Top Ten Tuesday

This week's topic is:

Top Ten Scary Book Covers...

Reviews
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
The Murmurings
Eyes in the Mirror
The House of Dead Maids

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.

Middle Grade Monday | Review: Doll Bones - Holly Block

Middle Grade Monday is a feature started right here at Reading Nook. It's a way to share news or reviews of middle grade novels on a blog that doesn't exclusively post middle grade content. Feel free to join any time and link up.

Where I got it: Library
Rating: 4 stars  
Cover Rating: 5 stars (Very creepy.)
Genre: Middle Grade
Publication Date: May 7, 2013
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Page Count: 244 p.
Add it: Goodreads

Zach, Poppy and Alice all like to make up stories. They construct elaborate fantasy in Poppy's back yard with dolls. Even though they are getting older, they don't care, they love the game. Zach's father thinks it's time to grow up though and throws out all of Zach's action figures. He doesn't want to tell the girls how upset he is about it, so he tells them he doesn't want to play. They can't except this though and soon strange things start to happen. In the dead of night the girls come to Zach and tell them that the Queen, and old china doll, is haunting them and they have to travel to her grave and bury her in order to be relieved. Zach isn't sure how much he buys of it, but he goes along anyway. Even without the dolls, it seems like they can still have quite and adventure.

This was a bit spooky. As someone who isn't too keen on dolls, this made it a bit tricky to sleep. China dolls are especially creepy with their cold, glowing eyes. Anyways, they are creepy and this doll is extra creepy. I don't want to give too much away, but trust me. I'm almost glad this was middle grade and not YA, because if it was older it would probably have been too terrifying to sleep with the lights off.

Holly Black is just fab though and created these three great characters and an epic quest. I really enjoyed watching them learn more about themselves and each other. This book had a lot of navigating into being a teen and what you leave behind. I don't think imagination needs to be left behind. If it does get left behind we have no good authors and that would be sad.

This is a good read for upcoming Halloween if you want something a bit adventurous with an element of spooky. 

First Line:
"Poppy set down one of the mermaid dolls close to the stretch of asphalt road that represented the Blackest Sea."

Favorite Line:
"I'm just different like weird."

This is a Middle Grade Monday Post feel free to link your middle grade reviews/news below :) 

(doesn't have to be posted on a Monday)

Review: Winger - Andrew Smith

Where I got it: Library
Rating: 5 stars  
Cover Rating: 5 stars (This is simply fantastic.)
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: May 14, 2013
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Page Count: 439 p.
Add it: Goodreads

Ryan Dean West doesn't have it easy. He's fourteen, a junior and stuck at a boarding school for delinquents. Everyone makes fun of him for being so young. He wants Annie, but she just sees him as an adorable little boy. Ryan Dean West has decided to take Annie's advice and "grow up" or at least grow a pair of balls. This is his year and he's going to make some changes.

Sometimes you are going along reading a perfectly good book and then all of a sudden the book changes. Maybe you don't even noticing it happening, but all of a sudden you're mind is someplace completely different than where you started this book. Andrew Smith, is clearly made of some genius. By the end of this book, everything I thought it was about was wrong. By the time I saw it coming it was too late and my chest was already tight with ALL OF THE FEELINGS! This book is a roller coaster of emotions, so keep your arms and legs inside the car at all times and just enjoy the ride.

Ryan Dean West, oh how I love you. He made me laugh so much (well maybe giggle). He just felt so real and unscripted. He was such a little shit sometimes, but very true. I would have hung out with him if we went to the same school even if he is a bit pervy (aren't we all). The other characters in this novel were fantastic too. Each of them just worked so well and even if you couldn't like them they fit. Mostly, there are a couple of people I did not care for and began to loathe as the story progressed. There are just terrible people in the world and there's no avoiding that fact. Joey was a great mediator for all the crap that Ryan was stirring up. Ryan was just so lost and Joey was always there to try to set him straight.

