It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (July 31)

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a fun weekly meme hosted by Shelia at Book Journey, in which we share what we've read and reviewed and what we plan on reading in the coming week.


What I have reviewed this week: 
1) The Sister Queens by Sophie Perinot (review)
2) Graceling by Karen Cashore (review)
3) The Turning of Anne Merrick by Christine Blevins (review)


What I am planning on reading this week:
• The Rebel Wife (I think I can complete it by tomorrow)
• A Race to Splendor
• HP and the Order of the Phoenix
• Through the Looking Glass
• Henry V

Mailbox Monday - July 31

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their homes during the past week. Mailbox Monday, for July, is being hosted by Mrs. Q: Book Addict.


I got just one book, The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray.

Sunday Salon - A busy month of reading

I pondered many things as to what to write today and couldn't think of one thing that would be relevant and timely, but nonetheless here I am with something that I think that most people have posted about, but I needed something.

July was a great month of reading for me, granted I needed to get these books done. But nonetheless it was a busy month of reading for me.  I completed 5 books and 2540 pages this month.  I am not as optimistic for August, as I won't like have many paper copies of books on me due to my vacation plans for this month and the fact that I don't exactly like having library books around water (I got a library book slightly wet and because of the potential for "mold", I just will pay for the book; I don't know how a book can get moldy from it lying on a towel for a little while) and hence I probably won't have many library books on me and the fact that I just can't bring that many books up with me on Greyhound later this week and a lot of them are due later this week.  But I will bring something with me and yes, I will be very careful when I am around water with them.

Reviews:
1) Graceling by Kristin Cashore (review)
2) The Turning of Anne Merrick by Christine Belvins (review)

The Turning of Anne Merrick - Christine Blevins

Title: The Turning of Anne Merrick
Author: Christine Blevins
Pages: 448 pages
Published: 2012
Genre: Historical Fiction
Challenges: Historical Fiction, Support Your Library
Edition: Paperback
Source: Library

Description:  It's 1777, and a fledgling country wages an almost hopeless struggle against the might of the British Empire. Brought together by a fateful kiss, Anne Merrick and Jack Hampton are devoted to each other and to their Patriot cause. As part of Washington's daring network of spies, they are ready and willing to pay even the ultimate price for freedom.

From battlefields raging along the Hudson, to the desperate winter encampment at Valley Forge and through the dangerous intrigue of British-occupied Philadelphia, Anne and Jack brave the trials of separation, the ravages of war and an unyielding enemy growing ever more ruthless.
For love and for country, all is put at risk-and together the pair must call upon their every ounce of courage and cunning in order to survive. (via Goodread.com)

Thoughts:  Book was ok.  I felt that it was a book that really picked up in the final third of the book and dragged for most of the book.  The story flowed nicely and while I wished I was able read the book before this, the story was adequate enough that one didn't really need to read The Tory Wife, as there was enough information given throughout the book that you at least understood the basics of Anne's backstory.

Bottom line: I would recommend the book for those that enjoy historical fiction and have read any of the other two books by Christine Blevin.

Rating: 3.5/5

Pages for 2012: 14983

What's On Your Nightstand (July 24)

Read a bunch of books this past month and am hoping that in the next month I can get a bunch more done and that I can get to my reading goal for this year in about 4 or 5 weeks (I have about 8 books left).

At the moment I am reading The Turning of Anne Merrick by Christine Blevins and hope to get it done in the next few days and start something new and work on the ones that I am already working on.

Here are the books that I completed in the past few weeks:
1) The Concubine's Saga
2) A Dream to Call My Own
3) I Am Forbidden
4) I've Got Your Number
5) The Sister Queens : a novel
6) Graceling

Hopefully next month is just as productive, but I am not counting on it.

