tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62961516109972119862024-02-07T10:24:09.050-06:00Tsundoku(n.) buying books and not reading them; letting books pile up unread on shelves or floors or nightstandsSamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17065828205340837046noreply@blogger.comBlogger746125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6296151610997211986.post-76000326903918133002018-07-24T13:33:00.000-05:002018-07-24T13:33:03.861-05:00Blood Rose Rebellion<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Quick heads up: I actually had some pictures taken, but I had over exposed them and rather than not wait an extra day to post this I thought I would post without. </span></i></div>
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<b>Blood Rose Rebellion</b></div>
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Rosalyn Eves</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31020402-blood-rose-rebellion?from_search=true" target="_blank">Blood Rose Rebellion, Book #1</a></div>
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This book was full of surprises. Honestly, I went into it with a set of expectations based on other books that this sounded like and I had read in the past, which really isn’t the best way to go into a book because it’s pretty unfair to both the current read and past ones. But as I read it—and let me clear this up, I actually listened to it on audible (and the narrator is absolutely stellar)—I would make guesses about where it was going and the ilk, only to find myself pretty much completely wrong the entire time. And not because the book is trying to surprise the reader in the same way something like Game of Thrones is, but because the story was just that original. I don’t know why more people aren’t talking about this one because it definitely deserves a lot more hype. </div>
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First off, the plot: it’s pretty basic at its core. Anna has no magic in a family full of magic and in a society where magic is prized. So, she’s been the black sheep of her family and, because she’s also a bit of a rebel and has a penchant for breaking spells accidentally, she’s sent off to Hungary. Which is where more things happen (no spoilers I promise) and she becomes entangled in something that could change her world. But the setting and the characters (I’ll get to both in a minute) really elevate the story to a new level. Another thing I really appreciate is that while it has a very basic core the fact that she’s not the chosen one and still chooses to do things really pleases me. Anna is special… but also, not really. She has a specific set of skills that are very useful for her situation, but beyond that she really isn’t anything special within her world and it was a breath of fresh air. </div>
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Okay, the setting. It’s a historical fantasy novel, which is somehow a fact I looked past every time I put this on another TBR list. And not just a historical fantasy novel set in England (which I would have enjoyed though it’s been done so many times). But a historical fantasy novel mostly set in Hungary. And wow I did not realize what a rich history Hungary has! I mean, I should have, but eastern Europe has been an unfortunately huge blind spot for me most of my life and that’s something I’m definitely going to change going forward. This book made me fall in love with the country. And, yes, there is an aspect of “white-hero” in this book, but the novel also does a good job of including characters of minority, and people actually from Hungary, when it comes to saving the day, which I really appreciated. And, since it does have its roots in actual history, there are real people in the story, too, which is always a plus. </div>
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But the relationships! There are no love triangles in this book even though I kept expecting there to be. There are a lot of moments and people I kept expecting Anna to end up with, but she kept avoiding those AND actually managed to have both male AND female platonic friendships. The relationship she eventually ended up in is super healthy and actually really great even though it’s also not the most exciting relationship in all of YA literature right now. I’m also happy to say that the people I thought would die actually managed to get through this one. Going back to the female-female friendship, Noemi and Anna start off on the wrong foot because Anna is entitled (which is something she addresses through the novel, though she definitely still has some headway to make going into the next book) and comes from an important aristocratic family with a lot of money and she mistakes Noemi (her cousin) for a maid. Noemi’s response is totally justified, but they actually make up pretty before long and Anna apologizes (and it’s a good apology… and Noemi is just practically a Saint so that’s also a factor) and from there they become friends. Beyond all this, even when the characters disagree with each other, never do they actually turn on each other: it’s a really solid group of characters; they keep each other’s backs and it was just so cool to see all these healthy relationships.</div>
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Before I leave you I need to mention the magic. It wasn’t anything particularly unique, but the way it’s woven in with the historical elements and the real world politics was perfectly done. I think a good chunk of my early enjoyment came from learning more about Anna’s world and the forces within it. Also, visually, the magic is very pretty, and I would not say no to seeing this story play out on the big screen. However, I don’t think it’s a property that would be treated the way it deserves, so I’d also be okay with it never making it to the big screen.</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31020402-blood-rose-rebellion?from_search=true" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeKaZTfGvdvV3qlFec26KEyBsgS_V3wVXGHp5tv-jSaH9RHwJnCdmJsTwiNfNUM9oXS0knRDGM0WVCzjNHi7hxCHcmxXu1ab8t1aLNkRRmzchkWxWkJTkPGNbOjAim443akzILD7O7beNh/s320/blood+rose+rebellion.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
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In a world where social prestige derives from a trifecta of blood, money, and magic, one girl has the ability to break the spell that holds the social order in place.<br />Sixteen-year-old Anna Arden is barred from society by a defect of blood. Though her family is part of the Luminate, powerful users of magic, she is Barren, unable to perform the simplest spells. Anna would do anything to belong. But her fate takes another course when, after inadvertently breaking her sister’s debutante spell—an important chance for a highborn young woman to show her prowess with magic—Anna finds herself exiled to her family’s once powerful but now crumbling native Hungary.<br />Her life might well be over.<br />In Hungary, Anna discovers that nothing is quite as it seems. Not the people around her, from her aloof cousin Noémi to the fierce and handsome Romani Gábor. Not the society she’s known all her life, for discontent with the Luminate is sweeping the land. And not her lack of magic. Isolated from the only world she cares about, Anna still can’t seem to stop herself from breaking spells.<br />As rebellion spreads across the region, Anna’s unique ability becomes the catalyst everyone is seeking. In the company of nobles, revolutionaries, and Romanies, Anna must choose: deny her unique power and cling to the life she’s always wanted, or embrace her ability and change that world forever.</blockquote>
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Rosalyn Eves grew up in the Rocky Mountains, dividing her time between reading books and bossing her siblings into performing her dramatic scripts. As an adult, the telling and reading of stories is still one of her favorite things to do. When she's not reading or writing, she enjoys spending time with her chemistry professor husband and three children, watching British period pieces, or hiking through the splendid landscape of southern Utah, where she lives. She dislikes housework on principle. </blockquote>
Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17065828205340837046noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6296151610997211986.post-6335399462967640772018-07-22T11:37:00.000-05:002018-07-22T11:37:06.354-05:00Legendary<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Legendary</b></div>
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Stephanie Garber</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36329818-legendary?from_search=true" target="_blank">Caraval, Book #2</a></div>
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Related Reviews: <a href="https://tsundokubooks.blogspot.com/2017/01/book-review-caraval.html" target="_blank">Caraval</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj92fzrNW0ErK6TPGNmJCF6vJ5J5CsowtkgDKruBdqoBF9_ai1RgHFY2qL7xkI9YWqUTEYxVK7PFnoBPRF_9Kbg9wKFcPY2SYqxHa-t55aBD1hgjSAeXzXdMNguP2iwTgZkwCoV6o_2jIgZ/s1600/new+five+stars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="485" height="61" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj92fzrNW0ErK6TPGNmJCF6vJ5J5CsowtkgDKruBdqoBF9_ai1RgHFY2qL7xkI9YWqUTEYxVK7PFnoBPRF_9Kbg9wKFcPY2SYqxHa-t55aBD1hgjSAeXzXdMNguP2iwTgZkwCoV6o_2jIgZ/s200/new+five+stars.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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I loved Caraval back when I read it, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I went into Legendary expecting to love it. I was feeling a bit iffy about Tella being the narrator because I really didn’t see much potential based on her role in Caraval, but that worry turned out to be totally unfounded as she turned out to be an awesome main character. I was also worried that the new setting wouldn’t be able to capture all the magic of the original, but, again, totally unfounded because I was as in love with this new city as I was with the last.</div>
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Legendary immediately ups the stakes from Caraval because there’s so much more weighing on Tella then on Scarlett. Tella has basically made a deal with the devil, a few devils, and needs to either fulfil her end of the bargain or get out of them. And I loved every minute of watching her struggle—which sounds horrible, but, honestly, it was really great tension. Because of all this it was also a lot less predictable and I rarely had time to catch my breath and think about what might be around the corner, which in my opinion, is a good thing. </div>
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A big feature of this book, bigger than it was in Caraval, is the romance. While I really did enjoy Scarlett and Julien in book one, and I still enjoy them to a degree in book two, I absolutely loved the Dante and Tella relationship. At first I was really iffy because I wasn’t sure how I felt about him and the way he treated Tella, but it turned into one of those perfect I hate you-I love you kind of relationships. Unlike in some books I’ve read recently, I also felt like they both grew as people before they actually admitted they had feelings for each other in significant ways. I also kind of liked the relationship between Tella and Jacks, though based on some later events between them, I do feel like the ball was dropped a bit, especially for Jacks as a character over all. Anyway, that didn’t ruin the book for me in the least, and it’s also kind of a spoiler related topic, so I won’t mention more of it.</div>
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In Caraval we know it’s a game the entire time but Scarlett is unfamiliar with the game so it feels as alien and tricksy to us, the reader, as it does to her. In Legendary since we’ve gotten a peek behind the curtain and so has Tella the game takes on completely new angles. Not to say it isn’t tricksy like the first one, especially since this is a game unlike any other played before, but it was such an unnerving and cool passage to read when we see familiar characters like Julien take on new roles within the game. I had goosebumps and was in awe of both the writing and scene itself. And the magic of the first book retains through this one, even if it takes different forms. In fact, I would argue that this one is more whimsical than the original, which I didn’t think was a possibility.</div>
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The plot is pretty different from book one and in some ways they feel more like companion books instead of a direct sequel. But that’s not a bad thing, and the ending definitely has me rearing for the Finale. I do wish that there was some more groundwork for the mythology introduced in this one in the first book, but that’s more of a technical issue I had with it than an actual complaint. It doesn’t actually feel as if anything’s missing, the story just isn’t as tight as it could have been.</div>
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All-in-all, I liked this one a lot. Actually, I loved this one. I will continue to sing this series’ praises from the mountain top. Fun fact: I’ve gotten more people to read this series than any other book series I recommend. I think there’s just something actually magical about Stephanie Garber’s writing that is very good at convincing readers—even picky readers who don’t tend to pick up fantasy novels—to pick up her books. So, yes, if you couldn’t tell already, I strongly recommend giving this series a go.</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36329818-legendary?from_search=true" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="313" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhis_488xX8978Dp0X2OTkxzW2OzgDPdLuqg0w_T9Gax_gg3GpQ3zXNVKLS9mtulVGZuxAmkhMzbae5kF8oGzWuvPfs223s0h7aepuXliQElN4XI_M-TeedSGwXTiIHkQt-l5j-YsRxMsJs/s320/legendary.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
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A heart to protect. A debt to repay. A game to win.<br />After being swept up in the magical world of Caraval, Donatella Dragna has finally escaped her father and saved her sister Scarlett from a disastrous arranged marriage. The girls should be celebrating, but Tella isn’t yet free. She made a desperate bargain with a mysterious criminal, and what Tella owes him no one has ever been able to deliver: Caraval Master Legend’s true name.<br />The only chance of uncovering Legend’s identity is to win Caraval, so Tella throws herself into the legendary competition once more—and into the path of the murderous heir to the throne, a doomed love story, and a web of secrets…including her sister's. Caraval has always demanded bravery, cunning, and sacrifice. But now the game is asking for more. If Tella can’t fulfill her bargain and deliver Legend’s name, she’ll lose everything she cares about—maybe even her life. But if she wins, Legend and Caraval will be destroyed forever.<br />Welcome, welcome to Caraval...the games have only just begun.</blockquote>
Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17065828205340837046noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6296151610997211986.post-50629283411578441932018-07-12T10:30:00.001-05:002018-07-12T10:30:39.861-05:00Dating Apps & Loving Myself First<div style="text-align: justify;">
This isn’t my regular type of post; in fact, it’s not book related at all. But it’s something I needed and wanted to get off my chest and this is one of my favorite digital spheres to inhabit. I’m not going to say this is the start of a new blogging “feature” per se, but I will warn you that I’m not closing the door to making more of these on here in the future. I doubt they’ll be very frequent, but I’m not closing the door on that either. Anyway, don’t worry, I have more bookish posts coming, but I needed to publish this first.</div>
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I’ve done something rather rude today and I’m trying to not feel bad about it, because sometimes you just have to do rude things. Recently, I went on a dating app with the completely serious hope of finding a match for a long-term partner. It was a really scary moment to put myself out there because I’m a very introverted, very anxious person. Talking with strangers stresses me out and I also deal with this internalized hurdle that I’m easily forgettable. And to top it all off, I’ve never been in a serious or intimate relationship, so beginning the whole experience felt a lot like diving into deep water before catching a big enough breath. </div>
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Maybe I should blame books for being such a romantic at heart, but for a long while now I’ve wanted a relationship. A big part of me thinks that being in one will help solve some of my biggest problems: that I feel very lonely a lot of the time, and that, like I said earlier, I feel forgettable.</div>
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The real kick to get my gears going and convince me it was time to put myself out there was when, recently, my brother introduced me to his girlfriend. A couple times I’ve accidentally walked in on them being really cute together and cuddling or just whispering to each other and smiling. In a broader family stroke, a lot of my cousins have been getting married. My friend group, too, is starting to fill with people who have significant others. I feel like (and this is not a bad thing) I’m surrounded by people in love and I want to find myself some love as well.</div>
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Now, as scary as it was, it’s kind of a boost in self-esteem to see how many people I was matching with. And some of them are really cool people. And pretty much everyone I matched with is someone I wouldn’t have met on my own, out in the wild world, so that was pretty cool, too. But, of course, it was a dating app, and there were some questionable matches to say the least. One of the questions I answered publicly was what my favorite films were, and I only had one listed, and his way of introducing himself was to tell me I was wrong for liking that film so much, and then he asked me to dinner. Yeah, that didn’t happen. Another guy kept asking me what I thought of his dating profile, but in a weird, interview-y way. And, my personal favorite “horror” story, there was the guy who tried to tell me my Hufflepuff scarf wasn’t actually a “Hogwarts/Gryffindor scarf” but then tried to compare his dick to it. I blocked him because he was clearly not cut out for me. Beyond all that, for the first day or so I actually found the app a lot of fun. </div>
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But this rude thing I’ve done today? I deleted the app. I deleted the account. I had been talking to two guys for quite a while and we were sort of making our way towards possible relationships. I gave them no warning and I hope I didn’t hurt them because they were both really great seeming guys.</div>
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What happened? There were two factors, really. One is that a lot was expected of me. I needed to keep up conversations with these guys. Which meant being on my phone a lot. And for me, being on my phone requires a lot of energy. And after only a few days I found that the amount of energy I was putting in wasn’t really reaping any rewards for me. I was talking to two people, but I wasn’t getting a warm feeling when I saw their messages. I wasn’t getting any feeling except, “Ugh I have to respond; it’s my duty”. And it’s not my duty to respond to anyone. And, no, they weren’t pressuring me to talk, either, it was an internalized “duty” feeling, which made it worse.</div>
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The other problem? I found myself wanting to lie to please people. Not big lies, but I’d pretend I didn’t know a thing, or that I didn’t know as much of a thing, or that I was actually interested in another thing, because that’s what I thought they wanted to hear. This made me realize something I haven’t wanted to vocalize: I’m not actually as comfortable with myself as I thought I was.</div>
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I’ve had body-image issues for a while. I’m overweight and I have big boobs, partly because I’m overweight and partly because of genetics (however, I think that’s a longer story for a different time), and these factors make it hard for me to be comfortable in my own skin. I’ve been trying to deal with that and I think in a lot of a ways I’ve gone pretty far towards being comfortable with my physical body. Hell, this is the first summer I’ll wear something sleeveless. I’ve known this is a personal struggle for me, but beyond that, I thought I was pretty comfortable with my internal self. </div>
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Like, I’m comfortable saying I’m a nerd, I’m a book geek, I collect things that have little to no value, my dog is actually my best friend, my bed is my favorite place in the world, and I like the shows and movies I like just because I do. But I wasn’t staying true to myself on the app; I was lying, I was bluffing and fibbing and making myself fit the mold for someone else, and I realized that in the long run this isn’t the kind of relationship that benefit anyone. Especially considering I wanted a relationship to help myself feel seen and I wasn’t showing who I actually was.</div>
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I thought about it: why was I doing this? And the answer came to me: I don’t actually love myself first. I don’t have a good relationship with myself and I need to build on that and make it healthier before I go out in the world of dating again. Basically, I need to learn what it means to be me and inhabit myself again.</div>
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So, yeah, that’s why I deleted the app. I was being unfair to everyone involved, including myself. I don’t know exactly when or how I’ll feel better as myself, but I’m going to be actively working on it, and hopefully the next time I write about dating apps or loving myself, I’ll be writing from a place of healing and knowledge.</div>
Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17065828205340837046noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6296151610997211986.post-57125037026414320122018-06-30T20:11:00.000-05:002018-06-30T20:11:40.065-05:00Rave Review: Vicious<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Vicious</b></div>
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VE Schwab</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13638125-vicious?from_search=true" target="_blank">The Villains, Book #1</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj92fzrNW0ErK6TPGNmJCF6vJ5J5CsowtkgDKruBdqoBF9_ai1RgHFY2qL7xkI9YWqUTEYxVK7PFnoBPRF_9Kbg9wKFcPY2SYqxHa-t55aBD1hgjSAeXzXdMNguP2iwTgZkwCoV6o_2jIgZ/s1600/new+five+stars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="485" height="61" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj92fzrNW0ErK6TPGNmJCF6vJ5J5CsowtkgDKruBdqoBF9_ai1RgHFY2qL7xkI9YWqUTEYxVK7PFnoBPRF_9Kbg9wKFcPY2SYqxHa-t55aBD1hgjSAeXzXdMNguP2iwTgZkwCoV6o_2jIgZ/s200/new+five+stars.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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I Love This Book. It is, in fact, one of the best books I've ever read and I have a feeling I will always rate it highly. Reading this book feels like keeping a secret close to your heart (although it's not a secret since everyone's pretty much already read this one, and also I alone have told about two dozen people they need to get on it). It's somewhat frightening, somewhat enchanting, and definitely extraordinary.</div>
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What makes this book amazing is the characters, particularly Victor and Eli. They're complicated, which is the first attractive (not that I necessarily mean this in the romantic way, but also...) thing about them. I'm incredibly impressed that neither of them was really a good guy but depending on what part of the story I was reading I definitely found myself understanding their mindsets and why they did what they did. Like, I adore Victor, don't get me wrong, but should I? His reasons aren't exactly pure, he's just an amazing villain. Eli, too, is wonderful, though, again, should he be?</div>
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Going into the next book I need, need, NEED more of Sydney. I love her: she was the breath of fresh air in the book and she has so much potential moving forward. I'm also really, really hoping for more of Mitch, who's great, and if anything happens to him y'all are gonna have to hold me back from taking it out on someone.</div>
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I also want to point out that my first thought upon finishing this book was "Thank god the sequel comes out in a few months" because I cannot for the life of me imagine having read this and not known that there would be a sequel. The ending wraps everything up-- which, by the way, the finale is absolutely amazing and worth every second-- but it also has a terrible, terrible cliffhanger that probably would have led to my early death.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>TL;DR </b>The characters and their relationships make this book and, honestly, it's okay if you fall in love with the villain in this one. In fact, it's encouraged.</span></blockquote>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13638125-vicious?from_search=true" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="305" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiimBbzZ7LxW3IEZ2wzLCpNk5copznoqF4CYkQQf0PfX5NkexOo9fJvCZidDXe7D1yksdM962RXA8xuE0qwbL9wcIPS8h1XsPFw_h7JwVOIJjIqvqmfQmPmn3cROO3fvJBS0z9pLqvv77d0/s320/vicious.jpg" width="205" /></a></div>
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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.<br /> <br />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?</blockquote>
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Victoria is the product of a British mother, a Beverly Hills father, and a southern upbringing. Because of this, she has been known to say "tom-ah-toes," "like," and "y'all."<br />She also tells stories.<br />She loves fairy tales, and folklore, and stories that make her wonder if the world is really as it seems.</blockquote>
Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17065828205340837046noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6296151610997211986.post-20154991375717513952018-06-28T13:08:00.005-05:002018-06-28T13:08:59.327-05:00May and June Wrap Up + Updates<div style="text-align: justify;">