Don't think this is just a book about the guy getting the girl though. If that's all you think this is you'll be very surprised. There are so many things that this book holds, I couldn't even begin to list them all. This book is a delicious rainbow cake. Layer after layer of scrumptious story cake. (Does that even make sense?) Anyways, this book is amazing and I'm too O_O to talk rationally about it. I also don't want to spoil a glorious (tear-filled) second of it. If you want a book to make you feel all of the things. Do not miss reading this one.

First Line:
"I said a silent prayer."

Favorite Lines:
"I said, 'Okay. I don't care. I lose.'"

"'The Wild Boy of Bainbridge Island doesn't talk,' I said. 'He grunts.'"

Top Ten Tuesday

This week's topic is:

Top Ten Character Names I love...

Sebastian - The Nature of Jade by Deb Caletti

Margot - Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Jericho - The Diviners by Libba Bray

Étienne - Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Augustus - The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Tristan - Tristan and Iseuldt by M. Joseph Bedier
Mara Dyer - The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
Atticus - To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Tobias - Divergent by Veronica Roth
Gemma - A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

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 Got This Week

Library:

It totally pays to be Head of Young Adult Services at a library.

That's what I got this week, what did you all get? 

Review: The Truth About You and Me - Amanda Grace

Where I got it: Library
Rating: 2.5 stars  
Cover Rating: 4.5 stars (Sexy. I like it a lot.)
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: September 8, 2013
Publisher: Flux
Page Count: 229 p.
Add it: Goodreads

Madelyn starts attending college at sixteen. She's too smart to stay in regular school especially if she can get a jumpstart on her degree and therefore, her career. This is everything she's always wanted right? She meets Bennett at the college and they just seem to get each other. For the first time she has some one she can talk to and who will listen. A few snags in their relationship are that he thinks she's college-aged...and he's her professor. Madelyn tries to make those things disappear, because she doesn't think they matter. She wants him to know the truth, but she can't stand the thought of losing him. She doesn't know how to proceed without ruining everything, but you can't control everything.

I simply did not like Madelyn. She was manipulative the entire time. I know that she never necessarily lied outright, but it's a big deal. She knew what she was doing was wrong and could destroy Bennett and she simply did not care enough.

This was certainly an interesting take on the student-teacher relationship. A different set of events and all. I just didn't feel it between them. It seemed more like casual dating than the throw-caution-to-the-wind romance that Madelyn had come up with in her head. She was obsessed with him because she clearly had nothing better to do. The very first person to pay attention to her and she's convinced they are meant to be together forever. This could have easily turned into Swim Fan.

I guess the reason I didn't like this book is that it lacked emotion. I didn't like Madelyn and therefore didn't feel for her imagined turmoil. I just wanted her to grow up. The format was nice and the concept was fascinating, but maybe I missed the whole point of the novel. I just wanted more to happen. I wanted consequences, I wanted some FEELING. Mostly though I just felt annoyed. Maybe someone under parental pressure like Madelyn will be able to relate with her and I think that would make a world of difference in enjoying this story. I simply didn't like her and that made the story fall flat.

First Line:
"Dear Bennett, You might not read this, but maybe they will, and maybe somehow that will help you."

Favorite Line:
"You have to be perfect, and if you aren't, well, you better fake it pretty damn well."

Top Ten Tuesday

This week's topic is:

Top Ten Five books I was forced to read
I couldn't really think of 10 that I was forced to read and actually read. I mean, we had a ton of required reading, but most of it I just didn't bother to actually read.

Graceling - Kristin Cashore (Forced to read by: Megan, a co-worker)

She is totally in love with this series (and huge books) and kept telling me I should read this. I finally relented (and picked it for our feminist book group) and was so confused on why I had waited so long to read this. 

The Bone Season - Samantha Shannon (Forced to read by: Jenna, my boss)

She walked into work and said "This is so good, Brittany read it so we can discuss it". It sounded pretty good so I put it next on my list. 

