Fun fact: Besides being a reader and a blogger, I aspire to be a published author. Sooo. Here are a few tidbits about my writing process and the story(ies) that live in my head.
Mar 31, 2014
Mar 29, 2014
Song As Old As Rhyme: WTF Is This?
Oh, come on. You know that there's at least one song you love that is just plain weird. But you know what? Weird is AWESOME. And therefore, scientifically, so are these songs. Now, I know some of them sound like complete WTFery. But if you listen, you'll hear them do wonders for your ears.
Mar 28, 2014
Review: Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's
Publishing Date: August 27, 2013
Pages/Format: 420, Hardcover
An assassin’s loyalties are always in doubt.
But her heart never wavers.
After a year of hard labor in the Salt Mines of Endovier, eighteen-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien has won the king's contest to become the new royal assassin. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown – a secret she hides from even her most intimate confidantes.
Keeping up the deadly charade—while pretending to do the king's bidding—will test her in frightening new ways, especially when she's given a task that could jeopardize everything she's come to care for. And there are far more dangerous forces gathering on the horizon—forces that threaten to destroy her entire world, and will surely force Celaena to make a choice.
Where do the assassin’s loyalties lie, and who is she most willing to fight for?
Book in One Word: CANNOT.
But her heart never wavers.
After a year of hard labor in the Salt Mines of Endovier, eighteen-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien has won the king's contest to become the new royal assassin. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown – a secret she hides from even her most intimate confidantes.
Keeping up the deadly charade—while pretending to do the king's bidding—will test her in frightening new ways, especially when she's given a task that could jeopardize everything she's come to care for. And there are far more dangerous forces gathering on the horizon—forces that threaten to destroy her entire world, and will surely force Celaena to make a choice.
Where do the assassin’s loyalties lie, and who is she most willing to fight for?
Book in One Word: CANNOT.
Mar 27, 2014
Blog Tour: Before They Find Us by Michelle A. Hansen
Hello, book seekers! Welcome to my stop on the book tour for Before They Find Us by Michelle A. Hansen, hosted by Xpresso Book Tours! I have an awesome interview with the author of this thriller, plus a super cool giveaway, so be sure to check it out (or else they'll find you!)!
Mar 26, 2014
Waiting on Wednesday (75)
Waiting on Wednesday
is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine
that showcases upcoming releases
that showcases upcoming releases
that people are very much anticipating.
There's something I really liked about the first book in this series (and it crosses my mind from time to time, prompting a possible reread). Either way, I reaaally want to read the sequel. Also, I NEED ANSWERS!
Mar 25, 2014
Review: Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige
Author: Danielle Paige
Publisher: Harper Teen
Publishing Date: April 1, 2014
Pages/Format: 432, ARC
I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask to be some kind of hero.
But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado—taking you with it—you have no choice but to go along, you know?
Sure, I've read the books. I've seen the movies. I know the song about the rainbow and the happy little blue birds. But I never expected Oz to look like this. To be a place where Good Witches can't be trusted, Wicked Witches may just be the good guys, and winged monkeys can be executed for acts of rebellion. There's still the yellow brick road, though—but even that's crumbling.
What happened?
Dorothy. They say she found a way to come back to Oz. They say she seized power and the power went to her head. And now no one is safe.
My name is Amy Gumm—and I'm the other girl from Kansas.
I've been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked.
I've been trained to fight.
And I have a mission:
Remove the Tin Woodman's heart.
Steal the Scarecrow's brain.
Take the Lion's courage.
Then and only then—Dorothy must die!
Book in One Word: Hmmm...
But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado—taking you with it—you have no choice but to go along, you know?
Sure, I've read the books. I've seen the movies. I know the song about the rainbow and the happy little blue birds. But I never expected Oz to look like this. To be a place where Good Witches can't be trusted, Wicked Witches may just be the good guys, and winged monkeys can be executed for acts of rebellion. There's still the yellow brick road, though—but even that's crumbling.
What happened?
Dorothy. They say she found a way to come back to Oz. They say she seized power and the power went to her head. And now no one is safe.
My name is Amy Gumm—and I'm the other girl from Kansas.
I've been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked.
I've been trained to fight.
And I have a mission:
Remove the Tin Woodman's heart.
Steal the Scarecrow's brain.
Take the Lion's courage.
Then and only then—Dorothy must die!
Book in One Word: Hmmm...
Top Ten Tuesday (77)
Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature meme created by The Broke and the Bookish.
This Tuesday's theme is...
Top Ten Things On
My Bookish Bucket List
My Bookish Bucket List
Mar 23, 2014
Sunday Spinetry (9)
Sunday Spinetry is a weekly meme hosted by, well, me!
For all the details on Sunday Spinetry, just go here!
Mar 21, 2014
Song As Old As Rhyme: Feel Good Tracks
You know those songs you listen to that just make you want to be at an outdoor concert, waving your hands in the air and feeling the music? Yeah, THOSE songs. Here are some of those feel good songs that are light and breezy and make me want to go for a drive in the sun and all that jazz.
Mar 19, 2014
Waiting on Wednesday (74)
Waiting on Wednesday
is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine
that showcases upcoming releases
that showcases upcoming releases
that people are very much anticipating.
Cheating because I already got this on NetGalley, but EDGAR ALLAN POE AND ANNABEL LEE, YES PLEASE!
Mar 18, 2014
Top Ten Tuesday (76)
Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature meme created by The Broke and the Bookish.
This Tuesday's theme is...