Hello dear readers! It's been ages since a wrap up, which is how I knew it was time to post one. I'm pretty proud of the amount of reading I've been able to accomplish this summer, and also the amount of reviews I've been able to write. It has been slow, but it's also been steady (and you can expect next month to have more posts because I have a bit of a backlog at this point, oops). I know the last wrap up promised a lot, but those promises have to stay on hold for just a little longer. My new job has kept me busier than intended and I'm still adjusting.</div>
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<u>Finished</u></div>
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<b>The Eye of the Queen</b></div>
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<a href="https://tsundokubooks.blogspot.com/2018/06/tess-of-road.html" target="_blank"><b>Tess of the Road</b></a></div>
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<b>The Humans</b></div>
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<b>All That She Can See</b></div>
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<b>A Midsummer Night's Dream</b></div>
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<a href="https://tsundokubooks.blogspot.com/2018/06/to-kill-kingdom.html" target="_blank"><b>To Kill a Kingdom</b></a></div>
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<a href="https://tsundokubooks.blogspot.com/2018/06/assassins-apprentice.html" target="_blank"><b>Assassin's Apprentice</b></a></div>
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<b>The Dressmaker and the Prince</b></div>
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<b>Circles in the Stream</b></div>
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<a href="https://tsundokubooks.blogspot.com/2018/06/starlings.html" target="_blank"><b>Starlings</b></a></div>
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<b>Be Prepared</b></div>
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<b>Vicious</b></div>
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<b>The Hunter's Moon</b></div>
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<b>Blood Rose Rebellion</b></div>
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<b>Leviathan Wakes</b></div>
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<b>All Summer Long</b></div>
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<b>Legendary</b></div>
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<u>Upcoming Posts</u></div>
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Reviews for <b>Vicious</b>, <b>Blood Rose Rebellion</b>, <b>Leviathan Wakes</b>, and <b>Legendary</b> are in the works, as well as a combined review of <b>The Dressmaker and the Prince</b>, <b>Be Prepared</b>, and <b>All Summer Long</b>.</div>
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I'll also (finally) be posting my spoiler-filled review of Infinity War and another installment in "debut's to be excited for".</div>
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<u>Currently Reading</u></div>
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I'm just shy of 100 pages in <b>The Cruel Prince</b>, which I'm enjoying but also not seeing what all the hype was for (yet, at least), and then I'll be reading <b>West</b>, <b>My Lady Jane</b>, and <b>Caliban's War</b>. I'm also hoping to stop at the library and stock up on some spur-of-the-moment books.</div>
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<u>Upcoming Reads</u></div>
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I have a bunch of books I really want to get to this summer and while it's still to far away to say for certain when I'll get to them, I thought I'd share.</div>
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<b>Letter for the King</b></div>
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<b>Call for the Dead</b></div>
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<b>Bluets</b></div>
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<b>My Plain Jane</b></div>
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<b>Circe</b></div>
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<b>Google It!</b></div>
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<b>Sky in the Deep</b></div>
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<b> The Wrath and the Dawn</b></div>
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Any books you recommend that I must, must, MUST pick up?</div>
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Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17065828205340837046noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6296151610997211986.post-48922418817801586602018-06-19T14:18:00.001-05:002018-06-19T14:18:23.330-05:00Starlings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzlcHNJFkLwOp-VFK4ZvZgT5GMOHjY1g7phMLggmMrNSkTOrhH0p2J538RgwwB0-u_aHOVJhI_RFDFPQQv_nt1kpCe52pYDHHRJz4OGxxb8zumlX0lbUg49FdKYDJuLmqgNTE6jpAC9H06/s1600/Starlings_Fotor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzlcHNJFkLwOp-VFK4ZvZgT5GMOHjY1g7phMLggmMrNSkTOrhH0p2J538RgwwB0-u_aHOVJhI_RFDFPQQv_nt1kpCe52pYDHHRJz4OGxxb8zumlX0lbUg49FdKYDJuLmqgNTE6jpAC9H06/s640/Starlings_Fotor.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>Starlings</b></div>
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Jo Walton</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35909363-starlings?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads Link</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCXJ_qib6GLNg3fRU-eS8tUcoryXHHJ4hQZGYuDcdkgCrjRN3f_KNHB_Hu79zvuVS-Rk5C-eJxYTPue2KTIMC0vyQ1OuYc9OQhAZlJJPYWLPRTFJI8sHnKyTbCfter1vIbOg-GcfhbFTc5/s1600/new+five+stars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="485" height="61" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCXJ_qib6GLNg3fRU-eS8tUcoryXHHJ4hQZGYuDcdkgCrjRN3f_KNHB_Hu79zvuVS-Rk5C-eJxYTPue2KTIMC0vyQ1OuYc9OQhAZlJJPYWLPRTFJI8sHnKyTbCfter1vIbOg-GcfhbFTc5/s200/new+five+stars.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<i>I received an eGalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!</i></div>
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<i>(This also means that any quotes may not read the same in the final copy.)</i></div>
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"[...] a universe without pain is a universe without change, without movement, without stories [...] What you have to ask yourself is whether the pain is necessary for the story."</blockquote>
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Sometimes I request a book, receive it, and then forget why I requested it. It's a bad habit of requesting every shiny book that comes across my path and something I'm trying to stop doing. This book, though, was the most magical surprise and the best thing to come out of my bad habits. In fact, <b>Starlings </b>may be my favorite read of the year. It's definitely up there and it's definitely been something that changed my life for the better.</div>
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This book is a collection of short stories and poems by Jo Walton. I've never read Jo Walton before this (though I promise I'll be devouring everything she's put out). I do, however, work on a genre literary magazine for my school, and the stories here (the fact that they are not at all conventional short stories and genre short stories on top of that) reminded me of <b>Quiver</b> (my magazine) so much. It made my heart soar to find that in the wider world there is a home for stories like these.</div>
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Because it's a collection of short stories it's not exactly an easy book to review, at least the way I typically review books. I don't want to give away any accidental spoilers and I don't want to oversimplify what I've read. I will give some advice: read the introduction. I'm a sucker for author introductions (also, if you ever read a Neil Gaiman collection DEFINITELY read the introduction you won't be sorry) and I'm always sad to find out when someone skips out on it. This particular introduction sets the stage for the rest of the book and prepares you for the way the stories will be told. Some of the flaws some of the "short stories" have will make a lot more sense when you've read about why they were written in the first place.</div>
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The writing itself was beautiful. It was easy to get lost within and I was reading this book at work over lunch time, so that's not exactly the most reader-friendly environment, but I would forget where I was sitting or what I had been stressing over only minutes previous. Had someone tried to talk to me I probably wouldn't have noticed and I credit this to Walton's writing as much as to her stories themselves. It was also one of those rare books where I was highlighting my favorite quotes frequently. I rarely do this because things don't tend to stick out to me on the sentence level. But wow did that happen here. And I've decided to share some with you, you lucky bastards. (But really, go read the book and enjoy the complete pleasure of all the stories.)</div>
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"Meanwhile, though, well, I live in the meanwhile."</blockquote>
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"AIDEEN: I am Aideen, a poet from Ireland come to perform before the king of the Africans. These are my brothers Kevin and Brian.<br />GATEKEEPER: I'm afraid you've been misinformed.<br />AIDEEN: In what respect?<br />GATEKEEPER: Africa is a continent containing an empire, several kingdoms, and an oligarchy, divided by diverse deserts, jungles, and mountainous regions, inhabited by various populations who arrange their own political affairs. It is much bigger than Europe. It does not have a single king, any more than there's a single king of the Europeans."</blockquote>
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"Don't bring on disaster refusing to bend<br />When people screw up try to act like a friend<br />Let humans be human and choose their own fate,<br />Accept the small madness to ward off the great."</blockquote>
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"Come, peace, descend to us now<br />in the form<br />of an urban pigeon. [...]<br />Billing and cooing, pouting and searching,<br />come down to the hearts of our cities<br />and be everywhere taken for granted."</blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>TL;DR</b> Every story and poem is a treat and chances are you'll end up walking away loving a new type of genre. </span></blockquote>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35909363-starlings?from_search=true" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="307" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCATbO39TTus6JU69JIKKbdjkWnTe9pqAMjTwp1vMHusG-aK_GxUpuFPuTInvERu5Pjw7iLL8hNeF1ruWs-VzR_2cHpZ5pdipCZl9RI0MlvmIqiIkm8mJlED8wqvADF0ZQfD1QAHyUmmMi/s320/starlings.jpg" width="206" /></a></div>
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An intimate first flight of short fiction from award-winning novelist Jo Walton (Among Others, The King’s Peace).<br />A strange Eritrean coin travels from lovers to thieves, gathering stories before meeting its match. Google becomes sentient and proceeds toward an existential crisis. An idealistic dancer on a generation ship makes an impassioned plea for creativity and survival. Three Irish siblings embark on an unlikely quest, stealing enchanted items via bad poetry, trickery, and an assist from the Queen of Cats.<br /> <br />With these captivating initial glimpses into her storytelling psyche, Jo Walton shines through subtle myths and wholly reinvented realities. Through eclectic stories, subtle vignettes, inspired poetry, and more, Walton soars with humans, machines, and magic—rising from the everyday into the universe itself.</blockquote>
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Jo Walton writes science fiction and fantasy novels and reads a lot and eats great food. It worries her slightly that this is so exactly what she always wanted to do when she grew up. She comes from Wales, but lives in Montreal.</blockquote>
<i style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: georgia, "century gothic", trebuchet, arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Book cover linked to Goodreads. Book cover, and description taken from Goodreads.</span></i><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, "Century Gothic", Trebuchet, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"> </span>Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17065828205340837046noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6296151610997211986.post-11221883537714882752018-06-12T11:18:00.000-05:002018-06-12T11:18:26.463-05:00Assassin's Apprentice <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Assassin's Apprentice</b></div>
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Robin Hobb</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45107.Assassin_s_Apprentice" target="_blank">Farseer Trilogy, Book #1</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC0dr_mTrvzH0AX3jFG7bXsxiAEVqUEnB3GCPiv7L4rVfLWqyLh0o5SGLMZ0pI5oLpj0RHXJ5suoG0-cP_1lOucdFrFLrrlinwjaEfSvdd0vlG8AXW8HPD_tMrGdgsYQ-dvq774C8dPYDR/s1600/new+five+stars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="485" height="61" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC0dr_mTrvzH0AX3jFG7bXsxiAEVqUEnB3GCPiv7L4rVfLWqyLh0o5SGLMZ0pI5oLpj0RHXJ5suoG0-cP_1lOucdFrFLrrlinwjaEfSvdd0vlG8AXW8HPD_tMrGdgsYQ-dvq774C8dPYDR/s200/new+five+stars.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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This is one of those series' I've had on my shelf for way too long. I bought them with the intention of reading them pretty much immediately and then never actually did. But a few weeks ago, in Gatwick airport, I was anxious for my flight and needed to buy something to calm myself down so I bought another copy of this book. And then I actually did immediately start reading it. I think I read more on that flight than any other flight I've ever been on, I was <i>that </i>engrossed in the book. And this book was nothing like I expected it to be. Not only was it a really good fantasy novel, but it was deep and dark and beautiful and it made me cry because of how close the story touched me. I don't think I've been this moved by a "traditional" fantasy novel in a long time.</div>
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This is a hard book to review for a couple reasons (one being that I'm writing the review long after I actually read the book) but I will do my best.</div>
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To start off easy, the characters. Honestly, they're all brilliant. I won't say I loved them all because I think they're all very complicated characters and the only ones I hold dear are Fitz and the Fool (and maybe Chade...) but I completely enjoyed everyone who appeared on the page. Everyone is well-rounded and has different intentions and goals and legitimately seem as if they are on their own paths and arcs. And even though Fitz is the main character, for the reader, it's refreshing to not have the world of the book actually revolve around him. He's certainly very important, but he's not the "chosen one" by any measurement. In fact, pretty much every major character breaks the mold. None of them felt as if I had read them before and it was such a treat to never know what to expect. Similarly, the politics of the world play a major role in the book and they were neither boring nor repetitive. The issues felt real (though I won't say the reflect today, which makes sense since the book is from 1995) and I liked how even characters on the same side took slightly different stances on things, just like they do in real politics.</div>
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Plot-wise I really enjoyed that it's told a bit like a memoir. It made it enjoyable to watch Fitz grow up over the course of one (I know there's more I want to read them but I feel he did the majority of growing in this book, just based on the leaps and bounds he takes) novel. It also reminds me a bit of <b>The Name of the Wind</b> in this vein because while things happen there's not exactly one big event that everything revolves around and trying to sum it up would be very hard without going into detail (which is why the back of both copies of this book have really terrible descriptions) and ruining things. And it's not a book to ruin things for; even though there aren't exactly plot-changing twists every hundred pages there are things better not seen coming and very enjoyable for those surprises.</div>
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The only part I wasn't really sold on was the main "romance" if you can even call it that, between Fitz and Molly. It just wasn't really romantic, I guess I'd say. There wasn't anything inherently bad about it except that I felt Molly was a character created for Fitz and has little of her own storyline outside of him. Also, their "romance" felt forced together and outside of this Fitz is a pretty sex-less character (in that I mean he never really seems to have romantic feelings for anyone else at all). For now I can write it off as the characters being so young and that in the next installments it's very likely they'll continue to grow and the romance will actually feel appropriate. The good part about the romance was that it wasn't distracting at all and that it wasn't really a driving force for Fitz, either. It was just a part of his life, and I can appreciate that, at least, as realistic.</div>
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But the parts that made me cry... they had to do with dogs. This book is kind of a love letter to dogs and how great they are and how they can help with depression and loneliness. I don't know if it was done intentionally but it really did feel like it was trying to say something about the power that a good relationship with a dog has. Fitz suffers from loneliness and feeling like he's not understood (and honestly, I think he's depressed; they never say that but I can draw parallels between my own experience and his) but begins to find relief whenever a dog gets involved. It's not a cure for anything in the book, or in real life, but it shows how dogs can really help heal.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>TL;DR</b> This book broke the mold; no, it <i>redefined</i> the mold when it comes to characters. It's all around a pretty amazing fantasy that I would recommend everyone go pick up immediately.</span></blockquote>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21956219-assassin-s-apprentice" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="304" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJbh6yFb8TrqAvZPNgbUjRVwUpnHl4WjFKmnPHSgzpVvZ-sLbRhqQaoA3Zkg61Lzj3JOb65FxYfU3g-PMP9o8y0MJPyn7PPuVdEBw89svfH5uedVrxDRQaon2O_YP6_mHVOjOHc1tBekyP/s320/assassin%2527s+apprentice.jpg" width="204" /></a></div>
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In a faraway land where members of the royal family are named for the virtues they embody, one young boy will become a walking enigma.<br />Born on the wrong side of the sheets, Fitz, son of Chivalry Farseer, is a royal bastard, cast out into the world, friendless and lonely. Only his magical link with animals - the old art known as the Wit - gives him solace and companionship. But the Wit, if used too often, is a perilous magic, and one abhorred by the nobility.<br />So when Fitz is finally adopted into the royal household, he must give up his old ways and embrace a new life of weaponry, scribing, courtly manners; and how to kill a man secretly, as he trains to become a royal assassin.</blockquote>
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Robin Hobb is the author of three well-received fantasy trilogies: The Farseer Trilogy (Assassin’s Apprentice, Royal Assassin, and Assassin’s Quest), The Liveship Traders Trilogy (Ship of Magic, Mad Ship and Ship of Destiny) and the Tawny Man Trilogy (Fool’s Errand, Golden Fool, and Fool’s Fate) Her current work in progress is entitled Shaman’s Crossing. Robin Hobb lives and works in Tacoma, Washington, and has been a professional writer for over 30 years.<br />In addition to writing, her interests include gardening, mushrooming, and beachcombing. She and her husband Fred have three grown children and one teenager, and three grand-children.<br />She also writes as <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/53255.Megan_Lindholm">Megan Lindholm</a>, and works under that name have been finalists for the Hugo award, the Nebula Award, and the Endeavor award. She has twice won an Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Readers’ Award. </blockquote>
Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17065828205340837046noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6296151610997211986.post-35855006967832795472018-06-10T12:58:00.003-05:002018-06-10T12:58:48.347-05:00Writing Update<div style="text-align: justify;">
Hello dear readers! I actually wrote a version of this post three weeks ago but I never published it because it had ceased to be accurate. Like most times I had bitten off more than I could chew and had really grand plans to write a novel this summer. One can dream, can't they? Well, my new job, while only part time, does take more energy than I had planned and every time I sat down to work on my novel words would not come out at all. It was a terrible case of both writer's block and lack of motivation to write anything, so I stepped back and reevaluated my plans because I still wanted to write this summer and I settled on a happy medium that I couldn't be more excited to share with you all, now.</div>
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Quick digression: I do plan to try and do writing update's every month or so because I like the idea of keeping you updated with how this is going. Both for my own motivation and because it's fun to talk about my current projects.</div>
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I've decided to work on a passion project of mine that I've been too afraid to try and attempt because it at once seems like a huge task and a very personal one because it definitely deals with a lot of the internal things I deal with. And that project is a collection of original fairy tales.<br />
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So far I know three of the stories that will be in there. One of them is a novel I worked on and finished last year (or maybe it was two years ago at this point). You may remember me talking about a project called The Queen's Ransom. Originally the idea for that was a novella but I reshaped it into a novel with really poor results. I want to take it back to the original novella format and high light the fairy tale aspects like it originally wanted to be. (When I wrote it as a novel it became more focused on a quest portion and not the Grimm fairy tale vibe I really wanted for it.) The other two are more traditionally structured fairy tale stories. The first one I'm working on is tentatively titled The Winter King and the other very, very tentatively titled The Thames Spirit.<br />
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I've begun writing The Winter King and have been handwriting it on scraps. I want to finish handwriting it before the end of the day on the 12th and I think as long as I put time aside I should be fine, I'm already about a third of the way through. I'm then going to type it up and edit it a bit as I type, make it more cohesive and such. After that I'll do a proper edit and send it out to some friends I trust.<br />
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That's where I am with writing so far this summer and I hope to finish at least two of the stories in the collection before I have to go back to school. As of right now I don't <i>really</i> have a title for the collection (though I would like it to be an ode to <b>Midsummer Night's Dream</b>, I think) so I'll probably just continue to refer to it as my fairy tale book.<br />
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I'd love to talk shop with people so feel free to hit me up on twitter or even in the comments here. I hope everyone is having a great summer so far and thanks for sticking around!</div>
Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17065828205340837046noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6296151610997211986.post-68088964477258578692018-06-07T10:44:00.000-05:002018-06-12T11:19:03.731-05:00To Kill A Kingdom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC_yJb6NiyT5N8yTM775m-TkKoWk9YfZNNDLh7SROYZd0kAsLXs75KYi7WzhG7sYWmujNYxlPZDGnoCdrkbQAYPikUADASMnNpgR_eeG1sfh9NSv8lMcVOG3bteU-v4F8pi9h9Ff8PnKuc/s1600/To+Kill+a+Kingdom_Fotor+FINAL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC_yJb6NiyT5N8yTM775m-TkKoWk9YfZNNDLh7SROYZd0kAsLXs75KYi7WzhG7sYWmujNYxlPZDGnoCdrkbQAYPikUADASMnNpgR_eeG1sfh9NSv8lMcVOG3bteU-v4F8pi9h9Ff8PnKuc/s640/To+Kill+a+Kingdom_Fotor+FINAL.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>To Kill a Kingdom</b></div>
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Alexandra Christo</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34499221-to-kill-a-kingdom?from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads Link</a></div>
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<i style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, "Century Gothic", Trebuchet, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I received an eGalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!</i></div>
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This book has gotten a lot of love from the community lately. I keep seeing it appear on my feeds when people tote it as one of their favorite reads of the year so far. I really wish I could have been one of those people because I was looking forward to it. Sirens are pretty much always a win with me, so are fairy tale retellings. AND pirates. But even though it had all three the book just failed to grab me the way I wish it could have. I will say, it was a good book in the fact that it told a story beginning to end and was satisfying with it's conclusion. There are so rarely standalone novels in YA and I do appreciate that this did a good job in that category. I will also say I wouldn't say no to a spinoff featuring Madrid... but that's just me.</div>
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Let's start with the good: The world building and the final third. Obviously I can't speak much about the ending since that would spoil quite a deal of this book. However, the final third or so was my absolute favorite bit of it. I was for a short time considering DNFing this one but I'm very glad I didn't. Everything about how it ended-- the character's, the actions, the emotions-- was on point and completely satisfying. Okay, but the world building. It was such a unique world, one built of a bunch of different islands. And when I say a bunch I really, really mean there are so many. I can't remember if they ever say exactly how many (I want to say in the thousands maybe?) but the world really did feel as large as it was meant to. And each island had its own interesting features and cultures. I particularly liked that so many of these islands were visited by the characters, and even though this sometimes felt like it was kinda pointless and just pushing the story forward for the sake of making it longer, I enjoyed the exploration of the world.</div>
