Stuff I Got This Week

For Review:

Midwinterblood - Marcus Sedgwick

Have you ever had the feeling that you've lived another life? Been somewhere that has felt totally familiar, even though you've never been there before, or felt that you know someone well, even though you are meeting them for the first time? It happens. In 2073 on the remote and secretive island of Blessed, where rumour has it that no one ages and no children are born, a visiting journalist, Eric Seven, and a young local woman known as Merle are ritually slain. Their deaths echo a moment ten centuries before, when, in the dark of the moon, a king was slain, tragically torn from his queen. Their souls search to be reunited, and as mother and son, artist and child, forbidden lovers, victims of a vampire they come close to finding what they've lost. In a novel comprising seven parts, each influenced by a moon - the flower moon, the harvest moon, the hunter's moon, the blood moon - this is the story of Eric and Merle whose souls have been searching for each other since their untimely parting.

So that's what I got this week. What did you all get?

Top Ten Tuesday

This week's topic is:

Top Ten Books I read in 2012...

Sparks - S.J. Adams

I saw this title on the Rainbow List and loved the title. I didn't love the cover so I thought I'd try it before buying it. It is 100% amazing. 

Adaptation - Malinda Lo

I have read Malinda's other two novels and felt fairly lukewarm about them. This one really was incredible though. Just different and intense.

The False Prince - Jennifer A. Nielsen

A surprising read for me. It was part of Scholastic's Mother-Daughter BookClub. It was just so well-written and I adored the main character.

Battle Royale - Koushun Takami

YES! This book is amazing. 

The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern

This was such a lovely book. I wish I could cut out the section I didn't like, but even with it I am so in love with this novel.

Transcendence - C.J. Omololu
Very different from Dirty Little Secrets, but amazing. I really enjoyed the time travel in this novel.

Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone - Kat Rosenfield
From the cover to the last page I adored this book. A perfect mystery-blend.

This is Not a Test - Courtney Summers
The best zombie novel I've read. Not zombie heavy, just lovely.

Born Wicked - Jessica Spotswood
A very exciting novel about witches, I hope they come back in style, because this was delightful.

The Diviners - Libba Bray
Libba Bray is just brilliant. The setting and the creepiness make me want to read this one again (with the lights on).

Honorable Mention: Chopsticks: a novel - Jessica Anthony & Rodrigo Corral
This book was beautiful. If there is a YA novel more beautiful and heartfelt than this one I want to know about it. So few words, but so much emotion packed into it.

The Broke and the Bookish is a group of college aged and twenty somethings that have an unhealthy obsession with reading and would spend every last penny on books even if it meant skipping a few meals. We are the people  who lurk in the library, buy handbags based on how many books can be stashed in them, and who refer to characters in books as if they are personal friends.

We sought after other bookish college students to share in our love for reading and were brought together by the College Students group on Goodreads that was created in September 2008. Our desire to share great books with each other in and our tendency to be opinionated and passionate about all things book related naturally led to the birth of The Broke and the Bookish in June 2010.

Movie Review: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

Where I got it: Library
Rating: 2.5 stars 
Cover Rating: 5 stars (Absolutely delightful.)
Rating: Rated R
DVD Release Date: October 23, 2012
Run Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Buy it: Amazon

For a summary of this movie, check out my review of the book version here.

So you often find that the movie is not nearly as good as the book. For one reason or another it just doesn't meet expectations. Things get dropped and the can make the movie just plain not as good. What strikes me funny about how bad this movie was is the fact that the author of the novel wrote the screenplay for this. Despite this fact the movie seemed like a loosely based version of the novel. I suppose the movie was more entertaining, the book would probably be more closely similar to a documentary than a blockbuster. It seemed like too many things were changed and dropped though.

Another point that bugged me was Abe's superhuman strength and the disregard for the laws of physics. So many scenes in this movies suspended belief. Why did Abe have to have superpowers in the movie? He didn't in the novel and it was perfect, it made sense. Then to watch the movie it just seemed crazy. Why couldn't Abe have just built up his strength? Why the magical?

