Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Currently Reading

Hey all, curious what I am reading right now? Well here's the post for that! ;) Cuz you should just KNOW by now that I'm reading more than one thing!

1. Bitten by Kelley Armstrong (14% complete)... yes I finally started it but I really need to set aside some time to just read a bigger chunk of it at a time.

2. The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima (15% complete) - I got the fourth book of the trilogy (yup you read it right) for review from Net Galley so I now have to figure out when I'm going to find time to read the first three. Getting started on it though & liking the book so far.

3. Gone by Lisa McMann (40% complete) - needed something to listen to in my car when commuting so started the audiobook of this one to finish off the trilogy. Getting the feeling this one could have had some better plot twists so far in order to tie it to the previous books better, imo.

4. etc. I also have several books I borrowed from the library, partially read, and then had to return. I hope to clean up those loose ends soon by borrowing them again and getting them finished. I also have a couple books I own that I have started e.g. Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran, The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie, and Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes, to name a few, which I have at the moment set aside but will return to them prior to the end of the year.

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Bout of Books 8.0 - Wrap-up

And so ends yet another read-a-thon. Bout of Books 8.0 officially ended Sunday at midnight. After 7 long days I'd have to say I'm fairly pleased with how I did. Although I didn't finish all the books I had included in my TBR at the start I was still able to read well over 150 pages a day. My original goal of 150 pages for Monday to Thursday and then 250 pages Friday to Sunday would have totalled 1350 pages, only 90 pages more than what I did accomplish and I picked up a couple other books that I hadn't planned on.

Rapture by Lauren Kate: This first book I had started prior to the RAT and then finished during it, banking 268 pages. I gave it 4/5 (though a slightly lesser 4/5 than the 4/5 I gave its predecessor, Passion). I listened to the audiobook by the lovely Justine Eyre. She does such a great job with giving each character a recognizable voice. I listened to it over Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
Blood Brothers in Louisbourg by Philip Roy: This  next book I also started prior to the read-a-thon but dispite a valiant attempt I didn't finish it during the week (Monday, Tuesday & Saturday) as I found its small print was eating up my time & the storyline (so far) wasn't intriguing me enough to want me to read the next page, the next chapter, etc. I hope to finish it sometime soon though when I get more time to devote to it. I had such high hopes for this book. I banked 48 pages with this book.

Hard Run by Tsugumi Ohba: The first book I picked up and began once the read-a-thon started was this next book. I also finished in completely on Monday, banking 193 pages and giving it 4/5 as I continue with the Death Note series of graphic novels.
Left Neglected by Lisa Genova: Continuing with my planned TBR, I picked up this adult contemporary book on Tuesday. I continued reading it Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, banking 322 pages and giving it 5/5 as I absolutely loved it! It really changed my outlook on life and how we take for granted things like knowing left exists and being able to see the left side of the world around us. It is also a definite contender for one of my favourite books of the year and for sure my favourite book I read during this RAT. Not my favourite cover for this book but here's the one I read:
Spore by Alex Scarrow: On Saturday I also bought/downloaded this short story which is #8 in the Doctor Who E-Shorts series which are released one per month on the 23rd and are each based on a reincarnation of The Doctor from the first (William Hartnell) to the eleventh (Matt Smith) by well-known children's authors. This one was thus based on the Eighth reincarnation played by Paul McGann, whom was only seen in Doctor Who the movie in 1996 however there are several books that depict more of his adventures. This e-short banked 40 pages towards my total and I gave it 4/5 stars. My most anticipated ebook in this series will be that of the tenth doctor, David Tennant, which will be released this October.

Love by Tsugumi Ohba: After such an emotional and thought prevoking book like Left Neglected I needed something fun to keep my reading going. That's where this book came in, the fourth in the Death Note series of graphic novels. I picked it up on Saturday and finished it the next day, banking 204 pages and giving it also a 4/5 as this one came out with some pretty funny lines that had me laughing out loud at times. Just what I needed.
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater: By Saturday I realized I was missing out on adding to my page counts because I no longer had an audiobook on the go. Time when I was merely driving back and forth to work, and cooking and eating dinner were time being wasted as I was unable to read/hold a physical book at the same time. So I started this one. I love Maggie Stiefvater's books in audio as they always include some music at the beginning and end that she composed and performed herself. I also figured, since I also had a hardcopy of this book, that I could switch back and forth between the two mediums based on the situation. This was enjoyable but I found I was often relistening to sections of the book I had physically read just to read had the narrator said and name or how a new character's accent came across. I am still making my way through this book/audiobook but banked 185 pages of it during the RAT (Saturday and Sunday).

