Christmas Song Book Tag

Original Tag by HailsHeartsNYC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CXZz...

Questions: 

1. "You're a Mean One Mr. Grinch"

Name a villainous character you couldn't help but love.    

Gavriel from The Coldest Girl in Coldtown

A morally grey character with a sense of honor and humor

2. "All I Want for Christmas is You"

Which book to you most hope to see under your Christmas tree?

The new illustrated Harry Potter books

The illustrations are exquisite.

3. "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer"

Name a character that overcomes major obstacles and learns to believe in themselves.

Odilia from Summer of the Mariposas

I literally just finished reading this one.  The main character is a good female role model for teen girls, not because she is perfect, but because she grows.

4. "Santa Claus is Coming to Town"

a) Which character do you think would be on the top of the naughty list?  

Rhys from A Court of Mist and Fury

Even though this second book tries to turn him into a saint, in my mind he is still a bit wicked.

b) Which character do you think would be at the top of the nice list?  

Gansey from The Raven Cycle series

Gansey is the definition of a nice guy.

5. "Frosty the Snowman"

Which book just melts your heart.  

Every Heart A Doorway 

I am not entirely sure this is my best answer but it definitely has a special place in my heart.  As soon as I read it I knew I had to own it.

6. "Feliz Navidad"

Choose a book that takes place in a country other than your own.  

The Girl Who Played with Fire

This is one of my favorite reads of 2017.

7. "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year"

Which holiday themed book do you use to spread the Christmas joy?   

A Christmas Carol

This is my all time forever favorite holiday tale.  I read, watch, listen in one form or another every year.  A ghost story for Christmas!

8. "Sleigh Ride"

Which fictional character would you choose to spend the holidays with (doesn't have to be a love interest!)  

The March Family from Little Women

I am dating myself with this one but it doesn't matter.   Before the Weasley's, the Beasleys, The Wards and The Bradys,  The March Family was my ideal.

9. "Baby it's Cold Outside"

Which book that you didn't like would you sacrifice to a fire to warm yourself up in the cold?  

Wolf Gift by Anne Rice 

Disclaimer:  I never finished this book.

It was so awful I just couldn't.

This is a Booktube tag but I thought it would be fun to try on the blog.  I intend to do more but this one fits the season at the moment.

Quarterly Reading Wrap Up

Dear Readers,
It has been several months since my last wrap up and since I have only been averaging two to three books per month, I have decided to go to a quarterly wrap up.  This post will cover the books I have read June through September.

Two graphic novels which were reviewed on the prior post so I won't rehash them here except to say I  did rate them 4 and 5 on GoodReads.

One contemporary Romance and one Historical Fiction/Fantasy Mash-up

I would have dnf'd Natural History of Dragons if I hadn't been listening on audio book and it was marginally better than sitting in traffic listening to commercials on the radio.  For me, the title should have been "How to make dragons the most boring subject ever studied".  The positives were the chapter titles; they were the most entertaining part of the story.  The negatives - there was a plot, even a mystery but a complete lack of action to reach the conclusion.  This book is the start of a series I will not be continuing with.
The Edge of Winter by Luanne Rice was ok.  I was reading it for over a year because it was just a book I picked up during lunch on my work from home days and it never got compelling enough to make me pick it up any other time.  The positives were the setting (Rhode Island) , a WWII subplot (German U-boat that sank off the coast), and interesting facts about the regional coastal birds.  The negatives were the completely predictable romantic story arc and the lack of depth to the characters.  I didn't care about the outcome because I never really got invested in the characters.  It improved toward the end but Luanne Rice has definitely written better books.
I rated both of these a 2 but that seems unfair comparing them side by side; the first should be a 1.

7 YA Fantasy

Buddy reading through The Inheritance Cycle series and I have rated the first two books 3 but really it should be closer to 2.  It is about a boy who discovers a dragon egg that hatches for him and he becomes a Dragon Rider whose destiny is to fight the evil king with the help of humans, dwarves and elves. The first book was written when the author was 16 and borrows heavily from existing genre classics but it does a fairly good job of world building and setting up the larger story arc.  The second book develops the world further and creates story arcs for different characters.  My impressions of the first two books are that the world is interesting but not entirely original and the plot is fairly well thought out but there isn't a whole lot of action from chapter to chapter.  Eragon is quite possibly the stupidest main character and hero that I have ever read.  I don't dislike him but  all of the other characters are smarter than him.  However, we just started the 3rd book Brisingr and the first ten chapters are fantastic.  The author has definitely matured as a writer.

