Audiobook Review: DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE

Title: DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE
Series: Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Author: Laini Taylor (author's site)
Genre: YA Fantasy
Source: Purchased from Audible.com
Fav Quote(s): Pretty much any advice Brimstone gives Karou. But seriously, there are sooooo many good lines from this book!
Goodreads info here

I loved this selection. The story, the characters, and narration; combined makes DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE one of my favorite reads/listens of year so far! Laini Taylor's storytelling was flawless and Khristine Hvam's narration really genius. 

There is really so much good to say about DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE, I'm having a hard time beginning my review. As much as I adore audiobooks, they are harder for me to review because I can't flip back in the page easily to look up what I want to reference. So just hang in there with me while I try to explain my immense infatuation with this book. 

1. There is a heart-breakingly beautiful forbidden love affair. Before I picked up this book I had mentioned to the hubs I was interested in reading a good love story. I like a love story that makes me want to (and most likely) cry and ache in anguish with the characters. Check and check. Laini Taylor made me deliciously miserable in the best possible way.
   
   
2. Even though DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE succeed in ripping my heart out, I did laugh out loud more than once. A book that can take me from emotional high to emotional low, L.O.V.E.
   
   
3. DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE made me want to travel the world. Well, I already want to do that but the book is set in Prague. I've never been to Prague but I've kind of been secretly obsessed with Prague for ages now. All the photos I've seen of Prague just make me fall in love the city. It's old and beautiful and a perfect backdrop for this magical story. Also, there is mention of many other fabulous places across the world (and beyond) in this book. I want to see it all!
   
   
4. Akiva. Really that's all I feel I need to say. (Boys in books make for the best crushes. And Akiva isn't just a boy, he's an angel! Literally.)
   
   
5. Karou has blue hair. My day job prohibits any "un-natural hair color" so naturally I want to dye my hair any and all un-natural colors. I lived vicariously through Karou on this one (as well as the globe trotting).
   

In my world, DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE earns 5 out of 5 stars. Y'all. Please, if you are remotely a fan of YA Fantasy (audio) books, get this book now! Once you've read or listened to it or if you already have, please let me know what you thought. I know I can't be the only one in love with DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE.

(*Also, funny side note: I can be such a goofball sometimes. I actually accidentally downloaded the second book in this series (DAYS OF BLOOD AND STARLIGHT) first. And listened to like 2 plus hours before I realized something was amiss. I told the hubs I was having a hard time getting into and blah, blah, blah. Well yeah, duh. You will have a hard time if you start in the middle! Anyhoo, that's when I went back and downloaded DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE and listened to the first book first. I'm telling you this as a cautionary tale. Don't start in the middle of the story. This is a tale you'll want to hear from the beginning! :)

Lastly, since I can't dye my hair and I can't just jet half way around the world right now, this was my inspiration from reading DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE.

 

Karou and her bff, Zuzana, love going to this place called Poison Kitchen in the book. They go there there to hang out and eat bowls of goulash. Now there is no where as cool as Poison Kitchen anywhere near me and I don't think I've ever actually had goulash before. So I Googled around, looked at several recipes and came up with what you see above. I used this recipe as my base line and added a little more veggies to it. It was actually pretty good! And I guess it'll have to do in place of a trip to Poison Kitchen!

Teaser Tuesday (Feb 19)

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!

“Kaz lifted his hand to brush to brush a snowflake from her eyelashes. She said, ‘Touch me and you’ll get this coffee in your face.’”

Daughter of Smoke & Bone 

by Laini Taylor

Also, be sure to check out this giveaway right here in Alli's World!

Teaser Tuesday: The Diviners (Feb 5)

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've been listening to the audio book version of The Diviners for about a week now. Let me just say, this is one of the scariest, most suspenseful books I've ever listened to/read. It's a great story, it just scares the socks off me during my commute to work! I'm looking forward to the end of this book to see WHAT is really going on and what's going to happen!