Here's my totals:

Day One/Monday: 250 pages
Day Two/Tuesday: 41 pages
Day Three/Wednesday: 199 pages
Day Four/Thursday: 166 pages
Day Five/Friday: 111 pages
Day Six/Saturday: 301 pages
Day Seven/Sunday: 193 pages

Weekly Total: 1260 pages
Daily Average: 180 pages
Books/Graphic Novels/Novellas Finished: 5
Partial Reads: 2

Let me know how you did if you participated in this read-a-thon, if you've read any of these books and would like to share your opinion (spoiler-free) on them, or if you have anything else you'd like to share!

Saturday, August 24, 2013

Bout of Books 8.0: DAY SIX

One more day down and one more to go before the end of this read-a-thon. Today I finished reading Left Neglected which I absolutely loved. I then tried to read more of Blood Brothers in Louisbourg and promptly fell asleep. oops. Not sure what is going on with this book. I like the storyline; set in a place I've been, is historical fiction which I generally enjoy, it features a character that plays the cello which I enjoy the music of and once tried to learn to play one, and the main two characters are both very likeable. However the font is very small for such a seeming short book and it seems to be taking me so much longer to read it than anything else that I've picked up. I guess I am also finding it a bit too predictable, but I shall not give up on it (even if I find I must set it aside until the end of the RAT). So instead I started a couple other books that weren't on my TBR. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater as an audiobook to get my reading in while I cooked and ate and Love by Tsugumi Ohba for a fast paced graphic novel to break up the reading of longer books from a series I already know I like in which I read right up until midnight.

So here's how the numbers fell today, bringing my average pages read to 178 per day:

Saturday

Number of pages I've read today:
  1. Blood Brother in Louisbourg by Philip Roy: 2 (73 pages left)
  2. Left Neglected by Lisa Genova: 104 (completed)
  3. The Raven Boys (Raven Cycle #1) by Maggie Stiefvater (audiobook): 12 (397 pages left)
  4. Love (Death Note #4) by Tsugumi Ohba: 184 (20 pages left)
Total number of pages read today: 301 pages
Number of books I've read today: 1 book
Total number of pages I've read: 1067 pages
Total number of books I've read: 4 (2 books, 1 graphic novel, 1 novella)

 Books read:

  1. Hard Run (Death Note #3) by Tsugumi Ohba (****)
  2. Rapture (Fallen #4) by Lauren Kate (****) 
  3. Spore (Doctor Who E-Short #8) by Alex Scarrow (**** again)
  4. Left Neglected by Lisa Genova (*****)

Unstarted thus far on RAT TBR:
  1. Bitten by Kelley Armstrong - 422 pages

Friday, August 23, 2013

Bout of Books 8.0: DAY FIVE

Day Five of seven sure didn't go as planned. For a day without work I read even less than usual. Oh dear. I didn't start a new audiobook so times where I am usually driving someplace, cooking food, or eating were filled with quiet contemplation or a tv show versus get more pages read/listened to (mainly due to my ipod dying and my charge cord choosing this time to be MIA). My day also included playing Second Life for longer than I should have last night and then sleeping in late & then taking a lengthy nap later on. I did however read some more of Left Neglected and bought and read this month's Doctor Who e-short and my overall average is now at 153 pages per day (compared to my goal of 150 pages per day) so that's not too bad even if I'd love that to be a lot higher.

