Why I love them Part 2- Carrie Vaughn

Written By: Kellie - Mar• 28•11

I’ve mentioned this before but I have four favorite authors. Surprisingly, even though I’m on a major YA kick this year my favorites are all still Urban Fantasy authors. The most recent addition is one Carrie Vaughn.

For some reason I avoided her books foreevveerr and looking back, I have no idea why. Kitty and the Midnight Hour was unbelievable. Since then I’ve plowed through the rest of the books. There have been one or two in the series that were a little out there but for the most part I can only gush about these books. The plots are never repetitive and always have you anxious to see what happens next.

Kitty is one of the most true to life MC’s that I’ve read. She started out very timid and unsure of herself and only through the course of the books has she turned into the fearless leader type. Kick-ass female leads are everywhere now, and really that’s fantastic but it was definitely nice to see how sometimes they have to work for character growth just like real people. We don’t all just come out this awesome you know? Sometimes it takes a little trial and error.

The supporting cast is great too. Her wolf pack makes up the bulk of the characters that you see in every book (plus one surly ex-con that I don’t always get the appeal of) and they all have distinct and well rounded personalities as well as histories to help explain why they are who they are. My favorites though are some of the randoms she meets along the way. I especially like her vampires. A little ominous and mysterious, always playing the long game.

I still have a couple non-Kitty books I need to read in order to get the full Carrie Vaughn experience. I read Voices with Dragons last year and honestly, I didn’t love it. But it didn’t sound like my kind of book to begin with but I’m really looking forward to reading Steel, a YA novel about a girl who fences competitively and then somehow gets sucked into piratey adventures where her skills have some real use.

The other reason I love Carrie Vaughn… her blog! Filling The Well. She doesn’t only post when she has something to say about one of her books so I’m always checking back to see her take on movies etc. just because she’s a really entertaining person and totally someone I could see me getting along with.

Anyways… I love her! You should too!

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Ooo, shiny new books

Written By: Kellie - Mar• 25•11

Earlier this week I filled in a little online quiz thing, that wanted me to identify part of covers from upcoming YA novels. I did a little research on goodreads and found a few, but overall my book identification skills left something to be desired. The of course I go into work and half of them are just sitting there. Doh!

Anyways, that prompted me to find a couple new(ish) YA books to add to my reading list. I’m falling behind!

Title: Wither
Author: Lauren DeStefano

What it’s about: Thanks to modern science, every human being has become a ticking genetic time bomb—males only live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty.
When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden’s genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape—to find her twin brother and go home.

Why I want to read it: I actually brought this one home from work today, I should be finished it by the end of the weekend. It caught my eye because the cover is stunning. I’m kind of in love with it.
The main reason I’m interested in this one though is that I’m a sucker for anything post apocalyptic. I’ve read a few with the same idea, and honestly this is probably the least plausible of the group but I’m willing to let it go. I’m also curious to see how the relationships between the sister wives play out. Anyways, we will see how it turns out. I’ll be sure to post a review.

Title: Gimme a call
Author: Sarah Mlynowski

What it’s about: Devi’s life isn’t turning out at all like she wanted. She wasted the past three years going out with Bryan—cute, adorable, break-your-heart Bryan. Devi let her friendships fade, blew off studying, didn’t join any clubs . . . and now that Bryan has broken up with her, she has nothing left.
Not even her stupid cell phone—she dropped it in the mall fountain. Now it only calls one number . . . hers. At age fourteen, three years ago!

Why I want to read it: Okay, this one came out last year but I thought this sounded really cool. I’m actually working on a similar (well, sort of similar) story of my own so I’m curious to see this take on getting to change your own future.
I’m worried this one may be a little too boy crazed for my taste, but it could be really interesting. This one is probably five or six books down on my to read list and since I’m reading four different books right now… it could be awhile.

 

 

Posted in Young Adult Books , , , | 3 Comments »

Just thought this was funny

Written By: Kellie - Mar• 24•11


I saw this at work today and thought it was fantastically funny. Way to cash in on a trend that just won’t die. The Steig Larson books have been bestsellers for at least as long as I’ve had my job. Apparently they’ve been a hit long enough to write and publish this entire book :) Honestly, I have no idea what the dragon one is about or how far the parody goes, but still… points for funny.