The End Games - T. Michael Martin (Forced to read by: Jenna, my boss)

This one I felt I really had no choice about. Jenna walked in frustrated and rant-y and passed me the book is was like "You need to read this and then we'll discuss because..." and then little anger squiggly marks rose above her head. 

The Hollow - Jessica Verday (Forced to read by: Julia, an old co-worker/Teen)

She really loved this book. And I promised her when she went away to college I would read it and we could discuss on her first break. I forgot about this and on her first day back she asked me about it and I promptly read it the next day. It was really good.

Ender's Game - Orson Scott Car (Forced to read by: Michael, my boyfriend)

To be honest, he's not very forceful. Mostly he just mentioned it a lot and said I should probably read it. So soon after he read it I devoured it. It's a fantastic book. 

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 Got This Week

Won:

Thanks EpicReads

Resist - Sarah Crossan

That's what I got this week, what did you all get?

Nail Art Friday

This week's manicure I'm super excited about because I think it came out really neat. It's for the book 3:59 by Gretchen McNeil.

For my right hand I did all black and then one silver for the mirror.

If you want to know about my base and top coat check out the my previous Nail Art.
For this I mixed Sinful Colors "Rise and Shine" with Sally Hansen Insta-dri "Lightening" to get the green on the first two nails. Then I used wet n' wild fastdry "Ebony Hates Chris" for the black bits. I used Sally Hansen nail art pen in salmon for the colon then dots of white in the middle of the colon then the white for the numbers. The silver I used is an old one that no longer has a label so *shrugs* it is very shiny though and I love it. 

Review: 3:59 - Gretchen McNeil

Where I got it: Library
Rating: 4 stars  
Cover Rating: 4.5 stars (I like it, but it's weird if you look at the spine from an angle. Tooo many partial faces.)
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: September 17, 2013
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Page Count: 359 p.
Add it: Goodreads

Josie's life has sort of sucked lately. Her boyfriend, her parents, her physics teacher, everything that could go wrong is going wrong. That's when she starts having dreams about another girl. This girl's name is Jo and she's almost just like Josie. Jo is popular, has a great boyfriend and great parents. It's the life that Josie wants. Then she notices something kind of strange. These dreams all happen at 3:59, morning or afternoon doesn't seem to matter only it's that exact minute. When she starts seeing Jo in her mirror, Josie knows something strange is going on. She's not sure if it's strange bad or if it could turn out to be something really good.

I wasn't hooked into this story until about halfway through. It was good enough. I enjoyed the concept and all, but I just wasn't hooked. I found things to be a bit predictable and therefore wasn't really wowed by anything. Then, all of a sudden I was unable to put this book down. So much was happening. So many pieces came out of the woodwork and the book managed to surprise me. In the end I ended up really enjoying this book.

One thing I didn't love was Josie. I'm confused on how such a smart girl can be so trivial. She's so smart that she trying to prove and unprovable physics theory, but she can't get over her boy troubles. I realize that what happened totally sucks, but move on. She's so smart and Nick does not seem even a little bit smart. How did they even end up dating? If Josie is BFFs with Penelope shouldn't she just keep hanging out with m ore people like them. I mean how is she friends with Madison? What do they talk about. I totally understand having a diverse group of friends, but it just seems crazy how terrible Madison and Nick are and I don't get how they fit into Josie's world.

I also wish there were more mysteries that weren't super easy to guess and figure out. I guess it wouldn't have been so bad if I wasn't constantly waiting for Josie to catch up. Is she only good at science and not common sense? It seemed that way. There was one thing in particular where I was just staring at her in my mind going "Oh really, nothing like that at home Josie...REALLY?!" I just don't see how she could forget about it. There were actually many times where I just looked at Josie dumbfounded that she hadn't thought something through very well. (kissing *cough* corpse *cough*)

Gretchen McNeil made a lot of gutsy decision in the last third of the book and while I hate her for them I also secretly love her for them. They were bold and gave the book that little push and believability. If you're looking for something to give you the creeps and challenge you brain (not that I understood a lick of what they were talking about) definitely check this one out. Stick with it too, because you might be pleasantly surprised if you don't quit too soon.