Here's my numbers for Day Five:

Friday

Number of pages I've read today:
  1. Blood Brother in Louisbourg by Philip Roy: 0 (75 pages left)
  2. Left Neglected by Lisa Genova: 71 (104 pages left)
  3. Spore (Doctor Who E-Short #8) by Alex Scarrow: 40 (completed)  - novella
Total number of pages read today: 111 pages
Number of books I've read today: 1 book (novella)
Total number of pages I've read: 766 pages
Total number of books I've read: 3 books (1 being a novella)
Books read:
  1. Hard Run (Death Note #3) by Tsugumi Ohba (****)
  2. Rapture (Fallen #4) by Lauren Kate (****) 
  3. Spore (Doctor Who E-Short #8) by Alex Scarrow (**** again)

Unstarted thus far on RAT TBR:
  1. Bitten by Kelley Armstrong - 422 pages

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Bout of Books 8.0: DAY FOUR

  On Day Four I decided (consciously or not) to give my eyes a break and only listened to my audiobook. However this meant I was able to finish Rapture by Lauren Kate and thus add yet another series to my finished series list, which is awesome. Sad to see this one finish though (although I still have Fallen in Love the novella to read at some point). Out of the four book series, I believe my favourite was book number 3 (Passion) as I loved all the places it took place in. Today was also my last day of work for the week so Fri, Sat, and Sun possibly can be full of reading... well reading and packing my stuff to move, but we'll see. Really hoping to finish the two books I'm in the midst of and at least begin Bitten before Monday rolls around.

Here's my numbers for day four:

Thursday

Number of pages I've read today:
  1. Blood Brother in Louisbourg by Philip Roy: 0 (75 pages left)
  2. Rapture (Fallen #4) by Lauren Kate: (audiobook) 166 (completed)
  3. Left Neglected by Lisa Genova: 0 (175 pages left)
Total number of pages read today: 166 pages
Number of books I've read today: 1 book
Total number of pages I've read: 655 pages
Total number of books I've read: 2 books
Books read:
  1.  Hard Run (Death Note #3) by Tsugumi Ohba (****)
  2.  Rapture (Fallen #4) by Lauren Kate (****)

Unstarted thus far on RAT TBR:
  1. Bitten by Kelley Armstrong - 422 pages

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Bout of Books 8.0: DAY THREE

Today was another day of working 8.5 hours but I found a wee bit of time, during my breaks, to read some while at work. Then I was free from other commitments to read all night when I got home (minus time spent, napping, cooking and being distracted by youtube and facebook).

Here's my progress for day three:

Wednesday

Number of pages I've read today:
  1. Blood Brother in Louisbourg by Philip Roy: 0 (75 pages left)
  2. Rapture (Fallen #4) by Lauren Kate: (audiobook) 67 (166 page equivalents left - or 5 hours approx.)
  3. Left Neglected by Lisa Genova: 132 (175 pages left)
Total number of pages read today: 199 pages
Number of books I've read today: 0 books
Total number of pages I've read: 489 pages
Total number of books I've read: 1 book
Books read:

  1.  Hard Run (Death Note #3) by Tsugumi Ohba (****)

Unstarted thus far on RAT TBR:
  1. Bitten by Kelley Armstrong - 422 pages

Participating in Bout of Books 8.0? How did you do on day three?

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Bout of Books 8.0: DAY TWO

So after a fairly successful first day, my reading took a steep decline. Where I usually would listen to my audiobook both to and from work in my car, I only listened to it for one direction as I gave a co-worker a lift and didn't want to subject them to 15-ish minutes of the middle of the last book in a series they haven't read after working an 8.5 hour shift. Then I spent longer than expected in Walmart picking out a new microwave and tv for my new house/apartment. Lastly tonight was the last ceilidh of the season in my community so I went and watched that during the time I'd usually be reading. I also felt pressure to read more pages so I started another book (at 11:30pm) as Blood Brothers in Louisbourg, dispite being quite short, has a small font so it is taking me awhile to get through.

So all in all (after all my excuses) this is how I faired on day two: 

Tuesday

Number of pages I've read today:
  1. Blood Brother in Louisbourg by Philip Roy: 15 (75 pages left)
  2. Rapture (Fallen #4) by Lauren Kate: (audiobook) 10 (233 page equivalents left)
  3. Left Neglected by Lisa Genova: 16 (306 pages left)
Total number of pages read today: 41 pages (ouch)
Number of books I've read today: 0 books
Total number of pages I've read: 291 pages
Total number of books I've read: 1 book
Books read:
  1.  Hard Run (Death Note #3) by Tsugumi Ohba (****)

Unstarted thus far on RAT TBR:
  1. Bitten by Kelley Armstrong - 422 pages

Monday, August 19, 2013

Bout of Books 8.0: DAY ONE

Day One for me is now officially over. I only managed to read 7 pages at midnight before falling asleep then worked from 8-4:30pm so this left me with the rest of the night to do my reading. So let's see how I did.

