New Books!

Lookit! My camera's batteries pooped out so I had to use Amazon linkies, but LOOKIT what I have done got! Remember when I was all "I wished I could get the sequel to Insatiable? It's like HarperCollins read my mind..or my blog and went "hmm maybe Melissa would love us forever if we sent it to her?" Well HC, I do now!

The others look so very much delicious and I wished I could just divide my brain up into fifty different pieces so I can gobble up each one of my books on my TBR stack, but I have to be fair and read the ones I have already! You guys are next though! Mwahahahah....

So yeah I had to be all "lookit" and poke you with sticks to show off my new books! :)

It’s All About Independence Read-A-Thon

You guys all know by now that I am a read-a-thon ADDICT, right? Heck, I'm even trying to organize my own! So when I heard about this one I decided to hop right on it! :)

The event will start on the 1st July (Friday) and go through till the 4th July (Monday). So it's a whole 96 hours..not that you have to read the whole time though so don't worry!

I will post more about it and my stack for the 'thon around friday or so! If you wanna sign up too, just click on the button! Hope to see you reading along with me! :)

What are you Reading? 6/27

To Read:
(going to go lazy with the thin books this week!)

• Overbite-Meg Cabot (came in the mail yesterday!)
• The Girl in the Green Raincoat-Laura Lippman
• Pride and Prejudice-Jane Austen-(finish up)
  

Reviewed Last Week:

• Insatiable
• The Bedtime Book for Dogs
• The Dark and Hollow Places
• Blood Red Road

Challenges and Events:

• To The Lighthouse-(read-a-long hosted HERE) *i'm starting early*

Just a teeny tiny request...If you can check out my post about the read-a-thon I am trying to put together and offer up any suggestions or tips, (Or even sign up!) that would be wonderful! Thanks muchly! :) Post can be found HERE

The Sunday Salon for 6/26

Life: Well I have stumbled upon a newly formed schedule for my week..and *gasp* it's working! I've managed to keep my house clean, keep my work organized, and even keep my blog up to date! I'm not stopping this success-train for nuffin'! So yeah, this is a weird new thing for me and I'm embracing it FULLY! I feel so accomplished!

Saturday Night: Well last night me and the hubs popped open some Guinness and watched The Guild on Netflix...WHILST he was playing RIFT (online MMO)...how's that for life imitating art, huh? I stayed up WAAAY too late and feel like poo this morning.

Reading Today: Today I'm still reading Pride and Prejudice! I'm almost there people! I'm almost there!

and a cute picture that makes me smile ...

Mr. T reading The Lorax! Happy Sunday!

Read-a-long! To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

Wallace over at Unputdownables is hosting another read-a-long that has caught my attention! I have this book on my Nook and will start this upcoming week! I think I can manage to get 8 pages of reading in a day! LOL So I doubt I'll have any problems keeping up!

The schedule looks like this:

Schedule:

Beginning Friday, July 1st and ending Friday, July 29th

READING SCHEDULE:

Week #/ dates :: Pages to Read

Week One/ July 1-7 :: pages 1- 53
Week Two/ July 8-14 :: pages 54- 107
Week Three/ July 15-21 :: pages 108- 161
Week Four/ July 22-29 :: pages 162- 209

This means that you should be reading (roughly) 7- 8 pages per day. The last week gives you a little bit of wiggle room (because of less pages to read) in case you have some catching up to do.

POSTING SCHEDULE:

Post #/ date post should be up on blog:

Week One Review/ July 8
Week Two Review/ July 15
Week Three Review/ July 22
Final Review/ July 29

Shouldn't be too bad, right? Anyhoodle, you have some time left to join in so go ahead and sign up! :)

Saturday Stuffs

In just an hour, I will be off work and have the rest of the day free to do with as I please! I have obviously chosen to spend my day reading my pants off! So here are my goals for today.

Reading:

• Deadline-I'm on page 307/420 (finished)
• Pride and Prejudice-169/324 (get as close to finished as possible)
• Get started on Centuries of June by Keith Donohue

So do you have any particular plans for today? Reading-wise or other?

Review: Insatiable by Meg Cabot

About the Book: (from goodreads.com)
Sick of hearing about vampires? So is Meena Harper.

But her bosses are making her write about them anyway, even though Meena doesn't believe in them.

Not that Meena isn't familiar with the supernatural. See, Meena Harper knows how you're going to die. (Not that you're going to believe her. No one ever does.)

