Top Ten Tuesday - 10 Beach Reads

Happy Tuesday, Biblionerds!

Oooh, I very much like the topic this week. We've scheduled a beachy vacation for July and I'm looking forward to reading while enjoying the sand, sun, and surf. Ah, relaxation. Of course, by that point I'll be totally ginormous, since Little Babe will only have a month and a half left of percolating before making his debut into the world.

When it comes to books I consider "beachy", I'm a huge fan of Romance, Mystery and Adventure. Perhaps a combination of all 3!

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. For future Top Ten Tuesday topics & info on how to participate, click here!

This week's top ten topic is:

Top Ten Beach Reads

(Click the Cover Image to visit the title's Goodreads page)

 
 

   

  

"Key of Light" by Nora Roberts -This is one of Nora Roberts more supernatural trilogies. There are Gods and Goddesses involved and three awesome ladies with some kick-rear abilities (ones they didn't even know they had). Of COURSE there's Romance. Knock knock, it's Nora Roberts. It's light and fun, a perfectly fulfilling beach read.

"Dead Until Dark" by Charlaine Harris- I adore the Sookie Stackhouse novels and there have been a few in this series that have ACTUALLY been read by me on a beach. Not this one. I read this one cloistered away in the bedroom of my apartment during college. I would have gladly read it on the beach, though. Vampires, danger, and romance - oh my!

"Fire and Hemlock" by Diana Wynne Jones - If you don't already know it, I'm obsessed with the Tam Lin fairytale and love retellings. This is the BEST Tam Lin retelling I've ever come across. Adventure, love, mystery, magic? It absolutely does not disappoint. 

"Jewels of the Sun" by Nora Roberts- Another romance, this time set in Ireland. A backdrop which makes good for dreamy and romantic moments. Another trilogy which is semi-contemporary but offers a magical backstory that'll have you heaving a longing sigh.

"The Princess Bride" by William Goldman- Oh come on. You really didn't think I'd leave THIS off the list. Probably one of the most influential summer reads for me EVER. When I think back on my childhood summers, I think of the "The Princess Bride". High adventure, sword fights, and romance are ALWAYS appropriate reads for the beach.

'Caught Dead Handed" by Carol J. Perry - Paranormal murder mystery with mediums, psychics, a really adorable cat and OF COURSE a few hunky love interests. Why not?

"House of Many Ways"by Diana Wynne Jones - This is technically the 3rd book in the "Castle Trilogy" by Diana Wynne Jones, though I argue that "Castle in the Sky" can be left out completely. You CAN read this book as a standalone but I highly recommend reading "Howl's Moving Castle" first. The only reason I didn't actually list "Howl's Moving Castle" is because it's on a TON of my other lists and I'm sure everyone is tired of me screaming about it. I'm giving you people a break.

"Abarat" by Clive Barker - I can definitely include this one on the list of the most magical and peculiar books I've ever gotten my hands on. Clive Barker, master of horror, has expertly created a curious world full of curious beings who need a young woman with a weird last name to save them all from a imminent doom. Beach worthy for sure.

"Jane Steele" by Lindsay Faye - Historical retelling of epic proportions. Who doesn't want Victorian shenanigans visiting them on heir beach holiday?

"Outlander" by Diana Gabaldon - A tremendous read to be sure, but perfect for beach weather (or really any weather). Meaty historical with lots of intrigue and a romance to last the ages. Maybe I'll finally read the next one in the series at the beach this year.

What books would you recommend bringing to the beach?

Let's Be Friends!

         

Auggie is the 29 year old whirlwind owner of Auggie-Talk. A bibliobibuli by nature and a (potentially obsessive) lover of Diana Wynne Jones and Neil Gaiman. Not so secrety secret: She's been known to consume too much caffeine leading to hyperactive rants about her heinous lack of shelving and the high likelihood that Hermione Granger is her spirit animal.

Tome Topple Read-A-Thon TBR

Hey There, Bibliobabes!

