Waiting on Wednesday 11/23/11

A MILLION SUNS by Beth Revis

SYNOPSIS:
Godspeed was fueled by lies. Now it is ruled by chaos.

It's been three months since Amy was unplugged. The life she always knew is over. And everywhere she looks, she sees the walls of the spaceship Godspeed. But there may just be hope: Elder has assumed leadership of the ship. He's finally free to enact his vision - no more Phydus, no more lies.

But when Elder discovers shocking news about the ship, he and Amy race to discover the truth behind life on Godspeed. They must work together to unlock a puzzle that was set in motion hundreds of years earlier, unable to fight the romance that's growing between them and the chaos that threatens to tear them apart.

Beth Revis did an absolutely incredible job on the first book, Across the Universe. Her descriptions of Amy going into stasis will haunt me for years to come. I loved that book, and have been eagerly waiting for more. The premise for this second installment to the trilogy does not sound like it will suffer from any of the usual middle-book slumps. I have a feeling this will be a book best read in one sitting!

Release Date: January 10th, 2012

Bound by Book-to-Movie Law: An Invisible Sign of My Own

Book-to-Movie Law states that once you have read the book, you are bound by the media to go see the movie based on said book, and therefor compare to two.

This is going to be an easy review. The book, which is called An Invisible Sign of My Own, is by Aimee Bender, an author I really like a lot. The first time I read this book, I was in college, and I instantly liked her easy style of romance mixed with quirky characters. Her two books of short stories are equally intriguing, and her newest, called The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, was one of my favorite books this year. The movie, on the other hand, was slow and tedious and boring. I blame this mostly on Jessica Alba's uninspired acting. I thought she would be good, since she was in Dark Angel, but in this, she was so frustrating to watch that I found myself yelling at the TV a few times. Not at all how I pictured her character while reading the book. And while Chris Messina was certainly easy on the eyes, his acting didn't add much either. All around, the movie was tedious and a bit of a failure.

Bottom Line: The book was WAY better.

Fear Street Flashback (23)

Why? Because FEAR STREET was like, my favorite series growing up.

Originally released in January, 1997.

Besides having a title that is way too long for the length of the story, this book is just about perfect. Actually that's not true. I am also a little disappointed that we never actually got to go to the homecoming dance. But the rest of the book was great! Tania makes a nice character to feel confused about - sometimes you think she has too much, but then other times she is so nice that you can't help but like her. Plus there is the twist that Keith is making a horror movie amidst all the real-life terror. I liked Eva (Tania's best friend) for the narrator, as watching the story unfold through her eyes kept me on the edge of my seat. The reader only knows as much as Eva knows, and her innocence made from some pretty intense scenes!

Fear Rating: 2 out of 3 Screams

Waiting on Wednesday 11/16

LIVING VIOLET by Jaime Reed

SYNOPSIS:
He's persuasive, charming, and way too mysterious. And for Samara Marshall, her co-worker is everything she wants most--and everything she most fears. . .

Samara Marshall is determined to make the summer before her senior year the best ever. Her plan: enjoy downtime with friends and work to save up cash for her dream car. Summer romance is not on her to-do list, but uncovering the truth about her flirtatious co-worker, Caleb Baker, is. From the peculiar glow to his eyes to the unfortunate events that befall the girls who pine after him, Samara is the only one to sense danger behind his smile.

But Caleb's secrets are drawing Samara into a world where the laws of attraction are a means of survival. And as a sinister power closes in on those she loves, Samara must take a risk that will change her life forever. . . or consume it.

This start to a new series looks rather appealing to me, and not just because of the incredibly good looking models on the cover. I am so curious to learn more about who Caleb Baker is and what supernatural things he can do. I have high hopes for this one!

Release Date: January 1st, 2012

Inspired to Art (1)

Every now and then there is a book that is so vivid and unique in its world building that my mind takes flight and I am moved to create art. For many years now, my best friend has encouraged me to post my book art projects. It really is the perfect combination of my love for books and my crafts hobbies. So stay tuned for the occasional Inspired to Art post!

First up is DELIRIUM, one of my favorite reads from 2011. The disease of Amour Deliria Nervousa captured my attention and fantasy. I wanted areal, tangible handbook to have of my own. Since I couldn't have that, the next best thing was to make one!The paper used in this project is from the Creative Imaginations Breathless collection, a dark mix of purples, reads, black, and ivories that I felt worked very well with the idea of love being an unwanted disease. For the sake of space, I will only show my favorite pages.
I found specific passages in the book that came from the teachings, and copied them into my own, abridged version. The red edges is ink, not real blood! And I just love the way the typed lines look in contrast to the hand writing.The whole book was made in probably two hours, and I am pleased with the final result. If I were to do this project over again, I would make it larger and try to get as many actual quotes from the book as possible. Delirium was an incredible book and inspired my imagination to soar, and this was my best manifestation of those imaginings.

Darker Still by Leanna Renee Heiber

Darker Still is one of those beautiful stories that swept me off my feet from the very start. The mood is so dark and mysterious- the perfect Gothic atmosphere! I liked the true bits about 1880's spiritualism and how it played into the story. Natalie makes a fantastic narrator, giving the reader only the most enriching and interesting tidbits from the happenings around her. Her descriptions are not overbearing, and held the perfect amount details about the world and paranormal happenings to keep me on the edge of my seat. Usually I am not a fan at all of journal entry novels, but with Natalie I was ravenous for more. Lord Denbury was a romantic man, too. There are quite a few tantalizing ideas with (a) falling in love above your class status, and (b) being able to transport yourself into a painting. A magic most delicious, is what I think!