Monday

Number of pages I've read today:
  1. Blood Brother in Louisbourg by Philip Roy: 31 (90 pages left)
  2. Hard Run (Death Note #3) by Tsugumi Ohba: 193 (0 pages left) - completed 
  3. Rapture (Fallen #4) by Lauren Kate: (audiobook) 26 (243 page equivalents left)
Total number of pages read today: 250 pages
Number of books I've read today: 1 book
Total number of pages I've read: 250 pages
Total number of books I've read: 1 book
Books read:
  1.  Hard Run (Death Note #3) by Tsugumi Ohba (****)

Unstarted thus far on RAT TBR:
  1. Bitten by Kelley Armstrong - 422 pages
  2. Left Neglected by Lisa Genova - 322 pages

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Bout of Books 8.0 - Reading Goals

The last read-a-thon(RAT) I participated in (The BookTube-A-Thon) challenged us to read 300 pages per day for each of the seven days. I ended up reading an average of 244 pages per day. This was a week where I could devote every moment (when I wasn't working or sleeping) to reading. This coming week I still have my work and sleep commitments but I also need to be packing for my upcoming move. So that being factored in I am making my goal to read 190 pages per day. This will hopefully give me the opportunity to complete all my planned books and, if I have extra time, choose based on mood another later on.

The Bout of Books RAT is all about reading more than you usually do and may include challenges along the way but (as far as I can tell) doesn't include a set of challenges to direct your book choosing as my previous one did. As I have so many books I want to read (all at once if I could lol) I enjoyed having the framework and structure those challenges gave to narrowing down my choices. Therefore I've looked elsewhere to give me structure, Goodreads (particularly the Nothing but Reading Challenges group).

I had already committed (at least in my own mind) to tackling the Reading University Challenge. I am currently on the Associate's degree level so I decided to choose my books for this RAT in order to work towards fulfilling that challenge's criteria (and to give myself a bit more diversity in the genres I choose) plus reading a couple books that are still left over from my TBR from the last RAT (oops).

Without further ado, here are the books I'm planning to read:
1.  Blood Brothers in Louisbourg by Philip Roy - Started prior to RAT, History (american history) - total pages left: 121
2. Bitten (Women of the Otherworld #1) by Kelley Armstrong - TBR of last RAT - total pages: 436
3. Hard Run (Death Note #3) by Tsugumi Ohba - Literature (graphic novel) - total pages: 193
4. Left Neglected by Lisa Genova - Social Studies (psychology) - total pages: 322
5. Rapture (Fallen #4) by Lauren Kate - Started prior to RAT, audiobook - total pages left: 270

This totals: 1342 pages and an average of 191 pages per day or more like 150 per day from Monday to Thursday and then 247 on Fri, Sat & Sun when I'm off work. :)

Wish me luck!

Updates & Bout of Books 8.0

Hey all,

I feel like all I do is plan to post things here, tell you my plan, then I don't follow through. Then I come back here to apologia before sharing yet another plan. It's a vicious cycle. Anywho, my most recent disappearance from both here and youtube is from me having to find a new apartment on super short notice. I've been living in an apartment in a family's reno'd basement since June when I moved across the country. The plan was always to have a lease until the end of Aug. with the ability to extend the lease at that time if I chose to stay. My landlady sends me a message at the beginning of August asking me to let her know that week whether I was wanting to stay or not as she would love me to be understands if I want a bigger place. A day or two later I let her know I'd love to stay and she emails me back the next day informing me she isn't renting out the apartment to anyone and that I have until the 2nd of Sept to get out. Gee thanks lady! So since then I've been apartment hunting. Super stressful!

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Bout of Books


Anywho, I believe I now have a new place to live come Sept, so I can start getting back to my regular routines and that means back to reading. So why not participate in a read-a-thon? No reason at all (well other than packing like crazy, but whatevs). I just found out today that the Bout of Books read-a-thon is coming back next week! From August 19-25 and I will give it my best show to participate.