Graceling - Kristin Cashore

Title: Graceling (Graceling Realm #1)
Author: Kristin Cashore
Pages: 471
Published: 2009 (first published 2008)
Genre: Fantasy Fiction
Challenges: Support Your Library
Edition: Paperback
Source: Library

Description: Kristin Cashore’s best-selling, award-winning fantasy Graceling tells the story of the vulnerable yet strong Katsa, a smart, beautiful teenager who lives in a world where selected people are given a Grace, a special talent that can be anything from dancing to swimming. Katsa’s is killing. As the king’s niece, she is forced to use her extreme skills as his thug. Along the way, Katsa must learn to decipher the true nature of her Grace . . . and how to put it to good use. (via Goodreads.com)

Thoughts: Maybe it was my mood or something else, I felt that I was skimming the book while I was reading it.  I felt that somewhere near the beginning of the book that I lost the story.  I felt as though I was in a dream-like state rather than fully concentrating on the book and maybe if I had fully concentrated on the book, I may have picked up more on it to give a more comprehensive review, but somehow I fell as though giving a review and a recommendation of the book would be something half-hearted than what I usually post.

Bottom line: I would probably recommend the book to those that like strong female characters and those that really enjoy fantasy.

Rating: 2.875/5

Pages for 2012: 14535

#hsreadathon Wrap up post

Well, considering everything that happened during the course of the week, I managed to finish two books (one review is up; the other I still have to put up, which should be up tomorrow).  And the third book that I was primarily reading, I got a large portion done. I probably got about 300 pages completed between the three books that I was primarily reading.  Overall, I am pretty pleased of what I was able to accomplish and am looking forward to the next high-summer readathon.

Mailbox Monday - July 23

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their homes during the past week. Mailbox Monday, for July, is being hosted by Mrs. Q: Book Addict.

I did a major faux pas by putting a library book on a damp towel this past Thursday and because the library thought that there might a potential for the book to get moldy (I don't see how it can, but whatever), I just thought I would pay for the copy anyways (I haven't, but I am going to pay for it eventually).  So this is the book that I got:

I am hoping that I am going to get a book I ordered about a week ago this coming week (crosses fingers).

Musing Mondays (July 23)

This week, Miz B at Should be Reading asks:

Do you read magazines? If so, which ones? If not, why?

I occasionally read magazines.  And when I do, usually will read something like Vanity Fair.  The reason being is due to the articles that appear in the article and because the articles are just long enough to read while on the bus, but not too long and are usually pretty good. I sometimes pick up a sports magazine (probably Sportsnet the magazine, its a Canadian sports magazine).

 

Sunday Salon - Iffy week of reading

This week has been weird, in the sense that a bunch of reading stuff that has come up that was not great. While it may seem great to get a lot of books from the library, it wasn't.  I picked up a bunch of requests from the library on Thursday, but sadly the vast majority of them are 2 weeks and there is no way that I can possibly get through them.  But that wasn't the least of my issues.

The big issue I was was that I had was with a book that I had gotten a little bit wet after laying it on a towel for a few minutes.  I tried to return the book, but because of the fact that there might be "mold issues" with the book, I just told them that I would take it and pay for it later.  While I am not happy about the prospect of paying for a book that I just wanted to return, I suppose for the health of somebody who might get an allergic reaction from the "mold" (I don't understand how a book can get moldly; musty I can understand) its for the best.

On the good side of things, I got two books completed this week and am hoping to get more done this coming week.  Happy reading.

High Summer Read-a-Thon stickie post and goals #HSreadathon

Today is the start of the High Summer Read-a-Thon and I am hoping to get a bunch of books completed during the coming week.  Here are my reading goals:

• finish Graceling, The Sister Queens, and The Turning of Anne Merrick and return them to the library
• catch up on Les Miserables, Bleak House and Anna Karenina
• get HP and the Order of the Phoenix closer to be completed and get it done!
• start Middlemarch and possibly a couple of other books I have signed out last week
• finish up Through the Looking Glass and Henry V

I realize that it may seem a lot, but I probably should get everything done that I want to.  I will hopefully update this post by about 10 pm Pacific each day, but I should have it updated by about midnight.  If I haven't, don't sweat about, as I will post something the next morning with what I read and possibly how many pages I have read.

Day 1 (July 16)
Pages read: about 75
Books read*: 3

Day 2 (July 17)
Pages read: 102
Books read: 3
Total pages: 177
Total books: 3 (read the same 3 books that I read yesterday)

Day 3 (July 18)

Pages read:
Books read:
Total pages:
Total books:

Didn't read much today; just couldn't get myself to read a book today.