But not even Meena's precognition can prepare her for what happens when she meets...then makes the mistake of falling in love with...Lucien Antonescu, a modern-day prince with a bit of a dark side. It's a dark side a lot of people, like an ancient society of vampire hunters, would prefer to see him dead for.

The problem is, Lucien's already dead. Maybe that's why he's the first guy Meena's ever met whom she could see herself having a future with. See, while Meena's always been able to see everyone else's future, she's never been able look into her own.

And while Lucien seems like everything Meena has ever dreamed of in a boyfriend, he might turn out to be more like a nightmare.

Now might be a good time for Meena to start learning to predict her own future...

If she even has one...


My Review:

It took me a little bit to get into this one. I admit I fought the urge to put the book down and move on, but I am VERY glad that I didn't! The first 100 pages of the book are not the best...It wasn't until a wee bit past that mark that it really got going! The only really irksome bit that I can point out is Meena's name. I was waiting for it all to tie back in with the Dracula myth. Which killed the AHA! kind of moment when it finally did tie in. It was not in the way that I expected it to so it sort of canceled it out. I've not read a Meg Cabot book before this one, so I am not sure yet if I am a fan. I did enjoy Insatiable and do think that it was entertaining enough. I will most likely pick up a copy of the next book in the series when it comes out. I think that as long as it picks up where Insatiable left off I will enjoy it a lot more than this one; as there will not be the dreaded info dump that the first part of a series usually gets bogged down with. All in all I enjoyed the book and do recommend it. Vampires aren't quite dead yet and this book pumped a wee bit more un-life into the genre!

Review: Blood Red Road

About the Book:

Saba has spent her whole life in Silverlake, a dried-up wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms. The Wrecker civilization has long been destroyed, leaving only landfills for Saba and her family to scavenge from. That's fine by her, as long as her beloved twin brother Lugh is around. But when a monster sandstorm arrives, along with four cloaked horsemen, Saba's world is shattered. Lugh is captured, and Saba embarks on an epic quest to get him back.

Suddenly thrown into the lawless, ugly reality of the world outside of desolate Silverlake, Saba is lost without Lugh to guide her. So perhaps the most surprising thing of all is what Saba learns about herself: she's a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent. And she has the power to take down a corrupt society from the inside. Teamed up with a handsome daredevil named Jack and a gang of girl revolutionaries called the Free Hawks, Saba stages a showdown that will change the course of her own civilization.

My Review:

I first thought I wouldn't be able to get into this book. The way it's written is based on how she talks. When I opened it up and saw sentences like .." We ain't had a drop of rain fer near six months now," (taken from page 7 of my ARC) I was hoping it was a one time deal. Nope, this is how the book is written. Saba is illiterate and seemingly uneducated, so the way this book is written makes sense. Once you get into the story, which shouldn't take too long, you forget the irksome writing.

I felt as if Saba was in front of me telling me her story. This is an awesome story. There are all kinds of neat little elements that definitely make you wanna keep reading. I devoured this in two days. It's got a bit of everything in it that makes me a happy person. There's the dystopian elements, the struggle for survival, and a little bit of a love story all meshed into one! It works too!

It's a great book and a very promising start to a series! Definitely check it out :)

Just Wondering....

Would anyone be interested in a read-a-thon held on the weekend of July 22nd through July 24th? I also want to know if any other read-a-thons or similar events are being held on this weekend?

If you are interested please leave a comment so I can start cooking up and formulating some really awesome sauce challenges and prizes! (Cuz it's not fun unless books are won, amiright?)


**also please be kind...my button/banner making skills are not profesh at all****

Review: The Dark and Hollow Places

My Review:

Madam Ryan I bow to you and your mighty brain, yet again! This book..nay..this SERIES blows my mind. I love it! There's loads of drama and loads of angst and LOADS of zombies! Zombies give any book a +1 normally, but when you combine and wicked awesome story it turns into a +elebintymillionjillion! So yeah that's what Carrie Ryan has done with this one.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth was amazing. The Dead Tossed Waves was amazing. The Dark and Hollow Places is amazingsauce. So what else can I say? I gobbled it up and loved every morsel. The stories all threaded together perfectly and darn near seamlessly.

So will I recommend it?Yes. Did I love it H-E-doublehockeysticks YES! :) Review complete. It was great!

