So after wanting to do this forever, I finally put up some "pages" for the blog. They're up there at the top, right below the header. See them?
Okay, so they're kind of faint right now, and they didn't turn out exactly how I wanted them to, but it's a start. I eventually want to switch to buttons instead of straight links. But that involves a graphics edit program and some HTML and unfortunately I'm too busy with other things to mess with all of that at the moment. Darn.
But at least they are still there! I've got several pages for my list of past posted reviews, including by title, author, or genre, as well as a few other lists and things up there too. As always, it's a work in progress too...
Monday, November 25, 2013
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Updates and News
Okay people. I know I’ve been a little absent again lately. It’s amazing how much real life when you have a 9 to 5 job just gets in the way sometimes. Cuz I don't actually work 9 to 5, it's more like I get up for work at 5:00 in the morning, and don't get home until 5:00 in the evening, and then I have to make dinner, finish any errands that need to be completed for the next day, and be in bed again by 9:00ish. :)
The latest thing on my list is the Cybils reading period, of course. I’m on the Young Adult Non-Fiction panel this year, which is completely new territory for me. So I’m going to start a new series of posts: My Adventures in Non-Fiction. It will be a (hopefully) weekly update on my general reading progress as I experience the world of YANF. I’m also going to try and make an effort to do better about reviewing the Cybils books. Unfortunately that means there won’t be many reviews of anything except Non-Fiction for awhile, but I’m going to try and mix in some other reviews from time to time as well.
In other news, I will be doing A Shady Glade Christmas again this year. Which means I will once again be asking for guest posts. So if you have a favorite Christmas/holiday tradition, movie, book, song, etc. you’d like to write about, send me an email at shadyglade (AT) mail (DOT) com and let me know. You don’t have to do the post right away, just email so I have an idea of how many volunteers I have. I’ll be putting out another “official” guest post call probably next week. Even if you’ve participated before, if you would like to join in again, that’s great. Otherwise everyone will have to listen to me all month. Haha. You can see posts done from the years of 2009-2011 (2012, last year, I was part of my "year off") by searching for posts with the Christmas label.
So here’s hoping things will get back on track soon!
The latest thing on my list is the Cybils reading period, of course. I’m on the Young Adult Non-Fiction panel this year, which is completely new territory for me. So I’m going to start a new series of posts: My Adventures in Non-Fiction. It will be a (hopefully) weekly update on my general reading progress as I experience the world of YANF. I’m also going to try and make an effort to do better about reviewing the Cybils books. Unfortunately that means there won’t be many reviews of anything except Non-Fiction for awhile, but I’m going to try and mix in some other reviews from time to time as well.
In other news, I will be doing A Shady Glade Christmas again this year. Which means I will once again be asking for guest posts. So if you have a favorite Christmas/holiday tradition, movie, book, song, etc. you’d like to write about, send me an email at shadyglade (AT) mail (DOT) com and let me know. You don’t have to do the post right away, just email so I have an idea of how many volunteers I have. I’ll be putting out another “official” guest post call probably next week. Even if you’ve participated before, if you would like to join in again, that’s great. Otherwise everyone will have to listen to me all month. Haha. You can see posts done from the years of 2009-2011 (2012, last year, I was part of my "year off") by searching for posts with the Christmas label.
So here’s hoping things will get back on track soon!
Sunday, October 06, 2013
Don't Forget to Nominate!
Sorry things have been a little sparse around here lately. I've found it just a bit difficult to get back to hobby things after losing Greysen a few weeks ago. But life goes on and things are slowly returning to normal.
I've been out of it enough that I've forgotten to remind everyone to make sure you nominate your favorite books of 2013 for this year's Cybils. Pretty much any book published between 10/16/12 and 10/15/2013 for children, middle grade, or YA is eligible.
Head over to the Cybils site for all the details, and to nominate your favorites. You have just over a week (until October 15th) to get those votes in!
And please, if anyone knows of a good YA non-fiction title published this year, make sure you nominate it! As I mentioned before, that's my category, and we're a little sparse on books. :)
I've been out of it enough that I've forgotten to remind everyone to make sure you nominate your favorite books of 2013 for this year's Cybils. Pretty much any book published between 10/16/12 and 10/15/2013 for children, middle grade, or YA is eligible.
Head over to the Cybils site for all the details, and to nominate your favorites. You have just over a week (until October 15th) to get those votes in!
And please, if anyone knows of a good YA non-fiction title published this year, make sure you nominate it! As I mentioned before, that's my category, and we're a little sparse on books. :)
Wednesday, October 02, 2013
Waiting on Wednesday: Ever After High
Today's pick requires a bit of a different introduction...
Has anyone heard of Monster High? It's a book by Lisi Harrison. I picked it up a couple years ago because Lisi was the author of one of my guilty pleasure series at that time, The Clique. It's about a high school where many of the students are actually the sons/daughters of famous movie monsters (Frankenstein, Dracula, etc.) trying to fit in a normal high school.
Well, as it turns out, Monster High is actually a line of fashion dolls from Mattel. I found that out the hard way when Googling pictures of the cover. And I don't know which came first, the dolls or the book (or maybe the were released pretty close to each other). But it turns out MonsterHigh.com has all sorts of stuff that's worlds beyond the book I first read.
So why do I bring it up? Well, Little, Brown Book and Mattel have teamed up again. This time, it's called Ever After High.
So why this pick, when I am obviously so not the target audience for this series? Two words: Shannon Hale. I don't think Little, Brown could have picked a better author to bring this new series to life. And I am so, so excited.
It's kind of an odd twist really. Monster High started out as a series of Young Adult books, but after about 4 or so, switched to more of the middle grade audience. I'm sure it's because it more closely matched the demographic of the site. For me, I discovered the site after I had read 2 of the books. I enjoyed the storyline on the website much more. The YA books just felt like they tried to be so full of teenage DRAMA!!!! and they just tried a bit too hard. The website is totally cool with the idea that this is a world populated with monsters, while the books tried to squeeze them into everyday life. I just don't think the message meshed as well.