Day 4 (July 19)

Pages read: 104
Books read: 1
Total pages: 281
Total books: 3

Completed The Sister Queens

Day 5 (July 20)

Pages read: 54
Books read: 1
Total pages: 335
Total books: 3

Day 6 (July 21)

Pages read:
Books read:
Total pages:
Total books:

Day 7 (July 22)

Pages read:
Books read:
Total pages:
Total books:

* this means how many books I read during the day, not how many I completed.

#bookbloggerhop (July 20-27)

This week, Crazy for Books asks

What's the ONE super-hyped book you'll NEVER read?

Probably the Shades of Gray series.  There are several reasons for this.  One has to do with the content of the book and the fact of the matter I have never been interested in that sort of book. 

The Sister Queens - Sophie Perinot

Title: The Sister Queens : a novel
Author: Sophie Perinot
Pages: 503
Published: 2012
Genre: Historical fiction
Challenges: Chunkster, Support Your Library, Historical Fiction
Edition: Paperback
Source: Library

Description: Patient, perfect, and used to being first, Marguerite becomes Queen of France. But Louis IX is a religious zealot who denies himself the love and companionship his wife craves. Can she borrow enough of her sister's boldness to grasp her chance for happiness in a forbidden love?
Passionate, strong-willed, and stubborn, Eleanor becomes Queen of England. Henry III is a good man, but not a good king. Can Eleanor stop competing with her sister and value what she has, or will she let it slip away? (via Goodreads.com)

Thoughts: I read this book after hearing a description from one of the blogs that I follow, I was intrigued and so I requested a copy of the book and I wasn't disappointed and in fact I really, really liked it to the point that it renewed my interest in historical fiction.  I have always been a fan of historical fiction, but I have always found historical fiction to be rather cliched in that you had fictional characters involved with well-known historical figures and events instead of being historical figures themselves.

While I won't spoil the book for people who follow this blog, I will say that I did appreciate the author taking the time and effort to write an expanded author's note to explain why she wrote the book and also to let people know of dates that she changed to help out with the narrative (I didn't even notice the change), in case they were picky.  Nonetheless, I appreciate the effort that Sophie took to write the few pages of Author's Notes, that I usually note.

Back to the book, I like how the author introduces each chapter basically through a letter that either Eleanor or Marguerite write.  I don't know how accurate the letters are, but I found it to be a great jumping off point for the chapter and also how one also knew what time of year and what year it was when the particular events were taking place.  You could tell that the author had done her research before she had written the book, or at least a large majority of the research (I always found that when writing my papers sometimes that I would find more information about a particular topic as I was going through my notes, but that was rare).

Bottom Line: A very enjoyable book and very readable and if you enjoy historical fiction, I would highly recommend this book.

Rating: 5/5

Pages for 2012: 14064

Booking Through Thursday - One or Many?

Booking Through Thursday asks this week:

Series or stand-alone?

I prefer stand-alones, but I don't mind reading series either.  The reason that I prefer stand-alones is because I sometimes feel as though I don't care enough about some of the characters to want to read more about them.  I realize that publishers love series because there is a built in audience for the next book, but sometimes I would prefer if authors would just stick to stand-alones because a reader isn't forced to read the next book by that author.

Musing Mondays (July 16)

This week MizB at Should Be Reading asks:

What are you currently reading? Is it any good? Would you recommend it?

I am currently reading a number of books but my favourite of the books that I am currently reading is The Sister Queens: a novel by Sophie Perinot.

It is probably one of the few historical fiction books that I have enjoyed in recent years and based on the fact that I have read large portions of the book within a short amount of time, I would recommend it.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (July 16)

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a fun weekly meme hosted by Shelia at Book Journey, in which we share what we've read and reviewed and what we plan on reading in the coming week.

What I have reviewed this week:
1) I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella (review)

What I plan on reading this coming week:
• The Turning of Anne Merrick
• The Sister Queens
• Graceling
• HP and the Order of the Phoenix
• Anna Karenina
• Through the Looking Glass
• Henry V
• Les Miserables
• stuff that is sitting on my Google Reader (I got behind severely and have made somewhat of a dent of the 1000+ posts that I didn't read for about a month or so; now I have around 800).