Posted in Fun Stuff & Promos , , | 6 Comments »

Weekly Geeks 2011-10 Ten Things

Written By: Kellie - Mar• 22•11

My first foray into Memes! This weeks theme, ten facts about me and books! Brought to you by Weekly Geeks! Just something I thought would be fun, we’ll see how it goes ;-)

1. I usually finish books I’m not really enjoying. Either because I want to be able to count the book towards my yearly/challenge total, or I’ve already bought the next three in the series so I better learn to love these books, quick times!
2. I spend tons of money on books that look interesting at used bookstores that I never end up reading. I swear I’ll get to them one day but there is always something else I have to read first. Bad Kellie!
3. I work at a big box bookstore. Right now I work in the early morning, restocking shelves etc before we open, but I’m hoping to see the light of day eventually. I love my job and it’s a company I’d like to work for for a very long time.
4. I don’t own any autographed books :(
5. I love writing and want to do it professionally one day but I don’t think I’m a naturally talented writer. Just means its something I’m going to have to work a bit harder at.
6. Considering how big my ‘to-read’ pile is, I am an EPIC re-reader. I’ve read some of my favorites six or seven times. I read Harry Potter almost yearly, although its tapering off a bit now.
7. I get sick reading in the car. Such a waste of valuable reading time!
8. I have a Sony E-Reader, but I’m loving my moms Ipad for reading. Still prefer hard copies of books though.
9. I feel like I’ve fallen into a bit of a rut in terms of what I’m picking to read. Written by women and about women. Not romances or chick lit by any stretch, usually urban fantasy and young adult novels but I really want to branch out a bit. At the same time I feel like when I force myself to read what I think I should read instead of what I want to read is when my mind starts to wander or it takes me a month to get through one book.
10. I read 1-4 books a week and usually have a heavier read going on my ereader that I just pick up from time to time that usually takes me a lot longer.

Posted in Fun Stuff & Promos, Reading , , | 1 Comment »

Hex Hall- Rachel Hawkins

Written By: Kellie - Mar• 22•11

hex hall

Publisher: Hyperion Book CH
Publish Date: March 2nd, 2010
Source: Borrowed
Goodreads

Rating: 3/5 Broomsticks

Synopsis: Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It’s gotten her into a few scrapes. One of which gets her sent to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters.Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect.

As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her.

Review: One review I’ve read on this book described it as chick-lit Harry Potter, and I think that’s about right but I think a better description might be a poor mans House of Night. Not that this is a bad book by any stretch, I just found it a bit simple for my taste. The plot itself is enjoyable (if a bit predictable), and this is definitely an easy read I just felt like a little more time needed to be spent on world and character building.

The whole book seemed like it was tailor made to cash in on a lot of the trends in young adult right now. That doesn’t mean it’s not a fun, action-filled romp though. And one thing I can really credit this book on is genuinely being a young adult novel. Some books in this genre feel as though they’re adult books, revamped to cash in on a growing younger market. This genuinely seems like it was written to be enjoyed by a younger audience (but not too the point of being over simplified or insulting).

One character that did intrigue me is Cal, the hunky grounds keeper and I’m hoping he’ll be a future love interest for Sophie.

Anyways, the HON comparison is one that I think needs to be addressed. There were just too many likeness for my, well, liking. SPOILERS- The Elodie/Aphrodite character, the bitchy girl who ends up being the main characters friend-ish. Archer/Eric, the bitchy girls boyfriend who ends up with the main character instead. There are even some Stevie Rae/Jenna comparisons that can be but it’s a bit more of a stretch, but not much.

Overall, was it worth the read? Yes. Will I be reading the next one? Probably not.

Buy Hex Hall
@Amazon (US) @Amazon (CAN) @The Book Depository 

Second Opinions:
@Julie’s Blog 
@Wicked Awesome Books
@Blogging for YA

Posted in Young Adult Books , , , , | 8 Comments »

Demonology 101

Written By: Kellie - Mar• 20•11

Alright, this is a little different from usual as this technically has nothing to do with books. Still a great read though. Demonology 101 (a web comic) is basically Buffy meets angelic forces. Following the adventures of Raven, an adopted half demon trying to find her place in the world. It’s no longer being updated but I’ve reread the whole thing start to finish more than once and it’s great every time. It keeps you hooked by revealing the perfect snippets of information. Seriously, read it. Read it now.

It’s split up into five episodes so it’s easy enough to dive in and out. I’m actually kind of wishing that she sold the whole thing in actual, physical, comic form. If they had it in my store I would absolutely buy it and try to convince everyone crazy enough to talk to me to do the same. Back, waaay back, when it was actually being updated it was only an every other week sort of thing, which was torture. But now that it’s done. It’s all, all good.