Anyway, this series is starting out fulling in the MG category. Which is fine by me, because as I said before if it's Shannon Hale I will read it, no matter what age group it's meant for. And as fun as the idea of sons/daughters of monsters is, the idea of fairy tale offspring is much more appealing to my romantic nature. :) I've poked around a bit at EverAfterHigh.com already, where they already have some videos introducing the characters and such up. Looks like it will be a great fun/fluffy series to try. Really, it's very squarely in the "tween" category, but who says you're too old to satisfy your inner child on occasion?
Ever After High: The Storybook of Legends will be released on October 8th, 2013.
Available at Amazon.com in Hardcover or Kindle
Add to your Goodreads shelf
Check availability on Paperbackswap.com
Has anyone heard of Monster High? It's a book by Lisi Harrison. I picked it up a couple years ago because Lisi was the author of one of my guilty pleasure series at that time, The Clique. It's about a high school where many of the students are actually the sons/daughters of famous movie monsters (Frankenstein, Dracula, etc.) trying to fit in a normal high school.
Well, as it turns out, Monster High is actually a line of fashion dolls from Mattel. I found that out the hard way when Googling pictures of the cover. And I don't know which came first, the dolls or the book (or maybe the were released pretty close to each other). But it turns out MonsterHigh.com has all sorts of stuff that's worlds beyond the book I first read.
So why do I bring it up? Well, Little, Brown Book and Mattel have teamed up again. This time, it's called Ever After High.
Ever After High: The Storybook of Legends by Shannon Hale
About the Book (copy from Goodreads.com): "At Ever After High, an enchanting boarding school, the children of fairytale legends prepare themselves to fulfill their destinies as the next generation of Snow Whites, Prince Charmings and Evil Queens...whether they want to or not. Each year on Legacy Day, students sign the Storybook of Legends to seal their scripted fates. For generations, the Village of Book End has whispered that refusing to sign means The End-both for a story and for a life.As the daughter of the Evil Queen, Raven Queen's destiny is to follow in her mother's wicked footsteps, but evil is so not Raven's style. She's starting to wonder, what if she rewrote her own story? The royal Apple White, daughter of the Fairest of Them All, has a happy ever after planned for herself, but it depends upon Raven feeding her a poison apple in their future.What if Raven doesn't sign the Storybook of Legends? It could mean a happily never after for them both."
So why this pick, when I am obviously so not the target audience for this series? Two words: Shannon Hale. I don't think Little, Brown could have picked a better author to bring this new series to life. And I am so, so excited.
It's kind of an odd twist really. Monster High started out as a series of Young Adult books, but after about 4 or so, switched to more of the middle grade audience. I'm sure it's because it more closely matched the demographic of the site. For me, I discovered the site after I had read 2 of the books. I enjoyed the storyline on the website much more. The YA books just felt like they tried to be so full of teenage DRAMA!!!! and they just tried a bit too hard. The website is totally cool with the idea that this is a world populated with monsters, while the books tried to squeeze them into everyday life. I just don't think the message meshed as well.
Anyway, this series is starting out fulling in the MG category. Which is fine by me, because as I said before if it's Shannon Hale I will read it, no matter what age group it's meant for. And as fun as the idea of sons/daughters of monsters is, the idea of fairy tale offspring is much more appealing to my romantic nature. :) I've poked around a bit at EverAfterHigh.com already, where they already have some videos introducing the characters and such up. Looks like it will be a great fun/fluffy series to try. Really, it's very squarely in the "tween" category, but who says you're too old to satisfy your inner child on occasion?
Ever After High: The Storybook of Legends will be released on October 8th, 2013.
Available at Amazon.com in Hardcover or Kindle
Add to your Goodreads shelf
Check availability on Paperbackswap.com
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Waiting on Wednesday: Hero
Okay, for today's pick we're dragging up the fairy tale them. I know, I know, AGAIN. But this one looks like something different. So trust me on this one.
Hero by Alethea Kontis
Hero is the second book in the Woodcutter Sisters series. The first one, Enchanted, came out in May of last year. It was about the sister named Sunday and was sort of a retelling of The Frog Prince. I guess it did well enough that Harcourt decided to purchase 2 companion novels, this one and the next one which is tentatively titled Beloved and due out next year. According to the author's website, ideally it would be a 7 book series, one book for each sister, so if you read this (or the first one) and like it, make sure you buy everyone a copy so she can keep writing with them.
I don't see any specific fairy tales on this one based on just the description, but supposedly like the first it'll have kind of a mish mash of them. But I like that it's own book too. Kind of like the Dealing With Dragons books by Patricia C. Wrede (still one of my all-time favorite series).
That being said, I have to say it (again). I don't like the cover. Apparently it went through a LOT of revisions (I've been poking around the author's blog a bit). In fact, the other cover I see most of is this one on the right, which is pretty much the same cover only with a turquoise-y dress instead of the gray. Which, I guess I can see why they turned to a gray dress, since Saturday is apparently kind of a tomboy. But both just kind of look weirdly photoshopped to me, but the color of the blue/green dress is better in my opinion. Makes me wonder what the color of the actual dress was. The other thing I don't like is her hands. I think she's wearing gloves, but do you think they look weird? Hmmm...
Hero will be released on October 1st, just under a week away!
Available at Amazon.com in Hardcover or Kindle
Add to your Goodreads shelf
Check availability on Paperbackswap.com
Hero by Alethea KontisAbout the Book (copy from Goodreads.com): "Rough and tumble Saturday Woodcutter thinks she's the only one of her sisters without any magic—until the day she accidentally conjures an ocean in the backyard. With her sword in tow, Saturday sets sail on a pirate ship, only to find herself kidnapped and whisked off to the top of the world. Is Saturday powerful enough to kill the mountain witch who holds her captive and save the world from sure destruction? And, as she wonders grumpily, "Did romance have to be part of the adventure?" As in Enchanted, readers will revel in the fragments of fairy tales that embellish this action-packed story of adventure and, yes, romance."
Hero is the second book in the Woodcutter Sisters series. The first one, Enchanted, came out in May of last year. It was about the sister named Sunday and was sort of a retelling of The Frog Prince. I guess it did well enough that Harcourt decided to purchase 2 companion novels, this one and the next one which is tentatively titled Beloved and due out next year. According to the author's website, ideally it would be a 7 book series, one book for each sister, so if you read this (or the first one) and like it, make sure you buy everyone a copy so she can keep writing with them.