"The ladies set to squabbling about the various interpretations of dreams and possible number combinations. No one could ever agree on any one right answer. That's part of what made the game so exciting--all those possibilities."

~from The Diviners by Libba Bray~

Audiobook Review: Ten Big Ones

Title: Ten Big Ones

Author: Janet Evanovich

Series: Stephanie Plum

Genre: Adult Mystery

Source: My local library.

Goodreads info on Ten Big Ones.

Actually I listened to this a while back and toyed with just not posting a review at all for Ten Big Ones. But I had this typed up already so I thought I'd go head and share it with you guys.

This was an enjoyable installment. Stephanie has gotten herself in over her head again. This time with gang bangers. Actually, I kind of thought this was one of he more scary storylines our heroine has faced.

Morelli tries to get her to quit her bounty hunting job that always gets her into this deep trouble. Their whole relationship is weird. I understand why Morelli is worried about her shenanigans but it's also like he doesn't respect her as a independent person. And Ranger flat out tells her he keeps her around for comic relief. Steph always gets her man so I don't understand why they keep doubting her skills. (Or at least her ability to make valuable friend/relationships with people that can help her. This is book 10, she's still alive, clearly she has SOME skills, right?

I gave Ten Big Ones 4 out of 5 stars. I always enjoy Stephanie Plum book and they are certainly good for a laugh! I think I'm just ready for a break from the series for a little bit. But I still like Steph and will come back to her sooner than later.

Audiobook Review: Will Grayson, Will Grayson

Cover and info from Goodreads.

Title: Will Grayson, Will Grayson

Author: John Green & David Levithan

Reading Level: Older Teens, (Amazon says Grade 9 & Up)

Genre: Young Adult

Source: audible.com

Fav Quote(s): "All sorts of yayness floods my brain. Love is such a drug." by John Green. 

“Need is never a good basis for any relationship. It has to be much more than that.” by David Levithan.

Hubs and I listened to the audiobook of Will Grayson, Will Grayson on our way to YALLFest this past weekend. It was just the perfect length to get us to Charleston and back, so about 7 hours. We were excited to have Will Grayson as our book of choice because we like John Green audiobooks (a post in which I discussed our love for The Fault in Our Stars) and were en route to meet David Levithan at YALLFest. So this seemed like a good choice for us! I really didn't know anything about this book before we began listening.

At first I thought it might be kind of odd listening to a book written by two different authors. The way the book is set up it totally works. Both main characters are named Will Grayson. Authors John Green and David Levithan alternate their Will's from chapter to chapter. So the first chapter is from John's Will and the second is David's Will and so forth and so on. The narrators of the audiobook did a fantatic job. Their voices were different and really helped us understand though the names were the same the Wills were different characters.

The story was wonderful. Both Wills are teenage boys and they end up having a chance meeting at a very unlikely place. Through circumstances their lives become somewhat intertwined. Both Wills grew in the course of the book and it ended with each being a better version of themselves. Will Grayson deals a bit with cyber bullying, homophobia, and mental illness. It's got some tough issues going on. But the issues a dealt with as much humor as possible and it is beautifully done.

Clayton's (aka, hubs) thoughts, "People want to be liked and respected for who they are, not what they are. Overall, Will Grayson deals with a lot topics kids these days are having to deal with. But it's done in a humorous way."

I did think there was a bit of over usage of "adult language" for my taste. I think the story would have been just as good if not better without a lot of it. I understand Will Grayson, Will Grayson is supposed to be from teenage boys' mindsets so I get the cussing, it was just more than I, personally, like to see in a YA novel. Also, if you are sensitive to the topic of homosexuality, be advised there are a handful openly "out" characters in this novel. And this novel stresses the equal treatment of people both straight and gay. Whether you have an opinion on the topic or not, I think we can all agree that bullying anyone for any reason is not acceptable. This did not affect the story in a negative way for me just wanted to mention that in spirit of full disclosure.

