Monday, March 30, 2015

Making Up for Monday: Authors I Refuse to Read



Each week, there will be a book-related theme or game, or something fun to do that week. And you can play along! All you have to do is find the question for that week and write a post that day based on that question.

This Week's Topic/Question:
Do you have an author who you refuse to read? 


My Answer:
When I first read this topic, in my head I thought instantaneously, "Eric Jerome Dickey." His book, A Wanted Woman has received the most scathing review I've ever written. I've heard rumblings that the book might have a sequel, and I suspect I might buckle and take a peak out of morbid curiosity to see if it's just as bad.  But would I read any of his other books, nope.  

I will not read anymore of Kimberla Lawson Roby's books for the same reason I don't watch Love & Hip Hop or the Real Housewives of Atlanta. I cannot take the stereotypical "Angry Black Woman". I've read two of her books through my book club and encountered these types of characters in bothtwo is enough. 

Stephanie Meyer is up there, too. I guilty pleasure the films, not the books. Never trust someone with limited knowledge on the subject to write paranormal. What do you get sparkly vampires. 



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It’s Monday What Are You Reading?: 03/30/15



This meme shares what we read this past week and what our plans are for the upcoming week. It’s a great way to see what others are reading and add to your own To Be Read list.





I finished The Girl with All the Gifts for a book club last Friday in just the nick of time (AKA in the parking lot 30 minutes before it began).

This week, I have the added pressure of reading Zodiac in the next three days before the library snatches it back and The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl by Saturday for other book club.

This month, I also need to squeeze in three "Book of the Month" reads for each of the three book clubs I belong to. I'm not counting the four other books sitting shotgun in my car that I got from the library when I picked a BOTM checkout (... I said I wouldn't do that anymore).

A plan must be put in place for May... 

Sunday, March 29, 2015

2015 Audiobook Challenge - 1st Quarter Update

The Book Nympho

I'm a few days late, but I thought I'd do my 1st Quarter Update post anyway. I'm a rebel like that :)

For those who don't know,  the Audiobook Challenge is hosted by The Book Nympho and Hot Listens. The rules are pretty simplelisten to audiobooks. My Participation Level is that of a Marathoner, which translates to my committing to read 50+ audiobooks this year. So far, I'm at 11 audiobooks read.


MY PROGRESS


Cover Characteristic: Pink Covers


Hosted by Sugar & Snark

Each week we will post a characteristic and choose 5 of our favorite cover’s with that characteristic. 





Saturday, March 28, 2015

Quickie Review: The Girl with All the Gifts by M. R. Carey


Author: M.R. Carey (Twitter)
Genres: Science Fiction, Dystopian, Post Apocalyptic, Horror, Zombies
Format: Audiobook (Amazon | Audible)
Narrator: Finty Williams
Length: 13 hours & 4 minutes
Release Date: June 10, 2014

Book Club (March Book of the Month): Nerds and Novels (SoCal Chapter)
Reading Challenges: 2015 Goodreads Challenge2015 Audiobook Challenge



NOT EVERY GIFT IS A BLESSING.

Melanie is a very special girl. Dr Caldwell calls her "our little genius."

Every morning, Melanie waits in her cell to be collected for class. When they come for her, Sergeant keeps his gun pointing at her while two of his people strap her into the wheelchair. She thinks they don't like her. She jokes that she won't bite, but they don't laugh.

The Girl With All the Gifts is a groundbreaking thriller, emotionally charged and gripping from beginning to end.



Damn. That was one hell of an ending.

Monday, March 23, 2015

It’s Monday What Are You Reading?: 03/23/15



This meme shares what we read this past week and what our plans are for the upcoming week. It’s a great way to see what others are reading and add to your own To Be Read list.





I finished The School for Good and Evil audiobook yesterday; such a fun read! Review to come this week. I'm going to try to not pick up an audiobook this week, which my commute will miss. But I've got to finish The Girl with All the Gifts for a book club this week, and start another I haven't read for a book club next Saturday... no pressure!

Sunday, March 22, 2015

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: The School for Good and Evil (The School for Good and Evil #1) by Soman Chainani


Genres: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal
Format: Audiobook (Amazon | Audible)
Narrator: Polly Lee
Length: 13 hours & 46 minutes
Release Date: May 14, 2013
At the School for Good and Evil, failing your fairy tale is not an option.

Welcome to the School for Good and Evil, where best friends Sophie and Agatha are about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime.

With her glass slippers and devotion to good deeds, Sophie knows she'll earn top marks at the School for Good and join the ranks of past students like Cinderella, Rapunzel, and Snow White. Meanwhile, Agatha, with her shapeless black frocks and wicked black cat, seems a natural fit for the villains in the School for Evil.