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I did not enjoy the "magical abilities" or whatever exactly they were that the rulers/ruling families of the islands seemed to have. For one, it didn't really make sense why they had them. For another, it just didn't really seem to work with the wider story. It felt tacked on, and I don't think that these abilities were really needed. They weren't even that interesting to me and felt kind of cliched.</div>
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I also wasn't a huge fan of the characters. I did warm up to them by the end but it took too long and I never really connected. I think the fact that it's a retelling of The Little Mermaid made it harder to connect with Lira and Elian because I knew they would have to end up together, or at least be star-crossed lovers of a sort and I just wasn't buying it. I did appreciate how savage Lira was as a character and I really liked the growth she went through, but I never really bought Elian's character arc or his views of the world. He felt pushed into one direction for the sake of Lira's story more than for the sake of his own many times. As for the side characters, I never really connected with any of them, either, except Madrid, whom I adore. She was the standout the entire time and it's a shame she didn't have more to do because I really enjoyed everything she did. Her background, too, was intriguing and she was the most well-rounded of all the side characters.</div>
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Honestly I have very little to say about this book. It wasn't great but it wasn't bad. I can see the appeal and I did love the ending. However, there was just too much I couldn't get behind or connect with. I am interested to see what this author writes next, though, because I did like the writing and I did like the potential quite a bit. Maybe not an auto-buy author, but definitely one I'll keep an eye on. (PS. her next book is listed as "gangster fantasy" on goodreads, so, yeah, I'm pretty sold already).</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>TL;DR</b> I wasn't as big a fan as many seem to be, but I did enjoy the final act and I would say if you're interested give it a try.</span></blockquote>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34499221-to-kill-a-kingdom?from_search=true" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwS28-HQ924mfDffj6pz6TWgKH9-TXG1v39CUKFW8nQRQvxqKvXwTYVh7AsJ8kN3mxg-4gBr_Vde8SViPB6y1XUsx7HwGOwV6DRnyZi8LQSAQCSFRxyrtiNm4oU4T14boNKijq__uuSNTf/s320/to+kill+a+kingdom.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
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Princess Lira is siren royalty and the most lethal of them all. With the hearts of seventeen princes in her collection, she is revered across the sea. Until a twist of fate forces her to kill one of her own. To punish her daughter, the Sea Queen transforms Lira into the one thing they loathe most—a human. Robbed of her song, Lira has until the winter solstice to deliver Prince Elian’s heart to the Sea Queen or remain a human forever.<br />
The ocean is the only place Prince Elian calls home, even though he is heir to the most powerful kingdom in the world. Hunting sirens is more than an unsavory hobby—it’s his calling. When he rescues a drowning woman in the ocean, she’s more than what she appears. She promises to help him find the key to destroying all of sirenkind for good—But can he trust her? And just how many deals will Elian have to barter to eliminate mankind’s greatest enemy?</blockquote>
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Alexandra Christo decided to write books when she was four and her teacher told her she couldn't be a fairy. She has a BA in Creative Writing and works as a copywriter in London, both of which make her sound more grown up than she feels. When she's not busy making up stories, she can be found buying far too many cushions and organizing food crawls all over the city.<br />
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Alexandra currently lives in Hertfordshire with an abundance of cacti (because they're the only plants she can keep alive).</blockquote>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "century gothic" , "trebuchet" , "arial" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span><i style="color: #333333; font-family: georgia, "century gothic", trebuchet, arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Book cover linked to Goodreads. Book cover, and description taken from Goodreads.</span></i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "century gothic" , "trebuchet" , "arial" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"> </span>Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17065828205340837046noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6296151610997211986.post-16892624376641082762018-06-03T10:35:00.001-05:002018-06-07T10:44:38.532-05:00Tess of the Road<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Eb7hz8ceMLkrgU0M-dRIU6WbgeDyIB_yqxPBLkHR-uPY9_xy_5_BV3pySYHtSna23Zvu0JoYgGAYtBAYvMUQN9t1zR-TZZoFl56p5NAHr7VFtk_r_iOWUBRfEyxq2Yj3f1_tUkvwWXmO/s1600/Tess+of+the+Road+pixlr_FINAL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Eb7hz8ceMLkrgU0M-dRIU6WbgeDyIB_yqxPBLkHR-uPY9_xy_5_BV3pySYHtSna23Zvu0JoYgGAYtBAYvMUQN9t1zR-TZZoFl56p5NAHr7VFtk_r_iOWUBRfEyxq2Yj3f1_tUkvwWXmO/s640/Tess+of+the+Road+pixlr_FINAL.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>Tess of the Road</b></div>
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Rachel Hartman</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33123849-tess-of-the-road?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank">Tess of the Road, Book 1</a></div>
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<a href="https://tsundokubooks.blogspot.com/2015/03/book-review-seraphina-seraphina-1.html" target="_blank">Seraphina Review</a></div>
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I read Seraphina a while ago, back when I first got my Net Galley account, so I think it’s safe to say I have a bit of a foggy memory on what exactly happened during it. I still remembered, roughly the world of the book… okay, no, that’s kind of a lie I only remembered that there are dragons that look like people and that Seraphina herself was a half-dragon, which was not a good thing for her. And then I never read the sequel, even though I really enjoyed the first. Because it was so long between Seraphina and Tessthere was a lot of important world building I had completely forgotten, or even missed because I skipped book two, and I will admit that it hindered my experience of the book a bit. There were just some tidbits that it was expected the reader to know going into it, and while none of these were plot-changing, they were plot-relevant, so I’d recommend reading the originals (which are an absolute treat) before diving into this one.</div>
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The best thing about this book is its heroine, Tess. I don’t think I’ve ever seen another character go through such incredible growth over the course of one novel. Or, if I have, I haven’t been sold on it being legitimate and rewarding to both said character and the reader. She starts off as an absolute brat (although perhaps for good reasons) with no motivation which was so frustrating to me, and then, along her quest, she becomes a mature woman with a potential she’s beginning to realize. I can’t say much without spoiling something, but if you’re frustrated with her at the beginning I promise that reading the whole book will prove rewarding. I also want to say, as a sort of post-script to this paragraph, that as frustrating as Tess was I never found her unlikable. I just found her incredibly flawed, like a real person is. In fact, I felt this way about pretty much all the characters, and I really appreciated that.</div>
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Even though I could have done with a refresher of the world-building and the history of what exactly was happening in this world, I still found it an incredibly cool place to read about. There were so many different cultures that clashed and melded in very realistic ways. Beyond the physicality of the places described I found the book to be really diverse and have good representation in a lot of ways. For one, Tess, and women in general, are given a pretty poor lot in life (I mean, it’s not awful, but the expectations for Tess are very conservative and disagreeable) and Tess has lived all her life prior to the book under this oppressive lifestyle. But she grows and learns that, hey, the world that was painted for her is not the only world and that she has power and control over her body and that she can love herself and her body and her womanhood. While at the same time there’s also a lot of recognizing of gender-fluidity. Tess masquerades as a boy for a good chunk of the book and while a lot of her personal journey is about becoming comfortable as a woman, she does actually approach being a boy as if she is one. It’s not spelled out (for her) but I do get the strong impression that she’s a gender-fluid character. What is spelled out is the gendering of the quigtul.First off, they aren’t human, so I’m not going to try and put a real-world human counterpart onto them. The quigtuluse gender neutral pronouns when they refer to themselves and they change gender as they age, and this is seen as an acceptable and assumed part of their lives. Even better: this is never depicted in any way as being weird or wrong. It’s a fact of life and people accept it. It’s so lovely.</div>
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Beyond being a bit left in the dust because I wasn’t that familiar with the preceding stories, the other “down-side” was how slow the story takes. It plods along for a very long while. I would even argue that almost nothing happens for the majority of the book. At first this was incredibly frustrating, but the writing was really, really good. It remained pretty frustrating until, suddenly, it wasn’t, and I got sucked into the story. I can’t say I know when it happened, because I just don’t. There was no acknowledged shift and the most I can say is that I probably just became accustomed to the pace that the book was taking, and I rolled with it. The lovely writing certainly helped.</div>
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<b>TL;DR</b> It's worth reading not just for the fantasy but also for the way it tackles so many real-world issues, particularly rape culture.</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33123849-tess-of-the-road?ac=1&from_search=true" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="307" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicxo1ILIudH8HiJTrvCVqhpFVgbsy9aq4CBZVHr_pBxg0cfCfFIBwwjX1z9agOwxZWZ4KiCHgE_cNyRlbp3Y5LFxvbbs4JDl9D8ylswcC77mqsXfos2ftgnwfNdvdzCKsnPI2NnxgOfUSO/s320/tess+of+the+road.jpg" width="206" /></a></div>
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In the medieval kingdom of Goredd, women are expected to be ladies, men are their protectors, and dragons can be whomever they choose. Tess is none of these things. Tess is. . . different. She speaks out of turn, has wild ideas, and can't seem to keep out of trouble. Then Tess goes too far. What she's done is so disgraceful, she can't even allow herself to think of it. Unfortunately, the past cannot be ignored. So Tess's family decide the only path for her is a nunnery.<br />
But on the day she is to join the nuns, Tess chooses a different path for herself. She cuts her hair, pulls on her boots, and sets out on a journey. She's not running away, she's running towards something. What that something is, she doesn't know. Tess just knows that the open road is a map to somewhere else--a life where she might belong.<br />
Returning to the spellbinding world of the Southlands she created in the award-winning, New York Times bestselling novel Seraphina, Rachel Hartman explores self-reliance and redemption in this wholly original fantasy.</blockquote>
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Rachel Hartman lives and writes in Vancouver, BC.<br />
Her first YA fantasy novel, Seraphina, was published by Random House on July 10th, 2012. Here are some things that are already being said about Seraphina by some fabulous authors:<br />
“A book worth hoarding, as glittering and silver-bright as dragon scales, with a heroine who insists on carving herself a place in your mind.” — Naomi Novik, New York Times bestselling author of the Temeraire series.<br />
“Seraphina is strong, complex, talented — she makes mistakes and struggles to trust, with good reason, and she fights to survive in a world that would tear her apart. I love this book!” — Tamora Pierce, New York Times bestselling author.<br />
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“Just when you thought there was nothing new to say about dragons, it turns out there is, and plenty! Rachel Hartman’s rich invention never fails to impress — and to convince. It’s smart and funny and original, and has characters I will follow to the ends of the earth.” — Ellen Kushner, World Fantasy Award-winning author.</blockquote>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "century gothic" , "trebuchet" , "arial" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span><i style="color: #333333; font-family: georgia, "century gothic", trebuchet, arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Book cover linked to Goodreads. Book cover, and description taken from Goodreads.</span></i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "century gothic" , "trebuchet" , "arial" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"> </span>Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17065828205340837046noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6296151610997211986.post-22322194230581816122018-05-19T20:05:00.003-05:002018-05-19T20:05:31.439-05:00Summer Comment Challenge Participation & Life Updates!<div style="text-align: justify;">
Hello lovelies, it's been some time! I didn't intend for such a large gap in my blogging to happen (it's been a week and a half but it feels like much longer on my end) but it did because my time in London ran short and quickly. Right now I am actually writing this from my own bed, in my own room, surrounded by all my books, with my window open. It's so surreal to be back here and I am so happy about it. But traveling, plus packing, plus unpacking has led to little reading and even less blogging. I feel bad about it especially considering how many blog posts I have planned! In fact... here are some of the posts you should be able to expect as the month winds down:A general life update (talking about time in London and looking forward towards the future)</div>
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<li>The Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down review I promised <a href="https://tsundokubooks.blogspot.co.uk/2018/05/introduction-to-thumbs-upthumbs-down.html" target="_blank">here</a></li>
<li>A spoiler-filled review of Avengers: Infinity War</li>
<li>mini reviews for I Kill Giants & Coco</li>
<li>Tess of the Road book review</li>
<li>writing update</li>
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I'm also currently powering through <b>Assassin's Apprentice</b> (a very unexpected book I picked up in the airport) and can guarantee a review for this one sooner than later. After this I'll be reading <b>Starlings</b> (an ARC I have), finishing up <b>Leviathan Wakes </b>(it's really good I just got pulled away and distracted), <b>West</b> (an ARC I have; I read East last year and enjoyed it), <b>Blood Rose Rebellion</b>, <b>Letter for the King</b> (an ARC I have), and <b>Bluets</b> (it was my secret Santa gift last Christmas but sadly didn't arrive until I had already left for London). Barring Bluets I think it's safe to say you can look for reviews of all of these (though since West and Letter for the King come out much, much later in the year those reviews may be pushed back quite a bit).</div>
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Something else I'm participating in this season is the comment challenge hosted by Lonna @ <a href="http://reviews.flylef.com/">FLYLēF</a> and Alicia @ <a href="https://akernelofnonsense.wordpress.com/">A Kernel of Nonsense</a>! I participated for a bit last summer (or was it two summers ago?... I've lost track of things so badly) and loved it. I'm so happy to be able to participate again and will be partaking every month this summer. The Comment Challenge is one of my absolute favorite ways to connect to the book community and make new friends and I 100% recommend participating! <a href="https://akernelofnonsense.wordpress.com/2018/05/02/summer-2018-comment-challenge-june-sign-up/" target="_blank">Sign up here; you won't regret it!</a></div>
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<a href="https://akernelofnonsense.wordpress.com/2018/05/02/summer-2018-comment-challenge-june-sign-up/" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="510" data-original-width="510" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinzWmrQZHArJmfG44fEoQVi-wo-8LfesqfDZZ-fgTWB0pk5X_hi-6ktu0fdtQ1fWqDfoHBW-n4NGT0IMM-Q-NVc7pD9mU4XLDZhB9LvaI04yZ0tK1TxnepEWioOoYboseGI9Br7ycMDWBV/s320/comment+challenge.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I hope you all join in on the fun because it really is a blast. And I promise to be better about posting going forward into this month.</div>
Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17065828205340837046noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6296151610997211986.post-88859254741509498972018-05-08T05:46:00.001-05:002018-05-08T05:46:23.591-05:00Introduction to Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down<div style="text-align: justify;">
Welcome to a new feature on this blog! Normally I wouldn't do a whole post talking about the why's and what's of a feature, but because this isn't like anything I've done here before I thought it would be a good idea to preface it. Basically, thumbs up/thumbs down is going to be a unique rating system used when rating and reviewing a certain type of book. This isn't replacing my old way of reviewing, it's just supplementing it in a way.</div>
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So, what's this idea? Well, I'm glad you asked. The basic idea is I go hunting through used books for a book that meets these qualifications:</div>
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<li>I've never heard of it</li>
<li>It's a sci-fi or fantasy published before 2000</li>
<li>It has a corny cover</li>
<li>It has a corny description</li>
<li>I can go into it a blank slate with no expectations</li>
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Basically, it's a campy old SF&F novel that's probably out of print and may not even be that good. And then I read and review it. How is this a feature or that different from a regular review? Because I'm going into this novel expecting nothing but hoping to have a good time. Even if it's awful I want to read it start to finish and then discuss. And discuss in pretty good detail as if it's a classic novel they might teach in school. Because of this, the reviews are going to look different than normal reviews, also. Structured like:</div>
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<ol>
<li>Anecdotal where I got the book/first impressions</li>
<li>Summary/spoiler filled explanation of what happens in the book</li>
<li>Basic review: did I like it, was I surprised, would I recommend</li>
<li>Detailed discussion, possibly with quotes and proof</li>
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So, yes, that's the plan. The first of these will be up tomorrow and I'm hoping to do about one a month maybe. I won't say much about the book yet, but I hope you all stick around to see what this feature turns out to be. And, if you have a book recommendation that you think will fit the qualifications please let me know and I may try to hunt down a copy.</div>
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Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17065828205340837046noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6296151610997211986.post-8565203261071414912018-05-05T14:17:00.001-05:002018-06-03T10:35:39.306-05:00The Girl of Ink and Stars<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK9EySX_n5JpQJ29uhli6gzuQaaBTW99W4C3W0erdag7egm92xpzjj02bCGHMovxqwOiiF_t82aoo_LN1vOvE4cg6XGWSBJNCe1_G7-drAnGAcZKSXC7Rq63aOQpZvPHAt81aoqs8RZ66k/s1600/The+Girl+of+Ink+and+Stars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK9EySX_n5JpQJ29uhli6gzuQaaBTW99W4C3W0erdag7egm92xpzjj02bCGHMovxqwOiiF_t82aoo_LN1vOvE4cg6XGWSBJNCe1_G7-drAnGAcZKSXC7Rq63aOQpZvPHAt81aoqs8RZ66k/s640/The+Girl+of+Ink+and+Stars.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>The Girl of Ink and Stars</b></div>
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Kiran Millwood Hargrave</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27973757-the-girl-of-ink-and-stars?from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads Link</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYkFVEJoqmD51JWFsOTYcoSPPpcSPQrzuKF8fi3XuPnzX7nZib3Lkx3esUiBIel4PJg7DSou2SZqCcCv-DhtqPcT7ZwFUlS7KlPitH9Su3ug1aRGbLGjQGswWLf_JrZAriclb1cJ70TuQR/s1600/new+four+stars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="485" height="61" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYkFVEJoqmD51JWFsOTYcoSPPpcSPQrzuKF8fi3XuPnzX7nZib3Lkx3esUiBIel4PJg7DSou2SZqCcCv-DhtqPcT7ZwFUlS7KlPitH9Su3ug1aRGbLGjQGswWLf_JrZAriclb1cJ70TuQR/s200/new+four+stars.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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When I picked this up I was really in the mood for a children's lit book and it was being featured on a table at the bookstore. While I still really enjoyed it I wasn't really in that mindset anymore when I got around to reading it. Still, it's a pretty good read and I'm glad to be adding it to my collection. One aesthetic complaint I have (that didn't really affect my review of this book I'm just being a little picky here) is that the map on the inside doesn't really make sense. It's very minimalist and while it's a nice touch it didn't quite line up with how things are described in the book. And I tried to follow it. Look, I love maps in fantasy stories so this was just a bit disappointing.</div>
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On that note, though, something that was incredibly frustrating while reading was the passage of time within the novel. A large chunk of the story deals with a quest type situation, which means a lot of traveling. There were two huge discrepancies here: one is that sometimes they'd travel miles in a day and get from one side of the island to another almost instantly with little to no reference of days or even hours having passed, and the other was that it seemed as if they almost never stopped or ate anything or took care of the horses even when days or hours passing was mentioned. While it's definitely addressed that they're at a hurried pace as they go it's not really addressed in a realistic way. It was incredibly frustrating to try and keep up with the movement of characters and how long they had been out on the journey. I still don't really no exactly how long of a time period the novel takes place over besides that the final chapter is set much later.</div>
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This book is fantasy-lite: there are some fantastical elements but none of them are too flashy nor do they really take over the plot. It feels very anchored in the real world. The fantastical elements serve more as a way to make little things shine and stand out and that was kinda nice, even if I wasn't expecting it. In a lot of ways the magic and myths in this story remind me of Moana, partly because it is set on an island world and has to do a bit with the ocean and ancient spirits, and partly because the focus is on the female protagonist and not necessarily the magic that is around her. Instead the stories and the legends of Isabelle's island guide her and serve as tools.</div>
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Easily the best part of this book is the central female friendship. Isabelle and Lupe are amazing characters. Both of them are incredibly one dimensional and Lupe in particular kept surprising me. When the book starts I had an idea of what she might do but every time she made a choice it was nothing I could have expected and all for the better. She defied stereotypes in every way and she was fantastic. Isabelle, the main character, was just as great even if she wasn't as surprising (since we get insight into her head after all). And her desire to help her friend at any cost is great to see. As much as Isabelle loves some of the men in her life they're not the ones motivating her-- it's her friendship that keeps her going. Honestly, why aren't there more books that show healthy female friendships?</div>
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Overall, I recommend this one. I think it's one a few awards and rightly deserved. It's not one that I would say run out and buy and read right now, but also don't turn away from it when it comes across your path. The sad thing is I don't think it's available in America right now so you'd have to order from Book Depository or something similar if you live across the pond. Definitely something that many shelves would benefit from.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>TL;DR </b>The female friendship that is central to this book really makes it a novel worth reading and sharing.</span></blockquote>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/Winner%20of%20the%20Waterstones%20Children's%20Book%20Prize%202017,%20and%20the%20British%20Book%20Awards'%20Children's%20Book%20of%20Year%202017%20%20%20Forbidden%20to%20leave%20her%20island,%20Isabella%20Riosse%20dreams%20of%20the%20faraway%20lands%20her%20father%20once%20mapped.%20%20When%20her%20closest%20friend%20disappears%20into%20the%20island%E2%80%99s%20Forgotten%20Territories,%20she%20volunteers%20to%20guide%20the%20search.%20As%20a%20cartographer%E2%80%99s%20daughter,%20she%E2%80%99s%20equipped%20with%20elaborate%20ink%20maps%20and%20knowledge%20of%20the%20stars,%20and%20is%20eager%20to%20navigate%20the%20island%E2%80%99s%20forgotten%20heart.%20%20But%20the%20world%20beyond%20the%20walls%20is%20a%20monster-filled%20wasteland%20%E2%80%93%20and%20beneath%20the%20dry%20rivers%20and%20smoking%20mountains,%20a%20legendary%20fire%20demon%20is%20stirring%20from%20its%20sleep.%20Soon,%20following%20her%20map,%20her%20heart%20and%20an%20ancient%20myth,%20Isabella%20discovers%20the%20true%20end%20of%20her%20journey:%20to%20save%20the%20island%20itself." style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKgQ5UqH5CeZwX4s_ms6nFQ3nJm6XM2QpZjAKjbnU9P__LnzBC-2tsw2C60UQSt5W7bwGNZiVcozGIkBkdGonuJJjHxi9qXPwlP_SPvK70JBNWKqDB1nt6579NFiyfyXi0dhZ4kwbhhfLp/s320/the+girl+of+ink+and+stars.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