I have never read the complete Chronicles of Narnia, only The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.  I enjoyed The Magicians Nephew but it is not a very sophisticated story and I would recommend it for younger children.  The 'Genisis' re-imagining is lovely.
Caraval is a game and the winner gets one wish.  I love the magic of Caraval but the plot a very simplistic, predictable, and the conclusion is over explained.  I would recommend for the tween side of YA.
The Raven King is the 4th and final book in The Raven Cycle series.  I love the characters, the magical realism,  and the writing style in the series and I love the back stories that are filled in the final book.  However, the conclusion was kind of disappointing in multiple ways; one huge let down, one very predictable element, and the events at the conclusion were too rushed.  This is the weakest book in the series and it should have been the strongest.
Crooked Kingdom was a worthy follow up to Six of Crows.  More back story of the characters and the extreme twists and turns of the plot.  My only complaint is the last couple of chapters shouldn't exist. I would rather imagine what happens to everyone after the grand finale over being told in minute detail.
Finally I read 3 thrillers this quarter.

All three are worth a read.  Before the Fall is about plane crash with only 2 survivors and man who shouldn't have been on the flight and a little boy.  The plot is the investigation of why the plane crashed   This is very character driven and the ending was a little disappointing but overall I enjoyed it.
Station Eleven is science fiction / dystopian fiction (imagine everyone gets the flu and all the smart humans die) but there is definitely some thriller element to the plot and that was actually my favorite part of the story.
The Girl Who Played with Fire is hands down best book I have read all year.  I think it is even better than The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  I was on the edge of my seat almost the entire time.

Graphic Novels - Things I love in September

When I was growing up, comics were mostly for boys based on image style and story content (nothing that would interest me at all, manga was for a sophisticated nerds,  and graphic novels did not exist.  I have been aware for some time that has all changed.  The graphic novel in particular has emerged as genre that could appeal to all.  I have been intrigued to try one but also hesitant after all I love reading and reading is all about the words.  Still when I think back to my earliest favorite childhood story books the pictures were a big part of that enjoyment even after I could read.

When I saw this book it was the perfect opportunity to try the genre.  First of all,  it is a sequel to The Lunar Chronicle series that I finished earlier this year so I already know the backstory and the characters so it was an easy introduction.   The main detraction for me was the blue/black/orange color scheme but as I got into the story I quickly got over that.  The graphic novel is told from the point of view of Iko, an android with a "flawed" personality chip and one of my favorite characters.  What I liked:  The voices stayed true to the characters as I knew them from the story, the scene breaks were blank pages that looked like starry night sky, and Iko gets her own little storyline exploring what it means to be human or not.  I was excited to see that the story will be continued and I look forward to the next part.  Take aways from the first experience:  I need to consciously slow down and look at the images, not just race through the words. 

This book caught my eye on my next trip to the library, Through the Woods by Emily Carroll.   The illustrations are beautiful but macabre.  They remind me of Edward Gorey except the style is more painterly and the red is a dramatic addition to the black and white color scheme.  The stories are wonderfully creepy and probably would have terrified me as a kid.  This is a book I would own just for the art. 

Overall I enjoyed both of these books and I am looking forward to trying more graphic novels!

What Are You Reading Wednesdays (15)

What Are You Reading Wednesdays #WAYRW is a weekly feature on It’s A Reading Thing. Everyone is welcome to participate. You can answer the questions in the comments section of the weekly #WAYRW post or link back to your #WAYRW post on your blog in the comments section as well. 

How to participate:

Grab the book you are currently reading and answer three questions:
1. What’s the name of your current read?
2. Go to page 34 in your book or 34% in your eBook and share a couple of sentences.
3. Would you like to live in the world that exists within your book? Why or why not?

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

"When Scarlett was eight, to keep her from the shore, her father's guards warned her about the sparkling black sand of Del Ojos Beach.  'It's black because it's really the burnt remains of pirate skeletons.' they said. And being eight, and slightly more foolish than now, she believed them."

I am not sure yet; not enough of the world has been revealed at this point to know. The main characters are just now on their way to the island where Caraval takes place. It seems to be some kind of magical game and the winner will receive ' a wish'.  I don't know if the main story is about the game itself or what occurs after the game.

July Library Finds

You never know what you will find at the library these days.  There are always so many cool activities and events not to mention great books and freebies.

Mini Book Haul: Crooked Kingdom is for book club, Caraval is a new release that I have  seen hauled on Booktube.  I love the cover which reminds me of the Night Circus (uh-oh I better lower my expectations).  Station Eleven is a post-apocalyptic dystopian that has had great reviews from a wide variety of Booktubers.  This is audio CD and I hope it will be an engaging listen during my daily commute.