I give Will Grayson, Will Grayson 4 out of 5 stars. It's a great story. I was crying at the very end. I think sometimes, we all just want to know we are loved and appreciated. 

Review: To the Nines

Title: To the Nines

Series: Stephanie Plum novels

Author: Janet Evanovich

Reading Level: Adult

Genre: Mystery

Source: My local library

Goodreads book info can be found by clicking here.

 

I am currently on a Stephanie Plum kick. I just finished To the Nines and Notorious Nineteen comes out November 20th, so I only have 9 more to be all caught up. I especially enjoying listening to the audio book versions of Stephanie. I have a longish commute to and from work so I can sneak in a little extra "reading" time.

 

Stephanie books are reliable. You have the same basic cast of characters with a handful of newbies introduced in each book. Most of the newbies won't make it to the next, it's kind of hazardous to one's life span to come in contact with Ms. Plum. Usually people get shot, people get arrested, Stephanie gets stalked and/or her vehicle blows up. I personally like having this one bit of stability in my life, knowing what to expect to some extent with the element of mystery in each book.

 

**Hopefully not, but possibly spoilery**

 

I liked that Steph and the girls, Lula and Connie got to get out of Trenton in To the Nines. The girls got to Vegas to try to track down a subject that skipped out on his visa bond. Nines what scary because everything was based around this psychotic life or death game. The Stephanie and Morelli action is HOT. And Ranger's presence makes for a good tension.

 

These books are not realistic at all but my gosh they are funny! I give To the Nines 4 out of 5 stars. The audio book was very enjoyable. If you haven't picked up this series, I recommend it if you like hilarious yet deadly mysteries! 

Audiobook Review: Hard Eight

Book Info on Goodreads

I really like Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. I've posted about several of her books (like Plum Lovin') and I have several more to go to catch up with the series so be prepared. :) It has been a little while since I have been on Stephanie kick. But I was craving a funny, light story. And life has kind of gotten in the way of actual reading lately so the audiobook is totally the ticket for me right now.

If you aren't familiar with the series, Stephanie Plum is a bounty hunter. Only she's really bad at being a bounty hunter. She has bad luck with cars and break-ins at her apartment. She has a crazy, hilarious grandma. And has the affection of two super hot guys.

***Spoiler to follow: If you have not yet read Hard Eight 

and plan to please stop reading now. 

This is too good to ruin.***

As you have probably gathered at this point I enjoyed Hard Eight. The narrator of the audiobook did an excellent job. She changed her voice for each character and really made the book come to life. And oh. my. gosh. Stephanie and Ranger finally get together. Wow. That's all there is to say about that.

I've noticed many people complain about how the Stephanie books are "always the same." These are mystery books in a series. I'm not sure how much variation people are looking for but I think these books are great when I'm in the mood for them. Yes, there are a lot things that are similar to the books. And there are certain lines you can almost bet on being in each book of the series. But I'd like to suggest that this is why they are so popular. It's kind of like McDonald's. You know the food is going to be exactly the same every time you go. You can count on it. No, it may not be gourmet but sometimes it hits the spot and at those times it's sooo good! (This is in no way a insult, I like Mickey D's and I really like Stephanie Plum!)

This book is an adult-geared read. I give it 4 out of 5 stars. I recommend the whole series so far! I've already started listening to the next Plum novel, To the Nines!

Audiobook Review: Bossypants

I am not one usually for memoirs or biography type books but I am a Tina Fey fan. I wouldn't say I'm a die hard fan but she was on Saturday Night Live when I first started watching it. I had a big crush on Jimmy Fallon so I had to watch Tina too when I'd get my Jimmy fix during Weekend Update. ;-) So, I've seen her book Bossypants around for a while now and I was always somewhat interested but just didn't get around to reading it. When finally I got my audible.com account, I had another free token or whatever they call it and Bossypants was there for the amount I had and the rest is history as they say. It's happy coincident, if you will. 