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Winner of the Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2017, and the British Book Awards' Children's Book of Year 2017<br />
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Forbidden to leave her island, Isabella Riosse dreams of the faraway lands her father once mapped.<br />
When her closest friend disappears into the island’s Forgotten Territories, she volunteers to guide the search. As a cartographer’s daughter, she’s equipped with elaborate ink maps and knowledge of the stars, and is eager to navigate the island’s forgotten heart.<br />
But the world beyond the walls is a monster-filled wasteland – and beneath the dry rivers and smoking mountains, a legendary fire demon is stirring from its sleep. Soon, following her map, her heart and an ancient myth, Isabella discovers the true end of her journey: to save the island itself.</blockquote>
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Kiran Millwood Hargrave is an award winning poet, playwright, and author.<br />
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Her books include the bestselling winner of the British Book Awards Children's Book of the Year and the Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2017 The Girl of Ink & Stars, and Costa Book Awards- and Blue Peter Awards-shortlisted The Island at the End of Everything. The Way Past Winter is forthcoming in October 2018. Her debut book for adults, Vardø will be published by Picador in early 2020.<br />
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She is represented by Hellie Ogden (UK) and Kirby Kim (US) at Janklow & Nesbit. Kiran lives in Oxford with her husband, artist Tom de Freston, and their cat, Luna.</blockquote>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "century gothic" , "trebuchet" , "arial" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span><i style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: georgia, "century gothic", trebuchet, arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Book cover linked to Goodreads. Book cover, and description taken from Goodreads.</span></i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "century gothic" , "trebuchet" , "arial" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"> </span>Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17065828205340837046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6296151610997211986.post-84671003307412331252018-05-03T17:24:00.000-05:002018-05-03T17:24:24.361-05:00Avengers Infinity War<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJZWccbV1j3vskhJ86t0qiPKAt-cFQZQCGSeNqf1tq9PhmDzJOsvlOXmaR08j2Wc_wwuLp7w1VrZo9hTPk_Ln1GWVCcU35vXQb1szdYlRMs0YHqtEPMG1XyvAAdi08u55ewkm2J9d2HrTK/s1600/Avengers+Infinity+War+image.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="696" data-original-width="1237" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJZWccbV1j3vskhJ86t0qiPKAt-cFQZQCGSeNqf1tq9PhmDzJOsvlOXmaR08j2Wc_wwuLp7w1VrZo9hTPk_Ln1GWVCcU35vXQb1szdYlRMs0YHqtEPMG1XyvAAdi08u55ewkm2J9d2HrTK/s640/Avengers+Infinity+War+image.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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This is going to be a SPOILER FREE discussion/review of the movie. I'm a huge fan of this franchise and will, honestly, be doing quite a bit of gushing in the following paragraphs. Honestly I have pretty much nothing bad to say about this movie and I think it was ample reward for ten years of following this franchise pretty closely. That being said, there's definitely things to talk about in more spoilery detail and a follow up post with that kind of information will be coming in the next week or so.</div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">So, the movie theatre experience. I actually went and saw this one alone, which is a kinda bittersweet feeling when it comes down to it. My relationship with this movie and my relationship with the original Avengers movie are pretty similar: I felt ample hype leading up but wasn't crazy about diving into all the nitty gritty and possibly ruining something for myself, I got that same feeling of "ohmygod it's finally happening I've waited so long", and while watching it I was just as absorbed as I was with the original (more on that in a moment). But, seeing the original was a different experience. Pretty sure it was just my local AMC but I went with my parents and my brother, all of whom are across the ocean. I actually do have plans to see this movie again, with them, hopefully in IMAX (because, yeah, this movie deserves it and I rarely say that), but I must admit I was a little sad to walk to the cinema alone, stand in line alone, and then take a seat alone while strangers filled up the empty ones around me. On one hand I think that was kind of the perfect mood to watch this movie with: in a way it's the end of an era, or at least the beginning of an end of an era, and the trailers make it pretty clear that it's gonna be bleak, even with Marvel's trademark humor. The still I chose from the final trailer (above) kinda sums up a lot of the movie's mood, and kinda sums up some of mine as well. Maybe not as drastic and dramatic and with the same consequences as are happening in this scene, but overall the tone of how it's filmed, the blue lighting, Tom Hiddleston being drama queen Loki in just an incredibly emotional moment, that all fits my internal feelings as the movie began.</span><br />
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The cinema itself is a local one and if you're ever in the east end of London and looking for a good movie theatre I can strongly recommend the Genesis Theatre. Tickets are affordable, especially for students (I think I paid 7.50) and there are plenty of snacks plus a restaurant. I still haven't eaten there but I have friends who say it's pretty good. Plus, sometimes there's live music, and that's a pretty good way to start a movie going experience in my opinion. I didn't actually end up buying any popcorn like I had originally planned and I did the *bad* thing of bringing in candy from the local grocery store. I only feel a little bad because I didn't end up eating that much anyways. The room was pretty crowded though not packed (partly because I saw it at like 5 on a Sunday and partly because it's ginormous in there). I got a fantastic seat and was practically in the center of the crowd. And British crowds tend to be quieter during movies so while there was some laughter, some gasps, some clapping at the end, there wasn't that much ruckus and very few cell phones. The guys behind me kept kicking my seat and the mother kept whispering to her child, but honestly those things didn't bother me: I just remembered I was watching a comic book movie and it's loads of fun and some of that fun comes from just being around other people and letting them enjoy in their own way. No one was outright rude (okay, the guy behind me who kept kicking my seat was getting there) so that's a win. Okay, enough about that: the movie.</div>
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Before you see this movie you NEED to see the most recent Thor movie. I mean, yes, you have to have a good idea of the characters and what's going on, what's at stake, but for plot details the movie that's most important leading into this one is definitely Thor Ragnarok. I'd also strongly recommend Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 and Captain America Civil War to help contextualize a lot of what's going on. But seriously, I can't stress watching Thor enough. First of all, it was a great film. Second of all, you will be completely lost at the start if you haven't seen how that one ends. I mean, they kinda explain it, but the casual viewer may not catch on. My parents called and were like "We have so many questions" and my first response was "Did you see Thor?". They said no, I explained, and they had pretty much every answer they needed.</div>
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Going into this film my biggest concern was balancing all the characters. There are over 30, I think, who have played major roles in the past and most of them have helmed huge films on their own. Squeezing everyone into something like this could get messy. I loved Civil War, but it still was really a Cap/Tony movie and while there were other heroes in that one they didn't do much but show up for one really epic fight scene and then kinda fall off. I mean, it worked in that film, but it wouldn't have worked here. The Russo brothers, though, are magicians, or something, because they did so well with including everyone, giving them all really good and interesting storylines, and balancing all these storylines. A lot of this hinges on them understanding that the viewers will have a good idea of who everyone is already and the fact that in a lot of ways Thanos is the protagonist.</div>
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Okay, wait, no, my <b>biggest</b> concern going into this was when the Russo brothers said Thanos was going to be the protagonist and had the most screen time. When I heard that my initial reaction was something akin to "Is that gonna work?" and "Why would I want to see a movie about Thanos?". Somehow they did it. They didn't make him a sympathetic character, which I think they were trying to do, but they made him an understandable character and he's definitely one of Marvel's best villains to date. He's also one of the MCU's most interesting characters. I'm pleased to say he wasn't built up for nothing and that he actually is one of my new favorite characters, which is a complete surprise to me.<br />
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This is also definitely one of my favorite MCU movies to date. Probably top five, maybe top three. When I saw the first Avengers years ago I don't think I looked away from the screen and I also don't think I for one second thought about something else. I tend to have a drifting mind when I watch movies in the theatre but on the rare occasion that I am 100% engaged with something that means it's an automatic favorite. Even rewatching Avengers (in fact, before this movie came out I managed to rewatch all of phase one) I remain engaged, something that's an even bigger accomplishment. Avengers Age of Ultron definitely was not that kind of film and I didn't have the expectation that this one would be either. But it absolutely was. I walked out and realized that I hadn't had space for anything else in my mind. There was so much going on, so many interesting plots, so many important characters I've come to love, and just an all around brilliant movie that I completely enjoyed.<br />
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And it is a nonstop movie. There's action happening in pretty much every scene. Nothing is wasted and every time something happens it makes sense and has impact. There's still a bunch of marvel humor and dare I say this is one of their most quotable films yet. Catching your breath in this movie is hard but it pays off because as the credits role you need this first break to really process everything that happened. There is an end credit scene, you have to wait awhile, but it's worth it.<br />
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So, yeah, I've been waiting for this movie since I was eleven. All of my teenage years and most of my adult life. I don't regret one second (okay not a big fan of the Incredible Hulk movie or the Dr. Strange movie but I didn't really hate those I guess) and this is the reward. MCU fans will love this movie. Casual viewers probably will too because it's so much fun, though if you're not roughly caught up you probably won't enjoy the plot as much or really understand some of the moments between characters. Anyway, I can't say strongly enough how good this film is and I recommend you see it sooner than later. Being spoiled for this one won't be as fun as watching it happen on the big screen. And if you can see it on the biggest screen possible.</div>
Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17065828205340837046noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6296151610997211986.post-79896381170092658662018-05-02T06:06:00.002-05:002018-05-02T06:06:45.336-05:00Quick Life Update<div style="text-align: justify;">
Hey everyone sorry for the sporadic posting lately. I was working on my final essay for Junior Year and now it is turned in and I am one year closer to graduation and the real world. What a ride! Tomorrow I'll be back to posting regularly and there shouldn't be much to interrupt since I don't exactly have a practical job this summer. I think I'll be posting a longer life update at some point in the near future reflecting on my time abroad and my time as a junior. Everything I learned this year and what I intend to learn next year. Also, what my summer plans are since they're very interesting. Talk to you all soon!</div>
Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17065828205340837046noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6296151610997211986.post-30780153837497171002018-04-24T00:00:00.000-05:002018-04-24T00:00:27.151-05:00Frequently Used Words In YA Fantasy Titles<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/top-ten-tuesday/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="203" data-original-width="500" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAKAVjDAFo5SPXrOkP-iXh3iwFYLgvX1Nb53GnYYKfG8-016nZmVOPe6caut2jriVZOerE9cU_zafDGQnxT6QGhX4EOird4RVFR6v1QBtx-_pYJr5iPDY5kMa72tKuberYHK9mLGjrao1q/s640/ttt_Fotor+top+ten+tuesday.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by <a href="http://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/top-ten-tuesday/" target="_blank">That Artsy Reader Girl</a> and you can click her to join up in the fun. This week is frequently used words in [insert genre] books. I think we can all agree that there's only so much originality in titles these days but it's often a bit of fun to point these things out. Without further ado:</div>
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<b>"Queen(s)"</b></div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9AYrDhwXuyFP8PZBucAIefEZFIfWeqOUnR4dfRQZdhsokaqTkHgpv7OyRK8fUVSQIlekdhRfywNKTZzkPOfwu8zrRUxUEs7Uzc4Omye_sESdaxvjfE9W8YenYeDmihaYtw8SQuTaqqLct/s320/queen+of+air+and+darkness.jpg" width="212" /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36099688-queens-of-fennbirn?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3znAZ1Cpg6P5WqgUdXTVj83MXk6kqeLSpcCWJgmYnP6OBTdA8qaZHSMXtPE4niGZ6QL6aU9-oTdSfj6jLpZIGZTLfgH89qvXRcuza38HgIKYFjiLxJwHOYqQDaVaHO_f5IMRd6JetiwHd/s320/queens+of+fennbirn.jpg" width="212" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29982722-the-queens-of-innis-lear?from_search=true" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="313" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9aDg-3Xv53wxmXk9SYDlZCzFgn6CAtVbN8pfPCZ8Ef494Hqwxm3SsBCT4xZFsRPztgOTQu1ANcashc-OWj13BCrUfozIk7f_nbieHqMj0_gLwbM4rIt9VHvAriTvVu99AZwVEbes4KKZ6/s320/the+queens+of+innis+lear.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
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<b>"Wicked"</b></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35297394-the-wicked-deep?from_search=true" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="305" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjAJvK48IXHteStjeunuTkEughInwwPEPt_DksueK3dqyy78IZKlh-X5kY3RDq7fnKjwii6eanI8G63S6GHNieeVqvdP_bsaMbky6UW3xvrw0HnHLUZfb8OddCtHaOdUGjAhPKnpVwnQ00/s320/the+wicked+deep.jpg" width="205" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26032887-the-wicked-king?from_search=true" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMNxhod8P46x1BImj-3b0MFUb1if4xOdpAzNVwkB6TOo_DRFVlf6X9OS3FdWYeDj35XWQqWrqR9-th3rqY8TW6ykrtTA8SLyAZxRob_NMP2XoNsFKibRsny9eGLgdOfxHxCdxa1C4YkP1c/s320/the+wicked+king.jpg" width="213" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32051720-wicked-like-a-wildfire?from_search=true" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK_iTMgXPsfxhd1YFtbZ4exFIBejXloFQGdENGtfXLIFsdIxDsHcqgioSTTVnAKK2-KN7tcyNnfzjIotFfHVU9Vi_lFKrKhX434TY_bICVVREcaCJirrpFpTxLPPH8oO80tIo-kIJNehsL/s320/wicked+like+wildfire.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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<b>"Glass"</b></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30523827-ink-iron-and-glass?from_search=true" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_uXS7TLZ0AAEU1GzE2tMiH_TtXTcTFsSeNev4hjeWo1OQz3peWzJK96WYaS2PHHSF0Hk2PwgeVALaCSvXkgLV_7cVg0gbB01N3uzBfEt30eUy6rMk0L9_UEMZeFs6jcmfUwCz1RfcyWtB/s320/ink%252C+iron%252C+and+glass.jpg" width="213" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35068563-winter-glass?from_search=true" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx8jN6tCcs3feYmj3yuFjUlgB_vxH-Gq0ZO5K3AqShdukLI7oPor2K_wsDAoargIcBcIb7w9p0DAY3NzlEeIVlOBzFJOyr-SE5OtG5Ll3pJjSLRXkgxxHoSJ5iWHHfr93C0aF6WItmqvoT/s320/winter+glass.jpg" width="211" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16034235-throne-of-glass" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBoS6Hc8kgv2hRwbZCLHya-p0Bc-8ow74TM9Jsuf2zOrwzkhjcnfAR0o08zaRJpFeuYt24ZWu534RG5W8wXDDfgGVj6agcrdUJOtFzlDGvJ_jYl0PBRb4sQHeuln5DDa0k_Kvp4nF1D_ZM/s320/throne+of+glass.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">"Kingdom"</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34499221-to-kill-a-kingdom?from_search=true" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjZzG4DAIHWblZny-SrqB-AuzOa3O1ajg5nrI-wOqNQbHnwZdj1i78CCc2WSuqa9jWjPC9-tNAdaxNaxL_sWyWz2XGg4iQpQxoXEg0IqlNJt87FVoG6_pOFtfuv41iV3LMg7mvkovMsj7C/s320/to+kill+a+kingdom.jpg" width="212" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22299763-crooked-kingdom?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="313" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSSn7sxcXWVM-4OYmZnSgKJJfCySf7f1RarAeUJD3hIZu_LJtgWmajh0lF5XUlLavifMAhiGoruG6bl9ho1ZjS_7USzGB2kTVq1v91VLkR75-Q0wPBMLJzaSYdpBdAeKc8CzHl1dvZwEg1/s320/crooked+kingdom.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
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It doesn't have a cover yet, but <b>Kingdom of Ash</b> should also be mentioned here.</div>
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<b>"Traitor"</b></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29739361-traitor-to-the-throne?from_search=true" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="306" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSygjlDoHPcSl3-3kQtzo5MVIfIzh7DhFAjCZnVu1npp-m8ouxKPoSAvndMFYagHEj_hi2zdV5Cc9qyq2LMWLszhzH5jdmTL5RPO8XHURrzGA1mdnYMdGOT0OFi0asjMwO8n50YJjNix4d/s320/traitor+to+the+throne.jpg" width="206" /></a><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwe81uQ6kNrY4lsc0WBLnb-KMWUWlH5Dogy2XzAryvDizKA8MGx27cAUkLMjZ5Pua7eRxr380SJhw8EKFYF_Rp1Jv089iZJFZ_mQlLhm1TTlxn5zTRO_JnoniNdF186orXNdecbtE6xcEq/s320/the+traitor%2527s+game.jpg" width="212" /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29346870-the-traitor-s-kiss?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVX7NspGfncpc0L_A6NpwwlAplaW8rlvLT2uAWOR_DF65C-7LGJbb2sI5Zktc4QD2dopD839pYsAtF2kH9fOO6nawVPDqoRiMjZXRvkMOoW9yjDZbGyzEJEfecSm2QDvhnRmQHyzOHJRnn/s320/traitor%2527s+kiss.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
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<b>A Bird</b></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17675462-the-raven-boys?from_search=true" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUELFDCHBthW8JHMmP0MH_rjaZpIxEKIJfvS0R8mIDW231gqMtGX89wgPtT_Aic6y8MO3HmJAurVCfd743HzDGDrCvPBVSY0E-3KWBzjlb6QB1-nb3AY8SP4m_8dCQzbnaT9mSWCBRWgcB/s320/the+raven+boys.jpg" width="211" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35386010-lost-crow-conspiracy?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUGXwiJqkg7YsSeon2EfFw4nU-JHCoc7awKpRJWVKw5end8xoEypS-N_XxY9mZLzjLwlW2JHArxI3ZncdyAvNDiKD6WR6gTg5TZy-nnWIOEsW2Fkfynun9ANRivkO_c8d_Vps8TzmtBntm/s320/lost+crow+conspiracy.jpg" width="211" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30969741-an-enchantment-of-ravens?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFXiYvyJ78hkC8NvR2yVMiyKWX5arqAaghI0YPNLTh88ZEyYC3ogWmVWjrEBv6DTo89iKkaTWWV2uiGLujb8Um0nUxXRYMy1s9SMHuluXSDk4U7pdka2z59xbAR0M7UV-0IxEyD0g8jQUv/s320/an+enchantment+of+ravens.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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<b>"Cursed"</b></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36039317-the-cursed-sea?from_search=true" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG6qZ4ajZT1sH-PT-vfWyNZ39B4iHyNdP98nWEs_kkecBwrx5dl1-U-WS_uL42tl3WAnxLL7ijtOCphW6tP8e43rpHeIjOaX3v3Sx4Wxou0oWqI924MC1b8H14TFl1NjkiM8mP5dAOQ9Xz/s320/the+cursed+sea.jpg" width="211" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29069989-harry-potter-and-the-cursed-child-parts-1-2?from_search=true" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr5NEoJ7bDYvCaATTO860GjC2C0c-Orm1G2QUIVL8vqTU1PBWh6MZbdo_K8B0gbg8nOLEtm12Y4mx2HwoAzX7AvwVEHPCFgJ2Oo6COSTWRuwsyPHmgEtWKhGJJQlsM0D0ctY7MHYk9fNBb/s320/harry+potter+and+the+cursed+child.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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<b>"Bone"</b></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35384793-shadow-and-bone" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWm2LJRrBY0UZ0xmx9n360txlXBa9C52PwRzVw3mIXDRDxaOHMeN40d0cNxDTbyH_lghdAfYGlg94kdDPDaU-xTm1TxqwdIIVAQQpZerRy5nXUOMjSKGfbBbyoX6mDNGtLZGIS5gFy_uV0/s320/shadow+and+bone.jpg" width="212" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30095464-the-bone-witch?from_search=true" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVvnpdOJc1dHG9BxCsp1P7VFditTiijycwL6KmD47XhuFAPkXE4Ooeh_H3GMhxJsNydLuG1edD75m4txyeonYw5qSYXSXmd5ayImzTUuzrroHTA-IB7qayrbsNiyBdwehwqJ_wR_XK8fkE/s320/the+bone+witch.jpg" width="213" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34728667-children-of-blood-and-bone?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7pfzlefJjZ-R6XbKk6-pENL-DJaVAP3Byu_GsFm2-P0JuAo_CjKuMEUUBLsOtNgjsoFMtPUbN1vMcD5AeDqN5rBLH8xP4oibVI2_Oq6vL6MkN9UrnOST_LEsRqWmku-dbggdvEcT1kQkR/s320/children+of+blood+and+bone.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<b>"Daughter"</b></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8490112-daughter-of-smoke-bone?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="311" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg12ZGp_2r7guTi4IBvL_Oky-M1HpTEHIsQBmm_-ySXVRjtrl0tGZcDNZ9mXjYMWy5a3-It_az9V9JKHHSO7xgDFzaVU2QYhaYOV0zvfKOJIuFKgKPYDbN3i8nNAG5gPuKJN47SHVyaMgH1/s320/daughter+of+smoke+and+bone.jpg" width="209" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33643994-daughter-of-the-pirate-king?from_search=true" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju4CAMA-58xWjCfM1nUdTarH4lL6tq2aeQaR75TZMKjGQhSCStw_RL_5qJMZfKhMdR6DaDojmcXAkYY982_OjpZkaiUfdQrR2bVSRHvntd1zG5evkjPtEOqGTca9JnQCulnCmrT45rt1lC/s320/daughter+of+the+pirate+king.jpg" width="211" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30237061-daughter-of-the-burning-city?from_search=true" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="312" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbu4P-MrgB6VFi_mqo6z9XYpJ79RTNRMXdy9mmDqBjw6ijIYb_ntmutxrQNUrqRHd_sjylVz3GpNbw_V7lrFwGEnsfVO8PDhTR7_R9GNyHEk-uudIuS_p-zkJgqMCVqNjhvPQDMVfDBsie/s320/daughter+of+the+burning+city.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
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<b>Star or Starlight or Having To Do With Stars</b></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20821306-zodiac?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4U8gobHALiMa0D9jIuFLt-EOq4GD0vF8EB8FO8xmcqA0SoDOW6I0SA5V_gIRBQjZQx2LpT3o0CLF3lsbiuzEPmFjGfzjZDAsShPnIFiouCXpPUNAsQ0RsrYJxqezvn-AZqlaalR6L3uum/s320/zodiac.jpg" width="211" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8490112-daughter-of-smoke-bone?ac=1&from_search=true" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgck7AQtgNOmSi1ZcKMBLCh1cAy5nFbvtweaz39Pp5eQw_g0rhLK5JpjSp9clCH_LiTOIOKEPBjCj5dr0E1XFWsZBma1cfG82tlQ1mHewz2fxZZHI99abYuhE2AqrMSufMeMfXPiQ0mYPdD/s320/acofas.jpg" width="211" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28588345-the-midnight-star?from_search=true" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_9OrK0k_C4qElpLeoLAXxno60uETpYKbfqRtsk8wLQtYJ4AfMrZye0wRm9qOueK6RX01ThC5KlOLmLOw7c1V5g-9TQ22Su8jnX5BEnlA9LXcjOZdtyU8zue-PrGs9vt8Av_47b7Y_q-Wf/s320/the+midnight+star.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*all covers linked to Goodreads</span></div>
Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17065828205340837046noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6296151610997211986.post-74772897249646915642018-04-21T08:45:00.000-05:002018-04-21T08:45:21.237-05:0017 2019 Debuts To Be Excited For (Already)<div style="text-align: justify;">
It's <i>never</i> to early to get excited for a new release and I often find myself perusing Goodreads looking far into the future to see what's coming out down the pipeline. A lot of times all I get for a description is a X meets X kinda thing, but it's finally getting to that time of year when full descriptions are coming out for some 2019 debuts. I spent several hours looking through Goodreads and compiling this list of books that I'm genuinely excited for and I hope to make you excited, too.</div>
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I did something similar to this in <a href="https://tsundokubooks.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/12-2017-debuts-to-be-excited-for-part-1.html" target="_blank">April of 2016 </a>which, whoah, that's a long time ago, and I'd like to bring that tradition back. Last go around I had a few interviews with authors and I'm going to be reaching out again because that was such a fun way to connect. But, anyway, that's pretty far in the future at this point, but do look for bi-monthly updates on these releases.</div>
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Now, without further ado, let's get excited:</div>
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<u>January 15th, 2019</u></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37868569-we-set-the-dark-on-fire" target="_blank"><b>We Set the Dark on Fire</b></a></div>
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Tehlor Hay Mejia</div>
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We Set the Dark on Fire is a debut novel from Tehlor Kay Mejia, set at the Medio School for Girls, where young women are trained to become one of two wives assigned to high society men. With revolution brewing in the streets, star student Dani Vargas fights to protect a destructive secret, sending her into the arms of the most dangerous person possible.</blockquote>