I was very disappointed in this movie. Maybe I would have enjoyed it slightly more if I hadn't read the book? Still the physics and superhuman strength bugged me quite a bit. Watch it if you dare.

Review: Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter - Seth Grahame-Smith

Where I got it: From my collection
Rating: 5 stars  
Cover Rating: 4 stars (I wish the back cover and the front matched up better, but besides that this cover rocks.)
Genre: Adult
Publication Date: March 2, 2010
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Page Count: 336 p.
Buy it: Book Depository / Amazon
Add it: Goodreads

Everyone knows the story of president Lincoln and the Civil War. Some people know the story of his personal life. No one, until know knew the secrets Lincoln kept. These secrets will change the world as you know it. Vampires were at the heart of the slavery problems in the south, and now you'll be able to read all about the truth.

This novel was fantastic. I loved learning all this information about Lincoln's life, he was an incredible person. If you love history than this will probably be for you. This story isn't weighed down by lots of vampire information. The vampires are peppered throughout the novel and I think it works best that way.

Some may find the book to heavy with historical fact, but I thought it was absolutely splendid. Each page was new (to me) information about Lincoln and his personal life. You can tell a lot of research went into this novel and it makes it that much more perfect.

I loved that this book wasn't heavy with vampirism. There was just enough to make it realistic and entertaining, but it wasn't another vampire love story. Every character in this novel, real or fake, was brought to life.

This is a great historical fiction novel with just enough spice to make things interesting. If you've ever wanted to know more about Abraham Lincoln or are just looking for a great read, check this one out.

First Line:
"I was still bleeding...my hands shaking."

Favorite Line:
"'I tell you,' said Poe, 'some great calamity awaits us.'"

Top Ten Tuesday

This week's topic is:

Top Ten Favorite New-To-Me Authors...

This one is a bit tricky, because some of the authors only have one book out, so it's difficult to count them as a favorite. I'm sure these author's won't fail to impress with their sophomore works though. Some of these authors I just hadn't gotten around to yet, but am sure glad I did. 

Michelle Hodkin - Though I am not as big of a fan as some people were with Mara Dyer. I definitely have a place on my list for Michelle and Mara. I really enjoyed the first two books and am dying for the next.

Anna Carey - Eve and Once were two novels I read this year and liked a lot more than I had anticipated. 

Kat Rosenfield - LOVED Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone. Loved, Loved, Loved!

Katherine Longshore - Gilt was a very interesting read and I ended up liking it the best out of all the books I read on the subject of the 4th wife. 

Amanda Grace (a.k.a Mandy Hubbard) - But I Love Him and In Too Deep were both intense interesting reads. I am very eager to read more of these books. 

Jessica Spotswood - Born Wicked was a delightful witchy read and I can not wait for the next!

Jennifer E. Smith - The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight! I dare you not to love this novel. Seriously. I also really enjoyed her Middle Grade novel The Storm Makers.

Emma Carlson Berne - Still Waters was so fantastic. I have Never Let You Go at home now and I can not wait to be chilled again!

Erin Morgenstern - Loved The Night Circus, thrilled for the movie as long as they don't ruin it. 

Jeanne Ryan - I really enjoyed Nerve which was excellent because I hadn't heard anything about it, but it turned out to be fab!

 

The Broke and the Bookish is a group of college aged and twenty somethings that have an unhealthy obsession with reading and would spend every last penny on books even if it meant skipping a few meals. We are the people who lurk in the library, buy handbags based on how many books can be stashed in them, and who refer to characters in books as if they are personal friends.

We sought after other bookish college students to share in our love for reading and were brought together by the College Students group on Goodreads that was created in September 2008. Our desire to share great books with each other in and our tendency to be opinionated and passionate about all things book related naturally led to the birth of The Broke and the Bookish in June 2010.