But what is the Bout of Books read-a-thon, you ask?
The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 19th and runs through Sunday, August 25th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 8.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

I will let know what books I have planned to read probably later today. (I'm determined to follow through this time) 

Bye,
Kieli

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Booktube-A-Thon

Just a quick update post that I will be participating in the Booktube-A-Thon from July 15th to July 21st. I'm super excited! (only a few more minutes before I can officially start!) See my video below to learn more about this read-a-thon.

 

Also check the video below for what I'm planning on reading:
I plan to post here with my my progress and make a video update at the end! Wish me luck!

Friday, June 21, 2013

Women of the Otherworld Series by Kelley Armstrong

I am currently in the process of reading the Women of the Otherworld Series by Kelley Armstrong. I am however I won't be reading the first novel in the series for some time yet. This is because of all the short stories that also make up a full reading of this series. Many of these stories (when looking at them chronologically) take place before the first book, as prequels. Here's the order list I am going by, provided by a pdf from Kelley Armstrong herself and by an order written by Maryse of Maryse's Book Blog. I've tried to block it up by month (basically one novel per month and then whatever short stories lead me there) and then will fill in my read dates once I finish each. Wish me luck! lol

June
0.01 Rebirth (in "Tales of the Otherworld," narrator: Aaron)  - read: 18-Jun-13
0.02 Infusion (in "Men of the Otherworld,” narrator: Malcolm) - read: 21-Jun-13
0.03 Savage (in "Men of the Otherworld,” narrator: Clay) - read: 28-Jun-13
0.04 Ascension (in "Men of the Otherworld," narrator: Clay) - read: 07-Jul-13


July
0.05 Demonology (online story, narrator: Talia) - read: 07-Jul-13

0.06 Bewitched (in "Tales of the Otherworld,") - read: 08-Jul-13
0.07 Birthright (in "Tales of the Otherworld,” narrator: Logan) - read: 08-Jul-13
0.08 Beginnings (in "Tales of the Otherworld," narrators: Clay & Elena) - read: 27-Jul-13
0.09 Becoming (online graphic novella, narrator: Elena) - read: 28-Jul-13
0.10 The Case of the Half-Demon Spy (online story, about: Adam & Paige) - read: 28-Jul-13
0.11 Expectations (in "Tales of the Otherworld,” narrator: Lucas) - read 28-Jul-13
0.12 Truth and Consequences (short story, narrator: Elena) - read 28-Jul-13
0.13 Territorial (online story, narrator: Karl) - read 29-Jul-13
1.0 Bitten (novel, narrator: Elena) - read 06-Jul-14
1.1 Ghosts (in "Tales of the Otherworld,” narrator: Jeremy) - read 06-Jul-14


August

1.2 Escape (online story, narrator: Eve)
2.0 Stolen (novel, narrator: Elena)


September
3.0 Dime Store Magic (novel, narrator: Paige)

October
4.0 Industrial Magic (novel, narrator: Paige)
4.1 Wedding Bell Hell (in "Tales of the Otherworld,” narrator: Paige)

November
5.0 Haunted (novel, narrator: Eve)
5.1 Adventurer (online story, narrator: Kenneth)
5.2 Chaotic (novella, narrator: Hope)
5.3 Bargain (online story, narrator: Xavier)

December
6.0 Broken (novel, narrator: Elena)
6.1The Case of El Chupacabra (in "Tales of the Otherworld,” narrator: Lucas)

January 2014
7.0 No Humans Involved (novel, narrator: Jaime)
7.1 Framed (online novella, narrator: Nick)
7.2 Twilight (in "Many Bloody Returns,” narrator: Cassandra)
7.3 Stalked (in "My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon” narrator: Clay)

February
8.0 Personal Demon (novel, narrators: Hope & Lucas)
8.1 Chivalrous (in “Tales of Dark Fantasy 2,” narrator: Reese)
8.2 The Ungrateful Dead (in "Blood Lite,” narrator: Jaime)