*Sigh* Jane In June

The Book Rat has been hosting the Jane in June event and I have *sorta* been participating. I'm reading Pride and Prejudice and LOVING it, but I haven't been keeping up with the schedule. I do intend on having it finished up by the end of the month so I can count it towards my June books.

I may have failed the read-a-long, but I count myself a new fan of Madam Austen. If it wasn't for the Book Rat and the read-a-long I would probably have not read this book. :) So it's not such a failure right? ...right?

Quick Review: The Bedtime Book For Dogs

About the Book:

Come. Sit. Stay. I want to tell you a story. I think you'll like it. It's about a TREAT and a good dog, a very good dog who wanted to go play. But his friend was busy....



THE BEDTIME BOOK FOR DOGS is a charming story about a dog who decides that he'd rather walk to the park by himself than wait for his human companion-and discovers that all of his usual activities aren't as much fun without a good friend to share them with. This is an adorably packaged book with illustrations by Paul Heath that makes a perfect gift for dog lovers of all ages, with words dogs will understand and kids will want to read again and again.



My *superquick* Review:

Okay, I don't have a doggie, but I do have a child that loves dogs. This book not only entertained him..but I even caught my cat listening (the traitor!) I do think this is a cute little picture book and definitely something of an original idea! I figure it'd be perfect for the dog in your life (or the child..or traitorous cat!)

What are you Reading? 6/20

Reading This Week:

• Pride and Prejudice-Jane Austen (for read-a-long)
  
• Deadline-Mira Grant (nook book)
  
• The Girl In the Green Raincoat-Laura Lippman
• Don't Breathe a Word-Jennifer McMahon (ARC)

Books Needing To Be Reviewed:

• Insatiable-Meg Cabot
• The Bedtime Book For Dogs
  
• Blood Red Road-Moira Young

What are you reading this week? Leave me your links so I can check it out too :)

Spring Into Summer Read-a-Thon Day 2

Click the image to learn more!

Hello ladies and gents! It's Saturday so that means it's day 2 of the read-a-thon! I'm going to aim for at least TWO books finished by the end of the day! I do have to work again but I don't have quite as much time on the clock as yesterday! Also I will try not to be as distracted as I was before and will try my best to avoid napping randomly lol.

****

8:30am-11:00am (work these two hours)
Book: Deadline (nook)
Starting Page: 54
Ending Page: 72
Notes: It was definitely slower this time at work. I was able to read a bit more. I have a free hour then three more of work then I'm done for the day! From 3pm-I go to bed I'm going to be nose in book! :)

***
Mini-Challenge (update #6)

Put two characters from different series together (romantically or otherwise) and describe why they would be good together.

My Response:
Main Character (unnamed in the series) from Day By Day Armageddon and Max from World War Z could team up to kick Zombie butt! I would totally read that book or see that movie!


******

11:00am-Noon
Book: Deadline (nook)
Starting Page: 72
Ending Page: 92
Notes: Now I have to work from 12-3pm. I'll have my nook so if it's slow I'll read but I don't know how much I'll get in.
brunch! Muffin bread..*totally lost my muffin tin so I had to improvise!* and my nook :) (pardon my fat toes please*

***
12:00pm-3:00pm (working so probably not a lot of reading)
Book: Deadline (nook)
Starting Page: 92
Ending Page: 129
Notes: I had a lot of free time at work so I read more than I expected! Yay!

***
So Far...
Pages Read: 75
Books Read: 0

**
Mini-Challenge (update #8)
If you had bookshelves FULL of all of your favorite books, how would you organize them?
Well at the moment I don't have any system, but I do want to get it organized. I'll have my "regular" books organized by genre and alphabetical. My ARC's will have their own shelf and they would be organized by release DATE. I think that would make my life so much easier!
******


Mini-Challenge-Anagram (update #9)

Hi my name is apparently IS WELL-MADE CALLS
**********
4:00pm-5:00pm
Book: Blood Red Road
Starting Page: 294
Ending Page: 333
Notes: Why is it when you get all hunkered down to read...have the actual time to get all cozy and read..Why is it that THAT is when people decide to call you? My Dad picked the moment I opened my book to call. Oh well I've got the rest of the afternoon :)

***
Mini-Challenge (update #10)
Tell me, what is the funniest/most inspiring thing you have read so far in the read-a-thon?
It's not really funny but it is rather inspiring the lengths that Saba will go to to rescue her twin brother, in Blood Red Road. She'll do almost anything to get him him INCLUDING fight in an arena!

