorous, it was impossible not to like her. Her stepmother is the epitome of evil, and her one stepsister is pretty awful too, though thankfully Peony seemed to like Cinder. Cinder is also strong and determined, which is a relief since there have been way too many books like this whose main character is whiny and irritating. 

Also to my relief, there was no insta-love! Woo! I had no problems with Kai, he is everything a prince should be. While the plot was somewhat predictable, I had so much fun reading the book that it did not bother me as much as predictability normally would have. 

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Aliens. Yep, there are aliens. They are actually called "Luna", and the Lunar Queen is a piece of work. They live on the moon, in case that was not quite obvious. I see them as aliens, others may not. But they are not from Earth, and have special abilities, so in my eyes, they are aliens. Which is a huge plus since I like aliens.

Overall, the writing of this book was fantastic, yet slightly prediactable as I mentioned before. However, the story itself is amazing and fun. Cinder is a book I would reccommend to pretty much anyone. But be warned, you might want to pick up both the first book and the second, Scarlet, if you decide to try this series. Cinder leaves readers with a cliffhanger.

(Reviews for the second book, Scarlet, and the third, Cress, coming soon)

Rory Gilmore Book Challenge



Rory Gilmore Book Challenge


Gilmore Girls was a a drama on the WB (now the CW) that ran from 2000-2007, and it is by far my favorite show ever. 
A drama centering around the relationship between a thirtysomething single mother and her teen daughter living in Stars Hollow, Connecticut.
For those of you unfamiliar with the show, I will explain now why it is relevant to a site dedicated to book blogging. The main character, Rory, loves to read. She is always lugging around books with her no matter where she goes. So, as an avid reader, viewers are introduced to all sorts of books, whether they are just mentioned in an episode, Rory is seen reading them, or the books are just seen in the background somewhere. 

Many fans have complied a list of books that appear, in some fashion, in the show and challenged themselves to read every book on the list. Now this is no easy task since there are about 339 books on the list. The lists may vary depending on where it came from, and what books the person compiling the list decided should be on it. The list I am using is the one most commonly found online, and it contains 339 books. 

I am challenging myself to read every book on the list. However, I am not giving myself a specific time frame to get it done in. I am simply trying to complete the list during my lifetime. I will be creating a page shortly with a list of all the books. On this page, I will keep track and mark off the books I have read as I make my way through the list. 

If any of you are fans of the show and decide to participate as well, comment below! I would love to have people to discuss this challenge (and the show) with. 

I find it wonderful how I can combine my love of books with my favorite television show. I will keep you all updated on my progress as I make a dent in the list. 

Happy Reading!

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

New Lives, New Loves (Nancy Drew: On Campus #1) by Carolyn Keene

New Lives, New Loves (Nancy Drew: On Campus #1)

Paperback192 pages
Published September 1st 1995

Rating:





Synopsis:
Nancy, Bess and George have set off on their greatest adventure: life in a coed dorm in their first semester at Wilder University. It's a world of new friends and new feelings, new hopes and heartbreaks-a world away from River Heights.



Three stars might be a little too generous for this book. In middle school, I stumbled across the original Nancy Drew series and fell in love. I now own so many Nancy Drew books it's ridiculous. And even at the age of 20, I still continue to read them for fun. I knew going into this series that it would be a lot different from the Nancy Drew books I was accustomed to. 

In this first book of the Nancy Drew on Campus series, we are introduced once again to one of my favorite heroines, Nancy Drew, and her two best friends Bess and George. All three girls are now attending Wilder University. Nancy Drew is finally in college, sounds pretty neat right? Wrong. 

College Nancy is different. She is adjusting to college life and trying to make a new life for herself, meaning, she wants to get away from her mystery solving days. Unfortunately for her, mystery and trouble tends to follow her wherever she goes. 

My problem with this book was Nancy's treatment towards Ned, who goes to Emerson University. They are still together but she can't even find the time of day to call him when she says she will. And then there's the flirting and interest in other guys she meets on campus. 

Overall, this book was okay. I do not expect the series to get much better but I will continue to read all the books. I love Nancy Drew and got the whole series pretty cheap online, plus, they are fun, quick reads so what's the harm? 

Friday, June 13, 2014

Dark Wine (The Two Vampires #1) by M.D. Bowden

Dark Wine (The Two Vampires #1)

by 



***YOUNG ADULT VERSION***

A DARK TALE OF BLOOD, POWER AND MAGIC

Romantic, compelling and brimming with sexual tension, 'Dark Wine' (Book 1 of THE TWO VAMPIRES series) by M.D. BOWDEN will imprint on your mind and leave you with a thirst for more.