I don't see any specific fairy tales on this one based on just the description, but supposedly like the first it'll have kind of a mish mash of them. But I like that it's own book too. Kind of like the Dealing With Dragons books by Patricia C. Wrede (still one of my all-time favorite series).
Hero will be released on October 1st, just under a week away!
Available at Amazon.com in Hardcover or Kindle
Add to your Goodreads shelf
Check availability on Paperbackswap.com
Friday, September 20, 2013
RIP to the best cat ever
Last night was one of the hardest nights of my life.
It actually started out pretty good. I got to see the new movie adaptation of Shannon Hale's book Austenland (which was excellent, by the way). But upon coming home, I discovered something was very wrong.
Greysen, my cat of 18 years, developed a blood clot in his left front shoulder last night. This meant the whole leg was dragging on the ground, and he was in extreme amounts of pain. We rushed him to the emergency vet, and it took them a few hours to figure out they weren't sure what was wrong with him. They decided to keep him for overnight observation, and told us with some pain medication and fluids he would probably be okay and would send him home. Then came the call at close to 11:00. They had discovered the blood clot, it was causing him huge amounts of pain, and there was no cure save amputation, which he only have a 10% chance of surviving. So we returned to the vet for what we knew would be his last time. Making that decision was awful. And the sad thing was, that after $600.00 of tests to figure out what was wrong, I didn't even get to take him home with me.
I've had a pretty rough night. But I can take a small amount of comfort in the fact that he did live a long life for a cat, and it was probably best to let him go so he wouldn't have to suffer anymore.
So here's to you Greysen, my baby, who I raised from a kitten. Rest in Peace buddy.
It actually started out pretty good. I got to see the new movie adaptation of Shannon Hale's book Austenland (which was excellent, by the way). But upon coming home, I discovered something was very wrong.
Greysen, my cat of 18 years, developed a blood clot in his left front shoulder last night. This meant the whole leg was dragging on the ground, and he was in extreme amounts of pain. We rushed him to the emergency vet, and it took them a few hours to figure out they weren't sure what was wrong with him. They decided to keep him for overnight observation, and told us with some pain medication and fluids he would probably be okay and would send him home. Then came the call at close to 11:00. They had discovered the blood clot, it was causing him huge amounts of pain, and there was no cure save amputation, which he only have a 10% chance of surviving. So we returned to the vet for what we knew would be his last time. Making that decision was awful. And the sad thing was, that after $600.00 of tests to figure out what was wrong, I didn't even get to take him home with me.
I've had a pretty rough night. But I can take a small amount of comfort in the fact that he did live a long life for a cat, and it was probably best to let him go so he wouldn't have to suffer anymore.
So here's to you Greysen, my baby, who I raised from a kitten. Rest in Peace buddy.
Thursday, September 19, 2013
It's that time again...
Well, it was officially posted on Monday, so I guess I can share now.
I'm glad to announce that I will be returning as a Round 1 panelist to the CYBILS (Children's and Young Adult Literary Blogger Awards) this year. However, in a twist of events, I will be working in the new Young Adult nonfiction category this year.
I wasn't able to participate last year because of my "blogging gap", so this is very exciting for me. I've been on the CYBILS every other year since the first one in 2006, and its familiar territory to be ramping up for the things now that it's fall. Of course, YA non-fiction is pretty much an alien genre to me, so it will be interesting to see how it goes. :)
If you've never heard of the CYBILS before, head over to their website to check it out. It's one of the most awesome grassroots movements in the kidlit blogosphere. And for those of you who already know what they are, don't forget nominations are around the corner, and open on October 1st!
I'm glad to announce that I will be returning as a Round 1 panelist to the CYBILS (Children's and Young Adult Literary Blogger Awards) this year. However, in a twist of events, I will be working in the new Young Adult nonfiction category this year.
I wasn't able to participate last year because of my "blogging gap", so this is very exciting for me. I've been on the CYBILS every other year since the first one in 2006, and its familiar territory to be ramping up for the things now that it's fall. Of course, YA non-fiction is pretty much an alien genre to me, so it will be interesting to see how it goes. :)
If you've never heard of the CYBILS before, head over to their website to check it out. It's one of the most awesome grassroots movements in the kidlit blogosphere. And for those of you who already know what they are, don't forget nominations are around the corner, and open on October 1st!
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Waiting on Wednesday: Battle Magic
Today's post is another edition from a long-time favorite author. I'm excited for this one!
In case you're wondering, Gyongxi is pronounced "Gee-yong-she". And I only know that because it's been mentioned in a few of the other books, and I've listened to the audio recordings of those books. Which were narrated by the author. So she knows what she's talking about. :)
I love Tamora Pierce. She's been one of my favorite authors forever. Her book Wild Magic is the first "grown up" book I can remember picking out and buying myself from the bookstore. And by grown up book, I really mean, the first book I bought that wasn't a Baby Sitters Club book (I loved those in 4th and 5th grade). From there I've read pretty much every book she's written, and many of them are among my favorites.
This book is another offering in the Circle Reforged series, set in Pierce's so called "Circle Universe" (which mostly means it doesn't take place in her other world, Tortall). If you aren't familiar with her books I'll give you a quick rundown. This is actually the 3rd series set with these characters. The first four books, the Circle of Magic books, are about Briar and his three foster sisters when they are young and first coming into their magic. The second series, the Circle Opens quartet, is about how each of the main four characters go off with their mentors out into the world and the individual adventures/experiences they have out there, which includes getting a new student to teach for each of them.
Then there's the Circle Reforged. Which is a little odd. It's about the four main characters getting back together, although there's a side story in there too. The first one, The Will Of The Empress, is about the main characters. Then there's Melting Stones, which is actually about Evvy and Rosethorn only. It happens either after or concurrently to The Will of the Empress (still a little fuzzy on that chronology). And now, here's the third book, Battle Magic, which must take place before either of the other two books, because their experiences are referenced in both of the Circle Reforged books mentioned above.