*****
5:00pm-7:00pm
Book: Blood Red Road
Starting Page: 333
Ending Page: 361
Notes: Just two more hours left til the end! It's near! :S


7:00pm-9:00pm
Book: Blood Red Road (almost finished!)
Starting Page: 361
Ending page:498
Book: Pride and Prejudice
Starting Page: 143
Ending Page: 151
Notes: I finished Blood Red Road


Ending Summary:
Pages Read Total: 454
Books Finished: 1

Spring Into Summer Read-a-Thon Day One Report

Click the image to learn more!

• Total Books Read: 0
  
• Total Pages Read: 363
  
• Books Read Since Last Update:0
• Total time read:about 8 out of the 14 hours I participated were totally devoted to reading (i apparently am a really really slow reader!) I also had to work during this time AND I had a 7 year old running around needing attention and you know..food.
  
• What I'm currently reading: Blood Red Road and Deadline
  
• How I'm currently feeling: Tired but I'm filling this out before my coffee so once I get some of that into my system I should be a-okay!
  

1. What is the favorite thing you have read today? It's been a toss up between Blood Red Road and Deadline
   
2. Which mini-challenge was your favorite? I really enjoyed making the sentence out of book titles! That was a challenge! :)
   
3. What has been your favorite thing about the read-a-thon? Just the reading, the challenges have been fun, and definitely the social aspect of it!
   
4. What has been your LEAST favorite thing about the read-a-thon? Not being able to take off work to devote to reading! I've been slowed down a lot because of work :(
5. Are you on track to meet your goals? I'm not sure. I didn't really set any specific goals. Just wanted to read as much as I could!
   
6. Will you be participating tomorrow? Do you have any new goals? Yup! I will! I have less work time and more reading time so definitely going to read! I'm going to try and finish at least 2 books by the end of the read-a-thon!
   

Spring Into Summer Read-a-Thon Starting Post

It's 9am (CST) and I'm ready! Got my coffee and my books!

So here goes:
9:00AM-11:00 AM
Starting Book: Pride and Prejudice
Starting Page: 110
Ending Page:113
Notes: Was reading while at work which was busy so obviously I didn't get much done. Now I'm off til about 3pm so I can read as much as I want :)

11:00am-1:oopm
Book: Pride and Prejudice
Starting Page: 113
Ending Page:127
Notes: I took a nap. One minute I was reading (see picture below) and then the next I knew it I was laying down. *sigh* Here's to hoping to a more productive afternoon!



Wordle Mini-Challenge:




1:00am-3:oopm
Book: Pride and Prejudice
Starting Page: 127
Ending Page: 143
Notes: Nope, didn't happen this hour. No whoosh of reading progress...but oh well. I've got an hour of work then four more of reading :) I'm going to switch to a different book.

*****
Story Mini-Challenge :

Write a story 100 words or less that contains ALL of the following words:

Shaman
Lime
Laser
Goat


A few years ago I went on a trip to Scotland and met a Shaman named Jim-Bob. Jim-Bob was my unofficial tour guide on the trip. He was cool, but Bob had a major problem.
He had a giant goat that followed him everywhere he went! This was no ordinary goat, mind you. This goat had a laser beam that would shoot out a lime flavored salt! This was horrible for his Shamanic tour guide business, but perfect for making margaritas! So instead of the tour, Jim-Bob invited me to his bar and we partied all night! Scotland (and Jim-Bob's laser goat) ROCKED!

****
Progress So Far:

• Total Books Read=0
• Total Pages Read=33

3pm-4pm-Working

*********

Picture Mini-Challenge:
Here is my response: Guess the Book

plus= ???
?
?
give up? Got it?
***the ice princess****

******
4:00pm-8:00pm
Book: Blood Red Road
Starting Page:1
Ending Page: 131
Notes: Had a better time with the reading this block! I have two more hours of work from 8pm-10pm but I will switch to my Nook so I can read while I work.

*****
Book Title Mini-Challenge


Bossypants Come and Find Me Before I Go To Sleep

******
8:00pm-10:00pm
Book: Deadline (Nook book)
Starting Page:51
Ending Page: 54
Notes: Work. Herp derp...couldn't get any reading in :(

******
Total Books: 0
Total Pages: 167
******

10:00pm-12:00am
Book: Blood Red Road
Starting Page: 131
Ending Page:294
Notes: I went to bed at about 12:45am cst after reading a LOT of BRR. It's a great book!

