Review: A Discovery of Witches

~"The most beautiful experience 

we can have is the mysterious."~

from A Discovery of Witches

page 455

So, let me start by saying, I wanted to love this book, A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. I really did. Per my usual, I'm behind on the times and had not read or even heard of this book until the second one (Shadow of Night) was coming out and I say several people across social media making a big deal about it. So my friend let me borrow her copy and I set out to read it. Like a month ago. Seriously, usually I'm a pretty fast reader but it took me forever to read this book! I didn't know really anything about it before I started so maybe my apathy for this book is my own fault.

It took until about page 70 for me to really start to get interested in this book. I almost felt like I just started in the middle of a story I was unfamiliar with but I know that's not the case. I really had no clue what Ashmole 782 had to do with anything. I realized as the story progressed that was the point but I was really confused. (Also I kept reading Ashmole as a$$hole...I know, terrible, right?) 

I thought around page 200 it really started to get good. Similar to many vampire stories, I kind of felt that Matthew was too domineering Diana. Yes, it was usually for her own good but it made me bristle a couple of times. Just because you are old and male doesn't mean you get to boss a smart, educated woman around, ya know?

By the end I was really starting to appreciate the story. The ending is very open for the next book. I just don't know that I'll endeavor to read Shadow of Night. It's just Discovery took me soooo long to read and the whole time I kind of felt I really wasn't smart enough to read this book. I just kept feeling that I was missing something. I give this book a 3 out of 5. I just didn't really like it or hate it. So there ya go. This is one bandwagon I'm not jumping on whole heartily. Lots of people love it. So you don't have to take my word on it!

Link to A Discovery of Witches on Goodreads.

Vanity, Vengeance, and A Weekend in Vegas: Audiobook Review

"If someone gives you the moon, you can't complain because 

they didn't think to throw in the stars." 

~Vanity, Vengeance, & 

A Weekend in Vegas~

I downloaded Vanity, Vengeance, & A Weekend in Vegas by Kyra Davis from audible.com (It was my first time using the site and it I have to say I'm very happy with the experience, even if it is more costly than my local library!) This book is the sixth in the Sophie Katz mystery series. I have been a long time Sophie fan. Just to be clear (because I know I read and review a lot of YA) this is an adult novel with adult themes and language, I don't think it's overly offensive or anything but just be aware. I enjoy Sophie books because they are witty and funny usually with some kind of outlandish mystery to solve. Just for a little back story, Sophie is a mystery novelist who ends up solving mysteries in her real life. (I love that, a mystery book about a mystery writer!) Sophie is impulsive, unreasonable and a master at denial which usually makes for a fun read.

**Possible Spoilers** (Though I try not to!)

Vanity,Vengeance, & A Weekend in Vegas starts off on a real downer, Sophie finds out some shockingly, betraying information about her long-term live-in Russian boyfriend that sets the "Weekend in Vegas" part in motion. I hate reading about break ups. I'm a fairy tale happy ending kind of girl myself and the heartbreak written in this book was very real. So, I wasn't overly pleased with the beginning. But in true Sophie fashion, there is murder and mystery and mayhem to follow. I liked the parts where Sophie is in mystery solving mode. Yes, she does some stupid things but she ultimately trying to help do the right thing without getting herself thrown in prison. I find that to be admirable in a way, even though she can be a quite selfish. Sophie just doesn't always do things the right, "legal" way. That's lucky for us because her shenanigans are very entertaining.

One of the things I did not like about this book was Anatoly, the sexy Russian boyfriend. It has been so long since I read the other Sophie books I can't remember if he was like this before or not; but he can be a controlling jerk. And even though it is clear that he has been a jerk, Sophie refuses to let him go entirely. We find out more and Anatoly has his "reasons" but I still don't like him.  Things ended up turning out okay in the end, in fact I rather liked the ending. 

I was kinda digging the twist with Alex, new to the story beautiful eyed guy with less than savory business and familial affiliates. In fact, I'm kind of hoping to see him again in a future book. I think he was interesting and there may be more depth to him than we have learned so far. (But no Sophie, that doesn't mean you should want to get with him either!)

As far as the audio part of the audiobook, I liked the narrator. She changed her voice with the characters enough that they were differentiated. She was good with inflection and it was very enjoyable.