Sarah lives in a small Canadian town with her two daughters. When her husband disappears the same night she meets a beautiful and charismatic man her world is thrown into turmoil. What has happened to Jo? Who is this sexy mysterious man? As Sarah tries to answer these questions her life takes a dangerous turn...

This book was tolerable, to say the least, for the first half, then it just got on my nerves. I had just wanted to finish it and forget I ever laid eyes on its beautiful, deceiving cover...this is why you don't judge a book by its cover.

Basically, Sarah and Jo are a married couple who are kind of on rocky terms at the moment, Jo goes missing, Sarah meets/flirts/sleeps with Daniel who is a vampire helping Sarah find Jo. 

The whole cheating on her husband thing while he was missing and possibly dead just really killed it for me. The writing was not horrible, but it felt rushed. I did not connect with any of the characters, nor did I particularly like any of them. If I had to choose, I would have to pick the bad guy, Sebastian because he was not as infuriating as Sarah. Everyone in this story was just a pretty horrible person.

I feel bad writing so negatively about a book so I will make this review end here, but this is my honest opinion. Maybe it was not as bad as I thought, maybe it is just I have finally drifted away from the world of vampires. I am not going to tell anyone not to read this book because other readers have absolutely loved it, sadly, this just was not the book for me. 

Monday, June 9, 2014

BookLikes


Today, I stumbled upon a website similar to GoodReads called BookLikes

Now, I am a total GoodReads addict. There is no help for me. I am constantly going on the iPhone app at random times throughout the day, sometimes for no reason at all; I just have the strong urge to go check it. I am also always adding more books that I do not have time to read. Needless to say, I love GoodReads a lot. Forget Facebook.

BookLikes is somewhat similar to GoodReads and even lets you import your GoodReads shelves to their site. Saved me a lot of time, and was super easy. What is different between the two sites is that while GoodReads gives you a profile page, BookLikes gives you something more along the lines of a blog, which is customizable in all the ways a normal blog, such as the one you are on now, is. 

It is pretty cool if you ask me. 

I am still getting the hang of it but so far I am impressed. If you want to know more about BookLikes, check out their About page:

If you decide to join up, check out my page:

After you guys check it out, tell me what you think about it. GoodReads is still my number one social media site for books, but I cannot deny that I was very impressed by BookLikes

Happy reading,
  Danielle

Currently Reading...


The Ring and The Crown (The Ring and the Crown #1)

Princess Marie-Victoria, heir to the Lily Throne, and Aelwyn Myrddn, bastard daughter of the Mage of England, grew up together. But who will rule, and who will serve? 

Quiet and gentle, Marie has never lived up to the ambitions of her mother, Queen Eleanor the Second, Supreme Ruler of the Franco-British Empire. With the help of her Head Merlin, Emrys, Eleanor has maintained her stranglehold on the world's only source of magic. She rules the most powerful empire the world has ever seen. 

But even with the aid of Emrys' magic, Eleanor's extended lifespan is nearing its end. The princess must marry and produce an heir or the Empire will be vulnerable to its greatest enemy, Prussia. The two kingdoms must unite to end the war, and the only solution is a match between Marie and Prince Leopold VII, heir to the Prussian throne. But Marie has always loved Gill, her childhood friend and soldier of the Queen's Guard. 

Together, Marie and Aelwyn, a powerful magician in her own right, come up with a plan. Aelwyn will take on Marie's face, allowing the princess to escape with Gill and live the quiet life she's always wanted. And Aelwyn will get what she's always dreamed of--the chance to rule. But the court intrigue and hunger for power in Lenoran England run deeper than anyone could imagine. In the end, there is only rule that matters in Eleanor's court: trust no one.



Feel free to comment below and share what you are currently reading.

Sunday, June 8, 2014

Laziness


Hello everyone! 

So I am aware that lately I have been slacking in the blogging department. Normally, my excuse for this is that I just have not had the time to read, or I am too busy with schoolwork to write up blog posts. Using either of those excuses now would not be the truth. The truth is...I have been lazy.

There, I said it. I am lazy. 

But I have been reading and also thinking about how I want to stop being lazy and spend time working on this blog. Summer break has begun, I am not taking any summer courses and while I am searching, I am currently unemployed. So I have plenty of time for this. It is just a matter of motivating myself.

This is an update saying to expect an influx of reviews to come in the near future. I have been working on quite a few the last couple hours and just took a break to give you all a heads up. Also, I will post the weekly memes on schedule; the only one I do right now is Waiting on Wednesday, be sure to check those out as they are posted.

So that is my update, I thank all my followers for being patient and bearing with me. I will bring this blog back to life, I promise! 

Happy reading,
  Danielle :)

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