Sunday Salon - Historical fiction

I first read historical fiction when I was about 7 or 8, when I was introduced to the Little House on the Prairie books.  From then on, I was addicted.  From there I moved to the Betsy and Tracy books by Maud Hart Lovelace and the books by Kit Pearson, especially the Guests of War Trilogy and The Daring Game, which I both thoroughly enjoyed and still enjoy to this day.

But it seemed to me that for a number of years that there wasn't much in the way of historical fiction for adults, unless you count the amount of Christian fiction that seems to use the historical fiction backdrop quite a bit.  But other than that, I found the historical fiction area to be lacking.  Maybe it was because I couldn't find anything that I liked or just wanted something in a specific period or that I am just a little too fussy when it comes to the books that I like to read.


So in the last year, I have found that the quality of historical fiction has been improving.  The stories have improved and seem to be a bit more realistic and the writing has also improved.  But of course maybe I just wasn't as interested in the material being published in the general market.  So I guess I want to ask is that has anybody else noticed the quality of historical fiction increase lately?

Reviews:
1) I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella (review)

I've Got Your Number - Sophie Kinsella

Title: I've Got Your Number
Author: Sophie Kinsella
Pages: 433
Published: 2012 (first published 2011)
Genre: Fiction, Chick Lit
Challenges: Support Your Library
Edition: Hardcover
Source: Library

Description: I've lost it. The only thing in the world I wasn't supposed to lose. My engagement ring. It's been in Magnus's family for three generations. And now, the very same day his parents are coming, I've lost it. The very same day. Do not hyperventilate, Poppy. Stay positive!!

Poppy Wyatt has never felt luckier. She is about to marry the ideal man, Magnus Tavish, but in one afternoon her 'happy ever after' begins to fall apart. Not only has she lost her engagement ring but in the panic that followed, she has now lost her phone. As she paces shakily round the hotel foyer she spots an abandoned phone in a bin. Finders keepers! Now she can leave a number for the hotel to contact her when they find her ring. Perfect!

Well, perfect except the phone's owner, businessman Sam Roxton doesn't agree. He wants his phone back and doesn't appreciate Poppy reading all his messages and wading into his personal life.

What ensues is a hilarious and unpredictable turn of events as Poppy and Sam increasingly upend each other's lives through emails and text messages. As Poppy juggles wedding preparations, mysterious phone calls and hiding her left hand from Magnus and his parents... she soon realises that she is in for the biggest surprise of her life. (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: I have come to really like Sophie Kinsella's stand-alones more than the Shopaholic series, which seem to be waning and have become less and less interesting as that series goes by.  But this one could definitely have a sequel to this book and I would feel like the story had been adequately completed.  While Poppy comes off as being a little flaky at times, she doesn't compromise herself into becoming somebody that she knows she isn't.  The footnotes that appeared through out the book were nice, but towards the end they were a bit off-putting.

Bottom line:  Its a pretty good summer/vacation read and at over 400 pages, it may be the only one you need to read during the course of a vacation, but I would pack another book or two, depending on how quickly you are able to get through the book, as the story goes pretty quickly and one can probably finish this within a day or two, if its the only one you are reading.

Rating: 2.875/5

Pages for 2012: 13561

#bookbloggerhop (July 13-19)

This week, Crazy for Books asks:

How long does it take you to read a book?

It really depends on the book. Of course there is usually extra incentive when I have a book from the library that I can only have for two weeks.   If I solely concentrate on that particular book, it can take me a couple of days to read it, that's if I really enjoy it.   But if I am reading a bunch of books at once, it probably can take me up a week or two to complete them.  Then of course are the books that I just can't seem to get through.... 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (July 9)

It's Monday!  What Are You Reading? is a fun weekly meme hosted by Shelia at Book Journey, in which we share what we've read and reviewed in the past week and what we plan on reading in the coming week.