Picked up this cool bookmark in the YA section.

Bealeton Library still has a resident cat and every July is Christmas in July for Ernie where patrons are encouraged to donate supplies for him.  They have a Christmas tree and tags and on the back shows what item to bring and of course the cute tag is also a great bookmark.

How awesome is this!  An author is coming to discuss his book about Virginia BBQ and the Ruritans will be serving BBQ lunch (for a fee)!  This is taking meet the author to a whole new level!  If I go, I will post a follow up blog for sure.

What Are You Reading Wednesdays (14)

What Are You Reading Wednesdays #WAYRW is a weekly feature on It’s A Reading Thing. Everyone is welcome to participate. You can answer the questions in the comments section of the weekly #WAYRW post or link back to your #WAYRW post on your blog in the comments section as well. 

How to participate:

Grab the book you are currently reading and answer three questions:
1. What’s the name of your current read?
2. Go to page 34 in your book or 34% in your eBook and share a couple of sentences.
3. Would you like to live in the world that exists within your book? Why or why not?

Eldest by Christopher Paolini

"Live in the present, remember the past, and fear not the future, for it doesn't exist and never shall.  There is only now."

Yes.  Its a world with dragons, dwarves, elves, and magic.  Oh yeah there is an evil king with some pretty scary minions but magic, elves, dwarves and dragons!

May Wrap Up

Ok so it has been a slow reading month and for my Goodreads 2017 reading challenge I have only completed 16 out of 50 books (32%).

The Lantern is a YA Halloween story I got for free on my Kindle.  This is a cute story about a young man who is trapped inside a lantern; appropriate for tweens.

Another winner from Hugh Howey.  Character driven yet reads like a fast paced action story.  The main character is very likable guy with a lot of emotional baggage from and a wicked sense of humor.  Science fiction for readers who think they don't like science fiction.  4 stars.

What Are You Reading Wednesdays (13)

What Are You Reading Wednesdays #WAYRW is a weekly feature on It’s A Reading Thing. Everyone is welcome to participate. You can answer the questions in the comments section of the weekly #WAYRW post or link back to your #WAYRW post on your blog in the comments section as well. 

How to participate:

Grab the book you are currently reading and answer three questions:
1. What’s the name of your current read?
2. Go to page 34 in your book or 34% in your eBook and share a couple of sentences.
3. Would you like to live in the world that exists within your book? Why or why not?

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

"You...are more dangerous than daybreak."

"I bet you were a good girl back home, a good girl all your life until you finally met the trouble that you want to get into."

I would be lying if I didn't say, YES.  In case you didn't guess from the first quote, this is a vampire story.  This world is darker than the one in Twilight but not a brutal as Justin Cronin's series (I would never survive in that world).

March/April Reading Wrap Up

It's been two months since my last wrap up when I only had two books and now there are too many!

Library of Souls is the final book in the Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children Trilogy 4 Stars.  It had all the action and intensity of the first book that was very much lacking in the second.  If you liked the first book then be sure to read the third and final piece of the story.

If you are an old style Dean Koontz fan, this book may not be for you.  However, since I don't have a deep history with the author, I enjoyed this book.  The story is coherent and the main character is engaging.  My only issue is that the big reveal comes about 3/4 of the way through and it completely ruined the story for me.  From that point, I no longer cared what happened although I did read it to the end.  Also the last paragraph ends on a very jarring note which is probably supposed to make the reader go 'oooh' but really just feels like he forgot to write the next sentence.  3 Stars  Note - I listened to the audio book so that possibly made me more tolerant and I didn't really have to concentrate on the story the whole time.

This book was for the Central Library book club and the author came to our discussion group.  The book is somewhat a retelling of Dante's Inferno.  While I never quite connected with the main character or his quest, as soon as the supporting characters made their way into the scene, I was hooked.  I loved their individual voices and sense of humor with occasional bits of wisdom thrown in.    I gave this book 4 stars with a caution that it won't be for everyone; a tolerance for gore is definitely needed.

This was my February blind date with a book and yes it really did take me through April to finish.  I gave it 2 Stars because the story just never came to life for me and I was bothered some jarring notes through out which did not feel authentic to the time period.  This is the second Amanda Quick book I have read and I did not care for this one any more than the first one.  They sound good but they just aren't my style.

