Review: Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause

Title: Blood and Chocolate

Author: Annette Curtis Klause

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Publishing Date: August 11, 1997

Pages/Format: 264, Paperback
Add on Goodreads!

Vivian Gandillon relishes the change, the sweet, fierce ache that carries her from girl to wolf. At sixteen, she is beautiful and strong, and all the young wolves are on her tail. But Vivian still grieves for her dead father; her pack remains leaderless and in disarray, and she feels lost in the suburbs of Maryland. She longs for a normal life. But what is normal for a werewolf?

Then Vivian falls in love with a human, a meat-boy. Aiden is kind and gentle, a welcome relief from the squabbling pack. He's fascinated by magic, and Vivian longs to reveal herself to him. Surely he would understand her and delight in the wonder of her dual nature, not fear her as an ordinary human would.

Vivian's divided loyalties are strained further when a brutal murder threatens to expose the pack. Moving between two worlds, she does not seem to belong in either. What is she really--human or beast? Which tastes sweeter--blood or chocolate?

Book in One Word: Notwithstanding

Waiting on Wednesday (175)

is a weekly feature hosted by Breaking the Spine that 
showcases upcoming releases people are very much anticipating.

I am, in fact, a horrible person. Why? Because I am hideously behind on this author's contemporaries (I've only read her first and second) and that's a damn shame because her contemporaries are some of the utmost best. They're cotton candy and that scene from Despicable Me in the fluff department, and the romance is always adorable, stellar, and oh so feelsy. I've been in the mood for such contemps lately, and this author's fit the bill perfectly. I just need to get them all. And her latest one? Oh my gosh. It takes place in a LIBRARY, OKAY? So I would like it now, please. And thank you. Because I just really need this book by my side.

Top Ten Tuesday (175)

is a weekly feature created by The Broke and the Bookish.

This Tuesday's theme is...

Some Top Parrgh Mateys

Ahoy, mateys! Today is a fantastic day because it's International Talk Like a Pirate Day. So of course I had to do something for it on the blog since prates are so freaking cool. Sure, they can be brute and vicious and filthy and need their mouths washed out with soap, but they can also be misunderstood creatures with fragile hearts and sensitive souls hidden under all that roughness. (Aaand it doesn't hurt that they can be easy on the eyes.) I've compiled a list of books I've read featuring pirates (honestly and sadly, there aren't that many) who are more than just pirates: they bring something extra to the ship and are bits of treasure, and I would maaaybe join their crews. But don't worry: they'll still threaten to make you walk the plank (and shove a sword through your rib cage) if need be.

The Weekly Forecast (7)

Welcome to a new (and hopefully) weekly feature of sorts here on Beauty and the Bookshelf: The Weekly Forecast! (Name possibly still tentative.) I've been reworking the blog a bit, trying to post more and be consistent, but also to post more than reviews and the same two memes every week (assuming I even post anything during a week). Then I thought of The Weekly Forecast, a way to recap what I did on the blog (and maybe even read and watched and listened to?) the week before, and then to forecast what will be on the blog the coming week. The latter could be helpful because it keeps me in check, kind of: if I tell you I'm going to post a review this week then now I basically have to post a review this week. But first: let me tell you what happened on the blog last week.

I fell a wee bit behind this week since I was late on one post and YouTube is a bitch taking hours to upload one damn video. And I still haven't reviewed Empire of Storms because I don't want to write it. For REASONS.

The Various Editions of Empire of Storms

In case you missed it, there are approximately 3,000 editions of Empire of Storms, the fifth installment (The Assassin's Blade aside) in Sarah J. Maas's Throne of Glass series. We're not going to talk about how I feel about there being so many editions because I already discussed that here. Just know this: I'll be owning them all. (Yes, I'm insane, but that's beside the point.) But since I'll be owning all the special editions and not everyone wants to/can, I thought I'd help some people out by comparing the various editions and helping you decide which edition is best for you.