What I have reviewed this week:
1) A Dream to Call My Own by Tracie Peterson (review)
2) I Am Forbidden by Anouk Markovits (review)


What I am planning on reading this week:
• The Sister Queens: a novel
• The Turning of Anne Merrick
• Graceling
• I've Got Your Number
• HP and the Order of the Phoenix


There will likely be other books that I will read during the week, but these are the five that I want to either finish or do some serious damage reading-wise to this coming week (I would never ruin a book on purpose).

Mailbox Monday - July 9

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their homes during the past week. Mailbox Monday, for July, is being hosted by Mrs. Q: Book Addict.


Went to Vancouver for the afternoon on Friday and like most of my trips to Vancouver I can't resist going into the Chapters store on Robson Street, which three stories full of books and bookish type items and is my favourite store, despite that its a chain store.  But I like the space that I can browse and it has excellent lighting and is serviced by a Starbucks on the main floor.  Long story short, I usually come out of the store with a book or two (I think once I have come without a book purchase), as the selection that they hold is one of the best in the region and being that they are in a major centre one would think that would be the case.


Anyways, after some indecision on the second book that I wanted to purchase (one I had on my Pinterest, which was great, because I would have forgotten what I wanted to purchase), I settled on these two:

The second one, The Somnambulist, I had heard about through Gavin and Simon of The Readers on Episode 19 and was intrigued.  The Lady of the Rivers I have been wanting to read for some time and am looking forward to the culmination of the series, which I think has to do with the merging of the Houses of York and Lancaster to for the House of Tudor.


Thank you for dropping by and have a good Monday.

Sunday Salon - Summer is here...finally

This past week, summer decided to make an appearance.  For those of you who live or have family in the Vancouver or Seattle area, you know what I mean.  After about a month of rather dreary weather (the sun did make an appearance at times, but not as much as it should have), it is finally nice to have some really great weather.  Of course there have been times in which we have had stretches of really nice weather during this past spring, but it just seemed to be rather gray and rainy for most of it.  And as I reflect on the spring, there didn't seem to be as much rain as I thought there was.  Sure we had stretches in which there wasn't much sun, but there were also stretches in which there were just gray skies, with the sun occasionally making an appearance.

But I am just glad that the sun and the warm weather has made an appearance and it looks like its going to be that way for the foreseeable future.

As for today, I am looking forward to a relative quiet day, after spending Friday in Vancouver for the afternoon and yesterday afternoon with family.  Due to the time out here at the moment (it's about 10 min to 9), I am considering finishing off the Federer/Murray match as much as possible before heading to church.  As for the afternoon, I am thinking of going to the store to get a few things for the next day sometime this afternoon and then do some reading for the evening (or I may reverse it, depending on how I feel).

I managed to finish two books this week and I am hoping to finish a few more before the week is out.  With these two books, I am about 11 books off my goal for the year, and we are just barely half-way through the year, but things can change and the fall may not be as productive reading wise as winter and spring were.  I also finished the Historical Reading Challenge for this year and even though I have finished it, I will continue to read historical fiction books.

Hope you all have a pleasant Sunday (or Monday) :)

Reviews:
1) A Promise to Call My Own (review)
2) I Am Forbidden (review)

I Am Forbidden - Anouk Markovits

Title: I Am Forbidden : a novel
Author: Anouk Markovits
Pages: 320
Published: 2012
Genre: Literary fiction, Historical fiction
Challenges: Support Your Library, Historical Fiction
Edition: Hardcover
Source: Library

Description: The extraordinary story of a sister who believes and a sister who rebels, set inside the most insular Hasidic sect, the Satmar. (via Goodreads.com)


Thoughts:  First heard about this book through one of the many of the book blogs that I follow and was intrigued about the concept of the book.  I think what interested me in the book was the fact that it spanned many decades and the consequences of that rebellion.  What kept me reading this book was the fact that I was intrigued as to how the story ended up and what exactly was forbidden.  I was also intrigued as to how the cover played into the story, which it does by the way and you'll have to read it in order to find out how it does.

It is also interesting into seeing how the two sister's paths diverge and what the consequences of that decision was.

Bottom line:  Considering that the book is a little over 300 pages, it feels short, as the action seems to by quickly.  You do have to pay attention as events in the beginning of the book are important to the book. I would recommend this book to those that enjoy reading a wide range of fiction and to those that need something for a vacation, as the book is light enough, but also does require at least a little bit of thought and reflection on the part of the reader.

Rating: 3.5/5

Pages for 2012: 13128

A Dream to Call My Own - Tracie Peterson

Title: A Dream to Call My Own
Author: Tracie Peterson
Pages: 365
Published: 2009
Genre: Christian fiction, Historical Ficiton
Challenges: Support Your Library, Historical Fiction
Edition: Paperback
Source: Library

Description: Lacy Gallatin, the youngest of the Gallatin sisters, is a woman with a mission: to find her father's killer.  Haunted by the belief that she's failed her pa, Lacy also battles a desire to have something more than just revenge, something she can't quite figure out.

Enter Dave Shepard, deputy sheriff for Gallatin Crossing, Montana.  Dave is close to figuring out who killed George Gallatin, but he always feels inadequate when it comes to the beautiful Lacy. When they are together, the tension crackles between them--both when they argue and when they kiss.  Lacy finds him frustratingly irresistible...but is it truly love? (via back cover of book)

Thoughts: Overall I thought the book to be pretty good, considering the genre, which I find to be a bit cookie cutter at times and a bit predictable at times.  There were the usual cliches when it comes to Christian fiction, in that the main female character falls in love and questions that love for the male character that she loves and wonders if she deserves that love and the fact that the main character(s) is put in some sort of mortal/mental struggle that gave it that cliched feel to the book.  But there was the fact that Lacy was questioning her own abilities of a potential wife that made her more real as a character.

Bottom line:  For its genre, its a pretty good read and if you have read any of Tracie Peterson's books, you will probably will enjoy this series and was a book that didn't require a lot of thought to get through and was quite easy to read.  While there was nothing special or thought provoking, it was pretty decent, especially if you a fan of Christian fiction.  And I would recommend the book to those that read Christian fiction.

Rating: 3/5

Pages for 2012: 12808

First Chapter - First Paragaph(s) - Tuesday Intros (July 3)

This week's choice:

I Am Forbidden by Anouk Markovits

Originally published May 2012

Light, fast, Zalman's heels rapped the ground as he ran, naked, down the center aisle of the House of Prayer.  His hand reached toward the Torah scroll raised above the altar, but the embroidered mantle slid up and out of sight.  The scroll spread open, revealing a passage he ahd not memorized.  There, supine on the back Ashurite script, her long braids undone, was Rachel Landau, the bride of his study partner.  Her dark eyes smiled at Zalman.  He ran faster toward her, his hips rose and fell, circling the heat in his ammah---

Teaser Tuesdays (July 3)

Teaser Tuesday is a bookish meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.  Anybody can play along!  Just do the following:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Light, fast, Zalman's heels rapped the fround as he ran, naked, down the center aisle of the House of Prayer.  His hand reache toward the Torah scroll raised above the alter, but the embroidered mantle slid up and out of sight.  


~ pg. 3, I Am Forbidden by Anouk Markovits

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (July 2)

It's Monday!  What Are You Reading? is a fun weekly meme hosted by Shelia at Book Journey, in which we share what we've read and reviewed in the past week and what we plan on reading in the coming week.


What I have reviewed this past week:
1) The Concubine Saga by Lloyd Lofthouse (review)


What I am planning on reading this week:
1) HP and the Order of the Phoenix
2) Les Miserables
3) Anna Karenina
4) Through the Looking Glass
5) A Dream to Call My Own
6) I've Got Your Number
7) The Sister Queens
8) Henry V
9) Gracling
10) The Turning of Anne Merrick


I realize that there are a lot of books on my TBR list, but I can easily finish at least two of them this coming week and a few of them are books that have a short lending period from the library.  And one is for a month long readalong through Goodreads.  And I am also on summer so that frees me up for lots of reading.

Musing Mondays (July 2)

This week Miz B at Should be Reading asks:

When you are stuck for a book to read next, what do you do?

What I do when this happens to me, I usually look at my shelves and decide from there.  If I am truly stuck, I probably just wade it out and just wait until something strikes my mood.  Its that or I go and buy a new book or go to the library to check out another book.