March Book for Dogwood Belles Book Club 2 Stars This wasn't Spark's best story.  It was very cliche and I think he was out of touch with two of his main characters.  They were written too mature and experienced for the age they were represent.  It didn't feel true.  Ira's story was the best part but even that was very predictable down to the big 'surprise' ending.  

April book for the Central Library book club.  Fantasy genre, 3 Stars.  My first Heinlein and he is a good writer.   There are a lot of great sentences that stand out but the overall story is lack luster and feels very very dated to me.

April Book for Dogwood Belles Book Club, 4 stars.  Very well written and complex but very character driven so it was slow in places.  I prefer plot driven stories but I wouldn't be averse to reading the next one in the Dublin Murder Squad series.

YA, dystopian and not necessarily original but very well done.  I really connected with the main characters and can't wait to see what happens next.  I listened to the audio book and the narrator was pitch perfect for the tone I imagine goes with the words. 4 Stars

Summary:  The Perfect Poison was the worst book of these 2 months with The Longest Ride a close second.  The Red Queen was the best book with In the Woods a close second.

Happy Reading Y'all

February Wrap Up

Wow, I only managed two books in February but it is a short(er) month and there was a lot going on.  So in that light, two is one better than none.

 The Machine Awakens was for the Community Library Science Fiction Book Club.  It is what I think of a typical science fiction grocery store aisle paperback.  It wasn't really my taste at all and would be the kind of book to turn me off of science fiction if I didn't know there is better stuff out there.  Several members of the club did not read it citing poor writing and overuse of 'false realism'.  Myself and another member found there were two many different story threads that might have been interesting but never connect to the main thread.  The final battle was won a little too easily.  There was a lot of naming of space craft that one member complained about but I just skimmed over those boring parts!  I didn't rate on GoodReads because I hate to give 1s and 2s but I can't quite bring myself to give it a 3.

This one was for the Dogwood Belles buddy read and is a sequel to An Ember in the Ashes that we read last summer.  The writing is good, the characters are interesting and likable, the world is brutal but the storyline is typical of YA Dystopian but it has some unique elements.  Overall I enjoyed it but I only gave it 3 on GoodReads and it won't be the top book that I recommend to readers who love this genre.

Here's hoping for a better reading month in March!

What Are You Reading Wednesdays (12)

What Are You Reading Wednesdays #WAYRW is a weekly feature on It’s A Reading Thing. Everyone is welcome to participate. You can answer the questions in the comments section of the weekly #WAYRW post or link back to your #WAYRW post on your blog in the comments section as well. 

How to participate:

Grab the book you are currently reading and answer three questions:
1. What’s the name of your current read?
2. Go to page 34 in your book or 34% in your eBook and share a couple of sentences.
3. Would you like to live in the world that exists within your book? Why or why not?

Library of Souls (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children 3) by Ransom Riggs

"To some it might've seemed callous, the way she boxed up her pain and set it aside, but I knew her well enough now to understand.  She had a heart the size of France, and the lucky few whom she loved with it were loved with every square inch - but its size made it dangerous, too.  If she let it feel everything, she'd be wrecked.  So she had to tame it, shush it, shut it up.  Float the worst pains off to an island that was quickly filling with them, where she would go to live one day."

I think I answered no for the first book but now the world is so much bigger and full of potential and possibilities that in spite of the dangers, I would now say yes.

Blind Date with A Book

The local library hosted "Blind Date with a Book" again this February.

The book is wrapped so you can't see the author or title, only a short blurb on the front that gives a hint about the contents.

The wrapper said it was paranormal romance and historical fiction.

Hmmm sounds more like romantic suspense to me.

I admit I was disappointed.  I read an Amanda Quick book last summer and decided I had no interest in reading another.  However, I will give this one a go and see if it changes my mind.  

January Wrap Up

My reading has really slowed down due to other priorities as well as the end of vacation days and holidays but I managed 4 books in January so that is actually pretty good.

Central Library SciFi book club selection for January:  Ignore the tedious technical and unnecessary prologue and it reads more like an FBI thriller than science fiction.  A nice beach read, entertaining but not seat gripping.  The characters were very likable which made me keep reading.  3STARS

January Buddy Read for the Dogwood Belles Book Club:  A very interesting story told in the most boring way possible.  This book is very fact/statistic oriented and action or character driven.  I was disappointed because the author's Sunday school teacher was one of the women being written about so I thought there would more personal insight.  I ended up finishing the book as audio because I just couldn't get through reading it.  That being said, I did learn a lot and it isn't a bad book, I was just expecting a different type of story.