Anyways, the characters a great and multi-leveled. The lore is fantastic and well thought out. It’s funnyish. Definitely worth joining Raven and friends as she figures out her mysterious past and fights it out for her future.

The art itself is perfect for the storyline. Well drawn out with a lot of shading that goes perfectly with the tone of the story. It’s all about the shades of gray in this one. There is an attempt at color for awhile during episode five but honestly, it’s better off in black and white. Somehow it makes me think of reading comics in the newspaper. Not that you would ever find anything quite like this in a paper anywhere, I wish. Really, overall it feels more like reading an actual comic book. The pages are even set up in away that you can easily get lost in flipping from one page to the next like you would with a comic book. Brilliant!

Anyways, a fantastic comic and totally worth the read if you’re at all into comics, or fantastical situations or you know… entertainment in general. So, no more dawdling… Demonology 101!

Oh, also… I would love to find more comics like this on. Either completed or being updated on a regular basis. Overall story ark rather than small story lines that are just for kicks. If anyone has any recommendations I would love, love, love to hear them.

Posted in Fun Stuff & Promos , , , | 1 Comment »

Bloodfever- Karen Marie Moning

Written By: Kellie - Mar• 18•11

Title: Bloodfever
Author: Karen Marie Moning
Rating: 2/5 Ancient Seelie Relics
Spoilers: Some, it’s an older book so I’m not overly worried about it

Synopsis: In her fight to stay alive, Mac must find the Sinsar Dubh-a million-year-old book of the blackest magic imaginable, which holds the key to power over both the worlds of the Fae and of Man. Pursued by Fae assassins, surrounded by mysterious figures she knows she cannot trust, Mac finds herself torn between two deadly and irresistible men: V’lane, the insatiable Fae who can turn sensual arousal into an obsession for any woman, and the ever-inscrutable Jericho Barrons, a man as alluring as he is mysterious.

I know I’m alone on this butttt… I don’t like this series. I don’t hate it. But both books I’ve read so far are kind of a drag to get through. Honestly, I don’t even really feel the need to overly critique this book but everyone on goodreads was gushing about it so I needed to say it… this series isn’t that good and I don’t get the hype.

The main character Mac, is definitely a kick-ass chick who manages to merge her old girly self and new living dangerously self pretty well. But I still don’t like her. I wouldn’t want to go have a drink with this girl, I don’t feel like I could really count on her to have my back in a fight to the death and she doesn’t really have anything interesting to say.

Her love interest (and it’s a stretch to call him that despite that this series lives in the romance section) is broody and miserable. Sure, he sounds good looking but not endearingly so. He never tells Mac anything or even says anything nice to her. There rarely even seems to be any chemistry between the two of them.

With maybe three chapters to go in this book I was pretty convinced that I would not be picking up book three (which is saying something since I already own books three and four), but I may have been swayed a little near the very end. I’m curious where this is going and I want to be able to say I’ve read what has become a major series in the paranormal romance genre. So I don’t know… we’ll see. Maybe it’s just that this series is really dark with a limited amount of characters, but it’s just not too my taste.

Posted in Urban Fantasy Books , , , | No Comments »

River Marked- Patricia Briggs

Written By: Kellie - Mar• 17•11

Title: River Marked (Mercy Thompson #6)
Title: Patricia Briggs
Rating: 4/5 Fae Otters
Spoilers: Essentially spoiler free

Synopsis: Car mechanic Mercy Thompson has always known there was something different about her, and not just the way she can make a VW engine sit up and beg. Mercy is a shapeshifter, a talent she inherited from her long-gone father. She’s never known any others of her kind. Until now.

An evil is stirring in the depths of the Columbia River—one that her father’s people may know something about. And to have any hope of surviving, Mercy and her mate, the Alpha werewolf Adam, will need their help…

Woohoo!  A moment in a bookreaders life that only comes a few times a year. A release from one of my top five favorite authors!!! I was actually on vacation when this was released and was tempted to just buy a copy in the states, but I ended up waiting until I got home. I tend to be a bit of a sap that way, I don’t want to start books by my favorites too early because the sooner I start, the sooner it’s over.

Anyways… I found this book to be a little different than most in the series and while still fantastic was probably the least addictive in the series so far. That being said, I still read the whole thing in less than a day and still really did love it. There is a lot of Adam in this book, and I lovvveee Adam. Patricia Briggs is one of the few authors who redeemed themselves from a frustrating love triangle by having the MC actually pick the right guy. I was so sure Mercy was going to go for Samuel and was so, so thrilled when she didn’t. So the fact that this book was mostly focused on that one relationship (plus the actual badness going on around them) was something I am pretty okay with. I just missed everyone else.