Spring Into Summer Read-a-Thon Starts Tomorrow!

Click the image to learn more!

Hey all you peoples! Get ready to read because it starts tomorrow! At 9am CST and I'm ready like Freddy (not sure who Freddy is but yeah I'm just like him!) I will have my coffee and my books a ready ;)

Sooooo what am I reading? Well here is a loverly picture of the stack that I shall be picking from!
(sorry it's so dark!)

From top to bottom: Pride and Prejudice, Pale Demon, The Ice Princess, The Girl in the Green Raincoat, Blood Red Road, Don't Breathe A Word, Before I Go To Sleep, The Map Of Time.

Also (not pictured)
I have two books on my Nook that I will be reading.
They are: Deadline by Mira Grant and Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb

These aren't in any order and I reserve the right to pick other books from my TBR stack which is MASSIVE!

So look for my starting line post! I will be doing updates (probably every two hours or so) and checking in on other blogs as well! I have to work but I will probably squeeze in some time during! Shhh..don't tell! ;)

Anyways, click the button to join in the fun!

What are you Reading? 6/13

To Read:
Royal Assassin-Robin Hobb (nook)
Deadline-Mira Grant (nook)

Reviews Coming Up:
The Dark and Hollow Places-Carrie Ryan
Insatiable-Meg Cabot

Read-a-Longs:
Pride and Prejudice-Jane Austen (Jane in June)

Upcoming Events:

Click the image to learn more!

Blog Tour: Johnny One-Eye Jerome Charyn

Jerome Charyn's Bio:
Jerome Charyn (born May 13, 1937) is an award-winning American author. With nearly 50 published works, Charyn has earned a long-standing reputation as an inventive and prolific chronicler of real and imagined American life. Michael Chabon calls him “one of the most important writers in American literature.”

New York Newsday hailed Charyn as “a contemporary American Balzac,” and the Los Angeles Times described him as “absolutely unique among American writers.”

Since the 1964 release of Charyn’s first novel, Once Upon a Droshky, he has published 30 novels, three memoirs, eight graphic novels, two books about film, short stories, plays and works of non-fiction. Two of his memoirs were named New York Times Book of the Year. Charyn has been a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. He received the Rosenthal Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and has been named Commander of Arts and Letters by the French Minister of Culture.

Charyn was Distinguished Professor of Film Studies at the American University of Paris until he left teaching in 2009.

In addition to his writing and teaching, Charyn is a tournament table tennis player, once ranked in the top 10 percent of players in France. Noted novelist Don DeLillo called Charyn’s book on table tennis, Sizzling Chops & Devilish Spins, "The Sun Also Rises of ping-pong."

Charyn lives in Paris and New York City.



My Review:

This was a creative if somewhat slow (for me) tale. Johnny is a nicely created character and he does get himself into some interesting, if not cringe-worthy predicaments. I may not have been the target audience for this book. I will admit that it was a struggle to finish it. It wasn't because Mr. Charyn's material was bad, it just wasn't my cup of tea. I can see anyone that has a taste for historical fiction gobbling this up, so if that is your forte then I definitely recommend it!


Blog Tour web site:
http://johnnyoneeye.blogspot.com/

Jerome Charyn's web site:
http://www.jeromecharyn.com/

Jerome Charyn's Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/jerome.charyn

Jerome Charyn's Twitter:
http://twitter.com/jeromecharyn

Johnny One-Eye Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/JohnnyOneEyeBook

W.W. Norton & Company web site:
http://books.wwnorton.com/books/detail.aspx?ID=11950

Hardcover
Price: $24.95
ISBN: 9780393064971
Pages: 448
Release: February 2008

Buy links:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble

Paperback
Price: $14.95
ISBN: 9780393333954
Pages: 448
Release: February 2009

Buy links:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble

eBook buy links:
Kindle
Nook
Google
iPad

Review: The Two Deaths of Daniel Hayes

Description:
A man wakes up naked and cold, half-drowned on an abandoned beach. The only sign of life for miles is an empty BMW. Inside the expensive car he finds clothes that fit perfectly, shoes for his tattered feet, a Rolex, and a bank envelope stuffed with cash and an auto registration in the name of Daniel Hayes, resident of Malibu, California.

None of it is familiar.