March
9.0 Living with the Dead (novel, multiple narrators, 3rd person)
9.1 Kitsunegari (in "Men of the Otherworld,” narrator: Jeremy)
Paranormal Romance Blues (in "The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance,")
9.2 Zen and the Art of Vampirism (in "A Fantasy Medley,” narrator: Zoe)
9.3 Angelic (novella, narrator: Eve)
Life Sentence (in "The New Dead: A Zombie Anthology,")
9.4 Learning Curve (in “Evolve,” narrator: Zoe)
Young Bloods (in "The Bitten Word" anthology,)
9.5 Checkmate (online story, narrator: Elena)
9.6 Recruit (online story, narrator: Elena)

April
10.0 Frostbitten (novel, narrator: Elena)
10.1 The List (in “Evolve 2,” narrator: Zoe)
Lucifer's Daughter (in "Blood Lite II: Overbite," narrator: Hope)
10.2 Hidden (novella, narrator: Elena)
10.3 Counterfeit Magic (novella, narrator: Paige)
10.4 Off-Duty Angel (in “The Hunter and the Hunted,” narrator: Eve)
10.5 V Plates (in “Blood Lite 3,” narrator: Nick)
10.6 Forbidden (novella, narrator: Elena)
10.7 Amityville Horrible (novella, narrator: Jaime)

May
11.0 Waking the Witch (novel, narrator: Savannah)

June
12.0 Spell Bound (novel, narrator: Savannah)

July
13.0 Thirteen (novel, narrator: Savannah)
13.1 From Russia with Love (bonus story in “Thirteen,” narrator: Elena)

Let me know if you have read any of this series & what did you think?! Also did you read the novels or the short stories first?

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Update/May TBR

Found out today that Kelley Armstrong is coming to do a book signing at my local library! So excited! That's on May 22nd. Which is awesome timing because I am moving from Ontario to Nova Scotia on the 28th for my new job. So I am trying to cram in as much Ontario stuff as I can before I go. That included getting all four of my wisdom teeth out this week. Ugg. That put a bit of a damper on my plans of getting ahead on my packing, reading, etc. and instead I've just been sleeping for the past couple days.

Anyways my To Be Read list for May may be a bit ambitious but it may also be a bit more accurate than previous TBRs.

Already finished:


  1. The Angel's Kiss: A Melody Malone Mystery
     by Justin Richards
    finished: May 2
    rating: 4/5
  2. The Roots of Evil (Doctor Who 50th Anniversary E-Shorts, #4)
    The Roots of Evil (Doctor Who 50th Anniversary E-Shorts, #4)
    by Philip Reeve
    finished: May 2
    rating: 3/5 (I would have preferred/related more with a #4/Sarah Jane Smith pairing) 

    Rest of the Month: 

    1.  Demonglass (Hex Hall, #2) Demonglass (Hex Hall, #2) by Rachel Hawkins (booksigning prep)
    2.  Falling Kingdoms (Falling Kingdoms, #1) Falling Kingdoms (Falling Kingdoms, #1) by Morgan Rhodes (for YT BookClub)
    3. Spell Bound (Hex Hall, #3) Spell Bound (Hex Hall, #3) by Rachel Hawkins (booksigning prep)
    4. The Reckoning (Darkest Powers, #3) The Reckoning (Darkest Powers, #3)  by Kelley Armstrong (booksigning prep)
      or
      Exit Strategy
      Exit Strategy by Kelley Armstrong (booksigning prep)

      5.Tip of the Tongue (Doctor Who 50th Anniversary E-Shorts, #5) Tip of the Tongue (Doctor Who 50th Anniversary E-Shorts, #5) by Patrick Ness

April Wrap-Up

Here's the books I ended up reading/finishing reading in April. You will see they differ slightly/quite a bit from my April TBR. Oops

  1. The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong (Darkest Powers #1)
    finished: April 2, 2013
    rating: 4/5
  2. Destiny's Fire by Trisha Wolfe (Kythan Guardians #1)
    finished: April 11, 2013
    rating: 4/5
  3. The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong (Darkest Powers #2)
    finished: April 18, 2013
    rating: 4/5 (surprise, surprise)
  4. Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins (Hex Hall #1)
    finished: April 25, 2013
    rating: 4/5 (yes again)
At the very end of March I went to a book signing of Kelley Armstrong's in Brampton, Ontario, Canada. At that time I had several of her books on my shelves yet hadn't read any of them so I figured I'd better get cracking on them. By the time I saw her I was almost finished the Summoning and was really enjoying it. I ended up purchasing her most recent book The Rising at that event and I am looking forward to reading it but to get there I still have to read The Reckoning, the third book of the Darkest Powers trilogy, and The Gathering and The Calling the first two books of the Darkness Rising trilogy of which The Rising is the final book. Oh dear. So many books.