Stuff I Go This Week

For Review:

The Ultra Violets - Sophie Bell

Meet four best friends. They’re not super…yet. 

 IRIS: Visionary, artist, leader--the glitter-glue that holds the group together. 

 CHERI: A girly-girl on platform roller-skates who's never met a rescue puppy she didn’t immediately-and-madly love. 

 SCARLET: Short enough that you won’t see her sneaking up behind you. Freckled enough that you might mistake her for innocent. But look out! She can pants a bully faster than you can say O-M-Jeepers! 

 OPALINE: Loveable, huggable, supershy, sweet as pie…or is she? And introducing 

CANDACE. Not just any babysitter—she's a Teen Genius, thankyouverymuch! What happens when four best friends find themselves splattered with mysterious purple goo during a routine sleepover? Iris, Cheri, Scarlet and Opaline are about to become… THE ULTRA-VIOLETS!

The Tiny Book of Tiny Stories Vol. 2 - Joseph Gordon-Levitt & wirrow

Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt (The Dark Knight Rises, Inception, Looper, 500 Days of Summer) made a big splash with The Tiny Book of Tiny Stories - so now he’s back with volume 2! One of the most ingenious and successful projects to come out of Gordon-Levitt's online creative coalition hitRECord - an international collaboration of artists and writers - The Tiny Book of Tiny Stories: Volume 2 offers more quirky, delightfully small, ingeniously illustrated haiku-like tales, proving once more that the universe isn’t made of atoms; it’s made of tiny stories. The best things do come in small packages.

Bought:

David's Tea

It smells super delicious, and the few I've already have are really good. 

I bought: A Midsummer's Night Tea, Read My Lips, Mint Chocolate Roobis, Cold 911, The Glow & Peppermint Armour

Review: The Elementals - Francesca Lia Block

Where I got it: From the library
Rating: 4.5 stars  
Cover Rating: 3 stars (It's okay.)
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: October 16, 2012
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Page Count: 261 p.
Buy it: Book Depository / Amazon
Add it: Goodreads

Ariel's best friend went on a trip to visit a college in Berkley, she went missing. Now Ariel decides she still has to go to Berkley, because maybe she'll find her friend. Maybe she'll find out what happened to her friend. The only reason her parents let her go, is because her mother develops cancer and they don't want Ariel around.While in Berkley though, Ariel stumbles upon a party at a strange house. The people responsible for the party are slightly bizarre too. Ariel isn't sure what it is about them, but their weirdness seems to only draw her in. Ariel's world is in a thousand pieces and she just wants everything to come together again.

This is the Francesca I know and love. I'm so glad to have her back AND a murder mystery no less. Although that's not quite an accurate description of what this story is about. It's about everything, but it's really about growing up.

I love how un-eloquent the dialogue is, it makes the story realistic. The characters don't always know what to say or the best way to say it. It's raw. I think dialogue is almost the most important part of the story (unless the story doesn't contain dialogue). The way this dialogue is written I felt much closer to the characters, because there was no stiff speech blocking me out of their heads and hearts.

Ariel was a pretty interesting character. I love coming of age tales, because you get to see a lot of growth in a character over a shorter period of time. Ariel is naive and searching when she comes to Berkley and by the end of everything that happens she's a different girl.

Then you have John Graves. He is interesting to the max. Anyone shrouded in mystery is interesting. The little group he belongs to is just completely removed from the norm, but people don't seem to mind. They are super strange and everyone is still drawn to them, including Ariel.

The writing was perfectly lyrical and full of whimsy like a Francesca Lia Block should be. Every paragraph is crafted in a way to lift up your brain to dance in the sky. The story comes to a perfect conclusion, one that seemed to be lurking throughout the whole story. If you are a Francesca Lia Block fan or a fan of lyrical writing definitely check this out. The story is different from what she usually writes (still great) and the writing is beautiful.