Whew! So I guess that's a long way of saying I've been waiting for this book for a long time. Based on the references in the other books, this one might turn out to be a little bloody. War is never fun and games, and Street Magic (the Briar book in the Circle Opens quartet) tended towards the violent as well. Must be a guy thing. Hmmmm.... But despite that, I've been dying to know exactly what happened, rather than the bits and pieces we've been given in the previous two books.
If you're new to the series, and you want to pick it up, here's a word of caution. Although usually Tamora Pierce's books can stand on their own, you'll enjoy them more if you have the background. For this one, you'll really need to read all the books in the Circle of Magic series (Sandry's Book, Tris's Book, Daja's Book, Briar's Book) to get a background and feel for these characters. From the Circle Opens series, you'll probably only need to read Street Magic, which is where Briar meets Evvy. And I imagine you don't need to read either of the other Circle Reforged books, since chronologically this one takes place first.
So, I really didn't mean for this post to be this long. You see how I gush when I talk about this author. :)
Battle Magic will be released on September 24, 2013.
Available at Amazon.com in Hardcover or Kindle
Add to your Goodreads shelf
Check availability on Paperbackswap.com
Battle Magic by Tamora Pierce
About the Book (copy from Goodreads.com): "NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Tamora Pierce returns to the magical world of Winding Circle.
On their way to the first Circle temple in Gyongxi, mages Briar, Rosethorn, and Evvy pay a visit to the emperor's summer palace. Although treated like royalty when they first arrive, the mages soon discover that the emperor plans to invade Gyongxi, posing a fatal threat to the home temple of the Living Circle religion. Accompanied by one of the emperor's prize captives, the three mages rush to Gyongxi to warn its citizens of the impending attack. With the imperials hot on their trail, Briar, Rosethorn, and Evvy must quickly help the country prepare for battle. But even with the help of new allies, will their combined forces be enough to fight the imperial army and win the war?"
In case you're wondering, Gyongxi is pronounced "Gee-yong-she". And I only know that because it's been mentioned in a few of the other books, and I've listened to the audio recordings of those books. Which were narrated by the author. So she knows what she's talking about. :)
I love Tamora Pierce. She's been one of my favorite authors forever. Her book Wild Magic is the first "grown up" book I can remember picking out and buying myself from the bookstore. And by grown up book, I really mean, the first book I bought that wasn't a Baby Sitters Club book (I loved those in 4th and 5th grade). From there I've read pretty much every book she's written, and many of them are among my favorites.
This book is another offering in the Circle Reforged series, set in Pierce's so called "Circle Universe" (which mostly means it doesn't take place in her other world, Tortall). If you aren't familiar with her books I'll give you a quick rundown. This is actually the 3rd series set with these characters. The first four books, the Circle of Magic books, are about Briar and his three foster sisters when they are young and first coming into their magic. The second series, the Circle Opens quartet, is about how each of the main four characters go off with their mentors out into the world and the individual adventures/experiences they have out there, which includes getting a new student to teach for each of them.
Then there's the Circle Reforged. Which is a little odd. It's about the four main characters getting back together, although there's a side story in there too. The first one, The Will Of The Empress, is about the main characters. Then there's Melting Stones, which is actually about Evvy and Rosethorn only. It happens either after or concurrently to The Will of the Empress (still a little fuzzy on that chronology). And now, here's the third book, Battle Magic, which must take place before either of the other two books, because their experiences are referenced in both of the Circle Reforged books mentioned above.
Whew! So I guess that's a long way of saying I've been waiting for this book for a long time. Based on the references in the other books, this one might turn out to be a little bloody. War is never fun and games, and Street Magic (the Briar book in the Circle Opens quartet) tended towards the violent as well. Must be a guy thing. Hmmmm.... But despite that, I've been dying to know exactly what happened, rather than the bits and pieces we've been given in the previous two books.
If you're new to the series, and you want to pick it up, here's a word of caution. Although usually Tamora Pierce's books can stand on their own, you'll enjoy them more if you have the background. For this one, you'll really need to read all the books in the Circle of Magic series (Sandry's Book, Tris's Book, Daja's Book, Briar's Book) to get a background and feel for these characters. From the Circle Opens series, you'll probably only need to read Street Magic, which is where Briar meets Evvy. And I imagine you don't need to read either of the other Circle Reforged books, since chronologically this one takes place first.
So, I really didn't mean for this post to be this long. You see how I gush when I talk about this author. :)
Battle Magic will be released on September 24, 2013.
Available at Amazon.com in Hardcover or Kindle
Add to your Goodreads shelf
Check availability on Paperbackswap.com
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Waiting on Wednesday: United We Spy
Today's pick is the conclusion to one of my favorite series: The Gallagher Girls. WARNING: If you haven't read the previous books, this description may contain spoilers for the previous books in the series.
United We Spy by Ally Carter
About the Book (copy from Goodreads.com): "Cammie Morgan has lost her father and her memory, but in the heart-pounding conclusion to the best-selling Gallagher Girls series, she finds her greatest mission yet. Cammie and her friends finally know why the terrorist organization called the Circle of Cavan has been hunting her. Now the spy girls and Zach must track down the Circle’s elite members to stop them before they implement a master plan that will change Cammie—and her country—forever."
Love, love, love Ally Carter and pretty much everything she does. I am a little sad to see the end of these books though, I've enjoyed it so much. But if you haven't already, you should really pick up this series. Also, I highly recommend Heist Society and it's sequels as well. Instead of spies, those books are about thieves, and they also have lots of adventure and spy-ish sneaking around.
Anyway, I'm kind of lucky in that I haven't gotten my hands on Book 5 yet (Out of Sight, Out of Time) because apparently it has a huge cliffhanger ending. Which sounds worse than the what-I-thought-was-a-cliffhanger endings of Book 3 and Book 4. Anyway, it works out well for me, since soon I will be able to pick up Books 5 and 6 right after each other.