I give Vanity, Vengeance, & A Weekend in Vegas a 3.5 stars out of 5. I liked it enough, I'd read the next one but I hope its a little more light hearted and Sophie either gets Anatoly in shape or ships him out.

For the book info from Goodreads.

Teaser Tuesday (Sept. 25)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"I try to remind myself when I feel great like this

 that there will be another terrible week 

coming someday, so I should store up as 

many great details as I can, so during the next

 terrible week I can remember those details and

 believe I'll feel great again. It doesn't work a lot, 

but I think it's very important to try."

~From The Perks of Being a Wallflower~

a few of my favorite things:

good book, pumpkin spice frap

and just barley seen, hubby

(that's his hand back there)

Opal Cover Reveal

If you have ever been to Alli's World before you will know how obsessed I am with Jennifer L. Armentrout's work. For proof click here, here, or here. I am sooooo flipping excited to be a part of her cover reveal for the next Lux book, Opal. The cover is amazing and I'm sure the book will be out of this world. (Like what I did there, aliens, out of this world?? Hehe.) But anyways...here's the cover. I hope you love it. I know I sure do! I'm really looking forward to this one! Keep scrolling down, you'll find info on the book, the author, and a contest..... 

 
No one is like Daemon Black.
When he set out to prove his feelings for me, he wasn’t fooling around. Doubting him isn’t something I’ll do again, and now that we’ve made it through the rough patches, well... There’s a lot of spontaneous combustion going on.

But even he can’t protect his family from the danger of trying to free those they love. After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different... And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable of. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.

Together we’re stronger... and they know it.

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Follow this link to an ~~~ EPIC CONTEST ~~~ Announcement. You will want to bookmark this page!

http://jenniferarmentrout.blogspot.com/p/october-1-2012.html

USA TODAY Bestselling author, Jennifer L. Armentrout, lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing, she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell, Loki. Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She also writes adult romance under the name J. Lynn.

Find Jennifer on:Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Website | Blog

Teaser Tuesdays (Sept.18)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teaser Tuesday this week comes from the audio book I'm currently listening to, Vanity, Vengeance And A Weekend In Vegas by Kyra Davis. This is the latest installment in the Sophie Katz mystery series. I've been a Sophie fan for ages. I just recently started this one and it begins on a kind of depressing note. But I've got high hopes that Sophie won't let me down! 

"'Ah, so you had to lie to protect me. You're right, that's not typical at all.' I walked away from the edge of the couch and over to the built in mahogany bookcases. They were so solid and steady...unlike anything else in my life, really."

BBAW Post 5: Highlights!

Friday's Task: Share a highlight of this year’s BBAW. Whether it’s a blog you discovered or a book you’re going to read or a way you felt refreshed, this is the day to celebrate the week!

I made a few discoveries this week. So I've listed for you a couple of blogs I am a new follower of and several books I've added to my To-Be-Read list. Most importantly though, I think this week has given a sense of belonging in the book blogging community! Many of you have checked out my blog, became followers, and left comments. That has really encouraged me to keep going and keep becoming a better blogger. I'm so proud to be a little part of this whole great big blogging world!

New Blogs:

Musings of a Bookish Kitty

Alexia's Books & Such

The Relentless Reader

New Books:

The China Garden by Liz Berry recommended by In Bed With Books

The Gazfield Series by Kate Kaynak recommended by The Book Vixen

Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park recommended by The Busy Bibliophile

Sean Griswold's Head by Lindsey Leavitt recommended by Cecelia Bedelia


It's been a great Book Blogger Appreciation Week 2012 in my opinion. I hope you guys have enjoyed my posts, I know I've enjoyed many of yours. I look forward to discussing more books with y'all in the future!

BBAW: Post 4- Big Pimpin'

Today's topic is pimping a book you don't think gets much press. I have a lot of books in my TBR stack that would probably fit the bill but I don't want to do too much endorsing until I've read them. So I'll just remind you of a couple small press/ indie authors I've blogged about before. These authors and their books are totally worth a look!