This is the final book in the Lunar Chronicles series (Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, Winter).  To recap, Cinder is a very loose Cinderella retelling, Scarlet is Red Riding Hood, Cress is Rapunzel  and Winter is Snow White).  The final book brings all the individual story lines together for the final conclusion.  I enjoyed this book but not as much as Cinder and Cress.  My one complaint is that it was too long.  The scenes were drawn with details that were unnecessary or repetitive,  I would have preferred it to be more compact and faster paced but I still gave it 4STARS.

This is Book 2 of Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children series.  I really liked the first book and also the movie but I wasn't quite as into the 2nd book.  Maybe the novelty was gone or the pictures weren't quite as compelling or chill-raising.  I did enjoy learning more about the children and seeing them use their powers outside the loop.  However, not a lot happened between the first couple of chapters where they were escaping the loop and the final cliff hanger chapter.  If you liked the first book then keep reading but if you weren't that into it, this book will reel you in.  3STARS

Bookmarks (10)

Magnetic Rooster Themed bookmark

What Are You Reading Wednesdays (11)

What Are You Reading Wednesdays (10)

What Are You Reading Wednesdays #WAYRW is a weekly feature on It’s A Reading Thing. Everyone is welcome to participate. You can answer the questions in the comments section of the weekly #WAYRW post or link back to your #WAYRW post on your blog in the comments section as well. 

How to participate:

Grab the book you are currently reading and answer three questions:
1. What’s the name of your current read?
2. Go to page 34 in your book or 34% in your eBook and share a couple of sentences.
3. Would you like to live in the world that exists within your book? Why or why not?

Hollow City by Ransom Riggs (Book 2 of Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children)

"As we ran, I found myself wishing that the fog which had plagued us at sea would return again to hide us.  It occurred to me that it had very likely saved us once already; without the fog those balloons would have spotted us hours ago, in our boats, when we'd had nowhere to run.  And in that way, it was the one last thing the island had done to save its peculiar children."

As much as I have an affinity to the macabre, I would say no.  This world is a bit scary with real monsters and life and death consequences.  Also they are stuck in 1940 (literally stuck in time) in the middle of WWII which added real life danger in addition to the monsters.

Bookmarks (9)

Pretty magnetic garden themed bookmark

I do try to pick a bookmark that matches the theme of the book I am reading.  

Do you do this too?  

Someone should make pretty digital bookmarks for E-books.  On the plus side, you never lose your place in an E-book but on the other hand there is no pretty bookmark to look at and fidget with while you are reading.

End of Year Wrap Up and 2017 Goals

November and December was a slow reading month for me with only 3 books completed and 2 DNF.  I did meet my Goodreads 2016 reading challenge with 56/50 books before slacking off.  

I also joined a book club at one of the local libraries which specifically reads Science Fiction.  I found through Goodreads and attended the first meeting December 17 and received a very warm welcome.

If you are a gamer and/or grew up in the 80's this is a must read.  It is the nerdiest book I have ever read and I loved every minute of the audio book.  5 Stars

This is Book 3 of the Lunar Chronicles series; while I did not enjoy Book 2 very much, Book 3 really delivered on everything I loved about the first book and more! Action, drama, cliffhangers, romance, tears.  Can't wait to read the finale Winter.  4 Stars

As soon as I saw this book, I was interested in reading it.  I love the movie and I thought a memoir about the making of it would be fun.   My library happened to have the audio version.  What a lucky find that turned out to be.  Cary reads it himself, does some fantastic voice impressions, tells kind and humorous stories about the experience and cast members including the magnificent Andre The Giant. 5 Stars

The DNF list 

Jane Steele by Lindsay Faye - It was well written and a unique concept although a slightly uncomfortable one (Jane Eyre as a sociopath serial killer).   I just did not empathize or like the main character enough to accept the premise of the story enough to continue.  I tried really hard and maxed out the renewals at the library and decided I would rather spend the time reading something I love.

The Real James Herriot: a memoir of my father by James Wight - I wanted to read this ever since it came out.  It was the prologue that did me in.  I love the James Herriot books and I want to believe they are true even though I know they are fiction loosely based on real experiences.  I decided after reading the prologue that I didn't really want to lose this illusion because I would never be able to see them the same afterward.

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare - I have wanted to try this series all year but the first book was always checked out.  However, I only made it through a few chapters.  I really don't care for  angel/demon themes (which I already knew it was) and it felt a bit on the younger side of YA.  I am going to give it another try in audio format before I give up.

2017 Goals

GoodReads Challenge: 50 books

I made it 30 last year and had to bump it up in July.  This should be an easy 2 books a month with book club books.

Happy Reading