The two girls soon find their fortunes reversed—Sophie's dumped in the School for Evil to take Uglification, Death Curses, and Henchmen Training, while Agatha finds herself in the School for Good, thrust among handsome princes and fair maidens for classes in Princess Etiquette and Animal Communication.

But what if the mistake is actually the first clue to discovering who Sophie and Agatha really are . . . ?

The School for Good and Evil is an epic journey into a dazzling new world, where the only way out of a fairy tale is to live through one.



OVERALL, I really enjoyed the story. The world was rich and vivid and unique. I didn't feel like it was something I had experienced before. Most importantly, the characters were complex and interesting. 

Cover Characteristic: Hair


Hosted by Sugar & Snark

Each week we will post a characteristic and choose 5 of our favorite cover’s with that characteristic. 




Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Quickie Review: Love, Rosie by Cecelia Ahern


Author: Cecelia Ahern (Twitter)
Genres: Chick Lit, Contemporary Romance
Format: ebook (Amazon)
Length: 443 pages
Release Date: December 1, 2006

Reading Challenges: 2015 Goodreads Challenge
Sometimes you have to look at life in a whole new way...

Rosie and Alex are destined for one another, and everyone seems to know it but them. Best friends since childhood, their relationship gets closer by the day, until Alex gets the news that his family is leaving Dublin and moving to Boston. At 17, Rosie and Alex have just started to see each other in a more romantic light. Devastated, the two make plans for Rosie to apply to colleges in the U.S.

She gets into Boston University, Alex gets into Harvard, and everything is falling into place, when on the eve of her departure, Rosie gets news that will change their lives forever: She's pregnant by a boy she'd gone out with while on the rebound from Alex.

Her dreams for college, Alex, and a glamorous career dashed, Rosie stays in Dublin to become a single mother, while Alex pursues a medical career and a new love in Boston. But destiny is a funny thing, and in this novel, structured as a series of clever e-mails, letters, notes, and a trail of missed opportunities, Alex and Rosie find out that fate isn't done with them yet.



I have mixed feelings about this book. There were a lot of things that I liked. i really enjoyed the format a lot more than I thought I would. With all the emails, instant messages, formal and handwritten letters, nothing felt out of place. It all flowed together nicely.

I really liked getting to experience the relationship of Rosie and Alex change overtime. It seemed very realistic. I also love seeing her daughter, Katie, experience a similar friendship in her life. But I also feel like the story didn't really go anywhere. The years passed by and it felt like Rosie did nothing but complain for like 30 years. I found Rosie, well, annoying.

My dislike for her affected my overall enjoyment of this otherwise humorous book. I really liked Ruby, Alex and even Katie. For me, Rosie spent them majority of her time ranting, complaining and being indecisive. Granted she relayed her life in a snarky, sarcastic way; but she quickly lost her charm.  I just found it hard to sympathize with her. Especially how she talked about Katie. Yes,  she sacrificed a lot for Katie. But it  always felt like she resented her for it. Maybe that's how parents feel, I don't know.

In the end, I found this book just okay.


Love, Rosie    Love, Rosie





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Sunday, March 15, 2015

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Audiobook Review: Strike (The SYLO Chronicles #3) by D.J. MacHale


Book Series: The SYLO Chronicles, Book #3
Author: D.J. MacHale (Facebook | Twitter)
Genres: YA, Dystopian, Science Fiction, Mystery
Format: Audiobook (Amazon | Audible)
Narrators: Andrew Bates
Length: 12 hours & 12 minutes
Release Date: March 25, 2014
#1 New York Times bestselling author D.J. MacHale is back with the third book in the SYLO Chronicles. Once again, Tucker Pierce and friends must fight for their lives against the better-equipped SYLO. All bets are off in Strike—with twists so big readers will never see them coming—while the action and pulse-pounding suspense remain as high as ever. Fans will be sure to devour this incredibly satisfying conclusion.


OH MY GOSH, WHAT AN EPICALLY SPECTACULAR ENDING!!! I loved this series so much; dystopian at it's best.

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Audiobook Series Review: Fifty Shades of Grey Trilogy by E.L. James


Genres: Contemporary Romance, Erotica, BDSM
Format: Audiobook (Book #1 | Book #2 | Book #3)
Narrator: Becca Batoe (Audible)


FIFTY SHADES OF GREY: When college student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. The unworldly Ana realizes she wants this man, and Grey admits he wants her, too—but on his own terms. When the couple embarks on a daring, passionately physical affair, Ana discovers Christian’s secrets and explores her own desires.

FIFTY SHADES DARKER: Daunted by Christian’s dark secrets and singular tastes, Ana has broken off their relationship to start a new career. But desire for Christian still dominates her every waking thought. They rekindle their searing sensual affair, and while Christian wrestles with his inner demons, Ana is forced to make the most important decision of her life.

