Giveaway Winner

The winner of the $20 CSN gift card is Heather! Congratulations!

Deadly Sanctuary by Sylvia Nobel

Summary (via the back of the book): "Beautiful, strong-willed reporter, Kendall O'Dell, is drawn into an evil web of conspiracy beyond anything she could have ever imagined when she accepts a position at a small newspaper in isolated Castle Valley, Arizona. Her assignment : Find out why her predecessor mysteriously vanished while working on a story concerning the unsolved deaths of two teenage girls. Why is the sheriff so hostile to her inquiries? Why is the woman operation the local shelter for homeless girls so secretive? And how is attractive rancher Bradley Talverson involved?

When the body of a third girl is discovered in the desert not far from a private psychiatric hospital, Kendall's life hangs in the balance as she strives to uncover the horrifying secret."

Review: WHAT? TWO grown-up books IN A ROW?? Who would have thought it was possible...?

So anyway. This was a good book. I have a problem with fish-out-of-water stuff, so the beginning made me uncomfortable. But after that got better, I liked it. The story was interesting, I liked the romance.

This seems like the kind of book that's supposed to be a big Setting book; you know, one of those, "the place was a CHARACTER!" things. (See: Hogwarts, Serenity). I felt like she was kind of going for that, but I never really felt it. I was told it a little, though.

Goodreads Shelves: addictive, fluffy, i-have-the-ebook, is-this-a-kissing-book, my-kind-of-woman

Rating:

Carved in Bone by Jefferson Bass

Summary (via the authors' website): "There is a patch of ground in Tennessee dedicated to the science of death, where human remains lie exposed to be studied for their secrets. The real-life scientist who founded the "Body Farm" has broken cold cases and revolutionized forensics . . . and now he spins an astonishing tale inspired by his own experiences."

Review: OK. So this blog has been going on for about a year now (in fact my one-year mark is in about two weeks; cool!), and in that time my reading has pretty much only been YA. But that's not how I envisioned things going down, originally. So I'm rather excited to be reviewing my first For-Adults type book today.

I really liked Carved in Bone. I liked being in Dr. Brockton's head; he's a good guy, trying to do the right thing, but also a regular human who makes mistakes sometimes.

I thought the mystery was a little predictable, but still interesting. So that was good.

What I loved most about this book, though, was the kind of things I learned. I've always liked reading historical fiction because it's the best way for me to learn about history. As a school subject, it's my least favorite, but if I can read some accurate-type historical fiction, I can learn on the sly, as it were.

Carved in Bone was exactly the same. Reading it was fun because of how educational it is. One of the authors, Dr. William Bass, is an actual forensic anthropologist (just like Dr. Brennan!), so the details are all pretty much accurate. I feel all smart now!

In fact, in honor of this experience, I added a new shelf on Goodreads: I feel so smart now!

Goodreads Shelves: fluffy, i-feel-so-smart-now, i-have-the-ebook, pretentious

Rating:

Book Blogger Hop #8

It's that time again!

In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word!  This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books!


Each week there's a question to answer. Here's this week's question:

"If you could physically put yourself into a book or series…which one would it be and why?"

I guess I would pick Haroun and the Sea of Stories. It's a whimsical story world, with all kinds of magic and fairy tales, but at the same time it's not too scary. :)


Thanks for visiting! Be sure to check out my giveaway!

Fire by Kristin Cashore

Summary (via Goodreads): "Beautiful creatures called monsters live in the Dells. Monsters have the shape of normal animals: mountain lions, dragonflies, horses, fish. But the hair or scales or feathers of monsters are gorgeously colored-- fuchsia, turquoise, sparkly bronze, iridescent green-- and their minds have the power to control the minds of humans.

Seventeen-year-old Fire is the last remaining human-shaped monster in the Dells. Gorgeously monstrous in body and mind but with a human appreciation of right and wrong, she is hated and mistrusted by just about everyone, and this book is her story."

Review: So I keep putting off reading these things, then once I get around to it, I pretty much can't put it down.

Anyway, LOVED Fire. Almost more than Graceling... can I say that?? Fire, as a character, is more vulnerable and frightened of the people around her and how they react to her. She hides that under her aloofness and a tendency to be a hermit, whereas Katsa, who doesn't really have that option, hides her vulnerability under a very thick layer of anger.

Brigan is... amazing. The strong stoic type, but not brooding to the point of being boring. You know, an actual person; hooray! I loved their relationship, how it developed naturally from "this guy totally hates me and I'd like to avoid him" to "he can apparently stand me and I'm fascinated/obsessed with him" to "we're in LAHVE!" There was none of the completely ridiculous, "I saw him and even though he was a jerk to me, I was DRAWN to him!" So that was great. :)

Goodreads Shelves: addictive, fluffy, i-have-the-ebook, is-or-would-be-a-good-movie, is-this-a-kissing-book, my-kind-of-woman, thought-provoking

Rating:

*Note*: If you haven't entered my giveaway, there's still time! Due to low participation, I'm extending it for a while.

Giveaway!!

Hi all!

I was contacted by CSN Stores, who have offered to host a giveaway on my blog!

If you haven't heard of CSN, you should check them out; they have pretty much everything. Anything from backpacks and bookshelves, to clothes and shoes, to kitchen supplies and furniture - even wood swing sets.

