30 Day Book Challenge - Day 1

I just discovered something called the 30 day book challenge, which involves talking about books I have read. That is something I absolutely love to do, so I am going to take a stab at it! The full challenge can be found here.

1. Best book you read last year.

I had to go back and look through my goodreads history, because I have a horrible memory. Anyways, it is a tie between Code Name Verity and Graceling. Both are very amazing books about strong heroines. Code Name Verity is a historical fiction book about women aviators in WWII and Graceling is a fantasy series about a young women whose “grace” or special skill is killing. They were the first books I had read from each author, and they are definetly on my watch list now.

Dystopian Persuasion

For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund

A retelling of Jane Austen's Persuasion set generations after scientific meddling nearly ended the world. 

I found this book had a slow start; the author does well by not simply laying out the setting and rules of her post-apocalyptic society but it does make for a confusing start.  The cause of the world destruction and the resulting rules were fairly complex which while very interesting, took a while to fully flesh out.  I admire that the author has confidence in her reader intelligence.  It is worth it to keep on reading.

Considering it was based on a novel I had already read (and, well because it is a YA novel) I knew how it was going to end, but I still enjoyed the journey.

Recommended for: fans of Jane Austen's Persuasion, and for those looking for another dystopian novel once they have devoured the like of Hunger Games and Divergent.

Sequel: 
Across a Star-Swept Sea

Dancing and Bad Decisions

Ten Cents a Dance by Christine Fletcher

Ruby is a poor girl, living in a poor neighbourhood of Chicago.  She works at a meat packing factory to support her arthritic mother and younger sister.  When a opportunity to do what she loves (dancing) and make more than twice her factory wage (a whole $50) comes up, she takes it.  Little does she know that even though dancing may seem innocent, it will lead her down a path of heartache and danger.

I have had this book on my mental "To-Read" list for quite some time. Sometime when that happens, if I leave a book unread for to long, by the time I get to it I am not longer interested. This was definitely not the case.

This was also one of those books where the main character keeps making bad decisions, and I am writhing in the couch in agony because it is painful to watch her do these things.  A couple time I needed to snap the book closed, put it down, and walk it off.  While possibly bad for my blood-pressure, that is a sign of a good book in my opinion.

This was more along the lines of what I had hoped Vixen would be.  It's a different era, I know, and not a flapper in sight but it is full of glamour, and scandal, gangster wanna-be's, and danger.  It felt much more real, and the stakes were, if not higher, more present. If you were a fan of Vixen, but felt it fell short, perhaps this one is for you.

Read-a-likes: Strings Attached by Judy Blundell

Published 2008, Bloomsbury

Audiobook Review: Cleopatra's Moon

I received this audio book last summer through Sync's annual audio book give away (which is happening right now, right HERE with a new batch of books).  Two free audio books every week all through the summer. It is a pretty sweet deal.

 Cleopatra's Moon by Vicky Alvear Shecter, read by Kirsten Potter

As a younger me I was obsessed with everything Ancient Egypt, and had decided to be an Egyptologist until I learned that would being in school for pretty much the rest of my life.  So I moved on, and my love of Ancient Egypt faded, to resurface every so often when I would come across something awesomely Egyptian.  Like this audio book!

The plot: It follows the life of Cleopatra's daughter, Cleopatra Selene through the death of her parents, and her being taken into the custody of the Roman man who ruined her life and took her land from her: Octavius, famously known as Caesar Augustus.

I hadn't known about Cleopatra's children before.  I'd heard this story (the romance Cleopatra and Marc Antony, their suicides, and the conquest of Egypt by Rome) through history lessons and Shakespeare, but her children never came up. So this book tells this famous story through the eyes of the daughter who watches it all happen.  It is a really unique historical perspective.

The narrator has a really mature and beautiful voice. She gives the voice of this young girl the dignity and power befitting a daughter of Cleopatra. It kind of makes you forget how old this girl as is she is facing these horrible disasters, but I found it fitting.  She manages to give the voices of Cleopatra's younger brother an adorable youthful quality, and the voice of Octavius an angry, sinister one without creating caricatures.

Sadly I was unable to finish this audio book because the last track didn't download properly and won't play.  I may have to finish this story by reading it in print.  Of course it quit on a cliffhanger!