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Published by Katherine Tegan Books</div>
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<u>January 22nd, 2019</u></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36192190-small-town-hearts" target="_blank"><b>Small Town Hearts</b></a></div>
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Lillie Vale</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis0BgXtcqpzd6cXkB6CRoFJzRAF9OYZnf5HklC1rl51-dP7qD3oPCSgFKby0pLWxDyzAK0nK43JwXTr_W-tUwyCotZFhHKUoAm0XqtULniG3gytBfMA12bMh_GCrgwcN5CaO0OYhTFH84O/s1600/small+town+hearts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis0BgXtcqpzd6cXkB6CRoFJzRAF9OYZnf5HklC1rl51-dP7qD3oPCSgFKby0pLWxDyzAK0nK43JwXTr_W-tUwyCotZFhHKUoAm0XqtULniG3gytBfMA12bMh_GCrgwcN5CaO0OYhTFH84O/s200/small+town+hearts.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
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Babe Vogel has spent her whole life in the postcard-perfect small coastal town of Oar’s Rest, Maine. She works at the local coffee shop the Busy Bean, lives in a lighthouse, and has a tight group of friends she’s known since birth.<br />When NYC-based artist Levi Keller turns up at the Busy Bean, Babe can immediately tell he’s from “out of town.” Levi is determined to live like a hermit and remain a mystery to the Oar’s Rest natives, but Babe won’t allow it. She takes Levi under her wing and shows him how the Maine locals live.<br />But as the season pass and Babe and Levi’s friendship becomes something more, they both have to figure out if they can balance small-town living with big city dreams.</blockquote>
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Published by Swoon Reads</div>
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<u>February 2019</u></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37897256-an-affair-of-poisons" target="_blank"><b>An Affair of Poisons</b></a></div>
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Addie Thorley</div>
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Ashley Hearn at Page Street has acquired debut author Addie Thorley's YA historical fantasy, An Affair of Poisons—a reimagining of the infamous 17th-century murder scandal in France. After unwittingly helping her mother poison King Louis XIV, 17-year-old alchemist Mirabelle Monvoisin begins brewing curatives to undermine her mother's Shadow Society and help her former enemy, Josse de Bourbon, reclaim control of Paris. Publication is set for winter 2019; Katelyn Detweiler of Jill Grinberg Literary Management negotiated the deal for world.</blockquote>
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Published by Page Street</div>
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<u>March 12th, 2019</u></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36165054-the-waking-forest" target="_blank"><b>The Waking Forest</b></a></div>
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Alyssa Wees</div>
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In the vein of Pan's Labyrinth meets Catherynne M. Valente, the book stars a girl with horrifying nightmares and a wish-granting witch whose lives collide in the most unexpected of ways.</blockquote>
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Published by Delacorte</div>
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<u>August 27th, 2019</u></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36192173-reverse" target="_blank"><b>Reverse</b></a></div>
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Shana Silver</div>
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Arden sells memories. Whether it’s the becoming homecoming queen or studying for that all important test, Arden can hack into a classmate’s memories and upload the experience for you just as if you’d lived it yourself. Business is great, right up until the day Arden whites out, losing 15 minutes of her life and all her memories of the hot boy across the school yard. The hot boy her friends assure her she’s had a crush on for years.<br />Arden realizes that her own memories have been hacked, but they haven’t just been stolen and shared… they’ve been deleted. And she’s not the only one, the hot stranger, Sebastian, has lost ALL of his memories. But how can they find someone with the power to make them forget everything they’ve learned?</blockquote>
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Published by Swoon Reads</div>
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<u>Spring 2019</u></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36430989-descendant-of-the-crane" target="_blank"><b>Descendant of the Crane</b></a></div>
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Joan He</div>
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Eliza Swift at Albert Whitman has acquired Joan He’s Descendant of the Crane, a debut YA fantasy novel pitched as a Chinese-inspired Game of Thrones. In a world where magic is forbidden, a young princess searches for her father’s assassin, but must fight against the intrigue and suspicion that besets her own court. Publication is set for spring 2019</blockquote>
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Published by Albert Whitman</div>
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<u>Summer 2019</u></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36484081-these-witches-don-t-burn" target="_blank"><b>These Witches Don't Burn</b></a></div>
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Isabel Sterling</div>
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Razorbill has acquired Isabel Sterling's These Witches Don't Burn. The contemporary fantasy features a teen witch living in modern-day Salem who discovers that the tension with her ex-girlfriend doesn't much matter when there's a Blood Witch on the loose. To stop the attacks and score a second date with the new girl in town, she must uncover who's causing the deadly fires before her coven is destroyed. The first book is scheduled for summer 2019.</blockquote>
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Published by Razorbill</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38271712-a-place-for-wolves" target="_blank"><b>A Place for Wolves</b></a></div>
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Kosoko Jackson</div>
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Pitched as Code Name Verity meets Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, this #ownvoices historical thriller follows two boys who can only rely on each other as they travel through war-torn Kosovo. Set to release in summer 2019.</blockquote>
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Published by Sourcebooks Fire</div>
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<u>Fall 2019</u></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36637071-gravemaidens" target="_blank"><b>Gravemaidens</b></a></div>
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Kelly Coon</div>
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Delacorte has bought GRAVEMAIDENS, Kelly Coon's YA fantasy debut and a sequel, in a preempt, in a six-figure deal. In a city-state where girls are selected to join fallen kings as Sacred Maidens in the Netherworld—a dark tradition that is seen as an honor but is, in actuality, a death sentence—a healer's apprentice is determined to save her sister from this fate. Publication is planned for fall 2019.</blockquote>
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Published by Delacorte</div>
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<u>2019</u></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36118682-wicked-saints" target="_blank"><b> Wicked Saints</b></a></div>
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Emily A Duncan</div>
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Something dark and holy...</blockquote>
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Published by Wednesday Books</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38205303-the-tiger-at-midnight" target="_blank"><b>The Tiger at Midnight</b></a></div>
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Swati Teerdhala</div>
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Esha hates the soldiers of the Blood Fort, especially the ruthless General Hotha. Determined to avenge her family after the royal coup, she becomes the legendary rebel spy known as the Viper. Her goal? Kill General Hotha and topple the Pretender King from his blood-soaked throne.<br />Kunal is the sole nephew of General Hotha, who put him on the path of a soldier eleven years ago, expecting him to follow in his footsteps. It’s a path of unquestioned obedience and loyalty to the Pretender King which Kunal has no choice but to follow.<br />When Esha’s mission puts her in Kunal's crosshairs, she expects to fight for her life. Instead, his unexpected kindness gives her opportunity to complete her mission.<br />Except that the General is already dead and the Viper's been framed for the assassination. A game is already in play — but who's moving the pieces?<br />Through desert towns and lush jungles, Kunal and Esha play a cat and mouse game. Beliefs are thrown into question. Choices must be made. And both the soldier and the rebel must decide— loyalty to their old lives or to a love that's made them dream of new ones.</blockquote>
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Published by Katherine Tegan Books</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38205707-blood-heir" target="_blank"><b> Blood Heir</b></a></div>
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Amelie Wen Zhao</div>
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A fugitive princess with the power to control blood. A black-hearted conman with no past and no future. An Empire spiraling into darkness. A world worth saving.<br />The Cyrilian Empire: a glittering white sprawl of frozen tundras and ancient, snow-capped forests, where ice spirits roam beneath the flickering northern lights, and where slavers hunt Affinites -- those born with powers to manipulate elements.<br />Born with an horrifying Affinity to blood, Anastacya Mikhailov has never believed herself to be anything more than a monster. Her curse rings true when an accident in the dead of the night results in the death of her father, the Emperor of Cyrilia -- and she is sentenced for his murder.<br />But Ana knows what she saw that night: the scent of poison in Papa’s blood, and the face of a murderer vanishing into the dark.<br />Alone, hunted, and on the run, Ana makes a bargain with Ramson Quicktongue, a handsome yet dangerous underground crime lord: help her find the true murderer and clear her name in exchange for her alliance.<br />When Ana’s search lands her in the lair of the most powerful slave trader in the Empire, she uncovers a horrifying truth. A new monarch stands poised to lead the empire to a path of hatred and divisiveness, and Ana must stop her before Cyrilia falls to darkness. But first, she must come to terms with the monster she thinks she is and the heir she was destined to be.<br />In a world where the princess is the monster, oppression is blind to skin color, and good and evil exist in shades of gray... comes a dark Anastasia retelling that explores love, loss, fear, and divisiveness, and how ultimately it is our choices that define who we are.</blockquote>
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Published by Delacorte Press</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38724143-gumiho" target="_blank"> <b>Gumiho</b></a></div>
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Kat Cho</div>
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Set in modern-day Seoul and based on Korean mythology. A girl who must kill to survive falls in love with a boy after she rescues him from a goblin, changing the course of her immortal life.</blockquote>
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Published by Penguin Teen </div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37777083-coral-and-pearl" target="_blank"><b>Coral and Pearls</b></a></div>
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Mara Rutherford</div>
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No one who lives in the ocean village of Varenia has ever set foot on land, including seventeen-year-old twins Nor and Zadie. Thanks to a scar from a childhood accident, Nor has always known Zadie will be chosen as the future queen of Ilara, a kingdom all other Varenians are forbidden to enter.<br />But a twist of fate just days before Zadie’s departure leads Nor to go in her place. Having grown up listening to tales of Ilara’s wealth and beauty, she is dismayed to discover that while Varenians live long, healthy lives, thanks to the blood coral that grows in their waters, the Ilareans are weak from decades spent in their dark, cave-like castle. The crown prince, Ceren, makes it clear he is only marrying Nor to strengthen the royal bloodlines and will stop at nothing to harvest the pearls the Varenians trade for survival.<br />As Nor comes to know Ceren’s younger half-brother, Talin, she begins to piece together the puzzle of why the Varenians continue to grow poorer at the hands of the Ilareans, and the truth behind the last Varenian queen’s fate. But when Ceren finds the key to strengthening his blood lies within the Varenians themselves, Nor must fight for something far more important than the livelihood of her people: their lives.</blockquote>
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Published by Harlequin Teen</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34213319-four-dead-queens" target="_blank"><b> Four Dead Queens</b></a></div>
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Astrid Scholte</div>
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A divided nation. Four Queens. A ruthless pickpocket. A noble messenger. And the murders that unite them.<br /><br />Get in quick, get out quicker.<br />These are the words Keralie Corrington lives by as the preeminent dipper in the Concord, the central area uniting the four quadrants of Quadara. She steals under the guidance of her mentor Mackiel, who runs a black market selling their bounty to buyers desperate for what they can’t get in their own quarter. For in the nation of Quadara, each quarter is strictly divided from the other. Four queens rule together, one from each region:<br />Toria: the intellectual quarter that values education and ambition<br />Ludia: the pleasure quarter that values celebration, passion, and entertainment<br />Archia: the agricultural quarter that values simplicity and nature<br />Eonia: the futurist quarter that values technology, stoicism and harmonious community<br />When Keralie intercepts a comm disk coming from the House of Concord, what seems like a standard job goes horribly wrong. Upon watching the comm disks, Keralie sees all four queens murdered in four brutal ways. Hoping that discovering the intended recipient will reveal the culprit – information that is bound to be valuable bartering material with the palace – Keralie teams up with Varin Bollt, the Eonist messenger she stole from, to complete Varin’s original job and see where it takes them.</blockquote>
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Published by Putnam</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36558159-the-beholder" target="_blank"><b>The Beholder</b></a></div>
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Anna Bright</div>
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Pitched as Cinderella meets The Odyssey and The Selection.<br />When Selah, Seneschal-elect of Potomac, is publicly rejected on the eve of her engagement, her stepmother forces her to set sail across the Atlantic with an itinerary full of suitors to court before she can return home. But as she navigates the rough waters of political alliances, friendship, and love, Selah realizes that her stepmother has her own dark motives for sending her on the journey.</blockquote>
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Published by Harper Teen</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36613718-enchant-e" target="_blank"><b> Enchantée</b></a></div>
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Gita Trelease</div>
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Paris in 1789 is a labyrinth of twisted streets, filled with beggars, thieves, revolutionaries—and magicians...<br />When smallpox kills her parents, Camille Durbonne must find a way to provide for her frail, naive sister while managing her volatile brother. Relying on petty magic—la magie domestique—Camille painstakingly transforms scraps of metal into money to buy the food and medicine they need. But when the coins won’t hold their shape and her brother disappears with the family’s savings, Camille must pursue a richer, more dangerous mark: the glittering court of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.<br />With the dark magic she learned from her mother, Camille transforms herself into the ‘Baroness de la Fontaine’ and is swept up into life at the Palace of Versailles, where aristocrats both fear and hunger for la magie. Her resentment of the rich at odds with the allure of glamour and excess, Camille is astonished to find that her would-be suitor Lazare, a handsome young inventor whom she thought shared her dreams of liberty, is also leading a double life.<br />As the Baroness de la Fontaine, Camille gambles at cards and flirts, desperate to maintain her place at court and keep herself and her sister off the streets. But la magie has its costs. When a scheming courtier blackmails her and Lazare’s affections shift, Camille loses control of her secrets. Then revolution erupts, and she must choose—love or loyalty, democracy or aristocracy, reality or la magie—before Paris burns…<br />ENCHANTÉE is a thrilling YA historical fantasy that combines the decadence of Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette with the dangerous enchantments of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell.</blockquote>
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Published by Flatiron </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*book descriptions taken from Goodreads; titles linked to Goodreads</span></div>
Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17065828205340837046noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6296151610997211986.post-38497258900840946522018-04-20T07:25:00.001-05:002018-04-20T07:25:23.409-05:00Sandman Slim<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7R46fuProlGkkzWaZwrIZd4WnXyeCRsxNK8SFwq9iIKH8C8fB9iBKlwUDP7l1AEMBv6CISrrNCV5hc4o1c3VRWI55DXwKFYWrF-IDr3qyn4VGeoGUqQ6rkioEeU6R35DI5FF9QzScLUYN/s1600/Sandman+Slim+Header.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7R46fuProlGkkzWaZwrIZd4WnXyeCRsxNK8SFwq9iIKH8C8fB9iBKlwUDP7l1AEMBv6CISrrNCV5hc4o1c3VRWI55DXwKFYWrF-IDr3qyn4VGeoGUqQ6rkioEeU6R35DI5FF9QzScLUYN/s640/Sandman+Slim+Header.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>Sandman Slim</b></div>
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Richard Kadrey</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5776788-sandman-slim?from_search=true" target="_blank">Sandman Slim, Book 1</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR5xCvfM_7JaZ7EACEfScNkq7rKpGxFM3dYJv6UrR-S8YeFmQmCHyGfokghyfAos63ZliUg_-W7fwweFksiyxYOBiJFS6nhrJZwnFJsfDpbA8D5jsdBCjLlbo8h_4tZtLDBtMob-v8uGkq/s1600/new+two+stars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="485" height="61" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR5xCvfM_7JaZ7EACEfScNkq7rKpGxFM3dYJv6UrR-S8YeFmQmCHyGfokghyfAos63ZliUg_-W7fwweFksiyxYOBiJFS6nhrJZwnFJsfDpbA8D5jsdBCjLlbo8h_4tZtLDBtMob-v8uGkq/s200/new+two+stars.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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There are some light SPOILERS down below. I don't give away anything super important to the plot but I do talk about certain things in depth. While it won't ruin your experience reading it if you're wary of any spoilers at all you may want to skip.</div>
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<b>Sandman Slim </b>has sat on my kindle unread for I don't even know how long at this point. I first downloaded it sometime around when I discovered <b>The Dresden Files</b> and urban fantasy as a genre but never got around to it even though the title, cover, and description had me incredibly intrigued. Plus, like Dresden Files, it's a pretty large series so I would have plenty to bite into. Now, after having discovered <b>Lucifer</b>, the show not the comic (as soon as I get home it's on top of my list though), and being on another urban fantasy kick (plus Kadrey having written for the Lucifer comics) I decided it was finally time to sit down and read this one. And I must say, I feel like it was a bit of a waste of time.</div>
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At first it really was a pretty engaging story. I liked the premise, I liked the character, and I liked what appeared to be the plot. The world build was meh but it's the first in a longer series so I wasn't that bothered until about the halfway point where two things became very clear: one, that there was way more violence against women (and just generally very poorly made female characters that were basically just invented to be looked at by the hero) than I was comfortable with, and two, that the plot was kinda stupid and bogged down with some of the same problems as Spider-Man 3, namely, that there was just too much going on and I didn't care about any of it.</div>
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So, the women. Where to start? With the dead girlfriend who is constantly on his mind? She's probably the least sexualized of the women in this story, but that's not saying much. The dead-women-before-the-book-starts trope has never gotten on my nerves until recently when it was pointed out how many dead mothers and sisters there are in <b>A Song of Ice and Fire</b> and, yeah, to say the least, it's so frustrating to be told that "wow this woman is awesome because x and x" but never see them be awesome because they're dead to make way for the men in the story to take a more central stage. But whatever, okay, Alice being dead gives him motive, sure. He needs to take revenge. Honestly, I like revenge stories, so I'm willing to let this one slide a little, especially since we do get plenty of flashbacks and the narrative leads you to believe there would be more in future installments. And, hey, it's urban fantasy so maybe she comes back.</div>
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But what about all the other women? Well, there aren't many of them. At least not main characters. I would say there are two solid secondary female characters, and when they're both introduced some of the first lines of description have to do with how they look... and not just how they look, but whether Stark, the narrator, finds them attractive or not. And one of them, oh yeah, he finds her very attractive and makes this very clear in many different passages. Any time he introduces a female character they pretty much immediately get sexualized in a very manic-pixie-dream-girl kinda way. Literally every single female character. One of the villains he wants to get revenge on? He doesn't like her looks/aesthetic/kink, however one would describe her using magic to look like an anime character in real life, and describes her as being bottom of the barrel and no one he'd be interested in sleeping with. He also degrades anyone who would. A minor villain, a nazi, actually, is also sexualized immediately: he looks at her, says he falls in love with her immediately and would love to fuck her, and then only really stops when she says something mean and insults him. Even random characters who have no dialogue whatsoever, such as a coffee/donut barista who dies two pages later or something like that, is looked at by Stark, he basically says he'd love to get her in bed, and then she dies and he mourns for one hot second before moving on with his life.</div>
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What's worse about all this? The female characters just don't care. Not that they're all that different from each other in the first place: it feels a bit like the author knows how to write one type of female character (and not a particularly realistic one if we're being honest) and just copy-pasted her to every single other woman in the story. They just have different roles to play in the grand scheme of things; but again, these roles really only relate to Stark and his own plot line.</div>
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But if that doesn't frustrate you then the plot of the book may do the job. What starts as a simple but engaging revenge story, complete with a talking severed head and a baddie whom he has a pretty strong connection with, ends up, somehow, involving the US government and creatures that are not demons or angels but also kinda are demons (?). Yeah, not too sure on that front. They tried to explain but the idea was pretty flat and they didn't even seem that dangerous.</div>
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Here's what, technically, happened (SPOILERS, but not really, I'll be pretty vague): Stark comes back from Hell (he isn't undead) and wants revenge; he meets up with an old friend who offers some help; the old friend brings him to a colleague who can help but really doesn't do much until the very end; then they go to a different colleague (seriously, these two colleague's could have been the same character and I wouldn't have minded) who has them do a side quest which results in pretty much nothing plot relevant nor was it really that interesting; then Stark gets involved with a street gang that is also the Nazi's that are also some otherworldly creature trying to take over earth; then Stark gets "kidnapped" by the FBI which are still technically the FBI but also some division that deals with magic and stuff; then he meets an angel who wants to kill him; then he still tries to get revenge but the otherworldly creatures that were introduced pretty last minute become the real baddies then he basically gets revenge but not really. And the whole time there's also some other magical police force keeping tabs on him and Lucifer, the devil himself, is also keeping tabs on him. Yeah, way to much happening and I stopped caring about halfway through because of it.</div>
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Will some people like this book? Most definitely. I think that if I read it at a different time in my life, or if I didn't care so much about the way fictional women were treated, I could have enjoyed it. I am still somewhat considering giving the next book a shot just to see if it remedies anything (I had issues with the first Dresden Files book-- not issues like this, much lesser issues-- and only because I got to book three do I love that series to death) but that probably won't be for a while and I'll definitely be checking it out of the library instead of spending money on it. In the end, though, I just can't recommend this one. I don't have much time anymore for disappointing books, and I certainly don't have time for books that disrespect women.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>TL;DR </b>I disliked how women were treated in this book and I disliked how the plot evolved but I think some people may enjoy it. If you weren't interested before I'd say stay away but if it's been on your radar approach with caution.</span></blockquote>
