Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Did you know?

This is new information to me....beginning on November 1st it is NaNoWriMo or for those of us who need it spelled out (myself included) November is National Novel Writing Month. Below is direct from their site, which you can link to here for more details.


"National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing on November 1. The goal is to write a 50,000 word, (approximately 175 page) novel by 11:59:59, November 30.

Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft, NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved.

Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It’s all about quantity, not quality. This approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly."


So, have you ever thought about writing a book? I would wager that a healthy number of readers have thought, at least once in their lives, hey, I can do this too! Maybe this is your time! Take a chance, who knows, you may be the next author to make it big.


                                           Liz Scott

Monday, October 29, 2012

Splendid read


Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
 

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour BookstoreThe Great Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon out of his life as a San Francisco Web-design drone—and serendipity, sheer curiosity, and the ability to climb a ladder like a monkey has landed him a new gig working the night shift at Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. But after just a few days on the job, Clay begins to realize that this store is even more curious than the name suggests. There are only a few customers, but they come in repeatedly and never seem to actually buy anything, instead “checking out” impossibly obscure volumes from strange corners of the store, all according to some elaborate, long-standing arrangement with the gnomic Mr. Penumbra. The store must be a front for something larger, Clay concludes, and soon he’s embarked on a complex analysis of the customers’ behavior and roped his friends into helping to figure out just what’s going on. But once they bring their findings to Mr. Penumbra, it turns out the secrets extend far outside the walls of the bookstore.


My rating & take


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What a delight this book was to read! I will admit that some parts were a bit slow but it more than made up for it in originality. What book lover among us doesn't love a bookstore, or a mystery about books and their readers? I say curl up to this book and forget about the weather outside.

Friday, October 26, 2012

I did it again

                                     
                                Betrayed by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast


Betrayed (House of Night, #2)Fledgling vampyre Zoey Redbird has managed to settle in at the House of Night. She's come to terms with the vast powers the vampyre goddess, Nyx, has given her, and is getting a handle on being the new Leader of the Dark Daughters. Best of all, Zoey finally feels like she belongs--like she really fits in. She actually has a boyfriend…or two. Then the unthinkable happens: Human teenagers are being killed, and all the evidence points to the House of Night. While danger stalks the humans from Zoey's old life, she begins to realize that the very powers that make her so unique might also threaten those she loves. Then, when she needs her new friends the most, death strikes the House of Night, and Zoey must find the courage to face a betrayal that could break her heart, her soul, and jeopardize the very fabric of her world.


My rating

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My take


After reading book one in the series I could not stop my curiosity and needed to read a little more of the story, and with the exception of some plot repetition and the silly words the main character uses, I did enjoy the read. When it ended I liked imagining the possibilities and direction the series seemed to be taking, but from what I have gathered from many others, the promise does not deliver in future books...so I am going to save my money and time and part ways. I have a juicy TBR list that I am itching to get at, so no sense in going for the mediocre read.


Monday, October 22, 2012

Mixed Book

                             
                                      Marked by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast


Marked (House of Night, #1)The House of Night series is set in a world very much like our own, except in 16-year-old Zoey Redbird's world, vampyres have always existed. In this first book in the series, Zoey enters the House of Night, a school where, after having undergone the Change, she will train to become an adult vampire -- that is, if she makes it through the Change. Not all of those who are chosen do. It's tough to begin a new life, away from her parents and friends, and on top of that, Zoey finds she is no average fledgling. She has been Marked as special by the vampyre Goddess, Nyx. But she is not the only fledgling at the House of Night with special powers. When she discovers that the leader of the Dark Daughters, the school's most elite club, is misusing her Goddess-given gifts, Zoey must look deep within herself for the courage to embrace her destiny--with a little help from her new vampyre friends.
                                    

My Rating                                              
                                                
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My take
 
This book is a Young Adult offering but I could not help to wonder how many teenagers think in a similar babbling nonsensical way as the main female character does in many parts of this book (having been one, and knowing a few, my guess is, none). Thankfully the reader gets breaks from the inane internal dialog, and as the book progresses there is less and less. What did keep me reading was of course the story.  It's an interesting mix of teens trying to make the best of a life they were not prepared for, being marked as a vampire (through a unknown genetic trigger) having to leave home, family, and friends, to attend school that will educated and care for them through the process. And like any school, there is no end to the drama created. Overall I did find this book satisfying, and the goddess/Native American spiritualism added another interesting element into the mix.
 
 

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Reading Candy


Reflected in You (Crossfire, #2) Reflected in You by Sylvia Day


My rating

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My summary

This is book two in the Crossfire series and follows the often rocky relationship between Eva and Gideon as they navigate the present through the ghosts of their pasts. (For those that don't know, this is a steamy series not unlike Fifty Shades of Grey.)