Edit:  I picked up the print version from the library and finished the last two chapters.  Nothing much to add, other than I enjoyed the historical facts at the end that explained what really happened, what there is evidance for, and what the author made up to benifit the story. I love it when historical fiction includes those.  Hurray for learning!

A Trip Down Vintage Lane

The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt by Caroline Preston

 
I adored this book. From the very first whimsical page to the last.  The premise of the book is that Frankie Pratt, a girl growing up in the 1920's, is given a scrapbook which she then fills with memorabilia from her life as she goes to college, New York, then Paris. Meeting friends, enemies and lovers along the way.

Even though no page can have over 100 words, and most have much less, the story feels full, and real, and totally immersive.  The pictures, newspaper cuttings, adverts, and other odds and ends tell just as much of the story as the words do.  This isn't just a book to read, but to experience.

I am surprised I hadn't heard anything about this book before I picked it up.  I assumed it was new, but it was published in 2011.  It is too bad that it flew under the radar.  Thank goodness I found it on display at the end of a bookcase, else I might never have picked it up.  Some librarian out there knows what's what!*

I found it displayed in the YA section of the library, though it is catalogued as adult fiction.  While I agree it would do well in the YA section, I am dismayed at such disorganization...This library in question also have many shelves of book organized by colour. It looks nice, but I am much to horrified by the mayhem of it to enjoy it.  I itch to rearrange them every time I come in.

Recommended for fans of 1920's, graphic novels, and independent woman characters.  If you like the Flappers series by Jillian Larken you might like this.

---

*As they often do.

This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith

 

I loved the first book I read from this Jennifer E. Smith, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, which made me really excited for this book. While it was still a pretty good book, I found myself skimming over small bits.  It just didn't hook me like her other one.

Ellie begins an email correspondence with a boy across the country accidentally.  They begin to live for each others emails.  One day, this boy shows up her small hometown and turns out to be major celebrity Graham Larkin, who happens to be filming his next big movie on location there.

It was a cute story, but felt slightly contrived.  And a little stalker-y. The love story is sweet, but not quite swoon-worthy, and since that is the major plot point of the story it falls a little short of expected.

I do wish I had been reading this book on a nice sunny beach somewhere though - I think it is a prefect book for that.  Charming, simple, with just enough excitement to keep me turning pages, but not so much that I wouldn't put it down to go for a swim.

Recommended for someone looking for a nice, light beach read.

Published 2013, Little Brown

Shades of Earth

Shades of Earth by Beth Revis
 This is the third and final book in the amazing trilogy by Beth Revis.  Set in space, in the future on a generation space ship as it sets out to colonize a new planet.  I cannot even begin to review this book without spoilers for the first two so please read the first two before reading this.  All I will say is that it is a very good series, full of plotting and conspiracies and other great things.  I think fans of Firefly would appreciate these books. (This would be the place to stop reading, if you want to avoid spoilers.)

Amy and Elder are finally getting (at least most of) the people of Godspeed to the surface of the planet.  With the Orion's warnings about monsters fresh in their minds, they wonder what awaits them on this new planet.  Orion's warnings about the people of Godspeed being made into either slaves or soldiers by the "frozens" is also fresh in Elder's mind...

The dynamic between the people of earth and the people of Godspeed is very interesting and so, so stressful. "Just get along, you idiots!" my brain was yelling, "there are monsters and poisonous flowers to worry about!"  This series is great not just on a science fiction level, but a sociological and cultural level.  What happens to people when you put them in these situations? How does it effect how they see each other and themselves?  How do you control them, should you control them?  Good stuff.

Recommened for: fans of SciFi, like Firefly/Serenity, sociology majors, YA fans in general

The Series
Across the Universe
A Million Suns
Shades of Earth

*Oh my, the previous book I reviewed was the second in this series?  How did that happen? I definitely read book inbetween these two. Like The Selection by Kiera Cass, which was great, and I breezed through in about two sittings.

Audiobook Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone

I received this audio book last summer through Sync's annual audio book give away (which is still happening right now, right HERE).  Two free audio books every week all through the summer. It is a pretty sweet deal.