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P.S.</div>
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Can I just mention that while writing this review and getting increasingly frustrated at the book I lowered the rating from the original three stars to two.</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5776788-sandman-slim?from_search=true" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="451" data-original-width="318" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2W3xFPRQGCoLB6Mz6Z_UR7dJP0v3OAGLjjBSgX_TdAjVs-xj_JhaZlufkYVJq-WKapY0Yn9YFPnhHNH-ZyqHyWlypnXHWgcHBGRjXimMjzUM677LduGQj9ODngorC-2f6ncKsypGijvk5/s320/sandman+slim.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Supernatural fantasy has a new antihero in Sandman Slim, star of this gripping, gritty new series by Richard Kadrey.<br />Life sucks and then you die. Or, if you’re James Stark, you spend eleven years in Hell as a hitman before finally escaping, only to land back in the hell-on-earth that is Los Angeles.<br />Now Stark’s back, and ready for revenge. And absolution, and maybe even love. But when his first stop saddles him with an abusive talking head, Stark discovers that the road to absolution and revenge is much longer than you’d expect, and both Heaven and Hell have their own ideas for his future.<br />Resurrection sucks. Saving the world is worse.<br />Darkly twisted, irreverent, and completely hilarious, Sandman Slim is the breakthrough novel by an acclaimed author.</blockquote>
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Richard Kadrey is a writer and freelance photographer living in San Francisco, best known for his Sandman Slim novels. His newest novels are <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25817389-the-everything-box">The Everything Box</a>, released April 19, 2016 and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26818454-the-perdition-score">The Perdition Score</a> (Sandman Slim, #8), released on June 28, 2016.</blockquote>
<i style="color: #333333; font-family: georgia, "century gothic", trebuchet, arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Book cover linked to Goodreads. Book cover, and description taken from Goodreads.</span></i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , "century gothic" , "trebuchet" , "arial" , "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"> </span>Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17065828205340837046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6296151610997211986.post-15273400593441314002018-04-18T06:08:00.002-05:002018-04-18T06:08:52.254-05:00March & April (So Far) Wrap Up + Updates<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
Hello everyone! Look at me, actually on top of my game recently and posting regularly. Who'd have thought? In my last update I talked about how I've been away from home and how that hasn't resulted in stress, exactly, it has resulted in my time being taken up by different things. Well, that flipped didn't it? I've actually been dealing with a lot of stress and anxiety at the moment, and while that hasn't kept me from posting or reading it has made it harder, which is why I'm doubly proud of myself for posting and interacting as much as I have. Classes are done for me and I've only got one essay left (due early next month so there's plenty of time) and now that I've let myself unwind I am feeling pretty relaxed and overall enjoying the nice weather and free time. (I've also been writing again but there's not much to say on that front... yet.)</div>
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Honestly things have been pretty low-key and I have little to report on the personal front except that I'm seriously homesick for my bookshelves. But there are <u>a lot</u> of changes-- or should I say new features?-- coming to the blog and I couldn't be more excited!</div>
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<a name='more'></a>First up is my lovely <u>new star rating system</u>. Look at these:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7_zIeoIJLcPYg_IlmClWn9DFFcAfjacoeaFexZEx68ApvzEYSSbrbgsoRIf87LxTNZuGXemiDH-lqStE9tln7FEF_tupF7gLYmxjTBR1tYigpfxtwf2I2PhQc-ipOQX_bdmc-nQjkKiRO/s1600/new+five+stars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="485" height="61" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7_zIeoIJLcPYg_IlmClWn9DFFcAfjacoeaFexZEx68ApvzEYSSbrbgsoRIf87LxTNZuGXemiDH-lqStE9tln7FEF_tupF7gLYmxjTBR1tYigpfxtwf2I2PhQc-ipOQX_bdmc-nQjkKiRO/s200/new+five+stars.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS_-x9h9JXAzN9CQqSQEtxXP7Za_vBo6isYKXGNxHuPQKdQ3MWkFw4PlesABLW-y-sUV3v_FgZ9wgQof-9NSikUxA6zzrYHGFnNh2Kyo3Lh8_6EIsXZXoTgbhAf4syjjvh3EtNMAkn_bgy/s1600/new+four+stars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="485" height="61" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS_-x9h9JXAzN9CQqSQEtxXP7Za_vBo6isYKXGNxHuPQKdQ3MWkFw4PlesABLW-y-sUV3v_FgZ9wgQof-9NSikUxA6zzrYHGFnNh2Kyo3Lh8_6EIsXZXoTgbhAf4syjjvh3EtNMAkn_bgy/s200/new+four+stars.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-0-2O8AW86cgVfoi9tDboxj21uCuEozeJXKKp2zUKgsbYAuCWnW9-qpvd0dFR8xshrU_j1uPvGjffyLp0r2VJ6DI1vFiBJU8RHCkywBwmGeNpuaFgq2TrhBdOR849kXT9LI9CJLux0zR_/s1600/new+three+stars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="485" height="61" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-0-2O8AW86cgVfoi9tDboxj21uCuEozeJXKKp2zUKgsbYAuCWnW9-qpvd0dFR8xshrU_j1uPvGjffyLp0r2VJ6DI1vFiBJU8RHCkywBwmGeNpuaFgq2TrhBdOR849kXT9LI9CJLux0zR_/s200/new+three+stars.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3xe6Q5LXYFoiZs0x-QwW1818P4xlBC1MONTagfJR5BtQIIi88pOVxWge06ti-m2n1LpAc9A-gFBlBDeXEBoGrwSw_DZXNc7eOPevSJQMZx6LQADwPHnOKgOtABzolupgl_KiSpOsFFcNF/s1600/new+two+stars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="485" height="61" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3xe6Q5LXYFoiZs0x-QwW1818P4xlBC1MONTagfJR5BtQIIi88pOVxWge06ti-m2n1LpAc9A-gFBlBDeXEBoGrwSw_DZXNc7eOPevSJQMZx6LQADwPHnOKgOtABzolupgl_KiSpOsFFcNF/s200/new+two+stars.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCWfceeoqhS9drDk1T6Mbx6eddU1tdH_Fxywy_y48FsTbpHpRiTaLMO92tb_bT4S4nL1v6KypbkRpoHt0UHn0W3HbEGxfe-vPOZu69_lv4g79OPKhzd7I8oZNjU94e-GFpdWq0a1AjpVw5/s1600/new+one+star.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="485" height="61" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCWfceeoqhS9drDk1T6Mbx6eddU1tdH_Fxywy_y48FsTbpHpRiTaLMO92tb_bT4S4nL1v6KypbkRpoHt0UHn0W3HbEGxfe-vPOZu69_lv4g79OPKhzd7I8oZNjU94e-GFpdWq0a1AjpVw5/s200/new+one+star.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Don't you love them? Because I do. I know, they aren't <i>that</i> different from my previous ones but they're fresh to me and I really needed some freshness. I also think I finally have a decent way to describe what each rating means rather than the general wishy-washy way I've kinda been approaching ratings.<br />
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<b>5 stars</b> -- This book is amazing you should go read it immediately<br /><b>4 stars</b> -- Very good; definitely add it to your TBR<br /><b>3 stars</b> -- It's not a waste of time to read but I wouldn't recommend you hurry towards it<br /><b>2 stars</b> -- Don't bother unless you were seriously interested in it<br /><b>1 star</b> -- Pretty much a waste of time and likely a problematic book</blockquote>
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So, yeah, there you go, if you were wondering exactly what my ratings mean.</div>
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I'm also going to try my hand at <u>reviewing films</u> again. Possibly some television shows as well. Don't expect to see these <i>that </i>often because I still want it to be mainly a book blog, but I love movies (I am getting part of my degree in Film Studies) and I want to talk about them more. I would say you can probably expect about one a month, possibly two, and the first one will likely be a review of <b>Infinity War</b>.</div>
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As you may have noticed I've been partaking in Top Ten Tuesdays again, and in the spirit of bringing back more community and more memes, and just differentiating the posts in general, I'll be bringing back <u>First Impression Fridays</u>, but in a different form. Don't know what that is? Yes, well, I think it deserves a longer explanation and that will be coming next month when I launch it again.</div>
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There are also two new book review features/series coming to the blog, both of which will get their own posts dedicated to explaining what they are and why I'm doing them. Suffice it to say I've already gotten knee deep into the first one and I can't wait to share it with all of you. Not to be a tease, but the first of these features is called "Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down" and the second is called "Famously Bad". TU/TD will probably be posted late this month or early next month, though Famously Bad might still be a bit away since I can only read so quickly.</div>
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So, yeah, get excited!</div>
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<u>Recent TV</u></div>
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<b>Lucifer</b> -- yes, this is my absolute obsession at the moment. Please, please, please let there be a season four. I binged through this series much faster than I should have and now I'm watching weekly. I will say that I remember this show has new episodes at the most uncanny times. Two episodes ago I was in the midst of total creative meltdown and at the last minute remembered Lucifer had a new episode: it totally refreshed me. Yesterday, after having an anxiety attack and then hand tremors (I think because I hadn't eaten all day and had just kinda forgotten about eating in general), I was struck with this show again and got to end the day on such a good note. Basically, this show is just my everything. Still not sure I would recommend it in general, though, because there still are a lot of issues in the cop aspect of things.</div>
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<b>Outlander </b>-- I'm nearly done with season one and I'm still not sure whether I like it or not. It's a beautifully shot show, and the characters are finally growing on me, but there are things that are keeping me from getting 100% invested in it. I think I may end up reviewing this one.</div>
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<u>Finished</u></div>
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<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30809689-norse-mythology" target="_blank">Poison's Cage</a></b></div>
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<b><a href="https://tsundokubooks.blogspot.co.uk/2018/03/sky-song.html" target="_blank">Sky Song</a></b></div>
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<b>Norse Mythology</b></div>
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<b><a href="https://tsundokubooks.blogspot.co.uk/2018/04/the-restaurant-at-end-of-universe.html" target="_blank">The Restaurant at the End of the Universe</a></b></div>
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<b><a href="https://tsundokubooks.blogspot.co.uk/2018/04/the-art-of-asking.html" target="_blank">The Art of Asking</a></b></div>
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<b>The Penelopiad</b></div>
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<b><a href="https://tsundokubooks.blogspot.co.uk/2018/04/the-song-of-seven.html" target="_blank">The Song of Seven</a></b></div>
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<b>Sandman Slim</b></div>
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<b>The Girl of Ink and Stars</b></div>
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<u>Currently Reading</u></div>
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I'm nearly done with <b>The Eye of the Queen</b> by Phillip Mann (in fact I may finish today). I'm also just past the halfway point in listening to <b>Tess of the Road</b> on audible.</div>
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<u>Upcoming Reads</u></div>
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Next I'll be diving into an ARC of <b>From the Earth to the Shadows </b>by Amanda Hocking. After that I have <b>Jackaby</b> in mind because it's been on my kindle for ages, everyone seems to love it, and it sounds like a good spring/summer read; I also plan to pick up <b>Leviathan Wakes</b>, the longest book I'll have read in a while; reread <b>Caraval</b> before <b>Legendary </b>comes out; and get through two more ARCs I've got: <b>Starlings </b>and <b>West</b>. After all that hopefully I'll actually finally read <b>Tower of Dawn</b>. One can dream, can't they?</div>
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Alright, thanks for sticking with me for such a long wrap up this time! I doubt next time will be this long (finger's crossed I'll be home next time I check in here). You can expect to see me posting regularly these next couple days and weeks. Merry reading!</div>
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Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17065828205340837046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6296151610997211986.post-89163215097999289122018-04-17T00:00:00.000-05:002018-04-17T00:00:08.815-05:00Top Ten Books I Wish Would Be Adapted as Movies or Television<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/top-ten-tuesday/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="203" data-original-width="500" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAKAVjDAFo5SPXrOkP-iXh3iwFYLgvX1Nb53GnYYKfG8-016nZmVOPe6caut2jriVZOerE9cU_zafDGQnxT6QGhX4EOird4RVFR6v1QBtx-_pYJr5iPDY5kMa72tKuberYHK9mLGjrao1q/s640/ttt_Fotor+top+ten+tuesday.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Top Ten Tuesday is now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Every week a new prompt is posted and you can participate by visiting her <a href="http://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/top-ten-tuesday/">blog</a> and linking up.<div>
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This week was a freebie so I thought I'd do something I've been thinking about a lot: which books I've read that I think will do well as televisions or movies. I'm not counting three of my favorite series-- ACOTAR, Throne of Glass, and The Kingkiller Chronicles-- because they're all on their own little paths to being adapted at the moment. Suffice it to say I'm pretty excited for all those adaptations. Here are some books that I have no idea where they stand in Hollywood at the moment but dearly hope my wishes will come true and someday they'll be on screen.</div>
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Now, in no particular order, here they are:</div>
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<b>The Hazel Wood</b></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34275232-the-hazel-wood?from_search=true" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDHqfei9x8NG-da4PKw8rzk-dxU5Nz6QFINfIFndaTbcjS1gNBKc9H1S6WO4iK6r0bxVfhxuwo0J5DGpd2DgR2hNjky9ZpCL7l-OrQ4NFNEcmXbr_WAl9RCrhEPh2SJ72nt2JIshiqFt_K/s320/the+hazel+wood.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
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Seventeen-year-old Alice and her mother have spent most of Alice’s life on the road, always a step ahead of the uncanny bad luck biting at their heels. But when Alice’s grandmother, the reclusive author of a cult-classic book of pitch-dark fairy tales, dies alone on her estate, the Hazel Wood, Alice learns how bad her luck can really get: her mother is stolen away―by a figure who claims to come from the Hinterland, the cruel supernatural world where her grandmother's stories are set. Alice's only lead is the message her mother left behind: “Stay away from the Hazel Wood.”<br />Alice has long steered clear of her grandmother’s cultish fans. But now she has no choice but to ally with classmate Ellery Finch, a Hinterland superfan who may have his own reasons for wanting to help her. To retrieve her mother, Alice must venture first to the Hazel Wood, then into the world where her grandmother's tales began―and where she might find out how her own story went so wrong.</blockquote>
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When I was listening to this one on audiobook I had such a clear image of how it would look as a movie. It could be so vivid and beautiful but still also have that dark, grim undertone. Honestly, think the aesthetic of <b>The Spiderwick Chronicles</b> movie.</div>
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<b>Caraval</b></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27883214-caraval?from_search=true" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="313" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioK5wtB7Jt-xnTw8e2aTXuMJceTFjXroh1UVcGXT1niknLwpCiLZA_lSAG-guwNK_eK719joKeX0uxJQzKF3I-n4qVBJqCNhYAKGsKRSI_nkY-muwGUzyHlJkqQgo-ky949OkpUFHlMLwl/s320/caraval.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
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Remember, it’s only a game…<br />Scarlett Dragna has never left the tiny island where she and her sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval—the faraway, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show—are over.<br />But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.<br />Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. Nevertheless she becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic. And whether Caraval is real or not, Scarlett must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over or a dangerous domino effect of consequences will be set off, and her beloved sister will disappear forever.<br />Welcome, welcome to Caraval…beware of getting swept too far away.</blockquote>
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This is one of my absolute favorite books in the world and I think it could do well as either a movie or a television series. With a series there would definitely be liberties taken to extend it but, honestly, if done right I wouldn't mind because I loved the world of Caraval so much that I could easily spend several seasons exploring it.</div>
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<b>Truthwitch</b></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21414439-truthwitch?ac=1&from_search=true" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3zDLhc3VgzMe-VEzu_0ju8HLbDZ-TCBeB9e6wtQABG5yqXNgdoAYVrMF3Tj5Uz9VTGkbDWDaQvurFoVUS9SdOB8_Q73qvDjmbqD-fNW16l2RCIBqM7kCLx7SJtTaTpfC5Mci4QvfMCbY3/s320/truthwitch.jpg" width="213" /></a><b><br /></b></div>
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In a continent on the edge of war, two witches hold its fate in their hands.<br /><br />Young witches Safiya and Iseult have a habit of finding trouble. After clashing with a powerful Guildmaster and his ruthless Bloodwitch bodyguard, the friends are forced to flee their home.<br /><br />Safi must avoid capture at all costs as she's a rare Truthwitch, able to discern truth from lies. Many would kill for her magic, so Safi must keep it hidden - lest she be used in the struggle between empires. And Iseult's true powers are hidden even from herself.<br /><br />In a chance encounter at Court, Safi meets Prince Merik and makes him a reluctant ally. However, his help may not slow down the Bloodwitch now hot on the girls' heels. All Safi and Iseult want is their freedom, but danger lies ahead. With war coming, treaties breaking and a magical contagion sweeping the land, the friends will have to fight emperors and mercenaries alike. For some will stop at nothing to get their hands on a Truthwitch.</blockquote>
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The fighting style in this series is super stylized and I'd love to see a film series that really capitalizes on these parts. Part matrix, part Avengers, part LOTR is what I'd love to see. Or even a television series that does something similar if they could manage it on a smaller budget and not stray too far from the story because I think this is one series that really should be stuck to rather closely.</div>
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<b>The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue</b></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29283884-the-gentleman-s-guide-to-vice-and-virtue?ac=1&from_search=true" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM777lNKP4tqonhL6C7yu9ciTUrOdfvQ0xVQagsGPnwnyEySDkeXMacvIDIlRLpNcetFA8gg7UXXbqhs0SvHqbS8JG7TT03OLsIqY49tUr0813pC4Gv6in1T0xEqgHGVEmJ5e_MhtVf4vO/s320/tggtvav.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
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Henry “Monty” Montague was born and bred to be a gentleman, but he was never one to be tamed. The finest boarding schools in England and the constant disapproval of his father haven’t been able to curb any of his roguish passions—not for gambling halls, late nights spent with a bottle of spirits, or waking up in the arms of women or men.<br />But as Monty embarks on his Grand Tour of Europe, his quest for a life filled with pleasure and vice is in danger of coming to an end. Not only does his father expect him to take over the family’s estate upon his return, but Monty is also nursing an impossible crush on his best friend and traveling companion, Percy.<br />Still it isn’t in Monty’s nature to give up. Even with his younger sister, Felicity, in tow, he vows to make this yearlong escapade one last hedonistic hurrah and flirt with Percy from Paris to Rome. But when one of Monty’s reckless decisions turns their trip abroad into a harrowing manhunt that spans across Europe, it calls into question everything he knows, including his relationship with the boy he adores.</blockquote>
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This could have such a cool aesthetic! I mean seriously, this is one of those historical fiction stories that would do well with a soundtrack of more modern (not pop music good god no but still modern) music and some flair reflecting the 90s or something. And I'd be okay with a movie, but even more okay with a miniseries so that we could have MORE of Monty and Percy and their adventures. </div>
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<b>The Language of Thorns</b></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34076952-the-language-of-thorns?from_search=true" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="313" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgehALZhiqOjI76RAQ6WHjEy5TMMymIBjDNXMkLJYDahm7O47vR4-62oJ529OfCm3yOlQ569-efNLwWniwLz959LhlxBxgGw_O_3Gkvw7yPKRmbhP91DfoWzUBlOPyp5hV1Z8f27Py9u_Ka/s320/tlot.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
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Love speaks in flowers. Truth requires thorns.<br />Travel to a world of dark bargains struck by moonlight, of haunted towns and hungry woods, of talking beasts and gingerbread golems, where a young mermaid's voice can summon deadly storms and where a river might do a lovestruck boy's bidding but only for a terrible price.<br />Inspired by myth, fairy tale, and folklore, #1 New York Times–bestselling author Leigh Bardugo has crafted a deliciously atmospheric collection of short stories filled with betrayals, revenge, sacrifice, and love.<br />Perfect for new readers and dedicated fans, these tales will transport you to lands both familiar and strange—to a fully realized world of dangerous magic that millions have visited through the novels of the Grishaverse.<br />This collection of six stories includes three brand-new tales, all of them lavishly illustrated with art that changes with each turn of the page, culminating in six stunning full-spread illustrations as rich in detail as the stories themselves.</blockquote>
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Now I love the Grishaverse a bunch and would be ecstatic over an adaption of any and all of them, but for The Language of Thorns in particular I'd love to see a series of shorts where each story is animated non-traditionally by a bunch of independent artists, each group tackling a different story. I know that's a super specific wish, but I think it would create such a beautiful adaptation of this already beautiful collection of original fairy tales. </div>
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<b>Red Rising</b></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15839976-red-rising?ac=1&from_search=true" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="311" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYxSSZWsrr7WjyKVR2dCtlltXdCbLgct29NbqmR6lN8HOZF3ZEFcj2CB5UEkNPn9cWYXq66idD7-NWFkyoHEDYq2fsoalGsCs798pVvF02XqLVf9jF1IG8fyfbMhdPsntPzgHm3t_6oFXD/s320/red+rising.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>
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"I live for the dream that my children will be born free," she says. "That they will be what they like. That they will own the land their father gave them."<br />"I live for you," I say sadly.<br />Eo kisses my cheek. "Then you must live for more."<br />Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations.<br />Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children.<br />But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity already reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and sprawling parks spread across the planet. Darrow—and Reds like him—are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class.<br />Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity's overlords struggle for power. He will be forced to compete for his life and the very future of civilization against the best and most brutal of Society's ruling class. There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies... even if it means he has to become one of them to do so.</blockquote>
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Pierce teased what a Red Rising TV Series could look like, with seasons bridging the things that happen in between the novels, and damn do I want that! Seriously it could and would be truly epic.</div>
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<b>The Raven Boys</b></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17675462-the-raven-boys?from_search=true" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimuXGh9bdrrwXL234caFfW6Y757qsQgy0X_U5S_-M1-qjtTYwr9FkGGz5tKXIjPf7NdK7S16LXqHO9sCruqq5IPaSp5vil4khFqR-9VE_FavYgtuDds7-vfKjfD_CX4zN1hyphenhyphenKfh6xUpMjA/s320/trb.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