I really liked that Bossypants is narrated by Ms. Tina Fey, herself. She is a very funny lady and think this just added to the audiobook experience. She tells stories from different parts of her life, it was like hearing stories from a friend. She didn't leave out any awkward moments. From embarrassing encounters with the opposite sex to less than desirable jobs, it's all in there. Also, just so you know, I waited too long to write this review to remember very many details from Bossypants. (Bad reviewer I know!) But in addition to all the funnies, Tina did speak to be a strong, female leader in a traditionally male world (both in tv and comedy). She talked about the struggles she has with being a working mom, including whether or not to have another kid to feeling guilty over not spending enough time with the one she has. 

Bossypants is cool because that even though Tina is a super famous and wildly successful in my eyes, she still has normal, everyday type struggles. In her hilarious, sarcastic way Tina reminds us that celebs are human too. Bossypants kept me giggling. Very enjoyable. I give this audiobook 4 out of 5 stars.

Teaser Tuesday (Oct. 2)

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 am listening to the audio book,

Bossypants by Tina Fey.

So far, it has been very funny and I have enjoyed hearing her thoughts on being a successful woman in a leadership role. And I really like that it is narrated by Tina.

Here's the teaser:

"When I was thirteen I spent a weekend at the beach in Wildwood, New Jersey, with my teenage cousins Janet and Lori. In the space of thirty-six hours, they taught me everything I know about womanhood."

The Scorpio Races: Audiobook & November Cakes

Book Description from Amazon:

Some race to win. Others race to survive.

It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line.
Some riders live.
Others die.
At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.
Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn't given her much of a choice. So she enters the competition - the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.
As she did in her bestselling Shiver trilogy, author Maggie Stiefvater takes us to the breaking point, where both love and life meet their greatest obstacles, and only the strong of heart can survive. The Scorpio Races is an unforgettable reading experience.

My thoughts:

This is one of the best audiobooks I have ever listened to. The English accents threw me off a bit in the beginning but it all worked well together and added to the experience of the story. I became truly emerged in the story. By the last CD, in my car on my way home from work, my heart was beating like crazy right long with the riders in the race. Maybe I loved this book because I have always wanted a horse but never had the opportunity and this was a way to live vicariously. (But then again, aren't all books a way to live vicariously?)

I nearly teared up a couple of times while driving and when I finally got home and listened to the last five minutes or so I was bawling in earnest. (Now, mind you, it really doesn't take much to make me cry. But still, I believe what I was doing could be considered weeping.) Crying not from sadness, except for sadness the book was over, but from powerful, raw emotion of the well crafted story. Maggie Stievater has this way with words that is just...magical. It is smart, witty, emotion and thought provoking. I've read other books she has published (The Wolves of Mercy Falls series: Shiver, Linger, and Forever and her Faerie series Lament and Ballad) and they are all good too. But The Scorpio Races is the best to date, I think. At the end of the audiobook there is an author's notes section where Maggie explains how her idea of water horses evolved and gave further insight into the story. Super cool fact: Maggie wrote and played the music heard on the audio production of Scorpio Races and is an accomplished bagpipe player.

I would certainly recommend this book, audio or otherwise. There is a love story it is stuble and it sneaks up on you and it's all the better for it. Amazon says the age range is 14 and up and that seems to be approprate in my opinion.

For a bit of creativity:

In The Scorpio Races there are several mentions of November Cakes. These are special cakes that they only get around race time. Just from hearing the description, I thought of super awesome cinnamon rolls. I did some looking around and on the author's website she has a recipe for November Cakes so I had to try them. I just need to hang onto Thisby a little while longer!

Here's the link to Maggie's Recipe. 

Pic of my (attempt of) November Cake:

(Note: When I made my version, we accidentally used the wrong recipe. The one Maggie says DO NOT use. Yeah, that's what me and hubs did. Oh well. They still tasted pretty good. Next time we make November Cakes we will use the right recipe!)