1. Jennifer L. Armentrout.
Lux Series and Covenant Series.
Young Adult Paranormal
She is becoming a big deal and she is on of my fav authors!
One of my many JLA post

2. Scott Cramer.
Night of the Purple Moon.
Young Adult Dystopian.
I got a review copy from the author and ended up really enjoying this book more than I thought I would!
My Review


3. Karen Colley. Cord of Three.
Christian Fiction.
Not my typical read but Karen is my friend so I gave it a chance. I was so impressed! I didn't know my friend was such a good writer! I couldn't be more proud of her!
My interview with Karen

Review: Fathomless by Jackson Pearce

"It's {the ocean} nothing to be afraid of," I say fondly. "You just have to remember that it doesn't care. It doesn't want to kill you, but it doesn't love you, either. That makes it dangerous, but it also makes it reliable. You can trust the ocean because it's always the same." 

~Fathomless, page 122.

I love the beach. I love the ocean, the water, the salty breeze, the sand, the marine life (except for sharks), the atmosphere. I love it all. I also love ocean lure. One of the first movies I remember ever seeing in the theater was Disney's The Little Mermaid. I was captivated--there are people that live in the ocean?! WHAT? How do become a mermaid?? I'm not sure I have outgrown this phase. Imagine my delight in the mermaid trend in YA lit!

See my posts on Fathomless Release Party 

and my Fathomless Teaser Tuesday!

My first mer-read is Fathomless by Jackson Pearce. This is book three in Jackson's retelling of fairy tales companion series. (The first was Sisters Red, which is a retelling of "Red Riding Hood" and the second is Sweetly, a retelling of "Hansel and Gretel." Since they are companion books you don't have to read them in order but if you do you are rewarded with little tid bits here and there but not required for understanding and enjoying the current read.) Fathomless is a retelling of "The Little Mermaid," not the Disney version, but rather the original Hans Christian Anderson version. Incidentally, I would recommend you reading the original because it is quite different from the Mouse's version.

This was outside our rental house on Tybee Island.

I thought, surely they put this up just for me!

Having read Jackson's other retellings and having a preconceived love of all things mermaid, I was totally prepared to love Fathomless. I was not disappointed in the least! I totally loved everything about it. From the beautiful cover to the very end, I was enamored by this book. It's tragic yet hopeful. There is so much intricacies going on in this book I fear it will be hard for me to explain the premise at all or review without being very spoilery. You have Lo, the mermaid, and Celia, one third of set of triplets with special powers, and a boy, oh the sweet, guitar-playing, cute boy. Le sigh. If you have read many of my posts before you know I'm a sucker for those love triangles. This triangle tends to border the life and death, with or without a soul line, so the stakes are high!

Pic from our trip to Tybee Island earlier this year.

Relevant to this post. There's talk of a pier in Fathomless.

Also, through out this book there was a lot of discovery of self for the characters which I really enjoyed. It was like we were on the journey of self discovery with them. I found it interesting to watch them develop, deciding who to trust, what was important, how to use their gifts, when to sacrifice for the betterment of another. This book was good on the surface but you could easily delve deeper into the introspective reflections if you were so inclined.

"How could someone without a soul remember what it 

felt like to have one? That's like asking each drop in the 

ocean to remember its time as rain." 

~Fathomless, page 64.

I would recommend Fathomless (and Sisters Red and Sweetly) to anyone willing to listen. Fathomless was beautifully written in a way that made me rush through to see what happens and regret rushing at the same time because I didn't make it last. I give it 4 out 5 stars, if not just a smidgen more than a 4.

Fathomless: The Release Party

I know some people don't get it. But it's my obsession. Like my hubs put it, "Some people have drugs or alcohol, we have books." This is true. At least my obsession is beneficial to the brain, just not the pocketbook. I have tried, really tried to cut back on the amount of books we purchase. But my main weakness, in relation to books, is author signed books. There's just something about going to an event, hearing the author speak about the process that went into a beloved read, and then having just a few moments to speak to the author one on one while he or she personalizes and signs their work for me to take home and treasure. There is really not many things in life I can think of that bring me as much shear joy as having that signed copy in hand. And that is why, hubs and I (and occasionally my mama) will drive HOURS to go to author events that last less than an hour. I realize how truly blessed I am that they put up with me and indulge me! It took me 26 years to understand that reading can be such an inclusive hobby and bring immense amounts of happiness, on more than one level! So, yes we do go on lots of bookish adventures and "waste days" just to have precious signed books but man, I have never been happier in my life!