Daugher of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor, read by Khristine Hvam

Plot: Goodness, how to accurately, but concisely describe the plot without giving ANYTHING away? Hm.  Well, our heroine Karou has grown up in the shop of Brimstone the Wishmonger, a monsterous creature (in form only) who buys teeth in exchange for wishes.  The mystery of how a human child has gotten tangled into the lives of these otherworldly creatures is the whole drive and mystery of the book.  When she meets an angel who tries to kill her on one of her errands for Brimstone, the mystery of who she and her adopted family are becomes much more urgent.  Action, adventure, angst, mystery and magic fill the pages as we follow Karou on her journey.  Oh yeah, and romance.  And humour.  Did I say yet how much I loved this book?  I did.  Lots.

Favourite line:  “'I don't know many rules to live by,' [Brimstone] said. 'But here's one. It's simple. Don't put anything unnecessary into yourself. No poisons or chemicals, no fumes or smoke or alcohol, no sharp objects, no inessential needles--drug or tattoo--and...no inessential penises either.'"

The delivery of this line by the narrator Khristine Hvam was spectacular.  EVERY line she delivered was spectacular.  She brought an amazing life to this book, by suffusing every characters voice with life, humour, and emotion.  Her ability to do character voices was astounding, every character had a distinctive voice quality that perfectly fit the character.  The bird-like woman sounded bird-like, and the lizard-woman, lizard-like - without sounding ridiculous or over the top.  Brimstone's voice may have been my favourite, which is what made the delivery of my favourite line so hilarious.  I highly recommend listening to this book - it is a theatrical experience.

Series:
Days of Blood and Starlight
(I am setting out to find the sequal in audiobook because it is also read by Khristine Hvam! Hurray!*)
Dreams of Gods and Monsters (Not yet published)


*I also want to find any other books read by her, because she is my new idol.

EDIT: I just found out she has over 100 audiobook titles to her name!  SCORE.

Suspense and a bit of Claustrophobia

 

A Millions Suns by Beth Revis

Oh god, the INTRIGUE! The suspense! The wanting-to-slap-everyone-into-their-senses!

Sorry, let me introduce this properly.

This is the sequel to Across the Universe.  If you haven't read it, it is really good and you should go do that first.*

A Million Suns takes place three months after the first book ends.  And everything is in chaos.  Secrets are being discovered and the majority of the population has taken to discord and rioting as their new favourite pastime.  When things get stressful in novels, (usually when one character is trying to convince another character to do the right thing at a crucial moment) I find my brain yelling out what I would be saying in that situation.  And somehow the characters never hear me.  Anyways, I had those moments often reading this book.

My thoughts upon reading the last page were, "AHHH".** Cliffhangers. They are not good for ones health.

Anyways, to fans of the first book I definitely recommend you continue onto this one. For anyone who bothered reading this review who hasn't read Across the Universe, but liked what they read, I urge you to go out and read the first.  It gave me similar anxiety issues (in a good way).

I am heading over to my library's webpage to put a hold on the third book.


Others in the Series
Across the Universe
A Million Suns
Shades of Earth


*If you want, I mean, I won't make you.
**direct quote

Audiobook Review: Anna Dressed in Blood

I received this audio book last summer through Sync's annual audio book give away (which is still happening right now, right HERE).  Two free audio books every week all through the summer. It is a pretty sweet deal.

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake, narrated by August Ross

Plot: Cas Lowood is a high school student and a ghost hunter.  With the knife he inherited from his father (also a ghost hunter) Cas travels around the world killing murderous ghosts, and protecting the innocent people who believes ghosts only belong in stories.  Until he comes to Thunder Bay* to kill Anna, where things don't go quite so smoothly.


Favourite line: “You fuck - you ate my cat!”.  It's not much in print, but the delivery was hilarious.

I loved listening to this book.  The story was captivating; action, romance, and a bit of horror.  There were a few pretty graphic descriptions of the nasty things ghosts could do to humans, and I am pretty sure I was making some weird expressions on public transit while listening to this one.  The narration was pretty good.  It was a male narrator for a male protagonist, which worked.  He made a valiant effort to do girl voices, but they weren't his strongest.  I loved the voice he did for one of the male jocks, it reminded me of one of the frog hunters in The Princess and the Frog**

Sequel:
Girl of Nightmares

*Yay Canadian location! AND a Canadian location that is treated like any America location (that is, no emphasis on beavers, or mounties or anything.