I found out (today) about a read-a-thon that's going to

be taking place in June. Since I'm spastic about read-a

-thons, AND June is going to be one of those "in-between"

months when not a lot is going on - I decided to ABSOLUTEY

take part in #TomeTopple hosted by Samantha at 

Thoughts On Tomes.
 

#TomeTopple: June 5 - June 19th

#TomeTopple is a read-a-thon focused specifically on books that are 500+ pages. That means we get plenty of reason to finally give love to our more robust literature! 

If you need a little inspiration for what books you might want to tackle (just in case you've already read all of your 500+ pages books), here are a few lists to get you going: 

Popular Over 500 Page Books

Books Over 500 Pages

Challenges

1. Read more than one Tome (500+ pages)
2. Take a Graphic Novel break (read graphic novels in between!)
3. Read a Tome that is part of a series.
4.  Read over 500 pages in 1 week.
5. Read an Adult Novel. 

My Goals

To knock out all of the challenges I've decided I'm going to try to read over 2,000 pages, or roughly four books with a mix between Adult and YA. Here's my Goal TBR: 

 

Combined Pages: 2,273

Pages a day: 152

Series: Lunar Chronicles and A Discovery of Witches

Adult Novels: "Shadow of Night" and "The Book of Life"

Will you join us?

I have a feeling that this one is going to be a lot of fun! I hope you'll hop on the read-a-thon wagon with myself and well over a hundred other readers who are going to conquer their 500+ page books in June!

Sign-Ups are Here

Let's Be Friends!

         

Auggie is the 29 year old whirlwind owner of Auggie-Talk. A bibliobibuli by nature and a (potentially obsessive) lover of Diana Wynne Jones and Neil Gaiman. Not so secrety secret: She's been known to consume too much caffeine leading to hyperactive rants about her heinous lack of shelving and the high likelihood that Hermione Granger is her spirit animal.

Tori Review - "Feverborn" by Karen M. Moning

 

Happy Sunday, Bibliogeeks!

 I hope you're having a fantastic weekend, bookloves!
I'm visiting my family this weekend for Memorial day

and enjoying spending time in the home I grew up in. 

(Click the picture to visit Auggie's Instagram!)

Beautiful weather, awesome family time, and relaxing reads! 

Another Tori-Review for you today!!! Enjoy!

Title: Feverborn
Author: Karen Marie Moning
Genre: Urban Fantasy

Publication: January 19, 2016
Pages: 436

Summary: 

In Karen Marie Moning’s latest installment of the epic #1 New York Times bestselling Fever series, the stakes have never been higher and the chemistry has never been hotter. Hurtling us into a realm of labyrinthine intrigue and consummate seduction, FEVERBORN is a riveting tale of ancient evil, lust, betrayal, forgiveness and the redemptive power of love.

When the immortal race of the Fae destroyed the ancient wall dividing the worlds of Man and Faery, the very fabric of the universe was damaged and now Earth is vanishing bit by bit. Only the long-lost Song of Making—a haunting, dangerous melody that is the source of all life itself—can save the planet.

But those who seek the mythic Song—Mac, Barrons, Ryodan and Jada—must contend with old wounds and new enemies, passions that burn hot and hunger for vengeance that runs deep. The challenges are many: The Keltar at war with nine immortals who’ve secretly ruled Dublin for eons, Mac and Jada hunted by the masses, the Seelie queen nowhere to be found, and the most powerful Unseelie prince in all creation determined to rule both Fae and Man. Now the task of solving the ancient riddle of the Song of Making falls to a band of deadly warriors divided among—and within—themselves.

Once a normal city possessing a touch of ancient magic, Dublin is now a treacherously magical city with only a touch of normal. And in those war-torn streets, Mac will come face to face with her most savage enemy yet: herself.

When I realized that the next book in The Fever series was due out in early 2016, I wavered back and forth on whether I should read them all again. Mind you, I read them all LAST year when Burned was released. But I had two very distinct voices in my head each time I tried to cool my bookworm jets:

“Och lass, doona be thinking you can get away that easy. You can’t say no to a MacKeltar.” This from one Dageus MacKeltar on the follies of trying to deny myself the pleasure of his company.