First Line:
"Josie crouched behind the photon laser module and aligned it with the beam splitter at the other end of the lab table." 

Favorite Line: (some lines were a bit too spoilery, so description it is)
"Unlike the metal walls of the warehouse, this room had been constructed with wooden beams, and slivers of grayish-blue moonlight filtered in through the weathered slats."

Top Ten Tuesday

This week's topic is:

Top Ten best/worse series endings! (real post)
Top Ten Series I will finish sometime in the soon-ish future 
When I saw this weeks prompt I thought about all the series that I have actually finished. This took about 2 seconds because I've only finished a handful...three? So, I thought I would steal this excellent prompt That Jaime at The Perpetual Page Turner did this week for pretty much the same reason. 

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 Got This Week

For Review:

Thanks to AmazonVine and Little, Brown & Company

The Ghost in the Glass House - Carey Wallace

In a 1920s seaside town, Clare discovers a mysterious glass house in the backyard of her new summer home. There she falls in love with Jack, the ghost of a boy who can’t remember who he was before he died. Their romance is a haven for her from the cruel pranks of her society friends, especially her best friend, Bridget, who can’t wait to grow up and embark on romances of her own. As Clare begins to suspect an affair between her mother and Bridget's father, she retreats to the glass house. But that haven begins to crack when she realizes that Jack has lied to her about his name . . . From a dazzling and fearless new voice comes a shimmering story full of wonder and mystery, in a world where every character is haunted by lingering ghosts of love.

The Beginning of Everything - Robyn Schneider

Golden boy Ezra Faulkner believes everyone has a tragedy waiting for them—a single encounter after which everything that really matters will happen. His particular tragedy waited until he was primed to lose it all: in one spectacular night, a reckless driver shatters Ezra’s knee, his athletic career, and his social life. 

No longer a front-runner for Homecoming King, Ezra finds himself at the table of misfits, where he encounters new girl Cassidy Thorpe. Cassidy is unlike anyone Ezra’s ever met, achingly effortless, fiercely intelligent, and determined to bring Ezra along on her endless adventures. 

But as Ezra dives into his new studies, new friendships, and new love, he learns that some people, like books, are easy to misread. And now he must consider: if one’s singular tragedy has already hit and everything after it has mattered quite a bit, what happens when more misfortune strikes?

Burial Rites - Hannah Kent

Set against Iceland's stark landscape, Hannah Kent brings to vivid life the story of Agnes, who, charged with the brutal murder of her former master, is sent to an isolated farm to await execution. Horrified at the prospect of housing a convicted murderer, the family at first avoids Agnes. Only Tóti, a priest Agnes has mysteriously chosen to be her spiritual guardian, seeks to understand her. But as Agnes's death looms, the farmer's wife and their daughters learn there is another side to the sensational story they've heard.

That's what I got this week, what did you all get?

Nail Art Friday

This week I was inspired to do my nails based on the cover of The Bone Season. It has a lot going on and I thought it would be neat to pull a few images from it and remake them.

I started with Revlon Base Coat. Then I mixed the Revlon Indigo Night and wet n wild Ebony Hates Chris. Then I sponged that on all of my nails. Looking back I feel like I should have started with a base of the blue before sponging it on. for the flower I used a paint brush and wet n wild Everybody Loves Redmond to paint on the flower. For the arrows and the anchor I used a paint brush and Sally Hansen Golden-I. I outlined everything with the Blue Nail Art Pen to make it pop a little. I topped it all off with Seche Vite. 

Review: The Bone Season - Samantha Shannon

Where I got it: Library
Rating: 4 stars  
Cover Rating: 4.5 stars (I really enjoy this.)
Genre: Adult
Publication Date: August 20, 2013
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Page Count: 466 p.
Add it: Goodreads

In 2059 most of the world is controlled by Scion. Scion's goal is to wipe the world clean of clairvoyants, or unnaturals as they call them. Paige is one of these unnaturals, a rare breed called dreamwalkers. She has extraordinary abilities and therefore puts her in danger. She gets arrested and brought to the old city of Oxford. This isn't what she expected to happen and what she finds there she can barely comprehend. Instead of being killed like she thought her and the other clairvoyants are slaves to these otherworldly creatures. She is singled out though and is paired up with Warden. She has to learn all she can about these creatures and their weaknesses if she is to survive and break through to freedom.