On a side note, if you have read Ally's books and enjoy them, and you happen to have a Kindle, or access to a Kindle app for PC/Android/iPhone/iPad, you should really check out Double Crossed. It's a novella that combines characters from the Gallagher Girl books and the Heist Society books. As far as I can tell it takes place between Uncommon Criminals and Perfect Scoundrels on the thieves side and between Out of Sight, Out of Time and this book on the Gallagher Girls side. And the best part? It's free to download! That's right, it's a bonus story that won't cost you anything. Unlike some publishers (*cough* Harper Collins *cough*) who offer bonus short stories/novellas at a nominal fee. I've already downloaded my copy, but I'm waiting until I read GG#5 before I dive into it.
Anyway, United We Spy will be released just around the corner, on September 17th.
Available at Amazon.com in Hardcover or Kindle
Add to your Goodreads shelf
Check availability on Paperbackswap.com
And don't forget...
Double Crossed is available for free download on Kindle
About the Book (copy from Goodreads.com): "Cammie Morgan has lost her father and her memory, but in the heart-pounding conclusion to the best-selling Gallagher Girls series, she finds her greatest mission yet. Cammie and her friends finally know why the terrorist organization called the Circle of Cavan has been hunting her. Now the spy girls and Zach must track down the Circle’s elite members to stop them before they implement a master plan that will change Cammie—and her country—forever."
Love, love, love Ally Carter and pretty much everything she does. I am a little sad to see the end of these books though, I've enjoyed it so much. But if you haven't already, you should really pick up this series. Also, I highly recommend Heist Society and it's sequels as well. Instead of spies, those books are about thieves, and they also have lots of adventure and spy-ish sneaking around.
Anyway, I'm kind of lucky in that I haven't gotten my hands on Book 5 yet (Out of Sight, Out of Time) because apparently it has a huge cliffhanger ending. Which sounds worse than the what-I-thought-was-a-cliffhanger endings of Book 3 and Book 4. Anyway, it works out well for me, since soon I will be able to pick up Books 5 and 6 right after each other.
On a side note, if you have read Ally's books and enjoy them, and you happen to have a Kindle, or access to a Kindle app for PC/Android/iPhone/iPad, you should really check out Double Crossed. It's a novella that combines characters from the Gallagher Girl books and the Heist Society books. As far as I can tell it takes place between Uncommon Criminals and Perfect Scoundrels on the thieves side and between Out of Sight, Out of Time and this book on the Gallagher Girls side. And the best part? It's free to download! That's right, it's a bonus story that won't cost you anything. Unlike some publishers (*cough* Harper Collins *cough*) who offer bonus short stories/novellas at a nominal fee. I've already downloaded my copy, but I'm waiting until I read GG#5 before I dive into it.
Anyway, United We Spy will be released just around the corner, on September 17th.
Available at Amazon.com in Hardcover or Kindle
Add to your Goodreads shelf
Check availability on Paperbackswap.com
And don't forget...
Double Crossed is available for free download on Kindle
Wednesday, September 04, 2013
Waiting on Wednesday: Rose
So this is another recent release WoW post. But there is some future pubs coming up, I promise! This was actually published in 2009 in the UK (according to Goodreads) but this is the first time it's come to American shores.
Not much detail from that description, but I'm very intrigued anyway. You know I'm a sucker for anything vaguely Victorian themed, so this one is right up my alley. Since it has magic and stuff too. It's also the first of a series, which will be good news if this turns out to be as good as it looks. So go buy a copy so it does well and we get the rest of the books here in the US too!
And since I can never resist talking about covers, what do you think of it? I think it's a little weird. I love the house in the background, but Rose looks a little strange to me for some reason. Love the cat on the fence though. So cute and fluffy! On the other hand, I don't think the UK cover is all that great either (pictured here on left). I like pink, but this is a little overkill, don't you think? I like the title treatement a little better though. More Victorian-ish looking, although the US title treatment is not bad. And again, she looks weird in the UK cover (eyes are too big or too far apart or something). But I suppose not every book can have the perfect cover. I really need to work on not judging a book by it's cover, which worked in this case because I added it to my Goodreads "want to read" shelf before the cover was posted.
Rose (Rose #1) was published yesterday, September 3rd.
Available at Amazon.com in Paperback or Kindle
Add to your Goodreads shelf
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Rose (Rose #1) by Holly Webb
About the Book (copy from Goodreads.com): "Rose isn't like the other orphans at St Bridget's Home for Abandoned Girls. Instead of dreaming of getting adopted by loving, wealthy parents, Rose wants to get a job and be independent. She doesn't need anyone but herself. She finds her escape working as a maid for Mr. Fountain, an alchemist. Unable to ignore the magic that flows throughout the grand residence, Rose realizes that just maybe; she might have a little bit of magic in her too. This new series featuring magicians, witches, talking cats, mist-monsters, and friendships will have young readers in a trance!"
Not much detail from that description, but I'm very intrigued anyway. You know I'm a sucker for anything vaguely Victorian themed, so this one is right up my alley. Since it has magic and stuff too. It's also the first of a series, which will be good news if this turns out to be as good as it looks. So go buy a copy so it does well and we get the rest of the books here in the US too!
Rose (Rose #1) was published yesterday, September 3rd.
Available at Amazon.com in Paperback or Kindle
Add to your Goodreads shelf
Check availability on Paperbackswap.com
Sunday, September 01, 2013
Happy 7th Birthday Shady Glade!
It's hard to believe it. On this day 7 years ago, The Shady Glade was born. Let me tell you, I had no idea then what I was getting into. I simply had this vague idea that I wanted to use what was at that time a new medium to share my reading with other people who also liked to read. I suppose in some way blogs are passe now; everyone is more into Twitter/Facebook/that sort of thing. But I kind of like it. It's more journal-like, and I've never been able to keep a journal very steadily before, so this kind of a like a book journal. It's fun to look back over everything that's happened over the last 7 years.
I don't think there's anyone from those first few months still around anymore, but for those of you who do still read this blog (or are new readers) thank you so much. It's all because I know there's at least 1 person out there who will read this that I do this. And I hope that there's more than 1 of you. :) I am especially grateful for those who stuck it out with me over the last year. I know it was rough getting through those months where I wasn't blogging, and I am glad to be back in the swing of things, even if it's not as much as I used to be (I can't believe I tried to blog every day in 2009. But I guess that's what happens when you are a new college graduate with a freelance job and LOTS of time on your hands...)