“Try.” As we all know, Jericho Barrons packs one heck of a one-word punch. Challenge? Warning? Take your pick. The message is clear just the same. 

So I would love to say that I am, indeed, NOT a fruitcake and managed to refrain from letting fictional characters push me around. But alas, I am weak when confronted with sexy highlander druids and equally sexy/dangerous basically immortal men/beasts…okay, I’m just gonna stop myself there. You get the picture. I caved. I ended up devouring all 8 books in the Highlander series (2 of which I ended up kicking myself for having never read before), AND all 7 books in the Fever series.

On a teeny tiny side note, you do not HAVE to read all of the Highlander series before reading the Fever series. However, Moning began expertly setting up her Fae world long before the first pages of Darkfever. All of the characters from book 4, Kiss of the Highlander, through book 8 end up coming back and being vital pieces of the Feververse. So my advice would be to start with those. Don’t complain. They are wonderful. 

Now after my long-winded intro, on to my review of Feverborn. I think I’m just going to have to break this up into bits and pieces because there are a LOT of interwoven stories going on…so just try and stick with me.

Mac and Barrons: The dynamic between these two has not changed and for that, I am quite glad. Barrons is always going to be Barrons. Hot. Savage. Dangerous. Protective. He’s my constant in the Fever world. Mac, on the other hand, seems to be slowly regaining that wonderfully badass side to her that I was completely enthralled by in Shadowfever. Congratulations, Ms. Lane.

Dani/Jada and Ryodan: The highlight of Feverborn to me was Jada. I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about losing the Mega’s POV and having to accept Jada for who she is now. Like many others, I was angry that I had to so abruptly say goodbye to the cocky and endearing Dani to make way for what seemed like an entirely new character. I took that frustration out on Jada initially. So sue me. But eventually, I accepted that Dani IS Jada. She just had to change. It was five years of hell for her and just a few short weeks for the rest of us. Whiplash of epic proportions.

I also love the Jada/Ryodan dynamic. Everyone saw it coming. The pair to rival Mac and Barrons. I get goosies just thinking about it. Trust me, you won’t want to miss the steam coming off these two.

Lor:

All I can say is MORE! Okay, so I can say a lot more that that. But who doesn’t love this new protective side of Lor? Finding out just how much he cared for Dani in Burned made me fall hard for his character. Not to mention the fact that he is one of the few that welcomes Jada home wholeheartedly. He doesn’t care who she is now…just that she’s home.

Christian: The new Christian certainly intrigues me, what with the whole Unseelie Prince/Death aspect he’s got going on now. But, as much as I hate to say it, I miss the sweet Highlander that he was in the beginning. Alas, nothing stays the same in the Feververse.

There are many more characters I could ramble on about, but I’ll just let you go take a peek for yourself.

Now, on to my annoyance with a certain plot twist. I’ve got mixed feelings about this twist in particular as it involves the reappearance of an old character. I feel like Moning can do better. She can expertly weave intrigue and drama within a story. I’ve seen her do it again and again. But this…just left me feeling kind of meh…sigh, I will reveal no spoilers.

4 quills to Feverborn! I am crossing my fingers that KMM can hit a 5 quill homerun with the 9^th book which is due out in January 2017. Looks like I’ve got yet another loooong year of waiting ahead of me. Thus is the life of a book lover.

Until then, happy reading!

Tori

Let's Be Friends!

               

 

I am a 25 year old tiny oddball of a woman. I have come to expect that life rarely listens when you huff and puff your way around like some surly old she-wolf. So instead, I have learned to embrace that which makes me quirky. I’m quite a lover of chocolate in all its forms and I ardently believe that it can indeed be served for breakfast. My oven, however, is strictly for shoes.

Tori Review - "The Power" by Jennifer L. Armentrout

 

Happy Friday, Biblionerds!

I'm going to be out of town until Tuesday so you'll

 be seeing my lovely Contributor Tori with a few 

reviews for you all until I get back! Enjoy the weekend!

Title: The Power
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Genre: NA Fantasy

Publication: February 23, 2016
Pages: 344

Summary: 

With any great change, there is always strife, and the Covenant University has become the frontline between pure-bloods who want the Breed Order reinstated and the half-bloods who want the right to control their own destinies.