What an intriguing tale. It almost felt sort of like a Harry Potter for adults. I enjoyed Paige as a character even if she was quite bull-headed at times. She seemed like a good heroine, not too cocky but full of power. It also didn't seem like she was purposefully being stubborn about her ability. She wasn't refusing what she clearly knew, she just didn't know her own strength because she had never experienced it.

The beginning of this novel was a bit tough because it seemed like a world building info-dump. Maybe I just haven't read too many books with other worlds, but this seemed very heavy in the beginning. I like the world that Samantha Shannon has created, though I would no like to live in it. There were lots of new concepts brought to the table in this novel and I am excited to see more.

There are many, many more books after this one and while I am looking forward to reading them, I might wait until they are all published. I just really feel like the rest would make a good binge read. I thought this book wrapped up nicely though, so if you wanted to see if you liked it there is no obligation to read all the other ones in order to finish. This was a really interesting and action-packed novel and I look forward to the rest.

First Line:
"I like to imagine there were more of us in the beginning."

Favorite Line:
"His breath was hot."

Waiting on Wednesday

This week I'm waiting on No One Else Can Have You. I adore this cover! Also, did you know that if you pre-order this book and e-mail Kathleen Hale she will draw you a monster?! How awesome is that? This book comes out in January 2014, right around the corner so make sure you check it out. 


Small towns are nothing if not friendly. Friendship, Wisconsin (population: 688) is no different.

Around here, everyone wears a smile. And no one ever locks their doors. Until, that is, high school sweetheart Ruth Fried is found murdered. Strung up like a scarecrow in the middle of a cornfield.

Unfortunately, Friendship’s police are more adept at looking for lost pets than catching killers. So Ruth’s best friend, Kippy Bushman, armed with only her tenacious Midwestern spirit and Ruth’s secret diary (which Ruth’s mother had asked her to read in order to redact any, you know, sex parts), sets out to find the murderer. But in a quiet town like Friendship—where no one is a suspect—anyone could be the killer.

 

"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 Book Turn-offs

no real plot - Sometimes books happen but nothing happens within the pages. There are some characters and they do things but really, nothing happens. 

generic blurbs - "The next Hunger Games!" "The next Twilight!" "Vampires!" "Letters that form words that form sentences!" "Characters!" Why bother?

terrible names - There are some names I simply hate and if I start a book and a major character has that name, I have a really hard time reading it. Also if the names are just ridiculous and unpronounceable for the sake of being ridiculous. 

snobish narrator - If I have to listen to the narrator tell me this story and they look down on everyone and everything I have a really hard time powering through because I hate them. I don't care about them or what they are saying and therefore will not enjoy the book. 

bad cover - This may be shallow but I want to read a book with a great cover. It doesn't have to be earth-shattering, but if it looks like you made it in Paint I'll pass. 

too many talking animals - Sometimes it's fitting to have talking animals (Alice in Wonderland). But, if your animals could have easily been humans instead, no thanks. Unless it fits the style of the book or is symbolic in some way, please just make them people. 

poor editing - Having poor editing in your book makes me feel like you don't think I'm worth a second glance. A lot of mistakes I see could have been saved with a simple read through. 

preachy - I don't want a book telling me what to think or how to conduct my life. Lessons are fine, drilling them into my brain for 400 pages is not. 

trying to hard to be something it's not - You're either writing a funny, sad, dark, mysterious, book or you're not. Don't try too hard to make your book fit into a certain category, just write the damn book. 

hypocritical narrator - If a narrator is bitching about someone doing something and they are also doing that same thing I just want to shake them. 

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.