So as a tribute to this auspcious day, I thought it would be fun to take a look over the top 7 most popular posts of all time here at The Shady Glade.
7. Review of Amanda/Miranda by Richard Peck - In spot number seven is this post. This was actually the very first book review I posted, although looking back I believe it was my 4th post overall. And the funny thing is, I originally wrote it for a different website at first. This was my first Richard Peck book, and he still remains one of my favorite authors.
6. Poetry Friday: Snow White - This one surprised me. I guess a lot of people are into poetry inspired by fairy tales. This was a poem I came across during one of the classes I was a TA for in college. If I remember correctly, I had actually posted a poem about Cinderella the week before. But apparently, Snow White is the more popular post.
5. Author Guest Post: Zoë Marriott- Ironically enough, this is another blogoversary post. This was for my 3rd blogoversary, which was quite the spectacular event. Again, so much time on my hands back in 2009. But of all of my author guest posts, this is the only one in the top 10. Hmmm... I wonder why it's so popular? Not that I'm complaining of course, it was a fun guest post to read.
4. Review of The Primrose Way by Jackie French Knoller - This one surprised me a little. Not too bad, because I always see it up in my stats when I check them about once a month. It makes me a little happy though, since I feel like this is definitely one of those "overlooked" books that doesn't get a lot of attention, and it's about a period of American history that I think gets overlooked a lot too. Although I think a lot of people are trying to find help with their homework, because the most common search terms I see associated with this one are "primrose way book report".
3. Catching Fire Contest Monday - This one was not so surprising, other than the fact that it is still popular enough to be up there in stats. Maybe the pending Catching Fire movie has something to do with it. This was definitely my most popular Contest Monday ever, for an ARC copy of Catching Fire. At that time I had refused to read the Hunger Game books because they were so popular. But like Twilight, I did eventually give in and read them, and enjoyed them a lot. If I had only known what I had in my hands at the time...
2. Review of The Fifth of March by Ann Rinaldi - I've reviewed several books by Rinaldi on this blog, but this one is by far the most popular. Again, I suspect it might be students trying to get help with their homework based on the words associated with this that show up on my sheet. But I think this is an "oldie but goodie" book, and it's worth picking up, especially if you like American Revolutionary historical fiction.
And the number 1 post is...
1. Review of The Falcon's Malteaser by Anthony Horowitz - This one did surprise me. I do see it floating around in my stats every once in awhile, but I had no idea it was the most viewed post of all time. It even outstrips #2 up there by quite a bit of a margin. I do love the Diamond Brother books, and I don't think many people have read them, so it's nice to see that in some way it's popular. I wish more of them were available in the US, but most people I talk to haven't even heard of them, so there you go. I don't think they were ever a big seller here.
So there you have it. Kind of interesting, huh? Here's to 7 more years of the Shady Glade, although, sometimes I wonder if I have it in me! But as long as you are there to keep reading, I'll keep writing. Thanks again to everyone for their continued support. It means so much!
I don't think there's anyone from those first few months still around anymore, but for those of you who do still read this blog (or are new readers) thank you so much. It's all because I know there's at least 1 person out there who will read this that I do this. And I hope that there's more than 1 of you. :) I am especially grateful for those who stuck it out with me over the last year. I know it was rough getting through those months where I wasn't blogging, and I am glad to be back in the swing of things, even if it's not as much as I used to be (I can't believe I tried to blog every day in 2009. But I guess that's what happens when you are a new college graduate with a freelance job and LOTS of time on your hands...)
So as a tribute to this auspcious day, I thought it would be fun to take a look over the top 7 most popular posts of all time here at The Shady Glade.
7. Review of Amanda/Miranda by Richard Peck - In spot number seven is this post. This was actually the very first book review I posted, although looking back I believe it was my 4th post overall. And the funny thing is, I originally wrote it for a different website at first. This was my first Richard Peck book, and he still remains one of my favorite authors.
6. Poetry Friday: Snow White - This one surprised me. I guess a lot of people are into poetry inspired by fairy tales. This was a poem I came across during one of the classes I was a TA for in college. If I remember correctly, I had actually posted a poem about Cinderella the week before. But apparently, Snow White is the more popular post.
5. Author Guest Post: Zoë Marriott- Ironically enough, this is another blogoversary post. This was for my 3rd blogoversary, which was quite the spectacular event. Again, so much time on my hands back in 2009. But of all of my author guest posts, this is the only one in the top 10. Hmmm... I wonder why it's so popular? Not that I'm complaining of course, it was a fun guest post to read.
4. Review of The Primrose Way by Jackie French Knoller - This one surprised me a little. Not too bad, because I always see it up in my stats when I check them about once a month. It makes me a little happy though, since I feel like this is definitely one of those "overlooked" books that doesn't get a lot of attention, and it's about a period of American history that I think gets overlooked a lot too. Although I think a lot of people are trying to find help with their homework, because the most common search terms I see associated with this one are "primrose way book report".
3. Catching Fire Contest Monday - This one was not so surprising, other than the fact that it is still popular enough to be up there in stats. Maybe the pending Catching Fire movie has something to do with it. This was definitely my most popular Contest Monday ever, for an ARC copy of Catching Fire. At that time I had refused to read the Hunger Game books because they were so popular. But like Twilight, I did eventually give in and read them, and enjoyed them a lot. If I had only known what I had in my hands at the time...
2. Review of The Fifth of March by Ann Rinaldi - I've reviewed several books by Rinaldi on this blog, but this one is by far the most popular. Again, I suspect it might be students trying to get help with their homework based on the words associated with this that show up on my sheet. But I think this is an "oldie but goodie" book, and it's worth picking up, especially if you like American Revolutionary historical fiction.
And the number 1 post is...
1. Review of The Falcon's Malteaser by Anthony Horowitz - This one did surprise me. I do see it floating around in my stats every once in awhile, but I had no idea it was the most viewed post of all time. It even outstrips #2 up there by quite a bit of a margin. I do love the Diamond Brother books, and I don't think many people have read them, so it's nice to see that in some way it's popular. I wish more of them were available in the US, but most people I talk to haven't even heard of them, so there you go. I don't think they were ever a big seller here.