Top Ten Books On My
Spring 2014 TBR List
Spring 2014 TBR List
Mar 17, 2014
Review: Vicious by V.E. Schwab
Author: V.E. Schwab
Publisher: Tor
Publishing Date: September 24, 2013
Pages/Format: 364, Hardcover
A masterful, twisted tale of ambition, jealousy, betrayal, and superpowers, set in a near-future world.
Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong. Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?
In Vicious, V. E. Schwab brings to life a gritty comic-book-style world in vivid prose: a world where gaining superpowers doesn’t automatically lead to heroism, and a time when allegiances are called into question.
Initial Reaction of Book in One Word: Good.
Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong. Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?
In Vicious, V. E. Schwab brings to life a gritty comic-book-style world in vivid prose: a world where gaining superpowers doesn’t automatically lead to heroism, and a time when allegiances are called into question.
Initial Reaction of Book in One Word: Good.
Mar 14, 2014
An Interview With...Myself?
I couldn't think of what to post on the blog today, but then I thought, "Hey, what about an interview...with myself?" So I interviewed myself. I apologize now.
Mar 13, 2014
Review: The Savages by Matt Whyman
Author: Matt Whyman
Publisher: Overlook Juvenile
Publishing Date: March 6, 2014
Pages/Format: 288, ARC
The Savage family is close-knit, but everyone has something to hide—from father Titus’s shady business dealings, to mother Angelica’s dangerously compulsive shopping habits, to 12-year-old Ivan’s increasingly lethal pranks. But teenager Sasha’s secret trumps them all: she is dating a vegetarian. This trait will never fly with the rest of the Savages, who are…uniquely carnivorous.
Problems start to pile up. Sasha’s boyfriend convinces her to try going vegetarian for a month, but then leaves her for a vegan vigilante. Angelica attempts to pay her mounting credit card bill by allowing commercials to film in the family home, until one of Ivan’s pranks leaves a model dead in their bathroom. A detective hired to investigate Titus’s predatory business affairs notices the model’s disappearance, and starts to think that there may be something more sinister to the perfect-seeming Savages.
He’s right, of course—they’re cannibals.
Book in One Word: Interesting...
Problems start to pile up. Sasha’s boyfriend convinces her to try going vegetarian for a month, but then leaves her for a vegan vigilante. Angelica attempts to pay her mounting credit card bill by allowing commercials to film in the family home, until one of Ivan’s pranks leaves a model dead in their bathroom. A detective hired to investigate Titus’s predatory business affairs notices the model’s disappearance, and starts to think that there may be something more sinister to the perfect-seeming Savages.
He’s right, of course—they’re cannibals.
Book in One Word: Interesting...
Mar 12, 2014
Waiting on Wednesday (73)
Waiting on Wednesday
is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine
that showcases upcoming releases
that showcases upcoming releases
that people are very much anticipating.
This book sounds creep and scary and awesome and I WANT IT.
Mar 11, 2014
Top Ten Tuesday (75)
Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature meme created by The Broke and the Bookish.
This Tuesday's theme is...
Top Ten All-Time
Favorite Contemporaries
Favorite Contemporaries
Mar 8, 2014
Cover Reveal: Mortal Gods by Kendare Blake
Hello, bookish people of the universe! I have a totally awesome cover reveal for you today, plus a super special treat. Gods and goddesses, here's the cover for Mortal Gods, the sequel to Antigoddess by Kendare Blake!
Mar 6, 2014
Blog Tour: Tremor by Patrick Carman
Hello, people of the bookiverse! Welcome to my stop on the Book Nerd Tours blog tour for Tremor, the second book in Patrick Carman's Pulse trilogy! I have an awesome guest post from Patrick, plus a super cool giveaway, so be sure to check it out!
Mar 5, 2014
Waiting on Wednesday (72)
Waiting on Wednesday
is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine
that showcases upcoming releases
that showcases upcoming releases
that people are very much anticipating.
I haven't been a reader of MG, but this year I'm making an exception. I want to venture into more types of books, and anyway, I CANNOT RESIST all these awesome sounding books. And the following book? It sounds SUPER AWESOME. Like, GIVE IT TO ME NOW.
Mar 4, 2014
Review: The Cellar by Natasha Preston
Author: Natasha Preston
Publisher: Source-books Fire
Publishing Date: March 1, 2014
Pages/Format: 368, eARC
When sixteen-year-old Summer Robinson goes missing one night, her family, friends and boyfriend are devastated. Nothing ever happens in Long Thorpe, so the disappearance of a school girl shocks the whole community. The police waste no time in launching a search and investigation, but with nothing to go on and no trace of Summer, hopes of finding her quickly fade.
Colin Brown, is a thirty-year-old solicitor living alone after the death of his mother. He suffered a traumatic and abusive childhood, and is left with no sense of right or wrong. Desperate for the perfect family, Colin, referring to himself as Clover, turns to drastic measures to get what he wants.
Book in One Word: MUGH.*
Colin Brown, is a thirty-year-old solicitor living alone after the death of his mother. He suffered a traumatic and abusive childhood, and is left with no sense of right or wrong. Desperate for the perfect family, Colin, referring to himself as Clover, turns to drastic measures to get what he wants.
Book in One Word: MUGH.*
Top Ten Tuesday (74)
Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature meme created by The Broke and the Bookish.
This Tuesday's theme is...
Top Ten Popular Authors
I've Never Read
I've Never Read
Mar 1, 2014
Farewell February, Onward March
It's time to say goodbye to February and hello to March (already, holy crap!). I've decided to start a new little thing on Beauty and the Bookshelf--monthly recaps! I'll share some things about the last month, and I'll also share what I'm looking forward to in the next one. So, without further adieu, farewell, February! And onward to March!