What is he doing here? How did he get into the ocean? Is he Daniel Hayes, and if so, why doesn't he remember? While he searches for answers, the world searches for him-beginning with the police that kick in the door of his dingy motel, with guns drawn. Lost, alone, and on the run, the man who might be Daniel Hayes flees into the night.

All he remembers is a woman's face, so he sets off for the only place he might find her. The fantasy of her becomes his home, his world, his hope. And maybe, just maybe, the way back to himself.

But that raises the most chilling question of all: What will he find when he gets there?


My Review:

Sounds tasty right? Okay let's just say that from the start of this book I wanted to know just what the H. E. doublehockeysticks...was going on! Good start, right? Yeah! From the get-go my brain was all aflutter trying to piece together all the puzzle pieces so I could be like Scooby Doo and solve the mystery!

Poor Daniel doesn't know what's going on either! It's like we are solving this problem together with him...or are we? :S Crazysauce keeps getting poured all over the story, which muchly mucks up whatever formulating that you've done since the start! Then more questions get dropped in your lap, for which more thinking must be done! I loved that! I kinda knew I was in love with this book from the start..yeah I said it. I loved it. I loved it quite hard actually! Read it!

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Adult (June 9, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 052595211X

Jane In June Read Along-Playing Catch Up

Round One: First Impressions + Chapters 1-17

1. Tell us a little about your experiences with Jane: First time evah, reading Jane Austin. I have meant to pick up this book and every time I put it down. I am totally kicking myself silly for that!
   
2. Share your first impressions of the book so far. So far I am loving the heck out of this book! I mean really what more could a body want? It's got great characters, great writing, and some seriously sarcastic menfolk. I love it. Oh yeah and WUV twooo WUV! <3
3. Jane Austen is known for her memorable characters. What do you think so far of the characterization? Do any stand out to you? So far the three big standouts for me are Mr. Darcy, Mr. Bennet, and of course, Elizabeth. I think it's because I can relate to them the most. Plus, how can you not like a dad like Mr. B?
   
4. What do you make of the principle characters so far? See above. I think that out of the girls so far Lizzie stands out the most. Mr. D is a close second cuz HULLO? they are so meant for each other! :0
   
5. Discuss the eligible men of P&P: Impressions of Mr Bingley, Mr Darcy, Mr Wickham and Mr Collins. So far..I like them all except for Mr. Collins. He has irked me far and away the most! Do not get me started on this guy! No way no how do you wanna go down that alley!
   
6. Discuss the Bennet girls stay at Netherfield: What do you make of Mrs Bennet sending Jane to Netherfield in bad weather? First off, what Mother in her right mind would send her child out hoping it would rain so she could be forced to mooch off another family or get sick..oh yeah Mrs. B! That's who! What did I think? Well I try to keep it strictly PG on this blog, but I thought she was horrible! Actually no..she IS horrible. She comes a close second with me (on horrible characters of this book) right under Mr. Collins!
   
7. Discuss Wickham's revelation of Darcy's character: I kind of had the impression that he was relating this information based solely on jealousy. I can't place my finger on it but it seems like something isn't really all that right about this.
   
8. Dicuss the humor in the book so far: As I've mentioned so far, I've been impressed at how sarcastic Jane Austen's characters can be. I mean I've LOL'd many times at some of the dry remarks that Mr. B has uttered to his wife..the strength of that man to have endured his wife..

Round 2 Questions and Discussion Starters: Chapters 18-29

1. This section includes one of the most famous scenes of the book: Lizzie's unexpected dance with Darcy at the Netherfield ball. Geez, Louise! The squeeing that went on while I read this part! I honestly wanted to reach into the book and sock both of them in the ears for being so dumb. They were so tense and awkweird..
   
2. And while you're at it, discuss the Netherfield ball in general. Basically this part made me want to facepalm the whole time. I was just mortified for everyone involved. The awkwardness, the annoying things that were said..it seemed like one of MY parties..
   
3. Discuss your thoughts on the book to this point, and where you think it's going: Well this is a first time read through for me so the best part is not knowing where it's going. I have not seen any of the movies, nor have I read any plot summaries (how I got to the age I am without knowing the basic storyline is beyond me!) So to avoid looking like an idiot I'll just avoid trying to predict the book's outcome!
   