First Line:
"Did you cry, did you scream, did you try to run?"

Favorite Line:
"The sky was filled with stars like pieces of broken jewels and the sea below the precipice was like tatters and shreds of dark silk."

Waiting on Wednesday #56

This week I'm waiting on The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepard. It sound fascinating and I'm always up for a re-telling of an old tale with a new twist!

In the darkest places, even love is deadly. 

Sixteen-year-old Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself in London—working as a maid, attending church on Sundays, and trying not to think about the scandal that ruined her life. After all, no one ever proved the rumors about her father's gruesome experiments. But when she learns he is alive and continuing his work on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the accusations are true. 

Accompanied by her father's handsome young assistant, Montgomery, and an enigmatic castaway, Edward—both of whom she is deeply drawn to—Juliet travels to the island, only to discover the depths of her father's madness: He has experimented on animals so that they resemble, speak, and behave as humans. And worse, one of the creatures has turned violent and is killing the island's inhabitants. Torn between horror and scientific curiosity, Juliet knows she must end her father's dangerous experiments and escape her jungle prison before it's too late. Yet as the island falls into chaos, she discovers the extent of her father's genius—and madness—in her own blood. 

Inspired by H. G. Wells's classic The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Madman's Daughter is a dark and breathless Gothic thriller about the secrets we'll do anything to know and the truths we'll go to any lengths to protect.

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Top Ten Tuesday

This week's topic is:

Top Ten Books I wouldn't mind Santa bringing me...

The Retribution of Mara Dyer - Michelle Hodkin

I just need to know. I need to know!!!!

Alice in Zombieland - Gena Showalter

The design of this book is just fantastic. I am not sure how I haven't read it yet, but everything about it is gorgeous. If you have a chance to check out a copy of it, you'll see what I mean.

The Diviners - Libba Bray

If you didn't read my review, I loved it and I need a finished copy of my own.

Embers and Echoes - Karsten Knight

I can't wait to find out what happens next. I enjoyed Wildefire quite a bit.

Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone - Kat Rosenfield

This book was amazing and is gorgeous. I borrowed it from the library, but would love to have it in my collection.

Invisibility - Andrea Cremer and David Levithan

Yes!

The Interrupted Tale - Maryrose Wood

I adore these books!

The Madness Underneath - Maureen Johnson

I really loved The Name of the Star and can't wait to dive back into this world.

Scott Pilgrim vol.1 & 2 in color - Bryan Lee O'Malley

I seriously love everything Scott Pilgrim and desperately want these.

The Archived - Victoria Schwab
Loved The Near Witch and Ash-born Boy and need to read this.
 

The Broke and the Bookish is a group of college aged and twenty somethings that have an unhealthy obsession with reading and would spend every last penny on books even if it meant skipping a few meals. We are the people who lurk in the library, buy handbags based on how many books can be stashed in them, and who refer to characters in books as if they are personal friends.

We sought after other bookish college students to share in our love for reading and were brought together by the College Students group on Goodreads that was created in September 2008. Our desire to share great books with each other in and our tendency to be opinionated and passionate about all things book related naturally led to the birth of The Broke and the Bookish in June 2010.

Image of the Day: Authors Rock Out for Soho Teen

Article brought to you from Shelf Awareness :)

Soho Press celebrated the impending launch of its Soho Teenimprint in 2013 with a party at Manhattan's Sidewalk Café that featured a performance by editorial director Daniel Ehrenhaft's band Tiger Beat. With fellow YA authors Libba Bray on lead vocals, Natalie Standiford on bass and Barnabas Miller on drums, the quartet ripped through a selection of '70s and '80s tunes, including "Sweet Jane," "Tainted Love" and "Won't Get Fooled Again." Ehrenhaft, Bray and Standiford are among more than 70 authors contributing to one of Soho Teen's first releases, an all-star anthology benefiting 826NYC titled Who Done It?  --Ron Hogan