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“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”<br />It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.<br />Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.<br />His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.<br />But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.<br />For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.</blockquote>
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I mean we need a television series adaptation of these books. But, like, a really good one that's also still a bit weird and captures what it can of the books. Netflix or someone with a lot of money needs to make this happen.</div>
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<b>The Graces</b></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28818369-the-graces" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqI1TydHaQYmAvPV38cj3eDFaUMcAO-q7xE7KlTM2Gy9kHBI6lQyzA_PUHTYQ4mJgprQcGb-ajGUlJq7YZiafDJolEH01DToOHBGHGQaIdak00z0PtmL5xzYOJke0Af87FCWsRk-8X-DOm/s320/the+graces.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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Everyone loves the Graces.<br />Fenrin Grace is larger than life, almost mythical. He’s the school Pan, seducing girls without really meaning to. He’s biding his time until someone special comes along. Someone different, who will make him wonder how he got along all this time without her. Someone like me.<br />Fenrin’s twin, Thalia, is a willowy beauty with rippling, honey-colored hair. Wherever she goes, Thalia leaves behind a band of followers who want to emulate her. She casts spells over everyone she encounters, just like Fenrin—even if they both deny it.<br />Then there’s Summer. She’s the youngest Grace, and the only one who admits she’s really a witch. Summer is dark on the outside—with jet-black hair and kohl-rimmed eyes—and on the inside. It was inevitable that she’d find me, the new girl—a loner with secrets lurking under the surface.<br />I am River. I am not a Grace. But I’ll do anything to become one.</blockquote>
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There are two ways I think this could go down well: with a movie that amps up the horror elements of this book, or a movie that's a bit more kid friendly. I'd be honestly okay with either of these as long as they didn't change the story dramatically.</div>
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<b>Maresi</b></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28818217-maresi" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="313" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcAHd4JPafF8EOVfWgdTa6UcwdmmKijm5a5e4b2EX-PPbxGyNHptPu-8o4xlukRaNN89eVUb2KttuBBpcs222g1PYEbQhnp6aI8IqAe0JmI4RPwm9z9o5qx3qWkgsMcH1xYnbz2rWi1g6a/s320/maresi.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
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Only women and girls are allowed in the Red Abbey, a haven from abuse and oppression. Thirteen-year-old novice Maresi arrived at the Abbey four years ago, during the hunger winter, and now lives a happy life under the protection of the Mother. Maresi spends her days reading in the Knowledge House, caring for the younger novices, and contentedly waiting for the moment when she will be called to serve one of the Houses of the Abbey.<br />This idyllic existence is threatened by the arrival of Jai, a girl whose dark past has followed her into the Abbey’s sacred spaces. In order to protect her new sister and her own way of life, Maresi must emerge from the safety of her books and her childish world and become one who acts.</blockquote>
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This is another book that would benefit from a really beautiful animated movie. Something with minimal voice acting, also with a studio that is particularly good with making beautiful things (let Pixar or some indie-studio take a crack at this one).</div>
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<b>Sabriel</b></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21882134-sabriel" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="307" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN_G9ovzgaPcfDm4MaKsMh1D3tCVIpJ-TdavCO3VwSbXH55QxfoKqlqrNNW8mQt0Hk8eMSomOwe8lyVoDqCMk_3ogbP423_7Sq1NKT8knUBDDroekEt_1xpKdqd8MY-AikxfLZB9n0Svc4/s320/sabriel.jpg" width="206" /></a></div>
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For many years Sabriel has lived outside the walls of the Old Kingdom, away from the random power of Free Magic, and away from the Dead who won't stay dead. But now her father, the Mage Abhorsen, is missing, and to find him Sabriel must cross back into that treacherous world - and face the power of her own extraordinary destiny.</blockquote>
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I've only read the first in this series so far but if the first one is anything to go off the whole saga would make for some really stellar television. Even better? A really stellar animated series. I'm thinking in the vein of Ghibli or ATLA. Something quality that will really showcase the world built here.</div>
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What books would you love to see adapted? Do you particularly like any of my ideas for adaptations? Let me know in the comments!</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*all covers linked to Goodreads</span></div>
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Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17065828205340837046noreply@blogger.com36tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6296151610997211986.post-53126133582139948092018-04-16T08:32:00.002-05:002018-04-16T08:32:58.255-05:00The Song of Seven<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZLBtWuWKuRy8MWHxCPTZNlt_nO1QZTXv2PIRUmZn6DzaSKw4bwFfsQkOF-Rdy9p3Ls_ZATZhXCwAtwwB4vnH5JdLYJLw69qaa9l4DfNURFI3_i6JlqXDQAWOg49JLNOofvmy8jJYCxV54/s1600/IMG_1763+pix+edit_Fotor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZLBtWuWKuRy8MWHxCPTZNlt_nO1QZTXv2PIRUmZn6DzaSKw4bwFfsQkOF-Rdy9p3Ls_ZATZhXCwAtwwB4vnH5JdLYJLw69qaa9l4DfNURFI3_i6JlqXDQAWOg49JLNOofvmy8jJYCxV54/s640/IMG_1763+pix+edit_Fotor.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>The Song of Seven</b></div>
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Tonke Dragt</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32022717-the-song-of-seven" target="_blank">Goodreads Link</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhxDj4Flt4yki2SUc2wnDJ9CA741W0mIqnIBLMkqxD0vs8M0B9yll4hNhvl75wW85ceW3AjV2BoO3crTn9JgabiS6DCWLO8uwtHfgdZaXnf0cmQq5IKsuO5mSFo78GAZXQ5OPiXWPfHieM/s1600/THREE+STARS.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="50" data-original-width="250" height="40" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhxDj4Flt4yki2SUc2wnDJ9CA741W0mIqnIBLMkqxD0vs8M0B9yll4hNhvl75wW85ceW3AjV2BoO3crTn9JgabiS6DCWLO8uwtHfgdZaXnf0cmQq5IKsuO5mSFo78GAZXQ5OPiXWPfHieM/s200/THREE+STARS.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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<i style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, "Century Gothic", Trebuchet, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">I received an eGalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!</i></div>
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<span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, "Century Gothic", Trebuchet, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">"</span><i style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, "Century Gothic", Trebuchet, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Does that happen often?</i><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, "Century Gothic", Trebuchet, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> he wondered. <i>That the stories you dream up aren't just fantasy, but came from somewhere and really happened, in another time, in another place, without you knowing it?</i>"</span></blockquote>
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One of the perks of being a review is getting the opportunity to review translated stories. In America, or at least the Midwest, it's hard to find anything translated unless it's already famous. Here, in the UK, it's much easier to just stumble across translated fiction and fantasy, and it's definitely an area of the bookstore I'd love to spend more time. There are so many lovely stories out there not originally in English and reading them just expands my heart. But I digress; let me speak of this book particularly. Originally <b>The Song of Seven</b> was written in Dutch and published in 1966. Recently it was republished with a new English translation. While it's definitely a book intended for younger readers it doesn't talk down to the readers (as some middle grade can do) but treats them as equals. Honestly, I think it's the perfect book to read to kids; the experiencing of reading a book about storytelling is just so poetic and perfect.</div>
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This is a book about a secret society trying to save a little boy who is heir to a treasure and a school teacher who just kind of stumbles into all of this and ends up being a major player. There's not really much going on outside of this narrative but it's strong as it is. Because Frans had no intention of getting involved, and because he's an outsider, there's a lot of explaining and convincing that needs to happen for him to actually get involved and help, and that's pretty entertaining to read about. He's definitely not the quickest when it comes to secret prophecies and personality changing teenagers. But he's not dumb either, and as soon as he gets aboard and the saving of Geert Jan starts happening the pace quickens and there were many moments where I was at the edge of my seat worrying for everyone.</div>
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There's also a lot placed on how important children are and how great they are. The book really does empower children in so many ways. There's a huge plot point (not really a spoiler, though) that is literally the fact that you shouldn't (and they don't) keep secrets from children. I don't think I'm reading too much into the sentiments of this book to say that it's really about children being both children and persons who can do things. They aren't full on adults, but when they work together, or even alone, they shouldn't be counted out and they definitely should be given the responsibility to choose who they want to be and what they want to do. It's so kind and so wonderful towards kids (which is another reason it should really be read aloud to them, or at least handed to them on Christmas Eve-- it's really such good messages!).</div>
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Above all I loved how whimsical the writing was. Sometimes it was frustratingly so, in the way that <b>Alice in Wonderland</b> can be frustratingly whimsical. I would probably say some of this does come from the fact that it is a translation, but the story really does have some strange elements that couldn't be tackled straight-forward. At first I wasn't sure how I felt about the writing and this nature of it because it was confusing and there was a lot being thrown at me, but as I got used to it I fell in love. It's definitely convinced me I need to read more of Tonke's work.</div>
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Where I really felt let down, though, was with the characters. Sure, they were all distinct, but honestly none of them were that three dimensional. Frans and Geert Jan came close, but no one was truly vibrant in the way I want to read about characters. Whenever I tried to grasp onto one of them they slipped away like a fish. Again, this may have something to do with the translation, and it certainly has something to do with my own personal preference, but it kept me from really connecting with the story.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>TL;DR </b>This is a perfect bedtime story that empowers kids and also engages the imagination. The writing is at once both whimsical and confusing, which could be a turn off, but I think it's worth seeing this one through to the end.</span></blockquote>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32022717-the-song-of-seven" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="318" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibgUw726XkLzI06Wtszhq0m1wwHQZHApeI0_AWDEtV-I0veNQy3cpitkACWEwV7jz_tsvv_PVwYxFbfNaHCOfIcZOqpZYP3q68ziwKQodzeaqOQrzbbEyWRbUWwMhu8HRuPP92Mcp86LiT/s320/the+song+of+seven.jpg" width="236" /></a></div>
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At the end of every schoolday, new teacher Mr Van der Steg entertains his pupils with tall tales of incredible events, which he claims really happened to him - involving hungry lions and haunted castles, shipwrecks and desert islands. One day, when he can't think of anything suitably exciting to tell them, he invents a story about a very important letter which he's expecting that evening, with news of a perilous mission. Evening arrives and so, to his surprise, does an enigmatic letter...<br />And so Mr Van der Steg is drawn into a real-life adventure, featuring a grumpy coachman, a sinister uncle, eccentric ancestors, a hidden treasure, an ancient prophecy and Geert-Jan, a young boy who is being kept prisoner in the mysterious House of Stairs. Although the treasure rightfully belongs to Geert-Jan, his uncle is determined to seize it for himself. As Mr Van der Steg, with the help of his pupils, sets out to rescue the boy, he becomes more and more entangled with the strange history of the Seven Ways, the House of Stairs and the powerful Conspiracy of Seven.</blockquote>
<i style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: georgia, "century gothic", trebuchet, arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Book cover linked to Goodreads. Book cover, and description taken from Goodreads.</span></i><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, "Century Gothic", Trebuchet, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;"> </span>Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17065828205340837046noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6296151610997211986.post-13637489372969391892018-04-07T07:50:00.000-05:002018-04-07T07:51:46.087-05:00The Art of Asking<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEbye2BnbRXO_m9t9tbbjQvZ5qKcm3gQImg2yVenvKp3hFM_PRJxHS-6k9NhO7UhoVrW6hDaJJB2lXG8CvQehU-Zl8ot9kPcmyKOwxVf-0-mgOeXP2oxdBW45ooMjEAeZAQATi07xXkOJO/s1600/FINAL+Use+this+one+--+the+art+of+asking_Fotor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEbye2BnbRXO_m9t9tbbjQvZ5qKcm3gQImg2yVenvKp3hFM_PRJxHS-6k9NhO7UhoVrW6hDaJJB2lXG8CvQehU-Zl8ot9kPcmyKOwxVf-0-mgOeXP2oxdBW45ooMjEAeZAQATi07xXkOJO/s640/FINAL+Use+this+one+--+the+art+of+asking_Fotor.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>The Art of Asking</b></div>
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Amanda Palmer</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20980987-the-art-of-asking-or-how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-let-people-hel?from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></div>
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This may be the most important book I've read all year, if ever. I think it's also the only book I've read that I whole-heartedly recommend to everyone I know and will continue to recommend to every person I meet. <b>The Art of Asking </b>is a nonfiction memoir type book written by the amazing Amanda Palmer. I picked it up because one of my friends had recommended it and because I had picked up some tickets to see Amanda in Brighton in May (so excited for this, by the way). My audible credit came right on time and, honestly, I recommend listening to the book (at least the first time you read it; definitely a book worth reading more than once) because she narrates it herself and it drives home a lot of the points in really emotional ways. I can already tell this is going to be less of a review and more of a post where I try to convince you to read this book. Let's get started:</div>
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I first became aware of Amanda Palmer because of Neil Gaiman, her husband. I've been a Gaiman fan for just about four years now, and after I devoured <b>American Gods</b> I fell headfirst down the hole that is his amazing collection of everything he does. You've probably noticed. But you can't follow Neil on social media and not hear about his wife because they interact and talk about each other quite frequently. Honestly, they're #couplegoals and I think that even more after listening to this book. But like I said, this was how I first became aware of Amanda and this is what drew me towards her social media presence. I quickly followed her on all platforms and then kinda forgot about her unless she popped up.</div>
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I've listened to some of her music on and off, but never really dedicated myself until recently. I made a new friend here in London and she waxed on and on about how amazing Amanda Fucking Palmer is and I agreed to go to the concert at Brighton with her. But I didn't <i>really </i>know that much about Amanda and I didn't know where to start. My friend, being amazing, had been talking up this book quite a bit as well and so I decided this would be my leaping off point. Most of my listening was done on the Tube and walking around the city, but the last fourth or so I think I just laid in bed and watched the clouds while I listened. It's that good.</div>
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Twenty minutes into the book and I was so emotionally struck that I was actually crying. There's a major theme in this book-- asking for help, and, specifically, Amanda having a hard time asking for help in the form of money from her husband-- that has struck such a chord with me. I'm not married but I do have people close to me that, if I asked, would lend a hand. But like many people I have such a hard time asking. Yet the worry at not asking leads to even more stress. Let me just say: this book convinced me to ask for help... and it wasn't bad. I got help. Things are bright again.</div>
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There's also just a lot in this book about street performing and being a creative in general and that spoke to me. I've never lived in a city until recently so street performers and access to so much energy and art all around me is rather new. I've looked at these people-- I've never seen these people before. It's definitely changed my perspective a bit on certain things and 100% I can say it changed my perspective for the better.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>TL;DR</b> If you only read one book in your life I recommend this one. In the least add it to your TBR immediately and make it a priority. You won't regret this.</span></blockquote>
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Rock star, crowdfunding pioneer, and TED speaker Amanda Palmer knows all about asking. Performing as a living statue in a wedding dress, she wordlessly asked thousands of passersby for their dollars. When she became a singer, songwriter, and musician, she was not afraid to ask her audience to support her as she surfed the crowd (and slept on their couches while touring). And when she left her record label to strike out on her own, she asked her fans to support her in making an album, leading to the world's most successful music Kickstarter.<br />
Even while Amanda is both celebrated and attacked for her fearlessness in asking for help, she finds that there are important things she cannot ask for-as a musician, as a friend, and as a wife. She learns that she isn't alone in this, that so many people are afraid to ask for help, and it paralyzes their lives and relationships. In this groundbreaking book, she explores these barriers in her own life and in the lives of those around her, and discovers the emotional, philosophical, and practical aspects of The Art Of Asking.<br />
Part manifesto, part revelation, this is the story of an artist struggling with the new rules of exchange in the twenty-first century, both on and off the Internet. The Art Of Asking will inspire readers to rethink their own ideas about asking, giving, art, and love.</blockquote>
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Amanda Palmer is a performer, director, composer and musician who is best known for her role as front woman and keyboardist for internationally acclaimed punk cabaret band The Dresden Dolls. In 2008, Amanda released Who Killed Amanda Palmer, her debut solo album which was produced by Ben Folds. Current projects include a fine art photography book on which she is collaborating with esteemed author Neil Gaiman and a WKAP companion songbook, as well as a WKAP DVD (out 6/16/09). Amanda recently wrapped up a year-long tour that took her through sold out performances in Europe, the US, Australia, & New Zealand and most recently her epic set at Coachella. Live highlights of the last year include two epic performances with the Boston Pops at Symphony Hall, residency at the Famous Spiegeltent at Edinburgh, and a critically acclaimed performance at the 2009 Coachella Valley Arts and Music Festival. </blockquote>
Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17065828205340837046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6296151610997211986.post-44061127089368251982018-04-05T03:39:00.001-05:002018-04-07T07:50:21.802-05:00The Restaurant at the End of the Universe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzXMGtgBpVJzz7RuA0L6wH6fmiQraEetPWtDSGfiMlB4KIZY9QOa6lsiM9m5xaBtGOCgxMnW8575l2xY7X5Z-do_9wqtRRdxJg8el8XEvQLiyEQ6zDDzLdIlQZYpF28wi6Xdb1csu2wMRu/s1600/Real_RATEOTU_Fotor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzXMGtgBpVJzz7RuA0L6wH6fmiQraEetPWtDSGfiMlB4KIZY9QOa6lsiM9m5xaBtGOCgxMnW8575l2xY7X5Z-do_9wqtRRdxJg8el8XEvQLiyEQ6zDDzLdIlQZYpF28wi6Xdb1csu2wMRu/s640/Real_RATEOTU_Fotor.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>The Restaurant at the End of the Universe</b></div>
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Douglas Adams</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31847130-the-restaurant-at-the-end-of-the-universe" target="_blank">The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, Book 2</a></div>
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<a href="https://tsundokubooks.blogspot.co.uk/2018/02/the-hitchhikers-guide-to-galaxy.html" target="_blank">The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy Review</a></div>
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I can say, far and away, as much as I enjoyed the first in this series, the second one is really the better book. I can also say, based on my limited experience with the series so far, that you will enjoy these books all the more if you read them right after one another. Because, really, as much as they are individual books, they really aren't the "proper" sort of books one might be used to reading and they just kind of bleed into and fall on top of one another as they go along. There's little distinction between the end of one and the beginning of the next. Which is, honestly, what makes this a better book than the first one.</div>
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Book one takes its time setting everything up and had a rushed "plot" near the back while teasing a much better, bigger plot, in one of the middle chapters. It also did little to really set up any characters. I learned quickly that these books are not enjoyable because of either of these conventional aspects but because of the ideas that they're chock full (and may I say, Terry Jones foreword in this edition said everything I had been thinking). Still, it would have been hard for me to continue the books if I didn't form some sort of emotional connection with the characters at some point, or enjoyed the plot to some degree. This book took care of all that and, additionally, kept introducing new ideas. It was as fun of a ride as book one and also had twice as much content that invested me as a reader.</div>
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To stay away from spoilers I'll remain vague about what happens, but the ending was a true delight. For a number of reasons, really, but also because it felt like going back to the roots of book one by returning some focus to Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect and their adventures together. It helped develop their relationship as friends, which I feel like we never really got to see so clearly on the page before. On the flip side I also enjoyed the journey Zaphod and Trillian's adventure took them on and the revelations they made (seriously, one of the most positive revelations in the novel). I do hope to see them both in the series again, though I have a feeling I may not.</div>
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There's little to be said without spoiling the joy of these books so just go pick them up and read them yourself. They're quick to get through and very rewarding.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>TL;DR </b>I enjoyed this one far and away more than the first, likely because of the ending(s) and character developments.</span></blockquote>
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<a href="http://Following the smash-hit sci-fi comedy The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe is the second part in Douglas Adams' multi-media phenomenon and cult classic series. If you've done six impossible things this morning, why not round it off with breakfast at Milliways, the Restaurant at the end of the Universe? Which is exactly what the crew of the Heart of Gold plan to do. There's just the small matter of escaping the Vogons, avoiding being taken to the most totally evil world in the Galaxy and teaching a space ship how to make a proper cup of tea. And did anyone actually make a reservation?" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="313" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFB3nTsJ6UpY6WDnokkIMVtPbz5Vk43xsinMgzXf80hTpG7rwviKIJJMG-kC3e-qdyMe82Tsh4yyUT0yN93mtvbZCoOmCABfSmJEmvd5W8OxszyVoi0PTRXT3R9AYf0Uc473I0sE54vlOI/s320/the+restaurant+at+the+end+of+the+universe.jpg" width="210" /></a>Following the smash-hit sci-fi comedy The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe is the second part in Douglas Adams' multi-media phenomenon and cult classic series.<br />
If you've done six impossible things this morning, why not round it off with breakfast at Milliways, the Restaurant at the end of the Universe?<br />
Which is exactly what the crew of the Heart of Gold plan to do. There's just the small matter of escaping the Vogons, avoiding being taken to the most totally evil world in the Galaxy and teaching a space ship how to make a proper cup of tea.<br />