OK, confessional over. That just was to lead into the most recent bookish event hubs and I attended...the release party for Georgia author and University of Georgia graduate Jackson Pearce's (JP) most recent YA novel, Fathomless held at the Barnes and Noble on Northpoint Parkway in Alpharetta. (BTW, they often host book signings and whatnot so if you are in the area check them out!) Fathomless a retelling of "The Little Mermaid" fairy tale by Hans Christian Anderson. (I'll have a review up for the book later this week.)  In this post I just wanted to share with you some of things Jackson spoke about at the the release and some photos from the event.

Jackson Pearce

Talking about her Fathomless inspired

bracelet, it was an anchor

and adorable and her sister's. :)

Let me preface by saying that Jackson was hilariously entertaining during her talk, so we laughed a lot and really had a great time. For example, she told us about a school visit she had where they introduced her as the author of Fat Homeless (instead of Fathomless...ohmygosh! Ooops!) Jackson spoke about the challenges to writing Fathomless. First, she said writing Sisters Red and Sweetly had the perk of being based of Grimm fairy tales because the Grimm tales have many different versions and there are less variations of the Hans Christian Anderson tale, "The Little Mermaid." It was also a challenge because everyone is familiar with the Disney version of The Little Mermaid, which Jackson assured readers she is a fan of, although due to Ariel having all those sisters with different colored hair JP was concerned about the Mer-Queen's fidelity. (HA!) The original tale and Disney are similar up until a point, in the original the prince never realizes the Little Mermaid is the one that saved him. There is actually a girl from a near by temple that comes out to him while he is recovering on the beach and the prince falls in love with her and she turns out to be a princess so things work out pretty good for them. JP said she feels sorry for that temple girl because this is really her love story and the Little Mermaid is a home-wrecker the Prince doesn't even love! Jackson indicated that she really wanted to tell the story of the temple girl.

Challenge number two came in with using ocean girl lure. JP wanted her mermaid to be melancholy but it was hard to make them be sad with they don't remember why they are sad. JP said she knows how she wants you, the reader, to feel when the book is done. She shared with us a poem she wrote when she was child and it began, "Sadness is the color brown..." The point being you can pick a color and describe how that color makes you feel. It seems like it would be a pretty good exercise to get creativity flowing. Maybe. (This challenge makes more sense after you've read the book.)

Clayton must have said something because

he has both Jackson's and my

attention!

The last big challenge Jackson faced in writing Fathomless was that it is the third in the series and she had to remember the rules she created in the first two books. She talked about how adding one line the previous book caused her to have to rework this one.

Jackson shared with us that the there will be another book in this series, a retelling of the Snow Queen (YaY!), but it is still untitled at this point. And then she took some audience questions. (My notes are a little sketchy so I'll do my best to make sense of them for you.:-) Jackson told us that fairy tales are fun to write but writing two books at once is hard. In response to a question about how much of herself she puts into her characters she said that, everything she writes is a product of who she is but how you read it is a product of who you are. (For some reason this struck me as profound.) She used to work for a company that had "Beer Fridays" but said as a writer, everyday is "Beer Friday." (She said not really cause that didn't really work out to well for Hemingway!)

This section of her Q&A had more tips for writers. Jackson said that social media lets you know you have readers but it doesn't affect her writing. She talked about when she was waiting to get published and her stories of rejection. She said (paraphrased), "Until you get published you are afraid that you actually suck. Until someone wants it. It gets easier each book." And her message to young writers, "Keep writing books! It's not a waste of time. Sometimes you have to write a crappy book."

I've heard this before, several of my fav authors got rejected several times before they got published. That is just the nature of the publishing world. If you are a writer, use that as encouragement. So what, you wrote a crappy book, now you can moving on to writing a GREAT book!

My collection of Jackson Pearce (signed!) books.

BBAW Post 3: What Does Book Blogging Mean to You?

Book Blogger Appreciation Week 2012

What Does Book Blogging Mean to You?

I'm new to this whole blogging thing but so far I am loving it. I've always loved reading and I can think of times I have submersed myself in a fictional world. By blogging I feel that I have found a place where that kind of behavior is acceptable if not encouraged. 