Fate has other plans.

 The violence is escalating and war between the races seems inevitable, and it couldn’t come at a worse time. Hyperion may be out of commission, but Josie and Seth know they have only earned a reprieve.  Seth must get Josie fully prepared, which means controlling her newfound abilities, and they need to find the other demigods before the Titans do.

But the gods are sensing a greater threat. 

Only one thing is more dangerous than a bunch of starved Titans, and that’s an out-of-control Apollyon. The aether in Josie is drawing Seth in deeper, and when lust mixes with love and gives way to power, he knows being close to her is not only dangerous to her, but to everyone around them, but letting her go requires a level of selflessness that just isn’t Seth’s style.

The paths taken in the past are becoming the roads of the future.

Just as chaos breaks out, familiar faces from the past return, complicating the already strained bond between Josie and Seth, and when the danger from the Titans erupts with devastating consequences, the dark allure of power calls to Seth again, but this time Josie might not be able to pull him back.

 And when the struggle between power and love becomes the deadliest battleground, there may be no salvation.

My heart almost couldn’t take the end of this book. I am now rocking the can’t-hardly-breathe-puffy-red-eyes look after the last few chapters. Emotionally spent…and now I have to wait a year, a whole freaking year for the next book! Excuse me while I grumble and sniffle for a few moments, but Armentrout just punched me right in the feels. Sigh.

Now that I have gathered up my woooosahhh, I can attempt to write a suitable review.

The first book in the Titan series, The Return, was like a gift of Daemon Black caliber for this girl. I was elated by the fact that Seth finally got to tell his story. Enter Apollo’s daughter, Josie, and the reader is then introduced to born demigods that are now needed to defeat the Titans that have escaped Tartarus (basically hell inside the Underworld).

The Power begins a few weeks after Josie’s powers have been awakened from (***spoiler of the first book***) experiencing a mortal death that created enough mojo to knock Hyperion out of the game for a spell. Now rocking immortal status and the ability to control all five elements, Josie must learn to control her new abilities while navigating some rocky terrain where her feelings for Seth are concerned.

Like a recovering addict, Seth has to contend with the constant and near overwhelming allure of aether pumping through those around him without losing his marbles and becoming the monumental ass we all knew and wanted to smack from The Covenant series. He knows that being around Josie is dangerous to her, but letting her go proves to be more difficult than he imagined. Believe me, even though you get to hear his side of things now…you will still want to throat punch him from time to time. But when Josie proves that she is willing to put Seth first, Armentrout finally allows us a deeper glimpse into his past as his carefully constructed walls finally start to crumble.

I was happy to see that it wasn’t a love-forgives-all scenario in this book and that when a moment arises when Josie must decide if she can forgive one heinous act on Seth’s part…she stumbles. She proves that nothing is ever as black and white as it appears.

Now, on to my supreme annoyance with those that are bashing the more adult aspects of The Power. Let me be the one to point out that this book is labeled NEW ADULT for a reason. This is not a YA novel. Therefore, sex scenes will undoubtedly happen. The characters have all aged and are now adults. Get over it. I thought the steamy scenes were wonderfully crafted and I for one absolutely marveled at Seth’s restraint. Kudos to the Apollyon.

I am also thrilled to report that Alex and Aiden make a comeback in this installment and Armentrout did a wonderful job of knowing just when to crank up the holy-cannoli-drama-factor by dumping them back in just when emotions and violence are at an all time high.

5 quills to The Power! The third book, The Struggle, is not due to be released until March of 2017. Note my complete and utter sadness at this news.

Happy reading of other books that aren’t The Struggle until then!

Tori

Let's Be Friends!

               

 

I am a 25 year old tiny oddball of a woman. I have come to expect that life rarely listens when you huff and puff your way around like some surly old she-wolf. So instead, I have learned to embrace that which makes me quirky. I’m quite a lover of chocolate in all its forms and I ardently believe that it can indeed be served for breakfast. My oven, however, is strictly for shoes.