Editing for Bookstagram: A Ritual

Hiiiiiiiii! In case you didn't know, there's this great big thing over on Instagram called #bookstagram. (Think #catsofinstagram or #foodgram, but with books!) I looove bookstagram and the outlet it is for books, making friends, and fueling creativity. This is mine:

Review: Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

Title: Stalking Jack the Ripper

Author: Kerri Maniscalco

Publisher: Jimmy Patterson

Publishing Date: September 20, 2016

Pages/Format: 336, ARC
Add on Goodreads!

Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord's daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life.

Against her stern father's wishes and society's expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle's laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world.

Book in One Word: Deceiving!

From Page to Controller: Books as Video Games

Happy National Video Games Day, readers! I, myself, am not very big on video games. I've played Sims, some Halo with my brother, and stuff like Mario Kart--and, back in the day on my cousin's Xbox, Roller Coaster Tycoon. And I occasionally get obsessed with Zoo Tycoon on my computer, but otherwise I'm not much of a gamer. I am, however--and clearly--a very big reader. And since today is National Video Games Day and I've been trying to do more on my blog, I thought it'd be fun to combine video games and books! I'm no good for comparing the two, but I can do something else: put together a little list of some books that might, in my personal opinion, make fun and engaging video games.

The Weekly Forecast (6)

Welcome to a new (and hopefully) weekly feature of sorts here on Beauty and the Bookshelf: The Weekly Forecast! (Name possibly still tentative.) I've been reworking the blog a bit, trying to post more and be consistent, but also to post more than reviews and the same two memes every week (assuming I even post anything during a week). Then I thought of The Weekly Forecast, a way to recap what I did on the blog (and maybe even read and watched and listened to?) the week before, and then to forecast what will be on the blog the coming week. The latter could be helpful because it keeps me in check, kind of: if I tell you I'm going to post a review this week then now I basically have to post a review this week. But first: let me tell you what happened on the blog last week.

This week was...not a good blogging week. All my focus was on rereading the Throne of Glass books on time (which I did do!) and reading Empire of Storms, and even though I finished the latter Wednesday night, for some reason I didn't get any blogging done the rest of the week. But blogging should definitely be more consistent this week and beyond!

Waiting on Wednesday (174)

is a weekly feature hosted by Breaking the Spine that 
showcases upcoming releases people are very much anticipating.

The '80s + music + romance = here for this.

Top Ten Tuesday (174)

is a weekly feature created by The Broke and the Bookish.

This Tuesday's theme is...

The Weekly Forecast (5)

Welcome to a new (and hopefully) weekly feature of sorts here on Beauty and the Bookshelf: The Weekly Forecast! (Name possibly still tentative.) I've been reworking the blog a bit, trying to post more and be consistent, but also to post more than reviews and the same two memes every week (assuming I even post anything during a week). Then I thought of The Weekly Forecast, a way to recap what I did on the blog (and maybe even read and watched and listened to?) the week before, and then to forecast what will be on the blog the coming week. The latter could be helpful because it keeps me in check, kind of: if I tell you I'm going to post a review this week then now I basically have to post a review this week. But first: let me tell you what happened on the blog last week.

I fell off the bandwagon this week and missed one post and changed the day for another, but in my defense, I've been trying to get the Throne of Glass books reread in time for Empire of Storms and don't want to blog when I could be spending that time reading. (Especially when I'm so impossibly behind on my reread.)

Blog Tour: Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi

Hello, all you magical beings! When I got an email asking if I'd like to be part of the Furthermore blog tour I had to apologize for being unprofessional as I screamed yes. I loved Tahereh Mafi's Shatter Me series, and I'm super excited to see what she's bringing to the world of fun and fantasmical Middle Grade novels--and also, that cover. For my stop on the blog tour it's all about getting crafty, and there just so happens to be one very cool giveaway just for one of you, courtesy of Penguin Random House--so look just a little bit further and enter away!

August Rewind

I'm just really thrilled to be posting this on time!