I have read two previous books by Leanna Renee Hieber - The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker being her debut. It was a magical story, with tons of character building. With Darker Still, I felt Hieber focused more on world building that character, and it still worked out to be a wonderful book. The second book, however, didn't hold up to the same excitement of the first in the series. I am nervous Darker Still will hold the same to be true. The book wraps up nicely, but leaves plenty of room for a sequel. There isn't a plot summary or title for the second book yet, but I may just skip it and keep this one as the great book it is.

Overall Rating: 5 Stars

Waiting on Wednesday 11/9/11

STORMSWEPT by Helen Dunmore

SYNOPSIS:
Morveren lives with her parents and twin sister Jenna on an island off the coast of Cornwall - an island that in the long distant past was devastated by a tidal wave, its halls and people lost. Only some of those taken by the sea may not have been lost at all! Now, as Morveren and Jenna's relationship shifts and changes, like driftwood on the tide, Morveren finds a beautiful teenage boy in a rock pool after a storm. Going to his rescue, she is shocked to see that he is not human but a Mer boy. With Jenna refusing to face the truth, Morveren finds herself alone at the worst possible time. Because when the worlds of Air and Mer meet, the consequences can be terrible!

Words along cannot express how much I am looking forward to this book. I would rather dance and laugh and exclaim with glee! The Ingo Chronicles is truly my favorite "mer" series out there today. Helen Dunmore has done such an incredible job building her world and characters, and I am SO SO glad she decided to continue writing these books. More more more please!!!

Release Date: January 5th, 2012

Annual Authors

Do any of you out there have any authors that you love to read and that are reliable in releasing a good book once a year? This year I have been noticing how there are a few authors in my favorites list that put out a book at least once every year. And that I look forward to this year's release and then next year's title. And most important, every book is GOOD. Authors I can totally trust to give me a great book, without having to wait long periods of time in And so time and time again, at least once every year, I look forward to the day I can buy another book buy these lovely ladies.

Jennifer Weiner - My love for this very funny woman started way back with Good In Bed and I have read every one of her books since. This year we were lucky enough to get two books, the most recent being Then Came You, and I can't wait for the next one!

Kristin Hannah - Though I was a bit of a late bloomer with Kristin Hannah, after reading an advanced copy of Firefly Lane, I went back and read her entire catalog to date. Those were some beautiful months of reading! This year brought Night Road, and next year's book is called Home Front.

Joshilyn Jackson - I fell in love with Joshilyn's tender and moving writing with Gods in Alabama and new I had an instant favorite author on my shelf. She writes about small town life with such conviction and honesty. When she revisited the characters of that first book with this year's Backseat Saints, it was like visiting the town myself. Look for my review of her newest book A Grown-up Kind of Pretty, in January!

Pamela Morsi - Confession: I am behind on a couple of books with this author! It's terrible, I know. I will get caught up as soon as possible! Nor have I read her entire back catalog. But when The Cotton Queen came out, I read it in one sitting and had to have more. Bitsy's Bait & BBQ made me laugh out loud and it was with that book that I knew I would be buying a lot more from Pamela Morsi.

Mary Connealy - Followers of this blog already know how much I like Mary, so I will not say too much. Only that I am so glad she writes as much as she does! Most years she manages to release at least two books!

What are your annual authors?

The Sharp Time by Mary O'Connell

I was not sure what to expect with this book. The premise sounded promising and the cover is a pretty rainbow of colors... but there was nothing that really stuck out for me and screamed "you have to read this book!" And I will be honest, it took a little work to get into this story. Mary O'Connell writes with flowery descriptions and a short attention span. Sandinista is brilliant as a narrator, but the reader has to work hard to keep up with her thoughts. There is no exposition and explanation to help the reader figure out what is going on with her thoughts. What really kept me moving through this book was the plot. When I figured out what happened to Sandinista in school, and what she was planning to do about it, I knew I had to keep reading and watch how it was all going to play out. Plus, as I went through the days with Sandinista, I felt a certain amount of satisfaction for sticking with the book and the writing. The story would not have been half as good if it had been written any other way.

So if you are a reader that does not have the energy to figure out every little nuance on your own, you might want to pass on this one. Stick with it, and you will find yourself thinking about it long after you finish!

Overall Rating: 3 Stars

Waiting on Wednesday 11/2/11

TORN by Cat Clarke

SYNOPSIS:
Four girls. One dead body. A whole lot of guilt.

Alice King isn’t expecting the holiday of a lifetime when she sets off with her classmates on a trip to the Scottish wilderness, but she’s not exactly prepared for an experience beyond her darkest nightmares…

Alice and her best friend Cass are stuck in a cabin with Polly, the social outcast, and Rae, the moody emo-girl. Then there’s Tara – queen of mean. Powerful, beautiful and cruel, she likes nothing better than putting people down.

Cass decides it’s time to teach Tara a lesson she’ll never forget. And so begins a series of events that will change the lives of these girls forever...

I absolutely loved Cat Clarke's first book, Entangled, and have been waiting and waiting to read more. She has an almost ethereal way of writing, and I am already so curious about the plot of this one!

Release Date: January 5th, 2012