FIFTY SHADES FREED: Now, Ana and Christian have it all—love, passion, intimacy, wealth, and a world of possibilities for their future. But Ana knows that loving her Fifty Shades will not be easy, and that being together will pose challenges that neither of them would anticipate. Just when it seems that their strength together will eclipse any obstacle, misfortune, malice, and fate conspire to turn Ana’s deepest fears into reality.

This book is intended for mature audiences.



For a while, I'll admit, I hopped "Fifty Shades Hate" bandwagon. Thinking, ermahgerd S&M and originally Twilight fanfiction??? No way I'm reading that! But so many people were talking about it and then there was the movie... I got curious. Setting my Twilight and S&M prejudgments aside, I dove in. In the end, my mind was changed. I love Christian, I like Ana and I love all their kinky fuckery. Yep, I said it!!!


Sunday, March 8, 2015

Saturday, March 7, 2015

Manga Review: Cowboy Bebop # 1 (Cowboy Bebop #1) by Yutaka Nanten & Hajime Yatate


Book Series: Cowboy Bebop, Book #1
Author: Yutaka Nanten 
Genres: Manga, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction
Format: Paperback (Amazon)
Length: 184 pages
Release Date: April 23, 2002
Reading Challenges: 2015 Goodreads Challenge

What’s money between friends? But, wait who said they were friends? The lone wolf – the wizened vet – the femme fatale – the smart-mouth kid when Spike, Jet, Faye and Ed get together; it can mean only one thing: carnage is about to ensue. In keeping with the popular but off-beat anime, the manga begins a series of original stories that take the action to a whole new level. Spike, Jet and Faye all end up after the same bounty, Spike goes after a convict who’s already in prison, and Faye (the con-artist she is) ends up the victim of a con not once, but twice.




Man, this takes me back. This is actually the first Manga that I've read, though I've been enjoying is counterpart, Anime, for about 10 years. For those who don't know what Manga or Anime is, here's the Wikipedia description for each (because if I tried to explain, confusion would follow):

Top 5 Best Book Covers: March 2015


Top 5 Best Book Covers is monthly meme created by The Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer. The rules are simple: on the first Saturday of every month, post your 5 favorite books covers that are being released in the current month!


#1
Title:  Fairy Tale Reform School: Flunked
Author:  Jen Calonita (Twitter
Genre:  Middle Grade, Fairy Tales, Magic
Release Date:  March 3, 2015

Would you send a villain to do a hero's job? An exciting new twisted fairy tale series from award-winning author Jen Calonita.

Full of regret, Cinderella's wicked stepmother, Flora, has founded the Fairy Tale Reform School with the mission of turning the wicked and criminally mischievous into upstanding members of Enchantasia.

Impish, sassy 12-year-old Gilly has a history of petty theft and she's not too sorry about it. When she lifts a hair clip, she gets tossed in reform school-for at least three months. But when she meets fellow students Jax and Kayla, she learns there's more to this school than its sweet mission. There's a battle brewing and she starts to wonder: can a villian really change?
Fairy Tale Reform School: Flunked Fairy Tale Reform School: Flunked


Wednesday, March 4, 2015

"Waiting On" Wednesday: Denton Little's Deathdate by Lance Rubin



"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event that spotlights eagerly-anticipated upcoming releases.



Author: Lance Rubin (Twitter)
Genres: YA, Contemporary, Science Fiction, Humor
Release Date: April 14, 2015

Denton Little's Deathdate takes place in a world exactly like our own except that everyone knows the day they will die. For 17-year-old Denton Little, that's tomorrow, the day of his senior prom.

Despite his early deathdate, Denton has always wanted to live a normal life, but his final days are filled with dramatic firsts. First hangover. First sex. First love triangle (as the first sex seems to have happened not with his adoring girlfriend, but with his best friend's hostile sister. Though he's not totally sure. See: first hangover.) His anxiety builds when he discovers a strange purple rash making its way up his body. Is this what will kill him? And then a strange man shows up at his funeral, claiming to have known Denton's long-deceased mother, and warning him to beware of suspicious government characters…. Suddenly Denton's life is filled with mysterious questions and precious little time to find the answers.

Debut author Lance Rubin takes us on a fast, furious, and outrageously funny ride through the last hours of a teenager's life as he searches for love, meaning, answers, and (just maybe) a way to live on.

Why I Picked It:  Although I love to laugh, I rarely read books for the humor alone. Denton sounds really interesting, and I also find the concept is really intriguing. I'm also a cover girl; it's pretty bad ass.











Denton Little's Deathdate





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