I love that even though I finished a book, it doesn't have to be over. I can go on my blog and talk about it. I can share with the world that a book sparked some creativity and I made something inspired by the words on a page. 

I love that blogging gives me an excuse to geek out! I have enjoyed going to author/bookish events for the past three years. But not until I began blogging did I feel I had a right to proudly drive THREE hours just to get a book signed. (I've now been to events where people drive A LOT further for a signing!) Having the blog, a place to share our bookish adventures, allows me to feel much less stalkerish. :) It makes me feel like I have more of a purpose, I suppose is what I'm trying to say. Whether or not anyone else ever reads my blog, it's like I have done my duty and reported back on the event.

I also really enjoy the fact that I, in a small way, get help authors out. I really think authors are rock stars, I've had a story in head for ages now but I am just not able to write it the way it should be written. Authors possess this amazing ability to spin words in to wonderful books. And I am in awe because this is not easy thing to as I have discovered. The talent and dedication authors put into a book is just mind blowing. So if I, as a blogger, can anyway help an author, that makes me ecstatic! I love that blogging allows me to brag on behalf of long time favorites and discover new favs too. 

I know I'm a new kid on the blogging block but I plan to stick around. I may never have many followers or get box loads of ACRs or become a blogging goddess BUT I love doing what I'm doing so much right now. Just telling folks about the books I read and trying to spread my enthusiasm for what I consider literary gems. 

I think I've rambled on enough. I like books. I like blogging. I don't see me stopping reading or blogging in the foreseeable future. I am thankful to be a small part of this wonderfully awesome book blogging community. 

Book Blogger Appreciation Week: Post 2

I failed to prepare for BBAW so I'm just answering these questions myself. It's kinda fun just to think about some of these questions and come up with for real answers. You should try it. :)

Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack?
I kinda snack all the time, so I don't think this is a fair question. Seriously though, I do not have fav reading snack. (I just know I don't want sticky, greasy fingers on the pages of my books.)

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of
writing in books horrify you?
It doesn't horrify me, I tend to underline sometimes and I like to put those sticky-note tabs in books to remind me where the good stuff is at in the book.  But I don't write paragraphs in my books. Sometimes, if I really like a quote or passage from a book, I'll open a draft in my email and type/copy out the line(s) so I can reference them later.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears?
Laying the book flat open?
Bookmark! With whatever might be handy. Receipts work wonderfully. Sometimes I do lay a book out flat to hold my place, but not often, usually only if it's already a old copy that is conducive to that. Dog-ears are a no-no. 

Fiction, Non-fiction, or both?
Almost always fiction. I live in the real world, I read to escape!

Hard copy or audiobooks?
Either. I love having a good audiobook in the car for the long commute. My hubby and I have been known to have an audiobook for the car ride on a road trip. I like that because when we stop we can discuss the book and be at exactly the same place, even though we will have different perspectives on the book. (I like to say, "A family that reads together, stays together!" :)

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of chapters, or are you
able to put a book down at any point?
I don't have to read to the end of the chapter but I find myself playing the one more chapter or just to the end of this chapter game a lot. This tends to lead to one more, that leads to one more and so forth. 

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away?
No, not always but I do sometimes. It depends, is that word detrimental to my understanding of the story or can I use the context clues and move on. (Very mature, huh?)

What are you currently reading?
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

What is the last book you bought?
Most recent (yesterday) from a second-hand store, Dark Secrets 1 by Elizabeth Chandler and The Postmistress by Sarah Blake. Brand new most recent (Saturday) was As You Wish by Jackson Pearce.

Are you the type of person that only reads one book at a time or can
you read more than one at a time?
I may start more than one at a time but one will prevail until I just give in and finish one and then {hopefully} get back to the other. Usually I just have one book I'm reading and one I'm listening to in the car.


Do you have a favorite time of day and/or place to read?
I have a somewhat flexible job, so I can read in the down time there. That's probably my favorite place to get reading done. If I have to be up and dressed SOMETHING productive should be getting done, right? When I'm home, I read on my comfy couch and in bed before falling asleep.


Do you prefer series books or stand alone books?
I tend to end up reading series. I'm so sad when the one single, little book is over. I like to think of books in a series as mere chapters in one much longer book.

Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over?
Hunger Games, for sure. I also was on a big kick of talking about Fault in Our Stars by John Green for a while. And I still LOVE Twilight, I beg people to just give it a chance before passing judgement.

How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author’s last name, etc.?)
Mine are currently organize first by personal preference, then by author,  then chronologically. That is for the books I am most passionate about, for those less fortunate, they just have to find a spot on the shelf in whatever space is left.

Book Blogger Appreciation Week: Post 1

So, apparently this is Book Blogger Appreciation Week (BBAW) and I was totally unaware. (Not that this is new, for me to be unaware but still...) Anyways, better late than never, right?! Day 1's post is about Appreciation! Therefore, I'm going to share with you a couple of my favorite book blogs, in no particular order. Of course they are all great reviewers and I hope I really didn't have to say that but I wanted to be sure you knew. :) 

1. http://www.onceuponatwilight.com/

This is one of the first book blogs that I read when I really started reading blogs. I was drawn to it because of the Twilight element but really it is a great YA site. Yara (website owner extraordinaire) and her crew do such an amazing job. They are always getting new posts up and the site always looks great. They make it look effortless. This is one of those sites I really look up to as a new blogger.

2. http://www.smashattackreads.com/

First off, Smash's site is just soooo flipping cute with all the owls, I just can't express in words how adorable it is! Second, she does great reviews and posts often. And what's special right now is, she is compiling a list of all the greatest bookish sites into one list. Why haven't we thought of doing this before?! GREAT idea Smash, thanks for doing that!

3. http://www.elizziebooks.com/

Elizziebooks is the first vlog I have ever watched with any consistency. Her videos and reviews are pretty much awesome, they are passionate and well thought out. If you are not familiar with the "Book Tube" on You Tube, watching Liz's videos would be a good start in my opinion.

4. http://magnet4books.blogspot.com/

Alli from Magnet4Books has given me some super book recommendations. If she says it's a good book, you should read it.

5. http://www.readingangel.com/

I really like Reading Angel's blog, especially because she hosts a page count contest. It is really fun making a contest out of how much you read each month! (Even though I'm really bad about actually keeping up with my numbers!)

6. http://novelday.blogspot.com/

This book blog is cool because in addition to reviews, blogger Britta features something called Sartorial Lit. This is especially cool because she shows how things on the pages of a book can translate into real life. Check out her literary themed wedding post to really understand what I mean.

7. http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/

I love this site for posting the best bookish meme's that really get fellow bloggers coming together. My personal favorite is Teaser Tuesday, where you share two non-spoilery sentences from your current read. She also does Monday Musings, WWW Wednesdays, and Friday Finds which are all a lot of fun too!

There are tons more book blogs out there and I'm sure I have personally left off ones I'm going to wish I added. These were just the first ones that popped in my head and I really think they are all the bee's knees. I hope you find this list useful and have time to check out some, if not all of them!

Teaser Tuesday (Sept 11)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This week I'm reading two books. I was reading A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness and put it aside because hubs got me the recently released Fathomless. I didn't intend on starting it but I did while we were on the way to the release party/book signing (more to come on that soon) and then I just couldn't stop. A Discovery of Witches is good too (just much longer) and I'll be back to it momentarily. Anyways, that's why I have two teasers this week!

'"There is a pattern you know," he said "You use your magic when you're not thinking."' ~from A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

"I feel guilty when he leans in, drops his hands down, and interlaces his fingers with mine gently. But when his lips meet mine, the guilt melts away."

~from Fathomless by Jackson Pearce

Review: Night of the Purple Moon

I was sent a review copy of Night of the Purple Moon by the author Scott Cramer in exchange for an honest review. I read this short book (177 pages) very quickly. It is a YA dystopian which I'm really into right now. Like any other dystopian there were parts of this book that were quite disturbing but it was well written and it took me on an emotional roller-coaster. (I got a little teary eyed at least twice and thought I was just going to all out bawl at the end. LOVE when a book can do that!) It was tragic and if a ray of hope was given it quickly extinguished. In fact, when you thought things couldn't get worse, they did. I thought Night of the Purple Moon was very GOOD, very sad, and very short. (And I wanted to keep reading after the final page!) 