**"I will make him pay for his insolence!" (video)

Ghostly Visions

17 & Gone by Nova Ren Suma

17 & Gone features Lauren, a 17 year old girl who becomes obsessed with other 17 year old girls who have gone missing.  The ghosts of these girls begin to haunt Lauren, telling her details about their lives and urging her to help them. 

I picked up 17 & Gone based on a few reviews I had read here and there around the Internet which said how great this book was.  I have mixed feelings about it.  For the first 2/3 of the book, all I got from it was a "meh" kind of feeling.  The idea was interesting, but it didn't have the suspense or spook factor that I had been expecting.  Then all of a sudden, right around the 2/3 mark BAM.  All the careful fact laying and plot building that had felt dull before finally made sense.  I wish I could say more, other than this book will play with your expectations.  My mixed feelings come from the fact that the first half of the book was a bit blah for me, despite the payoff at the end. 


Recommended for: someone looking for a haunting read; fans of first person narration that is very much inside the head of the narrator (so much so that at one point I felt vaguely claustrophobic)

Jazz, Gin, and Jealousy

Absolutely gorgeous cover.

Vixen by Jillian Larkin

Vixen follows three society girls in 1920's Chicago - the height of Prohibition, flappers, and speakeasies.  Gloria appears to be the perfect debutante daughter: well mannered, pretty, and engaged to the most eligible bachelor in the city.  When she and her best friends Lorraine and Marcus go to one of the cities most notorious speakeasies Gloria realises that the life she wants might have less to do with debutantes and more with the handsome black piano player she meets there. Her cousin Clara arrives on the scene to complicate matters and soon everyone is keeping secrets and wanting what they can't have.

This book is very similar in tone and theme with the Luxe series by Anna Godbersen.  The clothes and parties are described with a luscious attention to detail and their is no shortage of scandal and betrayal. 

I wasn't enthralled by this book.  The prologue was gripping and I loved the setting, but the characters didn't really interest me.  The three main characters all seemed very similar, and sometimes I would get a few pages into a new chapter before realising I was in a new perspective.*  Until the end, when one of the characters (not naming names) seems to begin a dark descent into desperation and dirty deeds, I hadn't had any interest in pursuing the rest of the series.  Now I need to read the next one to know if this character will become as deliciously devious as I dare dream. Well played Ms. Larkin.  Well played.

Overall it was an entertaining read.  It didn't have me wildly turning the pages to see what happened next but I do now have a strong desire for a martini, a bobbed hair cut, and an evening watching Chicago.**

Recommended for: fans of Gossip Girl, The Luxe series, and any other of those books about scandalous young people doing scandalous things

Sequels:
Ingenue
Diva

*Partially due, I will admit, to my habit of never ever reading chapter titles and headings. Particularly troublesome when reading epistolary novels.
**Which is, sadly, not on Netflix.

The Old College Try

Do you remember that old saying parents used to tell us to make us stop calling our sister a bumhead? "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all".  I think that for me (as well as for a lot of people) I have taken that and mutated it into "If you don't have anything GOOD to say, don't say anything at all".  What's the difference between the two?  Well, the first one prevents you from hurting someones feelings, or saying something you might regret.  That is a good rule to follow in most situations.* That second one prevents you from trying things that you want to try - but you don't, because you aren't good enough at it.  It doesn't just apply to speaking, it applies to writing, or acting, or kayaking, or doing taxes.  But the secret is that those people who are good at these things?  They probably weren't that good the first time they did it.

I love reading.  I love talking about what I have read with other people.  I love it when a book I have read and loved and talked about to another person becomes a book THEY read and loved.  So I am going to attempt a blog where I can review and talk about the books I have read.  And probably other things.  So bear with me while I am still in my "sucking-at-this-stage".  I promise I will get better.**



*Except when some jerk takes the last scoop of chocolate peanut butter ice cream, or someone tries to tell you that dogs are better than cats.  Then the (verbal) gloves come off.

**That's a lie. I was crossing my fingers there.  I will TRY to get better.  "Practise makes perfect" is another one of those old sayings, and who knows, maybe it's just one of those things that your parents told you to trick you into doing something.  Like "eating crusts will make your hair curly" or "carrots are good for your eyes" or "brush your teeth so you don't get cavities".  Yeah, right mom.  Suuure.