I read Destiny's Fire as part of the YouTube Book Club and really enjoyed it as well. I gave it a 4/5 because as much as I liked it I would have preferred more featuring the powers the characters possess than the love triangle aspects. Basically more action, less romance, but it was still a great book.

On May 25th, I am planning to attend Rachel Hawkins' booksigning in Brampton again so to prepare for this event I dusted off my Hex Hall trilogy books that have been on my shelf for what seems like ages and started to read. I read the first book Hex Hall in a day and then passed it off to my mother to read as well, as she will be coming with me to the booksigning. So onto the second book Demonglass...

Thursday, April 11, 2013

April TBR

March was a slower reading month for me and I ended up straying a bit from my March TBR so here are the books I am looking to finish in April:
 
I then hope to begin (and finish if possible) the following books:
 

Friday, April 5, 2013

#FridayReads

This weekend I'm planning to finish Destiny's Fire by Trisha Wolfe in time for the YTBookClub discussion of it on Saturday night. I am also reading The Awakening (Darkest Powers Trilogy #2) by Kelley Armstrong which is one of the books I recently got signed by Kelley at her event at Chapters in Brampton on March 30th. Also in I am slowly (in bits and pieces) listening to the audiobook of The Host by Stephenie Meyer just when I drive back and forth to work. I have missed a few days with it though as I'm not a big fan of the narrator's reading style.

Once I'm finished The Awakening I will of course be continuing onto The Reckoning (Darkest Powers Trilogy #3) also by Kelley Armstrong.

Let me know what you are planning to read this weekend! Please?! :)

Friday, March 22, 2013

#FridayReads

#fridayreads

This weekend I am hoping to finish:

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

This is a retelling of Cinderella where "Cinder" is a cyborg (part human, part machine). I'm about 60% through this book so far and I'm loving it. I can see the bits and pieces of the original story but I am so glad that Marissa put her own imagination into the story so it is not just a linear retelling as some tend to me.

I am also listening my way through the audiobook of:

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

Next I plan to lose myself in the world of:

Destiny's Fire by Trisha Wolfe
What are you planning to read this weekend?

Sunday, March 17, 2013

10 Green Books For St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone!


Based on ABookHobbit's video on YouTube, while trying to choose books she didn't mention.

Here (in random order) are ten green books from my bookshelves:

  1. The Runaway King by Jennifer A. Nielsen


  2. Soul Harvest by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins


  3. 40 Love by Madeleine Wickham


  4. The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale


  5. Resurrection by Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie


  6. The Wizard Heir by Cinda Williams Chima


  7. Dime Store Magic by Kelley Armstrong


  8. Wicked Lovely by Marissa Marr


  9. Eternal by Gillian Shields


  10. Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox by Eoin Colfer


Sunday, March 10, 2013

March TBR

Here is what I'm hoping to read in March:




  1.  The Runaway King by Jennifer A. Nielsen (began in February)
  2. Cinder by Marissa Meyer
  3. Destiny's Fire by Trisha Wolfe (YTBookClub pick)
  4. The Spear of Destiny by Marcus Sedgwick (Doctor Who E-Shorts #3)
  5. A Corner of White by Jaclyn Moriarty (April 2013 release)
  6. The Host by Stephenie Meyer (Audiobook)
  7.  
     

Saturday, March 2, 2013

Videos Coming Soon

Here are some ideas for videos for my Youtube channel or blog posts that I hope to be filming and uploading soon. These are to give you an idea of what you can look forward to (and see how far behind I am), and so I can be reminded for myself. Comment if there are any particular ones you want to see first, though!