Anyways, like all of the Mercy books the plot here manages to seem so real despite the fact that it involves mystical creatures, lots of shape shifting and other not so down to earth plot devices. The characters are what makes this series so wonderful. I just love these people, and that’s still the case here. But I did find the pace of this book was a little slower than usual. There was still a big bad to take down but because a lot of the characters involved were new to the series the stakes just never seemed as high.

On it’s own I think this book is great but not fantastic. But once you consider it in the context of the entire series as a whole I think it is (or at least will be once we get another book) perfect. It was nice to have some insight into Mercy’s relationship with Adam and some nice moments. Plus there was some great character growth. But I did miss the rest of the characters as well as the wolf pack dynamic. This series will be one of my favorites for a very, very long time.

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Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother

Written By: Kellie - Mar• 09•11

Title: Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother
Author: Amy Chau
Rating: 3.5/5 Violins
Spoilers: It’s a parenting book… are spoilers even possible?

As part of my year long challenge I wanted to read a book that was on my store’s bestseller list, rather than the books no one has ever heard of that I usually read. This one made it on our bestseller non-fiction shelf yesterday and I read the entire thing today. Interesting book.

It’s all about “Chinese parenting” and it’s contrasts to our crazy Western ways. I’m the first to admit I was brought up in a fully “western” household. I’m Irish-Canadian, my parents aren’t strict and I have everything I could ever want for. Not that Amy Chau’s kids don’t, they are obviously well loved, just maybe lacking in some free time. I mean, wow… either of her children easily accomplish more in a day than I do in a week.

The whole book reads as an explanation to her children as to why she has been as rigid and unforgiving as she has been, but there is still a lot of insight to be gained. At least she was able to admit that she may have made some mistakes along the way, otherwise she definitely would have painted herself as an insane tyrant. Not that I have any doubt about how much she loves her children or that millions of other parents share her philosophies. It is what it is, but I’m definitely glad it wasn’t my childhood.

Now, this book is in the parenting section of the store I work in, so how does it measure up in that department? I think it will best stand the test of time as an interesting cultural insight and alternate perspective for anyone who doesn’t parent the way she does and perhaps as a form of recognition and acceptance for any parents who do. I don’t have children of my own at this point so I can’t really judge but there are definitely some things that I think more parents should adopt. For example, when her daughter gave her a quickly scribbled, 30 second birthday card, she flat out rejected it stating that for all the trouble she goes to for her children on their birthdays, she deserves some real effort put into her birthday card. And she’s right. Buuuut, that’s about it.

While I know this isn’t something that could be controlled, I found it a huge benefit that her husband is white. It offers a nice contrast and I would be curious to see what his take on her parenting techniques are and if he feels that the benefit outweighed the cost to their daughter’s childhoods.

After reading this book I actually went and did a load of laundry, scrubbed my bath tub and changed the water in my fish tank just because I needed to do something. So if nothing else this book definitely inspired me to use even a bit more of my potential. When I have kids, will I be modeling my parenting skills off of Amy Chau’s? Not likely. But I do think this book will stick with my for awhile, it has definitely given my something to think about.

Final note… kind of random but I’ve been watching that ‘Beyond Scared Straight’ show lately and this was a really interesting contrast to the coke head thirteen year olds I’ve been watching on television. So while I would never choose Amy Chau’s method of parenting, it’s definitely preferable to what so many of these kids have had to go through. I’d still pick the happy medium though.

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I Am Number Four- The Movie

Written By: Kellie - Feb• 23•11

So, I read the book and it was okay. Okay enough that it I went and saw the movie (which I probably would have seen anyways. I’m not one to miss any sort of speculative fiction set in a high school). And, what do you know… the movie was also, okay!!! Actually, I would go so far as to say it was good-ish.

The effects were cool. Lots of glowy blueness, and glowy body parts. Glowyness all around.

There were some obvious changes to the book, but I either agreed with, or didn’t care about, all of them. I liked that Number Six was more promenently featured, and the person I went with even said I’d make a good Number Six, so that’s pretty snazzy. One thing I do think was really well done was the casting. While obviously none of main cast members were remotely what I pictured, I think they all suited the characters really well. The acting wasn’t oscar worthy by any stretch, but it was just a fun movie and they all did well enough. Plus…

Gotta say… before seeing this movie, I did not understand the appeal of this Alex Pettyfer person. But, now I get it. I like him. I like him, a lot.

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