Books of February

Only a couple days late! But hey, at least I'm consistent about my one monthly blog post. Sometimes it's all I manage, but at least it's keeping the blog going.

I've turned to reading a lot of middle grade books this month, for research purposes. And well, I really love being able to share favorite books with my kids. It's the best way to get them interested in reading. This list is LONG - I didn't realize how long until I started writing it. If you want to skim, the YA books are highlighted in red. Hope there's a few here that will tickle your reading bone.

7. The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer** MG I LOVED this book. So well written and such complex characters. I had a great conversation with my son about the bad guy, Olaf, who even though he's a killer (as the Vikings often were), was still able to touch the reader's heart. How did the author do that, he asked! There's a bit of history in this one too, and it was fascinating how Farmer weaved the old nursery rhyme of Jack and Jill into the story. This is a must read for anyone who likes middle grade adventure stories, particularly those middle graders!
 
8. Speechless by Hannah Harrington * I went into this book hoping to find what was missing when I read Harrington's debut novel, Saving June, last year. I liked SJ, but it just felt a bit old and tired. And well, I got the same feeling from this book as well. Many of the characters were one dimensional and even though the premise was kind of neat, I felt like it lacked something. It was... predictable. 

9. Love and Other Perishable Items by Laura Buzo* Oh my, how I've been dying to read this one. Ever since my Aussie friend, Nomes, reviewed it over two years ago, I've been itching to get my hands on it. Well, it finally came out in the US with a brand new title and cover! I really enjoyed it. The characters were so true to life, and the prose is to die for. I wish that I could give it 5 stars, but there were just certain things about the male main character that made me dislike him to the point of no return. It was true to life, to be certain, but I wanted "more" from him, if that makes sense? Overall, it'd be 4.5 stars for me.

10. Shades of Earth by Beth Revis* This is another book I was anxiously waiting for. I was kind of so-so about Across the Universe, but Beth Revis had redeemed herself in book 2, A Million Suns. I was so ready to like Shades of Earth, and early on I did. I really did. But then, the light went out. I think it was probably about 1/2 way or 3/4 of the way through when I figured out where it was all going. Once the big reveal came, as I was expecting, then I started to pick apart the very unrealistic science and every other annoying detail that I had been ignoring up to that point. And got irritated. So, lesson learned I guess. Will be leery about what she puts out next.

 
11. If I Lie by Corrine Jackson** This book should be on everyone's must read list!! I admit that going into it I didn't really "see" the whole why of it. Like why doesn't the main character just get herself out of the situation? Why doesn't she just tell?? But as I got further into the story, I saw the connections the author was making with the character's past and present and why she wouldn't do that. And at that point, I started to love the plot, prose, and ALL of the characters (even the ones I was irritated with). This is a fantastic book and I look forward to reading Jackson's next.

12. Ivy and Bean #1 by Annie Barrows and Sophie Blackall* LMG About mid-February, I picked up working on my lower middle grade book and decided that I had better do some research so that I wasn't "reaching" too far with my own writing. So I started to peruse my daughter's shelves and picked up the first Ivy and Bean book. I really enjoyed it! Two young girls who are as different as night and day become fast friends and have some adventures in their own back yards. I think the only reason I didn't rate this a five-star is because I'm not the target age. I couldn't stretch my imagination far to put myself at that age where I would have seen things the way the characters do. It was kind of like when you pick up a barbie doll as an adult and you just can't place yourself back at that age where it's "fun". I do think that young girls (age 6-8) would really enjoy it though. My daughter loves this series. And fortunately for my writing purposes, this is a little younger than my own target audience. :)

13. Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli* MG The characters here are actually in high school, but they are so tame that I think this book would fit really well as middle grade. The premise of Stargirl should have resonated with me - about a girl who is very unusual (calls herself Stargirl, cheers on the other team's players, gives gifts to people she doesn't even know) and how she tries to change herself just to please others. I "should" have enjoyed it tremendously, but there was just something about it that had me snoring at times. 