And this is where I am at the moment. It's not quite up to where everyone else is but so far I am loving this book and I will continue to plow through until I can no longer see straight :)

Trent Reviews Say Hello to Zorro

So a few weeks ago I won a copy of this wonderful storybook! I don't usually review children's books, but since my son is starting to become a very avid reader (WOOT!) I decided to let him take a swing at reviewing a book! So here we have it..Must Read Faster's first ever vlog starring my son Trent! :) (please remember he's 7 years old so he's a budding reviewer)





Book Description:
Mister Bud is a dog of routine. He has wake up time, nap time, rest time, dinner time, etc. And everyone knows to follow his schedule.

Then disaster strikes. A stranger comes home at "make a fuss time" and throws everything off! Zorro is little bit bossy and Mister Bud wants nothing to do with him. But when the dogs discover they like the same things (like chasing the cat and napping), everything becomes more fun. As long as everyone follows the schedule.

Review: Graveminder by Melissa Marr

About the Book: (goodreads)
Rebekkah Barrow never forgot the tender attention her grandmother, Maylene, bestowed upon the dead of Claysville, the town where Bek spent her adolescence. There wasn't a funeral that Maylene didn't attend, and at each Rebekkah watched as Maylene performed the same unusual ritual: three sips from a small silver flask followed by the words "Sleep well, and stay where I put you."

Now Maylene is dead and Bek must go back to the place--and the man--she left a decade ago. But what she soon discovers is that Maylene was murdered and that there was good reason for her odd traditions. It turns out that in placid Claysville, the worlds of the living and the dead are dangerously connected. Beneath the town lies a shadowy, lawless land ruled by the enigmatic Charles, aka Mr. D--a place from which the dead will return if their graves are not properly minded. Only the Graveminder, a Barrow woman, and the current Undertaker, Byron, can set things to right once the dead begin to walk

My Review:

Melissa Marr is a writer that is really new to me. I didn't know what to expect other that the description sounded sufficiently creepy to have made me a happy girl. I HAVE heard that she is a rock 'em sock 'em writer, and based off what I have read in this book..she totally deserves it!

I enjoyed the creepy ghost/zombie with a twist story. I can definitely recommend this to anyone that enjoys a good horror story. The plot captures you from the beginning and definitely continues all the way through to the end. It's a very well written book and certainly makes me curious about her other books! So to all of those that have been waiting to hear what this was like...it is soooo good! Read it! :)

I do think this would make a very delicious series! That's one of the only things that I didn't like..that it ended! So yes I would say read this book! You will love it so hard it melts your face, but in a good way! ;)

Review: Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb

About the Book:
The bastard sons of kings play a noble role in fantasy: not only were King Arthur and Modred by-blows, but it is often suggested that Merlin himself came to power from the "wrong side of the bed." While Hobb's offering has a few too many illegitimate heirs backstabbing around, this is still a delightful take on the powers and politics behind the throne. Fitz, who is often called the "Boy" or the "Bastard," was begotten by good Prince Chivalry upon some "peasant" woman. At age six, he is given over to the safekeeping of the prince's man, Burrich. Fitz's impolitic existence causes the prince to abdicate his claim to the throne, and he and his wife leave the court, and the boy, behind. Fitz has inherited the "Skill," a mind-bending talent, and also has the ability to meld his thoughts with those of nonhuman creatures and to mentally "repel" physical advances. When Fitz finally comes to King Shrewd's attention, he is given over to the Royal Assassin's tutelage and trained to carry out the king's devious plans. The novel's conceit-that it offers Fitz's memoirs from childhood through adolescence-allows for several sequels.


My Review:

Wow! Robin Hobb where have you been all my life? Seriously! I loved this book almost from the start! Fitz is such an interesting character and he's someone that you wanna help and become friends with! I even loved the tiny characters! They are written so well you kind of forget they are minor characters!

The story is awesome! There's back history but it's not heavy handed. You learn about the world as you go and it's very intriguing. The plot is majorly intricate but not at all contrived feeling. It's just so smoothly written and developed that it feels like you are there. Everything happens for a reason and that's what I loved about this book!

I have the next book in the series and I will be reading and reviewing it here soon! I can't wait to find out what happens to Fitz next! He's one of my new favorite characters EVER! :)

• Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Spectra (March 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 055357339X

What are you Reading? 6/6

Reading This Week:
Insatiable-Meg Cabot (finishing)
Johnny One-Eye-Jerome Charyn (blog tour on June 10th)
Pride and Prejudice-Jane Austin-read-a-long (catch up)

Upcoming Posts:
Tuesday: Review Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb
Wednesday: Graveminder by Melissa Marr
Wednesday: Pride and Prejudice Discussion Posts and update
Thursday: The Two Deaths of Daniel Hayes (blog tour)
Friday: Johnny One-Eye (blog tour)

Continuous Reads:

John Adams-David McCullough

Spring Into Summer Read-a-Thon

This post is to announce to the world that I'm participating in the Spring into Summer read-a-thon hosted by Enna Isilee of Squeaky Books!

This read-a-thon is going to be so great! It's two days where you try do NOTHING but read. It's a great chance to get rid of some of those books that have been sitting on your TBR pile forever.

But that's not all! There will also be awesome mini-challenges and a TON of giveaways! In fact, just for signing up you are entered to win a $25 gift card to Amazon! SO GO SIGN UP! And if you say that Melissa (@lexley) sent you, you'll get 5 extra entries to win that gift card! CLICK HERE to enter to win, and know all there is to know about the read-a-thon.

Here's my goal:

I plan to participate on: Both Days
I plan to read: 3 books (or more)
I hope to read:

1. Don't Breathe a Word
2. Devil's Kiss
3. I'd Know you Anywhere

These are set in stone btw!

Well, have you signed up yet? DO IT NOW!

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP

48 Hour Book Challenge-Finished up!

I'm not going to be able to read in chunks today. I'll try and keep up with the time but I have work :( I'll try and keep up with my progress though. Somehow. lol

First Block:
Pride and Prejudice (nook book)
Page: 67
Page ended: 96
Approx time read (I will be at work sneaking in reading): 1 hour (was at work, plus a work out plus kiddo needing constant Lookit me! attention)

The end! Yup I am done!

Time Total: 10 hours and 30 minutes
Pages Read: 398
Books Finished Completely: 1 (Graveminder)

48 Hour Book Challenge-Day 2

I feel very good about yesterday! :) I finished a book and started on another one! Gonna try and keep that trend going!

1st Chunk:
Book: Insatiable by Meg Cabot
Time Started: 8:30am CST
Time Ended: 10: 30 am
Page Started: 47
Page Ended:107

Taking a break from Insatiable ...


2nd Chunk:
Book: Johnny One -Eye by Jerome Charyn
Time Started:12 (noon)
Time Ended: 1pm
Page started:1
Page Ended:52

Nap-1pm-2pm

Back to Insatiable

3rd Chunk:
Book: Insatiable
Time Started: 2pm
Time Ended: 3PM
Page started:107
Page Ended: 146

Note: My family went out of the house and I didn't get much reading done after that. I kinda fell asleep really early too. :( Maybe tomorrow?

Total Time: 4 hours
Total Pages: 151

48 Hour Book Challenge-Plans and Starting Line!

Yay! Here it is! Wowza's you guys I'm excited as per usual! I've got my stack and my notebook ready to go ;) Oh and I have today and Saturday off work! How sweet is that? Nothing to do but read!

My Book List (no particular order)

• The Girl in the Green Raincoat
• Graveminder
• Insatiable-Meg Cabot
• (start on) Johnny One-Eye
• (catch up on) Pride and Prejudice (nook book)
• (two chapters) John Adams
  
• Deadline-Mira Grant (nook book)

So there you have my list!

So I am going to start at 9 CST and read til my brain explodes..take a nap..then eat something then start all over again :) Sounds like a good plan to me!

Starting Line:

1st Chunk of Time
Time Started: 9am CST
Time Finished: 11am CST
Book 1: Graveminder by Melissa Marr
Start page: 16
End Page: 104


2nd Chunk of Time:
Time Started: 11:30 am CST
Time Finished: 2:00pm CST
Book: Graveminder by Melissa Marr
Start page: 104
End page:241

Nap with Kiddo-2:00-3:00PM

3rd Chunk of Time:
Time Started: 3:00pm
Tme Finished: 4:30pm
Book: Graveminder (Completed)
Start Page: 241
End Page: 324
2nd Book: Insatiable-Meg Cabot
Start Page: 1
End Page: 13

4th Chunk of Time:
Time started: 6:30 pm
Ended: 8:30pm
Note: Slow reading...my husband came home and we all went out to eat for dinner...kinda unexpected.
Start Page: 13
End Page: 47

End of Night One

Total Pages: 218 pages
Total Time: 5 hours and 30 mins (approx)
Books: 1 finished