And did anyone actually make a reservation?</blockquote>
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Douglas Noël Adams was an English author, comic radio dramatist, and musician. He is best known as the author of the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.Hitchhiker_s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy">Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy</a> series. Hitchhiker's began on radio, and developed into a "trilogy" of five books (which sold more than fifteen million copies during his lifetime) as well as a television series, a comic book series, a computer game, and a feature film that was completed after Adams' death. The series has also been adapted for live theatre using various scripts; the earliest such productions used material newly written by Adams. He was known to some fans as Bop Ad (after his illegible signature), or by his initials "DNA".<br />
In addition to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams wrote or co-wrote three stories of the science fiction television series Doctor Who and served as Script Editor during the seventeenth season. His other written works include the Dirk Gently novels, and he co-wrote two Liff books and Last Chance to See, itself based on a radio series. Adams also originated the idea for the computer game Starship Titanic, which was produced by a company that Adams co-founded, and adapted into a novel by Terry Jones. A posthumous collection of essays and other material, including an incomplete novel, was published as <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/359.The_Salmon_of_Doubt">The Salmon of Doubt</a> in 2002.<br />
His fans and friends also knew Adams as an environmental activist and a lover of fast cars, cameras, the Macintosh computer, and other "techno gizmos".<br />
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Toward the end of his life he was a sought-after lecturer on topics including technology and the environment. </blockquote>
Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17065828205340837046noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6296151610997211986.post-29828387651748451902018-03-26T06:51:00.001-05:002018-04-05T03:39:44.424-05:00Sky Song<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCBtehOESxQO5BBEbJSaHkQNqU60maSrQB_nJ-H3RKtv5UF6XhRekH-aFK7DuuMuls44wspvdGBcJA6ZeVOBi1VWVD3TJQKBvRgkqC0RhYzyWHnod_QMYo0IoG1FMGJSdMouEnPh6KYt6f/s1600/Sky+Song+Blog+Post.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCBtehOESxQO5BBEbJSaHkQNqU60maSrQB_nJ-H3RKtv5UF6XhRekH-aFK7DuuMuls44wspvdGBcJA6ZeVOBi1VWVD3TJQKBvRgkqC0RhYzyWHnod_QMYo0IoG1FMGJSdMouEnPh6KYt6f/s640/Sky+Song+Blog+Post.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>Sky Song</b></div>
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Abi Elphinstone</div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36653792-sky-song?from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads Link</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyFg3bv37fFJ5JblrEJBQe6ZBnk64VVR_gbO3y4t5LV6ZEvrSk1FRo5FToacHy9YMEHvuhPd5DTNDWyz7ExYrZxqLqovCqklZUd8PvWUAP3PIPLysj7JW0ouQ7l_iCdWXN7ijciAejyiRm/s1600/FOUR+STARS.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="50" data-original-width="250" height="40" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyFg3bv37fFJ5JblrEJBQe6ZBnk64VVR_gbO3y4t5LV6ZEvrSk1FRo5FToacHy9YMEHvuhPd5DTNDWyz7ExYrZxqLqovCqklZUd8PvWUAP3PIPLysj7JW0ouQ7l_iCdWXN7ijciAejyiRm/s200/FOUR+STARS.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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Can we just take a moment to bask in how gorgeous this book is? And it's even prettier in person with stained edges and everything. </div>
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Alright, but seriously, I picked this book up because of how lovely it was. I had no idea what it was about and I didn't really care. I think it was also discounted by one get one half off so I picked up another beautiful middle grade at the same time. Regardless, this was a spur of the moment purchasing decision and I don't regret it in the least.</div>
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Sky Song is a really wonderful book for young readers. It's about a girl, Eska, whose voice is what makes her powerful and a boy, Flint, whose mind makes him powerful. Neither really fits in when the story begins, but in a fresh take on this they also don't necessarily get along with each other right away. They have to learn and develop as characters and people before they're able to open up to others. It also features a secondary character (I hesitate to call her a main character because she has no POV chapters even though she's in the majority of the book and the action of the story), Blu, who, I believe, is on the Autism spectrum. And she's not just the simplified younger sister character, either! She's a fully developed person in the story.</div>
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The journey the characters in the book take is pretty standard for a quest story, but the aesthetic of the world and the world building was lovely. It at once reminded me of all the things I love about <b>His Dark Materials </b>and <b>The Chronicles of Narnia </b>while still being unique to itself. Winter and Northern inspired (and this isn't a white-washed fantasy may I point out) fantasy books are something I want to read more of because that's an area of the world that just absolutely captures my imagination.</div>
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What keeps me from awarding this book five stars is that it just couldn't keep me engaged the entire time. Part of that, I think, has to do with not being in the mind set at the time to read a Middle Grade book. Sometimes books for younger readers just don't hold the spark for me that books for older readers have. Not to say there weren't stakes in this book: in fact I was seriously worried all our characters wouldn't make it out of this one. But some of the connections between characters fell flat and I wish there were more to them.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>TL;DR</b> If you're looking for a brilliant middle grade, this one has good representation and has a beautiful world-aesthetic to it. Plus, it will look gorgeous on your shelf.</span></blockquote>
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In the snowy kingdom of Erkenwald, whales glide between icebergs, wolves hunt on the tundra and polar bears roam the glaciers. But the people of this land aren’t so easy to find. Because Erkenwald is ruled by a cruel Ice Queen and you must stay hidden or risk becoming another of her prisoners.<br />
Join Eska, a girl who breaks free from a cursed music box, and Flint, a boy whose inventions could change the fate of Erkenwald forever, as they journey together in search of an ancient, almost forgotten, song with the power to force the Ice Queen back.<br />
This is a story about an eagle huntress, an inventor and an organ made of icicles. But it is also a story about belonging, even at the very edges of our world . . .</blockquote>
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Abi Elphinstone grew up in Scotland where she spent most of her childhood building dens, hiding in tree houses and running wild across highland glens. After being coaxed out of her tree house, she studied English at Bristol University and then worked as a teacher.<br />
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THE DREAMSNATCHER is her debut novel for 8-12 years (published by Simon & Schuster in 2015). THE SHADOW KEEPER is her second children's book (published by Simon & Schuster in 2016).<br />
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When she's not writing, Abi volunteers for Beanstalk, teaches creative writing workshops in schools and travels the world looking for her next story. Her latest adventure involved living with the Kazakh Eagle Hunters in Mongolia… </blockquote>
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Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17065828205340837046noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6296151610997211986.post-89981749034092441132018-03-20T15:47:00.000-05:002018-03-20T15:47:25.422-05:00Top Ten Books On My Spring TBR<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/top-ten-tuesday/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="203" data-original-width="500" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5p_sg-HhAvqC8826qWqjju6uQwtBHDA9H1H3eP-Gj9JZKII9SxPPxYWgCqJlEvUGJWIGPr1elp2yaV6vx_XxShT-HjFv4qODrLjbORwI8OCe7uTVYSOJxY4IRfEGDPfGbjXd7p4tL1WMR/s640/ttt_Fotor+top+ten+tuesday.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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It's been a while since I partook in this meme (in fact, the last time I posted was <a href="https://tsundokubooks.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/top-ten-blogs-you-must-be-following.html" target="_blank">April 2016</a>) but now that I have my feet under me again I'm ready to participate. I know I won't be posting every week but I think it's safe to say this will become a regular part of Tsundoku again.</div>
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Top Ten Tuesday is now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Every week a new prompt is posted and you can participate by visiting her <a href="http://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/top-ten-tuesday/" target="_blank">blog</a> and linking up.</div>
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In no particular order here are the top ten books I am excited to dive into this season:</div>
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<b>I, Lucifer</b></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/66717.I_Lucifer?ac=1&from_search=true" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="289" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkyIR0WQPV8v9bobRP26oQoY1EAwaEXhzearHfqZMQbFcO1QVXlzdBkVyiDJLtwH0ojH8SoLXrd8DGelWu0ghyU7sV7sLrT7EIN-mg2RwcShURpmlZMlDQRFgfUmQuBGEaXY0uQaaiXlA7/s320/I%252C+Lucifer.jpg" width="193" /></a></div>
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The Prince of Darkness has been given one last shot at redemption, provided he can live out a reasonably blameless life on earth. Highly sceptical, naturally, the Old Dealmaker negotiates a trial period - a summer holiday in a human body, with all the delights of the flesh.<br />The body, however, turns out to be that of Declan Gunn, a depressed writer living in Clerkenwell, interrupted in his bath mid-suicide. Ever the opportunist, and with his main scheme bubbling in the background, Luce takes the chance to tap out a few thoughts - to straighten the biblical record, to celebrate his favourite achievements, to let us know just what it's like being him.<br />Neither living nor explaining turns out to be as easy as it looks. Beset by distractions, miscalculations and all the natural shocks that flesh is heir to, the Father of Lies slowly begins to learn what it's like being us.</blockquote>
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This, technically, has nothing to do with the TV series Lucifer, which I've been obsessed with lately, but the similarities are close enough that I'm rather excited to get to this one. Interestingly enough, I bought this on accident (damn that auto buy button on amazon) two months before I started watching the show.</div>
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<b>Tess of the Road</b></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33123849-tess-of-the-road?ac=1&from_search=true" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="307" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijGmLk5LyOpxMR3sB2fxCUGx7lb_z6g2d9y4ajdcJcShISUZwVk6Mhd6Rnv1MNZ-kXzba8FMlsnO48LsY_WUIorKBWf3ErL1BfxDGLC_CyOmKC2HW0s3wjESNrDVekynawAk8GtIRizyuB/s320/tess+of+the+road.jpg" width="206" /></a></div>
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In the medieval kingdom of Goredd, women are expected to be ladies, men are their protectors, and dragons get to be whomever they want. Tess, stubbornly, is a troublemaker. You can't make a scene at your sister's wedding and break a relative's nose with one punch (no matter how pompous he is) and not suffer the consequences. As her family plans to send her to a nunnery, Tess yanks on her boots and sets out on a journey across the Southlands, alone and pretending to be a boy.<br />Where Tess is headed is a mystery, even to her. So when she runs into an old friend, it's a stroke of luck. This friend is a quigutl--a subspecies of dragon--who gives her both a purpose and protection on the road. But Tess is guarding a troubling secret. Her tumultuous past is a heavy burden to carry, and the memories she's tried to forget threaten to expose her to the world in more ways than one.</blockquote>
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I have an ARC of this sitting on my kindle begging to be read. Originally I requested it because of the cover and the author, but finding out it's set in the same universe as <a href="https://tsundokubooks.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/book-review-seraphina-seraphina-1.html" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Seraphina </a>is what is going to make this a real treat. I'm so happy with all the dragon books coming out lately.</div>
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<b>Tower of Dawn</b></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31450852-tower-of-dawn?ac=1&from_search=true" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="313" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU08xTrvhGoH5K0LsKk3aeoQiaeEG8g84rJ7XQoJy3pFSgyP8yzg5ZKJ8QGIl7wmi2jeJ2rsMcpp5NR6M2NNkHafqVA7-MVKEVJWO_Hi7Rmm0GyOf8en_u7hCleHHrFm12949O5A-aAr2t/s320/tod.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
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Chaol Westfall has always defined himself by his unwavering loyalty, his strength, and his position as the Captain of the Guard. But all of that has changed since the glass castle shattered, since his men were slaughtered, since the King of Adarlan spared him from a killing blow, but left his body broken.<br />His only shot at recovery lies with the legendary healers of the Torre Cesme in Antica—the stronghold of the southern continent's mighty empire. And with war looming over Dorian and Aelin back home, their survival might lie with Chaol and Nesryn convincing its rulers to ally with them.<br />But what they discover in Antica will change them both—and be more vital to saving Erilea than they could have imagined.</blockquote>
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Yeah so I still haven't read this one even though I profess to be an avid fan of the series. Sure, I wasn't too excited about it when it was announced but that's not really what's kept me from reading it. In fact, I'm not sure what has. But I picked up a copy (another copy I should specify because why would I own just one copy of a book I haven't even read lol) when it was on sale recently and so I hope this means I will get to it sooner than later.</div>
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<b>To Kill a Kingdom</b></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34499221-to-kill-a-kingdom?ac=1&from_search=true" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOXLPCU4TYAx4QyePS65DzoD9C9tsIqNjKaSj8dI9HoHNS1p_LKD7q3q9wkoixWpBX4VfxJyORhMvVT5PgGDj-qiKbXzPnNcbOg08D5QSTEQ5P282xQAr2fR35VUv7CdFC8SpwBsjR48Nv/s320/to+kill+a+kingdom.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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Princess Lira is siren royalty and the most lethal of them all. With the hearts of seventeen princes in her collection, she is revered across the sea. Until a twist of fate forces her to kill one of her own. To punish her daughter, the Sea Queen transforms Lira into the one thing they loathe most—a human. Robbed of her song, Lira has until the winter solstice to deliver Prince Elian’s heart to the Sea Queen or remain a human forever.<br />The ocean is the only place Prince Elian calls home, even though he is heir to the most powerful kingdom in the world. Hunting sirens is more than an unsavory hobby—it’s his calling. When he rescues a drowning woman in the ocean, she’s more than what she appears. She promises to help him find the key to destroying all of sirenkind for good—But can he trust her? And just how many deals will Elian have to barter to eliminate mankind’s greatest enemy?</blockquote>
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Another ARC begging me to read it. This cover is gorgeous and the description is right up my alley. But honestly, the biggest reason I want to read it? Because it sounds different. The setting and the aesthetic are just a 180 from the things I've been reading lately and I'm hoping it will be a breathe of fresh air I desperately need.</div>
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<b>Altered Carbon</b></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1128260.Altered_Carbon" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="261" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCPGehXK9E3jK1fYdAQzaiVmsO4e7s0My1stfblWMOJsiWNbvfUB9b1CxpcJymIsPlB1nCehMT3_M_o3zOtVskHCMCWNsHNi1zNx_HKls-9VJ1akwlixZDdG4LCrkXq0xikVAfP5Vm0enh/s320/altered+carbon.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
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Four hundred years from now mankind is strung out across a region of interstellar space inherited from an ancient civilization discovered on Mars. The colonies are linked together by the occasional sublight colony ship voyages and hyperspatial data-casting. Human consciousness is digitally freighted between the stars and downloaded into bodies as a matter of course. But some things never change. So when ex-envoy, now-convict Takeshi Kovacs has his consciousness and skills downloaded into the body of a nicotine-addicted ex-thug and presented with a catch-22 offer, he really shouldn't be surprised. Contracted by a billionaire to discover who murdered his last body, Kovacs is drawn into a terrifying conspiracy that stretches across known space and to the very top of society.</blockquote>
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I've begun watching the new Netflix show and while I feel like I'm still holding my breathe (it's a fine line they're walking with the concept of an asian man in a white man's body but so far... well it doesn't seem inappropriate in that regard but only time will tell once the season wraps up) it has definitely reignited the fire I have for all things Cyber Punk. Reading the book will be a treat, I think.</div>
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<b>Circe</b></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35959740-circe?ac=1&from_search=true" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-3mYeXkDWd7ULw_Bn46mScMMMEVW1IkfxGrAMPfWZI6AtrVARb8wQE3ePoH7Tsm5g68z-LzgzAk5pJ36kQ02KykDhJi3yHViJs3Kk3_AJYLN0I26f2LxZnUKVunOHdNu7F-ZujHIr2WDw/s320/circe.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child--not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power--the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.<br />Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus.<br />But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love.<br />With unforgettably vivid characters, mesmerizing language and page-turning suspense, Circe is a triumph of storytelling, an intoxicating epic of family rivalry, palace intrigue, love and loss, as well as a celebration of indomitable female strength in a man's world.</blockquote>
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I still have to read <b>Song of Achilles</b> but I already know I'll love. Same goes with this one. I have an ARC and it's high on my list to get to. I doubt I'll get to it before it comes out but I have faith that I will adore this one and be recommending it to everyone everywhere.</div>
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<b>His Dark Materials</b></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11476291-his-dark-materials" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="305" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyqfotawrdzNUtWOkrro8CkfIvn0knwMceLls7JVIpEmR-DL1VzWPl69a7kWhcIiGg60RyBapGRxeG7ByVEPCXg1do7rZbQla9PMGUdtL-rL7L4g3nbNR89obFr2IoVHXxp2uEpYpljkuD/s320/his+dark+materials.jpg" width="205" /></a><span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></span></div>
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Northern Lights introduces Lyra, an orphan, who lives in a parallel universe in which science, theology and magic are entwined. Lyra's search for a kidnapped friend uncovers a sinister plot involving stolen children and turns into a quest to understand a mysterious phenomenon called Dust. In The Subtle Knife she is joined on her journey by Will, a boy who possesses a knife that can cut windows between worlds. As Lyra learns the truth about her parents and her prophesied destiny, the two young people are caught up in a war against celestial powers that ranges across many worlds and leads to a thrilling conclusion in The Amber Spyglass.<br />The epic story Pullman tells is not only a spellbinding adventure featuring armoured polar bears, magical devices, witches and daemons, it is also an audacious and profound re-imagining of Milton's Paradise Lost. An utterly entrancing blend of metaphysical speculation and bravura storytelling, HIS DARK MATERIALS is a monumental and enduring achievement.</blockquote>
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When I was younger I started reading this series but never even finished book one. Now, with the mini-series right around the corner (and with a so-far fantastic cast featuring Dafne Keen & Lin-Manuel Miranda!!!) or at least getting close to being right around the corner I'm excited to give it another chance. And where better to start reading it then when I'm living here in the UK?</div>
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<b>Furyborn</b></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34323570-furyborn?ac=1&from_search=true" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc7m3_cHwEMleHYLK-Or0D0J1_0YVdw1tfVZ-osjqRc8DucLaXLXy9pEU2QhSjchbNyo07xRsqSdvS3cgPws4UPvIpi4rr4386HoqgsHwHCmlZko0Nrk1_3Uf8paHw58tALK8G31YXDgh9/s320/furyborn.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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When assassins ambush her best friend, the crown prince, Rielle Dardenne risks everything to save him, exposing her ability to perform all seven kinds of elemental magic. The only people who should possess this extraordinary power are a pair of prophesied queens: a queen of light and salvation and a queen of blood and destruction. To prove she is the Sun Queen, Rielle must endure seven trials to test her magic. If she fails, she will be executed...unless the trials kill her first.<br />A thousand years later, the legend of Queen Rielle is a mere fairy tale to bounty hunter Eliana Ferracora. When the Undying Empire conquered her kingdom, she embraced violence to keep her family alive. Now, she believes herself untouchable--until her mother vanishes without a trace, along with countless other women in their city. To find her, Eliana joins a rebel captain on a dangerous mission and discovers that the evil at the heart of the empire is more terrible than she ever imagined.<br />As Rielle and Eliana fight in a cosmic war that spans millennia, their stories intersect, and the shocking connections between them ultimately determine the fate of their world--and of each other.</blockquote>
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I'm not really sure what to expect from this one but it has a lot of early favorable reviews and a kick-ass cover so I'm looking forward to it.</div>
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<b>War and Peace</b></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28010569-war-and-peace" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="291" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Kr33LZLWHaSsA5GOCAVTmf0FiV9cCj26njJkXZMWyWVpyqCMqVSSNjA0nFcC9ISef_AmyKz6OrGJO69Js0Qt3qnFoah_NcYJkIl5d0eRn715OMQK1DSgHfHLIu8rAHHfcpqKwNxQrmcV/s320/war+and+peace.jpg" width="196" /></a></div>
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At a glittering society party in St Petersburg in 1805, conversations are dominated by the prospect of war. Terror swiftly engulfs the country as Napoleon's army marches on Russia, and the lives of three young people are changed forever. The stories of quixotic Pierre, cynical Andrey and impetuous Natasha interweave with a huge cast, from aristocrats and peasants to soldiers and Napoleon himself. In War and Peace, Tolstoy entwines grand themes - conflict and love, birth and death, free will and faith - with unforgettable scenes of nineteenth-century Russia, to create a magnificent epic of human life in all its imperfection and grandeur.</blockquote>
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Not a new book by any means but a book I've wanted to read for about a year now. I recently downloaded the mini-series and after watching it I think I'll have the push to get to this one finally. I will admit I've read the first hundred pages or so last summer and found them rather easy to get through, or easier than I expected, but the size was still daunting. This'll definitely take a chunk of time but I'm okay with that because I think it will be worth it.</div>
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<b>Children of Blood and Bone</b></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34728667-children-of-blood-and-bone?from_search=true" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioiMD-W3shyxEFSJ52-gpzzoa-fPpS_3tD-k7Q3d2_QP7WCLN4WxbGLkCAfJq70XzkMVDMIl8LRThlllclLiMCb0LxQ9LfzF3ARQXRNUxNOFiu4o7htynITmrdig_fKlurwdByU0LV-SSm/s320/children+of+blood+and+bone.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zelie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls.<br /> <br />But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were targeted and killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.<br />Now, Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.<br /> <br />Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers—and her growing feelings for the enemy.</blockquote>
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How could I not put this one on my list? I don't think I've seen one bad review and it's been advertised just about everywhere. Certainly seems like something I should get to right away. Plus, #ownvoices and where can I go wrong with that?</div>
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What are you all looking forward to reading this season? Let me know in the comments!</div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">*all covers linked to Goodreads </span></div>
Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17065828205340837046noreply@blogger.com22