  1. February Book Haul: Part 1 (YA Part 1 - 5 books)
  2. February Book Haul: Part 2 (YA Part 2 - 5 books)
  3. February Book Haul: Part 3 (Adult/Parody - 7 books)
  4. February Book Haul: Part 4 (Classics/Retellings - 5 books)
  5. February Book Haul: Part 5 (Childrens/Manga - 6 books)
  6. February Wrap Up
  7. March TBR
  8. #Fridayreads
  9. Book Review - The Name of the Star
  10. Book Review - Doctor Who E-Shorts
  11. TAG - Rainbow Spines
  12. TAG - The Name Game
  13. TAG - Bookshelf Scavenger Hunt
  14. TAG - A to Z
  15. March/Birthday Book Haul
What have I missed?

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Review: The False Prince




The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen: 5/5
Genre: Fiction/General, Action & Adventure

Characters: Sage, Bevin Conner, Mrs. Turbeldy, Latamer, Tobias, Roden, Mott, Cregan, Imogen, Princess Amarinda, Kerwyn, Veldergrath, Errol, King Eckbert, Queen Erin, Prince Darius

Setting: Carthya, a country surrounded by Bymar and Gelyn to the north, Mendenwal to the east, Avenia to the south and west (map provided at beginning of book). Beginning with Mrs. Turbeldy's Orphanage for Disadvantaged Boys in the village of Carchar, then later moving onto Conner's estate of Farthenwood  several miles outside the town of Tithio, then lastly King Eckbert's palace in Drylliad.

Writing: The writing seemed well thought out. As information was revealed it gave new light to previous information/events in a way that made me question why I didn't put two and two together before it was revealed to me. I could guess at where the story was going but Nielsen keep me guessing as twists and complications were woven into the story at every turn of the page.

Storyline: (Summary from book cover) " In a faraway land, civil war is brewing. To unify his kingdom's divided people, a nobleman name Conner devises a cunning plan to place an impersonator of the king's long-lost son on the throne. Four orphans are forced to compete for the roles, including a defiant and clever boy named Sage. Sage knows Conner's motives are more than questionable, yet his life balances on a sword's point - he must be chosen to play the prince or he will certainly be killed. As Sage moves from a rundown orphanage to Conner's sumptuous palace, layer upon layer of duplicity and deceit unfold, until finally, a truth is revealed that may very well prove more dangerous than all the lies taken together." The story is mostly narrated by Sage, in the first person. We get a first hand glimpse of Sage in a way that his deviant exterior doesn't let others to see, which I believe made me like him much more than I might have otherwise (e.g. if the story was told in the third person from an anonymous narrator). The story really begins with Conner acquiring the orphans, continues with the day to day lessons and life of the boys as they prepare for two weeks, and then end with one boy being chosen and presented to the regents and public as the long-lost son of the king, and the night that follows that revelation.

Ending: In some ways I think I saw it coming, however there were still new twists and turns even up until the last few pages which kept my interest/intrigue and didn't disappoint me. The ending wrapped the story up nicely but still left room for a lead up to the next book in the trilogy. I am eager to see if many of the secondary characters will have roles in the rest of the trilogy, I hope so but if they don't I feel like that'd be alright based on how few loose ends were left. It even made me tear up a bit (in a I'm so proud of you sort of way).

Continuing the Series: I plan to continue with this series as soon as possible as I already have a copy of the second book The Runaway King (published March 1, 2013). This was the reason I bought and read this first book however after reading it I now believe I would have been eager to continue the series anyways.

Recommendation: This book is originally intended for an audience ages 10-14 however I didn't get the feeling at all that this book was childish in any way or that the writing was simplified in order to target that younger audience. I would recommend it to anyone interested in an adventure story that follows the day to day lives of orphan boys competing to be king.

Trying out a new format for reviews. Let me know if there is a category I should be including in my reviews that I haven't included in this one! Thanks!

Check it out on Amazon!

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

February TBR



Yes I do realize February is nearly half over and am only just now sorting out my TBR (to be read) but here's what I'm planning to read (pretty much in this order).

  1. The False Prince by Jennifer A. Neilsen
  2. The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
  3. The Runaway King by Jennifer A. Neilsen
  4. The Nameless City by Michael Scott
  5. Beautiful Creatures by Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia
Whatever I don't get finished this month will be at the top of March's TBR...