14. Reached by Ally Condie* This is NOT an exciting conclusion to the Matched series. I was expecting a rebellion with lots of suspense and blood, ala Hunger Games, (or at least a bit of that), but instead I got... poetry.  A lot of poetry. Granted, there was poetry in the first two books so it followed the same theme, but I was just expecting there to be something "more" in this last book because, well, it's supposed to be about an uprising! Anyway, it wasn't a total miss because Condie does get kudos for doing her research. If you've already read the first two I think it's worth it to finish off the series. 

15. Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren** LMG Ah, Pippi. What more can I say? Except for one bit of confusion. I originally read this when I was about 10 or 11, and for some reason this one scene sticks in my head. Pippi goes trick or treating, but instead of asking for candy at every house, she asks for a glass of water. The adults feel so sorry for her because she's so pitiful that they fill her pillowcase with candy and by the end of the night she has to haul it around in a wagon. Well, suffice it to say, that scene was not in this book, so either it was in another of Pippi's books or I'm thinking of a completely different character. Anyone care to straighten me out?

16. Raw Blue by Kirsty Eager ** Re-read. I am so so glad that I took the time to re-read this one because I fell in love all over again and picked up on so much that I missed the first time around. Carly's story and character just resonate with me. I don't know the why of it all, but I know that I'm going to read this again in a couple years.

17. The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall **LMG  So cute and sweet! This story reminded me of everything that is innocent and precious about childhood. In the first few pages it was hard to keep the characters straight, but soon they each take on their own unique personality and you just fall in love with the whole family, even the Latin- speaking dad and Hound, their dog. Love this story and so deserving of the awards it's gotten. 

 
18. No Ordinary Hero by Dee Stone* MG This book is a little like reading the early adventures of the X-men, when they were teens. Some of the characters were a bit cookie-cutter-ish; they've been done by Marvel over and over again. BUT the plot is engaging, and I found myself eagerly turning the pages to see what was going to happen. LOVED the scene at the end with the mother. Recommended for any 9-12 year old who is into super heroes. 

7. The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer** MG
8. Speechless by Hannah Harrington *
9. Love and Other Perishable Items by Laura Buzo*
10. Shades of Earth by Beth Revis*
11. If I Lie by Corrine Jackson**
12. Ivy and Bean #1 by Annie Barrows and Sophie Blackall* LMG
13. Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli* MG
14. Reached by Ally Condie* 
15. Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren** LMG 
16. Raw Blue by Kirsty Eager **
17. The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall **LMG  
18. No Ordinary Hero by Dee Stone* MG - See more at: http://addktd2books.blogspot.com/p/book-list-2013.html#sthash.XcQ4L83V.dpuf

Books of January

Well, I'm already behind on my reading schedule, but I hope to pick up a bit in February as I just bought a few books that I've been dying for (and hopefully they're a bit shorter than some of these).

1. Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead** I think this is my favorite VA book so far. The other two were good, but man oh man the ending on this one (it's like one of those season finales of Buffy, only like, better). I really need to keep moving with this series, but I've bought them all out of order. Like I accidently bought 2 of this book and then I skipped one and then I have #5. Really need to get on this.

2. Crushed by Dawn Rae Miller* If you like unlikeable characters who turn around then you'd really like this book. I had a bit of trouble getting through the first half, but I think that teens would enjoy it. Very sexy. LOVE the cover (and so appropriate for February).

3. Jules the Bounty Hunter by Krista Ashe* Fun, kickass main character. I liked the "southern" feel to this book and the light-hearted plot. Fans of Ally Carter might really enjoy this one.

4. City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare** Is it bad that I really liked Jace when he was "bad"? haha... I'm glad that I finally got around to reading this one, though I admit that I feel like the storyline is dragging at this point.

5. Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor* Another OMG ending. I did get a bit lost in the world building though because there are so many minor character mentioned. Sometimes I had to read back to figure out who somebody was, and I don't like having to do that with my novels. Also there were parts where I was just outright confused. I am enjoying the series and I will definitely read book 3, but it's just not hitting 5 stars for me.

6. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld* MG I loved the descriptions in this one and the alternative history angle. I didn't care much for the action scenes because they were very confusing to follow, which is bad because it's an action adventure series. I'm torn as to whether I should continue. I've heard that the second book is slow but that the third book is really great. Guess I'll wait and see.

So what have you been reading? Any good recs? Please post!

Books of December and what not

December was a slow month for me, both reading and writing-wise. I only read 3 books *weeps* and I did NO writing *double weeps*. I'm planning to pick myself back up in January. It is, afterall, the month for having a gung ho attitude about everything, right? But until then, I didn't want to leave you with just 3 little book re-caps, so I thought that I'd share what else I did in December, which is not at all writerly related. Scrapbooking!!! Yes, I caught the bug for digital scrapbooking in December and spent a LOT of time making pages of our Disney trip this fall. It was fun. I figured out all those neat little tricks on photoshop,  learned how to make my own papers, downloaded a ton of stuff onto my computer (which is now so overloaded that it'll probably crash any day), and in the end I made a cute photobook for the kids for xmas. It still hasn't arrived, but the pages are all done and so I thought that I'd share a few of them after my book blurbs. So, what did you read in December? Or were you like me and totally slacked off? Share!

86. The Death Cure by James Dashner** The third installment of The Maze Runner series had a different sort of flare than the first two (pun intended). There were fewer crazy robots/killing machines and more of your general, run of the mill, end of the world sort of stuff going on. I still liked the ending, and I highly recommend it, but I guess I just wasn't as pumped and breathless as I was after similar types of series (Hunger Games for instance). I do plan to read the prequel when I get a chance.

87. Second Verse by Jennifer Walkup* This was my friend's book that I read in order to beta her sequel. It's due out sometime later this year, I believe, so I guess you could call it an ARC. It's got themes of reincarnation, ghosts, and a bit of a thriller/mystery. It's also got a great swoony male LI that I've been seriously crushing over the since I read it. I'll give more deets as the book comes out!

88. Laced In Malice by Riley Gray** Another book from a good writer friend. This one is out already and should most definitely be on everyone's reading list. I reviewed it just the other day HERE and plan to do a giveaway soon.

And now to impress you all with my mad photoshop skills.

The cover photo:

 We spent 2 days at Daytona Beach

The kids drinking butter beer at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

And of course Disneyworld

Cinderella's Castle with my own little princess in the top corner

 

Tom Sawyer Island

Disney's Hollywood Studios

and Disney's animal Kingdom

another at Animal Kingdom

 We didn't do a whole lot at Epcot, but they really loved the ride, Soaring

 and I could add more, but I'm sure that I'm boring everyone now.

Thanks for visiting!

Review: Laced In Malice by Riley Gray

Goodreads summary (abbreviated):

Behind the creepy castle-like exterior of Birchtree academy is the sound of gossip, back stabbing and malice. When Zara’s dad takes on the new principal job at the elite boarding school, Zara knows she’ll be an outsider. She dreams of true love and marriage instead of possible frenemies and secrets. Definitely not Birchtree material.

In the cusp of everything are the twins. Oliver and Elizabeth (Lizzie) Nixon are renowned for their different – yet equally effective – methods of torture. And both have their eyes set on goody, goody Zara.Will she fall under their spell? Will friendship and raw desire cause her to re-think her values? Or will Zara change theirs?  

Rarely does a book surprise me as much as Riley Gray's Laced In Malice did. In the ten minutes it took me to read the first chapter, I was hooked. By what, you ask? The descriptive train ride through the English countryside? Umm...no. By the main character's texts with her mum? Aside: even though I'm not English, I have an itching desire to start using the word Mum. Definitely no. By the sexy, leather clad, cigarette-smoking hotty who got a nice verbal backhand from the MC when he propositioned her for a quickie. *insert shifty eyebrows* Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner.