The prize is a $20 gift card for any CSN store.

To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment on this post with your email address and favorite line from Star Wars (and if you don't like/know Star Wars, do your best to make me laugh). One entry per person.

I'll randomly pick the winner on Sunday, March 6th um, when I feel like it! Due to low participation, the giveaway has been extended.

Rosebush by Michele Jaffe

Summary (via the author's website): "Jane’s night was killer…
SEE JANE RUN
Instead of celebrating Memorial Day weekend on the Jersey Shore, Jane is in the hospital surrounded by teddy bears, trying to piece together what happened last night. One minute she was at a party, wearing fairy wings and cuddling with her boyfriend. The next, she was lying near-dead in a rosebush after a hit-and-run.
SEE JANE HIDE
Everyone believes it was an accident, despite the phone threats Jane swears were real. But the truth is a thorny thing. As Jane’s boyfriend, friends, and admirers come to visit, more memories surface—not just from the party, but from deeper in her past . . . including the night her best friend Bonnie died.
SEE JANE DIE
With nearly everyone in her life a suspect now, Jane must unravel the mystery before her killer attacks again. The clues point in one direction–and a killer a little too close for comfort."

Review: There's only one downside that I can see. It's not as hilarious as Bad Kitty or Kitty Kitty. Other than that, I loved it.

I don't agree with the V-Mars comparisons that the girls at Forever YA drew in the boys, but maybe that's just me. I mean, I can see Ollie as a Logan character, but David is not nearly good enough to be compared to Duncan.

I love the mystery in this book; also, I loved Jane, and I loved seeing her progress from the way she thinks about her friends and her family to the end, where she can see clearly what's going on with the people around her.

Goodreads Shelves: addictive, fluffy, is-this-a-kissing-book, my-kind-of-woman, pretentious, thought-provoking

Rating:

Avalon High by Meg Cabot

Summary (via the author's website): "Avalon High seems like a typical high school, attended by typical students: There’s Lance, the jock. Jennifer, the cheerleader. And Will, senior class president, quarterback, and all-around good guy.

But not everybody at Avalon High is who they appear to be… not even, as new student Ellie is about to discover, herself. What part does she play in the drama that is unfolding? What if the bizarre chain of events and coincidences she has pieced together means—as with the court of King Arthur—tragedy is fast approaching Avalon High?

Worst of all, what if there’s nothing she can do about it?"

Review: So does everyone remember my opinion of Twilight? That I know they're badly written but I like them anyway? My opinion of Meg Cabot books is rather the opposite: I don't particularly like them, but I read them anyway. And usually can't put them down. And I know in my head that they're really not that bad.

Fluffy, yes. Heavens, yes. But still. They're well-written. Her main characters are always pretty kick-a. Cute boys abound, and plenty of the "then he looked at me twice" drama that I lahve. But something about them just makes me go, "ugh." And I'm really not sure why, especially since I keep reading them.

Maybe it's because the main characters are all the same? I feel like Ellie and Mia from The Princess Diaries, and Suz from the Mediator books, and that girl from Jinx, are all pretty interchangable. And maybe I wouldn't mind so much to read about a sarcastic teenager with body issues, over and over again, if I still WERE a sarcastic teenager with body issues. Hm.

Goodreads Shelves: addictive, fluffy, is-a-movie, is-this-a-kissing-book, my-kind-of-woman

Rating:

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Summary (via Goodreads): "Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight — she’s a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme, and in her case horrifying, skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king’s thug. When she first meets Prince Po, Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change.


She never expects to become Po’s friend. She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace — or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away... a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone."

Review: OH. WOW. I've been hearing good things about Graceling for a while, but I hadn't read it... BIG mistake. What an AWESOME book! I'm SO glad I sprang for the ebook, because now I can read it again whenever I want. Which I WILL.

What do I love about this book? A) Characters. Loved Katsa, Raffin, PO!!, Bitterblue. They were all awesome, all distinct. B) Story. WOW. A fully developed story, complete with resolution. I knew it was a trilogy, so I was kind of expecting a big story cut in three pieces. NOT SO. Hooray!

Also, I love that every time I tell people about Graceling, I describe Graces as superpowers. Because they pretty much are.

Goodreads Shelves: addictive, fluffy, i-have-the-ebook, is-or-would-be-a-good-movie, is-this-a-kissing-book, my-kind-of-woman, thought-provoking

Rating:

Torn by Amanda Hocking (Trylle Trilogy Book #2)

Summary: "Torn, the second installment of the Trylle Trilogy...

Wendy thought she finally understood who she was and what she wanted, but everything changes when the rival Vittra come after her.

She's caught between two worlds, torn between love and duty, and she must decide what life she is meant to lead."

Review: So... OK. New villain, fine. Character development for the cold-hearted mother, great. New love interest... what the heck!? THIS is a perfect example of Girl Falls For Boy For No Apparent Reason. I mean, the Finn thing from the first book was a little shaky to begin with, to be honest, but the whole Loki business is completely ridiculous.

Anyway. The book was a quick enough read, and if the third book in the trilogy is less than $3 I'll probably buy it just to see what happens. Which, admittedly, is a sign of success from a storytelling viewpoint.

I still don't hate Wendy, which is good.

Goodreads Shelves: addictive, fluffy, i-have-the-ebook, is-this-a-kissing-book

Rating: