Dewey’s Readathon and Book Blogger Hop!
Two great events that I want to pimp for you guys! First off, Dewey’s Read-a-thon!
Starting at 13.00 GMT (5am Pacific) on April 10th, hundreds of readers will be entering into the frenzy that is the read-a-thon.
What is Dewey’s 24-Hour Read-a-thon? For 24 hours, we read books, post to our blogs about our reading, and visit other readers’ blogs. We also participate in mini-challenges throughout the day. It happens twice a year, in April and in October.
It was created by the beloved Dewey. The first one was held in October 2007. Dewey died in late 2008. We’re still saddened by her absence, but the show must go on. The read-a-thon was renamed to honor its founder in 2009.
You can participate by being a Reader, Cheerleader, Mini-Challenge Host, and/or an Organizer and Prize Donor! Check out the site to sign up and participate!
Since I am in the middle of exam period, I have decided that the only way to justify taking part is to read some relevant non-fiction! Since I am also going to attempt to do 15+ hours of reading, I am also going to start the challenge a bit earlier than everyone else. Maybe around 11?
- Science in Public: Communication, Culture, and Credibility by Jane Gregory – 304 pages – Relevant non-fiction, remember?
- Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles – 357 pages – This is supposed to be brilliant, and apparently I should have no problems devouring this one in one go!
- Mercy Thompson: Homecoming by Patricia Briggs – 168 pages – A graphic novel! This will make me feel as though I am actually accomplishing something!
- Tithe by Holly Black – 320 pages – A YA title I have been wanting to read for a while… it also fits in very well with my New Authors mini-challenge!
Book Blogger Hop is a weekly event where book bloggers and readers can connect to find new blogs to read. It’s a great way to network with other bloggers and make new friends! It is a great way to find out about new bloggers who have just gotten started.
Another awesome feature is that you list your blog according to the types of books you review – which is also great if you are looking for a new blog in a particular genre!
Review: Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs
Blood Bound by Patricia BriggsSeries: Mercy Thompson #2
Published by Orbit
Pages: 336
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Source: Purchased myself
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Rating:
Also in this series: Moon Called, River Marked
Under the rule of science, there are no witch burnings allowed, no water trials or public lynchings. In return, the average law-abiding, solid citizen has little to worry about from the things that go bump in the night. Sometimes I wish I was an average citizen...Mechanic Mercy Thompson has friends in low places - and in dark ones. And now she owes one of them a favor. Since she can shapeshift at will, she agrees to act as some extra muscle when her vampire friend Stefan goes to deliver a message to another of his kind.
But this new vampire is hardly ordinary - and neither is the demon inside of him...
Thoughts: I absolutely loved Blood Bound. It had everything I could want in a good book – a great plot, a kick-ass heroine, a believable love triangle, and wolves.
But what makes the Mercy series so amazing is Mercy herself. Unlike a lot of protagonists – both male and female – she shows a fair amount of common sense. She doesn’t run in looking for trouble, errs on the side of caution, and refuses to sit around whining about her problems. Not to mention she has a work ethic I would pay good money for. Just because she was almost killed the night before is no excuse for not turning up to work the next day! Seriously. Mercy is one of the few characters whose judgement I trust implicitly.
Blood Bound focusses on the vampires in Briggs’ world – meaning Mystery-Machine-driving!vampire Stefan played a much bigger role than he had in Moon Called. Vampires are never good news in Briggs’ world, and Mercy finds herself thrown into the middle of yet another muddle she desperately wants to avoid. We learn so much about the verse in this book – and Mercy learns an awful lot about herself.
On the romance front, the triangle gets a bit of play while still remaining only a sub-plot. What I was most impressed at was Briggs’ ability to actually make me like Samuel. Even though I had long ago made my mind up that Adam was the one for Mercy, Briggs manages to make me understand Mercy’s hesitation in choosing. For me, this is pretty much a miracle (usually authors who mess with my OTP usually make me want to throw things.) The action in this book would have gotten it a 4.5 stars – but the romantic tension brought it up to the bloody spectacular level!
Bottom line? There is a reason this series is so damn popular. You need to start reading it… now.
April 2010 Releases: Books I can’t wait to read!
There are a lot of posts out there listing the newest releases for April 2010 – be it in UF, PNR or YA. If you are looking for some comprehensive posts about all the great books coming out in April, check out All Things Urban Fantasy for UF releases, Fiendishly Bookish for a list of PNR/UF releases, ScifiGuy’s comprehensive posts about UF/PNR releases, and Fantasy/Science Fiction/SciFi Romance releases.
But I wanted to share which of these books I am looking forward to! This is a much smaller list and, in my opinion, is only the best of the best. Some of these have already come out, some I’ve already read, but all of them make April a kick-ass month for reading!
- Kiss of Death (Morganville Vampires, Book 8) by Rachel Caine – 27/4/10 (UK 3/5/10)
- The Reckoning (Darkest Powers Trilogy, Book 3) by Kelley Armstrong – 6/4/10
- The Mage in Black by Jaye Wells – 1/4/10
- Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder – 1/4/10
- The Owl Keeper by Christine Brodien-Jones – 13/4/10
- The Clearing by Heather Davis – 12/4/10
On My Wishlist (Apr. 3rd, 2010)
On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every Saturday. It’s where I list all the books I desperately want but haven’t actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming.
Deadly Little Secret (Touch, #1) by Laurie Faria Stolarz
I have had this book on my wishlist for months – it looks like a really enjoyable read. Not quite as paranormal as most of the PNRYA out there – but that should make for a good change!
Some secrets shouldn’t be kept…
Up until three months ago, everything in sixteen-year-old Camelia’s life had been fairly ordinary: decent grades; an okay relationship with her parents; and a pretty cool part-time job at the art studio downtown. But when Ben, the mysterious new guy, starts junior year at her high school, Camelia’s life becomes anything but ordinary.Rumored to be somehow responsible for his ex-girlfriend’s accidental death, Ben is immediately ostracized by everyone on campus. Except for Camelia. She’s reluctant to believe the rumors, even when her friends try to convince her otherwise. She’s inexplicably drawn to Ben…and to his touch. But soon, Camelia is receiving eerie phone calls and strange packages with threatening notes. Ben insists she is in danger, and that he can help–but can he be trusted? She knows he’s hiding something… but he’s not the only one with a secret.
From the best-selling author of Blue is for Nightmares comes a story of paranormal romance that’s sure to be a thrilling and chilling teen favorite.
Ghostland (Ghostland World, #1) by Jory Strong
I’ll admit it – my original attraction to this novel was superficial. But please, with that kick-ass cover, how could it not have been? But then I read a pretty solid review for it over at DearAuthor – turns out it has more going for it than just a pretty face!
In a post-Apocalyptic world where supernaturals have emerged from hiding, wealthy humans delight in decadence while the religious gain power through temptation. For the masses, fear reigns from birth to death, and the afterlife holds beings that only the bravest can summon—or dare to desire…
Taken from her home and family, shamaness Aisling McConaughey has no choice except to enter the “ghostlands” in order to learn the fate of a wealthy man’s mistress. But there is always a price to pay for the use of her power. To save the woman’s life she must summon the Djinn prince Zurael en Caym—and yield to his savage, sensual rage.
Zurael fears nothing except being called and bound to a human’s will. He intends to kill Aisling after she’s served as bait to find an enemy in possession of an ancient tablet. But the more he tastes of her innocent spirit, the more he’ll use his fiery touch and seductive whispers to keep her hungry for his mercy—even as they weave an erotic spell that he cannot escape…
Powerful forces threaten both their worlds, leaving Aisling and Zurael with an unbearable choice. Follow their hearts…or stay true to their honor and risk losing an eternity of pleasure
DNF Review: Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost
Hi there! I’m Kay: an opinionated book blogger enamoured with the world of novels. Reader of Speculative Fiction (the posh word for Sci-Fi/Fantasy) and Young Adult novels. Believer in the many uses of the towel, the science of deduction and other fandom in-jokes.
This blog has been closed since early 2016. To the publishers and writers: thanks for all the support over the years. To my readers and fellow bloggers: keep in touch!
Recent Reviews
Halfway to the Grave (DNF) by Jeaniene FrostSeries: Night Huntress #1
Published by Gollancz
Genres: Urban Fantasy
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Rating:
Half-vampire Catherine Crawfield is going after the undead with a vengeance, hoping that one of these deadbeats is her father--the one responsible for ruining her mother's life. Then she's captured by Bones, a vampire bounty hunter, and is forced into an unholy partnership.
In exchange for finding her father, Cat agrees to train with the sexy night stalker until her battle reflexes are as sharp as his fangs. She's amazed she doesn't end up as his dinner--are there actually good vampires? Pretty soon Bones will have her convinced that being half-dead doesn't have to be all bad. But before she can enjoy her newfound status as kick-ass demon hunter, Cat and Bones are pursued by a group of killers. Now Cat will have to choose a side . . . and Bones is turning out to be as tempting as any man with a heartbeat.
I don’t like reviewing books that I haven’t finished – after all, how can I judge a whole book by only looking at part of it? But sometimes there are books that people love, while I had to struggle to get through 50 pages (which is when I allow myself to give up). So, I thought I would share my misery – a books that I was excited to read, have great reviews on goodreads, but I found utterly unendurable.
Feel free to snark back at me, as I haven’t been all that kind.
Average goodreads rating for Halfway to the Grave: 4.26
My rating: I could have bought Buffy DVDs with this money.
I was crazy excited to start this book. There must be a few hundred praising reviews about Cat and Bones and their epic hotness. What did I get from it? Buffy fanfiction. Now, Frost says that her character Bones is of absolutely no relation to Spike from BtVS. Well, even if that is the case, Bones is still his literary twin. People can come up with similar concepts independent from each other – I know. But seriously? A bleached, accented, cocky, luv’-and-darlin’-saying vampire? One was enough.
Besides my issues with Bones, I had also not been so crazy about Cat. She seemed angry at the world – especially vamps – when really she should have been pissed about her mother’s crappy parenting. But that wasn’t enough for me to even dislike her. Zero personality.