My take

This was pure reading candy for me, every page as quickly turned as the last and I would have happily read it in one sitting had time allowed. I will say there were certain themes in the book that were repeated more times than I liked, but in the end when the big reveal was made the repetition made some sense, it seemed as if it was a distracting from what was coming. I very much look forward to the publication of book three which is already entitled Entwined with You.


Saturday, October 13, 2012

Whaaat?


So I'm reading this book and am all excited because it's book three and I'm going to find out all the answers and see how everyone ends up....and I'm really turning the pages and getting closer and closer to the end (but oddly no closer to a resolution) and that's when it happened. I turned a page and suddenly it wasn't story anymore it was the author's after blurb. I quickly turned the pages back and forth, did I miss pages, is my digital book defective? Nope and nope were the answers, so I quickly scanned the authors comments only to see a sentence that says something about 5 books. Five books? Five Books! How and where I got the idea that this was a trilogy...when it's actually a series, I will never know. But it went a long way to explaining why the author was bringing none of the story to a close, and I am glad it turned out not to be a rush ending....but now I have to wait not once more but twice more for the books to come out so I can finally know how the story will end. Sigh.....I'm not the kind of girl that does waiting all the well.  I want what I want when I want it! O.k. now that I have revealed a less perfect side of myself let's get on with the review!



The Spirit Well (Bright Empires, #3)The Spirit Well by Stephen R. Lawhead


My rating
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My summary

This is book three in the Bright Empire series (now that I have figured that out) and continues the travel jumps of a whole host of people (via the ley lines all over our planet) some of which are using their knowledge for good and some for evil.

My take

I love this series and the folks in it. The plot is especially gripping in part due to the fact that they are often removed from each other by not just the distance of miles but by being in different eras within time. I first learned about the existence of ley lines several years ago and have been fascinated ever since, so this story captured and kept my attention. For those who want to learn more about ley lines, click here. Interestingly this book present the idea that nothing that happens in our lives is coincidence or accidental, each happening was designed to provide us with some specific experience or knowledge. I really like books that both entertain and make you think.


Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Blogger at large

I didn't mean to be gone so long, my goal from the inception of this blog has been to post two entries a week....and last week that just didn't quite work out, but I am back with some book news.

The nominees for The 2012 National Book Awards were announced this morning and are as follows;

Fiction

Junot Díaz, This Is How You Lose Her 
Dave Eggers, A Hologram for the King
Louise Erdrich, The Round House
Ben Fountain, Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk
Kevin Powers, The Yellow Birds

Nonfiction

Anne Applebaum, Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe, 1945-1956
Katherine Boo, Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity
Robert A. Caro, The Passage of Power: The Years of Lyndon Johnson, Volume 4
Domingo Martinez, The Boy Kings of Texas
Anthony Shadid, House of Stone: A Memoir of Home, Family, and a Lost Middle East

Poetry

David Ferry, Bewilderment: New Poems and Translations
Cynthia Huntington, Heavenly Bodies
Tim Seibles, Fast Animal
Alan Shapiro, Night of the Republic
Susan Wheeler, Meme

Young Peoples Literature

William Alexander, Goblin Secrets
Carrie Arcos, Out of Reach
Patricia McCormick, Never Fall Down
Eliot Schrefer, Endangered
Steve Sheinkin, Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World's Most Dangerous Weapon


While I haven't read any of these titles, I am looking forward to hearing more about them. If you would like further information click here.


Tomorrow will bring the announcement of the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Some notable past recipients;

Sir Winston Churchill/Samuel Beckett/John Steinbeck/Ernest Hemingway/Sinclair Lewis/William Faulkner/Toni Morrison/George Bernard Shaw/William Butler Yeats/Saul Bellow/Pablo Neruda/Rudyard Kipling....just to name a few.

As for me...

I spent much of my reading time last week re-reading a portion of The Bone House by Stephen R. Lawhead. I had planned on re-reading the entire book but my impatients to start book three (the ending of the trilogy) got the better of me. And now I'm taking my time savoring book three and the wild ride it is taking me on. The characters are at such different ends I have no idea how the author will tie them together. But of course I will report on this as soon as I have the answer.

Until then, I wish you all, Happy Reading!!


Monday, October 1, 2012

It's Banned Books Week

Banned Books Week runs 9/30/12 to 10/6/12 and since this blog is all about the book it sure had to get a mention.

This is the 30th anniversary of Banned Books Week. It seems with each passing year the awareness and celebration gets a little bigger, now if only it would end the banning of books altogether.

As an avid reader I am not in favor of banning any book. I view controversial books as an opportunity for open ended discussions, not outright banishment.

If you would like some ideas on how to celebrate the week...or see how others plan to, just click here.


What Banned Books have you read?


Here are just a few that I have read;


   The Hunger Games    To Kill a Mockingbird     Harry Potter    1984

               The Color Purple           As I Lay Dying        A Farewll to Arms

   Their Eyes were Watching God                 The Great Gatsby