Basically Night of the Purple Moon is about what happens when the Earth passes through the tail of a comet. This would be pretty cool because the comet/space dust stuff is supposed to turn the moon purple but it has an unforeseeable side effect. The space dust causes an epidemic, killing anyone who has gone through puberty in a matter of hours. So that means most of the people left on the planet are young teens or children, save for a few scientists that were underground at the CDC. 

I thought the age range of the kids was a little weird for such a heavy topic. They were dealing with stuff that seemed to be much more mature than their years. But they seemed to handle it well and I totally get how and why this worked. On the other hand, I kind of thought it was brilliant because puberty doesn't happen at the same time for everyone so it lends an unknown factor to the story. And there was enough "we don't understand" moments in there that you were reminded they were younger kids. I really became invested in the characters and wanted to see them survive. 

I would recommend this book to any dystopian fan or anyone interested in the genre. I give Night of the Purple Moon 4 out of 5 stars. Sooo worth the read! 

This leads me to some good news for you my dear followers and readers. There is a promo going on for a free download of Night of the Purple Moon!!! It'll be free on Amazon on Monday, September 10 and Tuesday, September 11. This is a great deal and good opportunity to read a GOOD book for FREE!  Free y'all!! I'll even leave you the link so there is no excuse not to take advantage of this!

US url: http://www.amazon.com/Night-Purple-Moon-ebook/dp/B007OVUPXU/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1333803865&sr=1-1

UK url: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Night-Purple-Moon-ebook/dp/B007OVUPXU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334839537&sr=8-1

Decatur Book Festival 2012

I've know about the Decatur Book Festival (DBF) for about three years now but this was the first time hubs and I have attended. DBF is free to attend and held every year in Decatur, Georgia (Atlanta area) on Labor Day Weekend. It is pretty awesome because they get several big name authors come to speak and sign books, as well as an opportunity for lesser known authors to set up booths for old and new fans to connect. I'm really thrilled I got to attend this event this year on Sunday and got lots of new books, all signed of course! In Alli's World, it was a pretty amazing day!

Author: Nancy Holder

Panel: Way Beyond Fan Fiction

She writes companion books to TV shows 

like Buffy and Teen Wolf,

as well as her own books

such as Wicked.

Author: Barry Lyga

Panel and Book: I Hunt Killers

Fav quote from Panel: "Killers have standards too."

Authors: Kathy Reichs and Tess Gerritsen

Panel: Deadly Combo-Blockbusters from Page to Screen

These are the masterminds behind the Bones and Rizzoli and Isles

book series and therefore ultimately the TV shows.

It was interesting hearing them talk about their involvement in there respective shows. Reichs is a producer on Bones and Gerristsen has little to no involvement in Rizzoli and Isles. They also discussed the differences between the books and the shows. 

Hubs, Me, & Tess Gerritsen

Authors (l-r): Jessica Khoury, Sarah Maas, Dan Krokos, C.J. Redwine, 

Heather Brewer and SR Johannes

Their Books (l-r): Origin, Throne of Glass, False Memory, Defiance, 

The Legacy of Tril: Soulbound, Untraceable

Panel: Warrior Grrrrrrrrls

The theme of this panel was really cool. The authors talked about the movement in YA lit towards strong female characters. Females that don't need to be rescued but in fact are doing the rescuing. I think this is wonderful and hope that it is more than a passing fad in the genre. 

Paraphrase from Heather Brewer on why there are never 

any parents in a YA Novel:

"Parents make things safe. If parents were present nothing 

exciting could happen."

(She said it better but it was the end of the day and I was hot and tired and failed to write it down. But this is often something I'd pondered myself and thought it was a good explanation.)

I also spoke to a couple other awesome authors but failed to get photos.

I will do better in the future.

Shout outs to authors: 

Heather Self (book: The One) and 

C.A. Kunz (book: The Childe).

Here's a link to Smash Attack Reads. She is another blogger who attended DBF and I think she did a great job of recapping the event. She attended more than I did and went to some different panels so if you want more from DBF check out her site! 

Plus, the site is just super cute!

If you are a book lover and in the area around Labor Day, I simply must recommend the DBF to you. I'll def be going again!

For more info on the Decatur Book Festival, click here.

Here's the books

and swag from DBF2012!