In a nutshell, I think guys who sleep around and use women are creepy (doesn't everybody?). But I loved that Gray was able to take this stock character, the man whore, and change him into something real. Oliver comes across as intelligent, not just because he's in the highest classes but because *gasp* Gray actually makes him sound intelligent! He actually has a well-thought out explanation for why casual sex is okay. Now, I'm not saying that I bought his excuses, I'm saying that Gray made me believe that he believed them. And in the process, like Zara, I was eager for him to see how wrong he was. Everything else about Oliver puts him in the "yes please" category. He was charming, polite, a writer (GOD yes!!), and knowing that I was going to see this sexy and intelligent young man change his tune hooked me to the story. But I don't want to leave you thinking that Oliver didn't make me want to pull my hair out or slap him silly because I did want to do both those things at various points in the story. And in the end, I wasn't entirely sure of his motivations. I kept flip-flopping, was he really just into Zara because she was an unattainable conquest or did he honestly care about her? Was he a victim too or was he hiding something BIG? I'm not going to give the story away, but I will say that Gray did an excellent job of giving his character enough depth that I loved him even while I was never 100% sure of him.

Now, Zara. Admittedly, she comes across as a goody two shoes (as it says in the summary), but she also had a tongue on her that I admired. She could give it back to Oliver just as easily as he gave it to her. I was rooting for her from the start. But there were moments in the story where I was scratching my head and wanted to take her by the shoulders and shake her so she'd wake up. Thankfully, a few chapters after I had that moment of thinking, 'you're so stupid', she had me questioning whether I was the one who had to be shaken awake. Zara was too trustworthy, but at the same time, she made me realize that I am too.  I asked myself, if I were in Zara's shoes would I have tried to brush aside my misgivings about the people I called friends? Would I have tried to give them the benefit of the doubt? Sadly, the answer is probably yes. I am, like Zara, a bit naive. The good thing is that I like characters who can make me see flaws in my own, and Zara did this, so two thumbs up for her.

Together: so here's a bit of analysis that I hope will give you an extra incentive to buy this book. 50 Shades of Gray. I haven't read it. I have no desire to read it. But I have read countless discussions of it, and there's one thing they all seem to agree on. The plot line of the girl turning a guy around and making him into a worthy man is the success of that book (well along with the sex and I'll get to that in a moment). I think the same could be said of Laced In Malice. I was so so eager to see Zara turn Oliver around or for them to come to some sort of middle ground. Like I said, I'm not a 50 Shades fan, nor do I want to be one, but if you're looking for a toned-down version of that book, and a better written one, then I say look no further. Laced in Malice delivers.

The sex. Well, I had to bring this up because of the 50 Shades reference above, and I want to be fair both to the author and to my readers. Individually, I'd say that I've come across scenes in other young adult books that are just as intense as the ones here. The difference I think comes with the fact that there are more scenes of this type in Laced In Malice. It is not erotica by any means, but it does give the book a  heavier sexual draw than most other young adult books I've read. I hate to put an age limit on books, but for those who want to know what it's like, that pretty much sums it up. 

Finally, I feel like all I've talked about is the relationship between Zara and Oliver, and while that was a driving force as to why I loved this book and read it in one day, it wasn't the only one. I really loved the mystery/thriller aspect that Gray set up. I had my suspicions as to what was happening, but I was never 100% sure of who to trust.  Like I said above, I kept flip flopping. Back and forth. Back and forth. I don't think I've gotten sea sick by a book before, but this one gave me that experience! Yay to Gray for excellent writing that keeps the reader guessing. And then... the ending! GAH!!!!!! MISS GRAY, YOU HAD BETTER SET YOUR BUTT DOWN AND START WRITING THE SEQUEL!!! Yes, I can say that because she's a friend of mine, but that in no way taints my review. Those who know me know that I'm stingy with my 5 stars, and Laced In Malice deserves them all. 

Summary: five stars. Buy it now!

October reading list

OY!! I forgot to do a list for October, and now the end of November has snuck up on me as well. So...this is a double wammy, giving a brief outline of what I've been reading the past two months.
 
70. Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore** I've really loved the seven realms series by Cashore. Each book is a bit different but with very strong, witty female characters. With the second book, you didn't need to read the first in order to understand it. But with the third installment, it really does require that you've read the first and second book because it ties both together. The thing I loved most about  Bitterblue was seeing her transform from a somewhat traumatized young woman into a powerful queen. I mean, how cool is that? The secondary characters were all memorable too, and the ending was rather bittersweet. Some may not like those types of endings, but I'm cool with it. Highly recommended.

71. Ten Miles Past Normal by Frances O'roark Dowell* I admit that I bought this book based on the very youthful, fun cover. It's basically about a farm girl who doesn't like living on the farm and how she deals with that. I think younger teens could relate to this more than older teens, but it was still a cute read.

72. The Scorch Trials by James Dashner* Dashner really took the advice of throw everything at your MC to heart with this one. Like with the Maze Runner, most of the book is a bit confusing. Unlike The Maze Runner, I didn't feel like anything was resolved at the end, which is why it only gets 4 stars for me. The Third book resumes the awesome story (and got 5 stars from me) which I technically finished in December so it's not on this post.

73. Always and Forever by Karla Nellenbach* Review here!

74. A Little Wanting Song by Cath Crowley** I luuuuurved Cath Crowley's Graffiti Moon, so I was excited when I found out that my library had her earlier book in stock. Amazing writing as with GM and fun, real characters just like GM. This book is mainly about friendship but there is a bit of romance thrown in there as well, and it has a distinct aussie-ness about it. I really loved the bits of poetry throughout. Cath Crowley is definitely a multi-talented writer!

75. Everybody Sees the Ants by AS King** This is a fabulous book about bullying that every kid should read. I loved the magical realism in it with the grandpa who was a prisoner in the Vietnam War. It added a very cool dimension to a really great boy book.

76. Personal Effects by EM Kokie** Loved this one too. The emotions in it were really raw and realistic. I knew basically the whole plot going into it, but this was one instance where I didn't really care.

77. Crash Into Me by Albert Borris* Four online friends make a suicide pact and travel around the US visiting other places where suicides occurred. It's a solid friendship book that I quite enjoyed, and of course a rather serious topic.

78. The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney* Didn't care much for this one as I didn't really buy into the whole Mockingbirds organization. Though I would recommend it because it's about a subject (rape) that I think is far too ignored.

79. The Outsiders by SE Hinton ** I think this makes about the 10th time that I've read this book, though it's been a good 15 years since the last time. I loved this book in high school and re-reading it was a real treat. Ponyboy forev-ah!!

November reads:

80. This Is Not a Test by Courtney Summers** I'm not a huge zombie fan, but this one really hit home. It's right up there with Forest of Hands and Teeth for me, and tells me once again that CS is made of awesome-sauce.

81. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini**My second adult book this year (I know!!!!). I quite enjoyed this one, though to me it had what many adult books have and that's a very slow pace. It was disturbing at times, but I don't regret reading it. I definitely have a new appreciation of what's going on in the middle east due to this book.

82. Ask The Passengers by AS King * AS King has become one of my favorite YA contemporary authors. This one was sexy, and had that touch of magical realism I'm coming to appreciate in her books. I do think she writes a boy point of view slightly better than a female one, but I'm still looking forward to what she puts out next.

83. Carnival of Souls by Melissa Marr* In classic Melissa Marr fashion, the world building in this book sucked up much of the pacing. BUT it was all still intriguing enough that I endured. I will definitely pick up the next in the series just to see what happens.

84. The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson** Next to Melina Marchetta's Lumatere chronicles, I think this is probably my favorite fantasy series. The setting is to die for, the characters swoon-worthy and romantic and sweet and the heroine KICKS ASS! Loved it! Can't wait for the last in the series.

85. Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake** I really like this series too even though some of it is very classic Buffy - ghost hunter (slayer), two best friends, creepy old dudes who know everything. Still a very quick and satisfying read though.





So I read one more, technically finished in December, which puts me at 86 total for the year. I have met my reading goal of 75 books!!!  I was hoping to push it up to 100, but I know I won't get 14 more books read in December. Still I'm very proud to have made my goal. Any one else break past theirs yet? Any good books I need to put on my list?