So there you have it. Kind of interesting, huh? Here's to 7 more years of the Shady Glade, although, sometimes I wonder if I have it in me! But as long as you are there to keep reading, I'll keep writing. Thanks again to everyone for their continued support. It means so much!
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Waiting on Wednesday: Sleeping Beauty's Daughters
Today's Waiting on Wednesday pick is another that you actually don't have to wait long for. It was actually published yesterday. But this is one I have been waiting for awhile, since I absolutely love this author.
Sleeping Beauty's Daughters by Diane Zahler
Oh, and isn't the cover gorgeous? I love the artist that does these covers. If you haven't already, you should check them all out: The Thirteenth Princess, A True Princess, Princess of the Wild Swans.
Sleeping Beauty's Daughters was released yesterday, August 27th.
Available at Amazon.com in Hardcover or Kindle
Add to your Goodreads shelf
Check availability on Paperbackswap.com
Sleeping Beauty's Daughters by Diane ZahlerAbout the Book (copy from Goodreads.com): "The classic fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty is transformed into a dazzling new story of two sisters fighting a powerful curse by Diane Zahler, the acclaimed author of The Thirteenth Princess. Briskly paced and full of lush descriptions, readers who enjoy the work of Shannon Hale and Gail Carson Levine will be swept away by this spellbinding novel.So what can I say about this one? You know me, I absolutely love fairy tale retellings. Sleeping Beauty is one of my favorites, and although it has been retold many times, I don't think I've ever read one that had this spin to it. And I really enjoy Zahler's books. She always manages to put a unique spin on things. They do tend more towards the middle grade age level, and they can be on the shorter side, but I love them anyway.
The daughters of Sleeping Beauty, Princesses Aurora and Luna, have grown up in a cliff-top palace by the sea, where they are carefully protected by their parents. No one visits, the girls cannot stray beyond the castle walls, and all sharp objects are forbidden here.
But accidents will happen—particularly when an old curse still has power. Soon, in spite of all precautions, Aurora is struggling not to slip into an enchanted sleep.
Frantic, the princesses accept the help of a young fisherman named Symon and embark on a daring ocean voyage to find their aunt—a fairy who may be able to break the spell. From fearsome beasts to raging storms, many dangers befall them, yet they must not give up . . . for if Aurora sleeps, she will not wake for one hundred years. "
Oh, and isn't the cover gorgeous? I love the artist that does these covers. If you haven't already, you should check them all out: The Thirteenth Princess, A True Princess, Princess of the Wild Swans.
Sleeping Beauty's Daughters was released yesterday, August 27th.
Available at Amazon.com in Hardcover or Kindle
Add to your Goodreads shelf
Check availability on Paperbackswap.com
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Review: Secrets at Sea
The Hudson Rvier Valley circa Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee is home to the stately Cranston family. Of course, there’s really two Crantson families: the Upstairs Cranstons and the Downstairs Cranstons. If you’re into a certain popular BBC historical drama on TV recently like I am *cough* Downton Abbey *cough*, you may be expecting the Downstairs Cranstons to be servants. But they’re not. They’re actually mice. And they would like to point out theirs is the older Cranston family.
Helena is the oldest mouse, and since her mother, father, and two older sisters have since passed on (it’s a dangerous life being a mouse!) she has the responsibility of worrying about and taking care of her two younger sisters, Louise and Beatrice, and younger brother, Lamont. So when the Upstairs Cranstons decide to leave their home and take of tour of Europe in order to give their eldest daughter Olive “her chance” (to catch a husband), Helena decides that rather than face and empty house and starvation, the Downstairs Cranstons will just have accompany their humans across the ocean. Even though mice aren’t good with water. The resulting voyage is full of strange new experiences, intrigues, dangerous situations (cats!), brushes with royalty, and maybe even a little romance.
I have to say, I’ve almost never met a Richard Peck book I didn’t like. In fact, I can only think of 2 that I didn’t enjoy thoroughly, and they were both fine books, just not for me. And that’s okay. Luckily, Secrets at Sea can easily fit the category of “thoroughly enjoyed”.
I suppose it bears mentioning that the whole book itself is quite silly. This is definitely a “suspension of disbelief” book. However, I think for the middle grade audience it’s aiming for, this isn’t necessarily a problem. As a (young) adult reading this book, I personally didn’t have any problem with it. But I’m pretty gullible that way. I’ve seen reviews that have beaten this one up a bit for this very reason, because it seems little too unlikely and the plot is fairly simplistic. But I think if you go into expecting it to be silly, you won’t have a problem with it. So the moral of the story is: don’t take your reading too seriously!
The book is narrated by Helena, and as the oldest, she does come off as bossy quite a bit. However, being the oldest (and pretty bossy) myself, I found myself relating to Helena quite a lot. She’s simply concerned with how she can keep her dwindling family together, which is something I’ve worried about myself before. So although some might find her unlikeable, I enjoyed Helena quite a bit.
The other nice thing about this book is that I think it has appeal for a wide audience. Yes, it has some romance (think along the lines of “we love each other and now we’re getting married!”), but not enough to necessarily turn off the young male reader. It is historical fiction, but isn’t heavy enough in historical detail to turn off readers who shy away from history. And I think it is a book that all ages can enjoy, especially its target middle grade audience.
I really did enjoy Secrets at Sea, it was a short, quick read, and I am still putting Richard Peck at the top of my favorite authors list. According to Goodreads it appears he has another mouse book that’s been recently published, The Mouse with the Question Mark Tail, which I will have to pick up and try soon.
Shady Glade Rating: 8/10
Available at Amazon.com in Hardcover, Paperback, or Kindle
Add to your Goodreads shelf
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Friday, August 23, 2013
Review: Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos
I didn't have a chance to put up a new WOW post this week, but I do have another review to make up for it.
Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos by R. L. LaFevers
At first glance Theodosia Throckmorton appears to be like any other normal 11-year-old girl living in London at the turn of the century. But Theodosia’s life is anything but normal. First of all, her archeologist mother is currently off on a dig in Egypt, uncovering treasures in the Valley of the Kings. And rather than going to boarding school or having a governess like a normal, respectable girl her age, Theodosia spends her time exploring the Museum of Legends and Antiquities, where her father is Head Curator.
But that’s not the most unique thing about Theodosia either. It’s the fact that she seems to be the only one who can see the horrible black magic and curses that often accompany the Egyptian artifacts the museum acquires. Which means it’s up to her to break said curses too. When her mother returns from her most recent dig with the famed Heart of Egypt amulet, only Theodosia seems to notice that the item perfectly reeks of black magic. And the curse is a bad one. Bad enough that the entire British Empire might be at stake if she can’t figure out how to break it.
This is the kind of book I would have LOVED when I was younger. I was obsessed with anything Egyptian in 5th grade, and this book would have been made for me. Kids have it so easy these days! There’s so many more good books than when I was younger. Not that I had a lack of books to read, of course. :)
This is also a book that took me completely by surprise. I’m not sure why I didn’t pick it up sooner. I had kind of seen it hovering on friend’s bookshelves and wish lists online, but I wasn’t ever really interested enough to even investigate what it was about. And the cover copy is pretty boring, so if I had, I’m not sure I would have investigated further anyway. But I recently picked it up from the library as I was browsing, and I grabbed it the other day when looking for something new to start. Kind of a “hey, why not?” moment.
Theodosia narrates the story in first person, and her voice drew me in right away. First thing she already starts mentioning Egyptian artifacts and curses, which was a great hook for a girl who used to love (and still kind of does) all things ancient Egyptian. Theodosia’s story is engaging in its uniqueness. You want to know who this girl is, how she knows so much about ancient curses, and why she spends so much of her time in a museum. Then, as the story progresses, you add in mysterious characters, plot twists, secret societies, double agents, forbidden new friends… really, it’s a dynamite mix. I can’t wait to pick up the next one.
And on a side note, since I’m such a cover fanatic… I’m not a fan of the cover. Something about the artwork is off to me. Theodosia is really not a boring character at all, but I don’t think this cover makes her look intriguing in the least. Honestly, I think if I saw this at the bookstore or library I would probably pass it right by. Which, obviously I did, since it’s been out since 2007. So this is definitely a case of don’t judge a book by its cover!
Shady Glade Rating: 9/10
Available at Amazon.com in Paperback or Kindle
Add to your Goodreads shelf
Check availability on Paperbackswap.com
At first glance Theodosia Throckmorton appears to be like any other normal 11-year-old girl living in London at the turn of the century. But Theodosia’s life is anything but normal. First of all, her archeologist mother is currently off on a dig in Egypt, uncovering treasures in the Valley of the Kings. And rather than going to boarding school or having a governess like a normal, respectable girl her age, Theodosia spends her time exploring the Museum of Legends and Antiquities, where her father is Head Curator.
But that’s not the most unique thing about Theodosia either. It’s the fact that she seems to be the only one who can see the horrible black magic and curses that often accompany the Egyptian artifacts the museum acquires. Which means it’s up to her to break said curses too. When her mother returns from her most recent dig with the famed Heart of Egypt amulet, only Theodosia seems to notice that the item perfectly reeks of black magic. And the curse is a bad one. Bad enough that the entire British Empire might be at stake if she can’t figure out how to break it.
This is the kind of book I would have LOVED when I was younger. I was obsessed with anything Egyptian in 5th grade, and this book would have been made for me. Kids have it so easy these days! There’s so many more good books than when I was younger. Not that I had a lack of books to read, of course. :)
This is also a book that took me completely by surprise. I’m not sure why I didn’t pick it up sooner. I had kind of seen it hovering on friend’s bookshelves and wish lists online, but I wasn’t ever really interested enough to even investigate what it was about. And the cover copy is pretty boring, so if I had, I’m not sure I would have investigated further anyway. But I recently picked it up from the library as I was browsing, and I grabbed it the other day when looking for something new to start. Kind of a “hey, why not?” moment.
Theodosia narrates the story in first person, and her voice drew me in right away. First thing she already starts mentioning Egyptian artifacts and curses, which was a great hook for a girl who used to love (and still kind of does) all things ancient Egyptian. Theodosia’s story is engaging in its uniqueness. You want to know who this girl is, how she knows so much about ancient curses, and why she spends so much of her time in a museum. Then, as the story progresses, you add in mysterious characters, plot twists, secret societies, double agents, forbidden new friends… really, it’s a dynamite mix. I can’t wait to pick up the next one.
And on a side note, since I’m such a cover fanatic… I’m not a fan of the cover. Something about the artwork is off to me. Theodosia is really not a boring character at all, but I don’t think this cover makes her look intriguing in the least. Honestly, I think if I saw this at the bookstore or library I would probably pass it right by. Which, obviously I did, since it’s been out since 2007. So this is definitely a case of don’t judge a book by its cover!
Shady Glade Rating: 9/10
Available at Amazon.com in Paperback or Kindle
Add to your Goodreads shelf
Check availability on Paperbackswap.com
Monday, August 19, 2013
Review: Foiled
This is one of those book reviews where I actually read this book a while ago, and have been meaning to post a review for some time. Well, I finally got around to it now!
Foiled by Jane Yolen
Aliera eats, sleeps, and drinks fencing. Not very popular at school, and with not a lot of friends, she spends most of her free time working on her fencing technique. And it helps that she’s good. Very good. Little does she know that her life is about to change when she gets assigned a new lab partner in science class. Chris is engaging, funny, and maybe a little bit mischievous (and mysterious). He brings a little bit of levity and excitement to Aliera’s life, and fencing just might start to slip out of first place in her book. When she aquires a new practice fencing foil with a red jeweled handle, Aliera’s fencing skills are about to take center stage, and she just might get more new excitement than she bargained for.
I’m going to be honest: Foiled really disappointed me at first. I’m hoping it was because I had such high expectations going into it, since it was not only a graphic novel, but one done by one of my favorite authors, Jane Yolen.
First of all, the artwork wasn’t my favorite. Eh. But I can get over that. Artistic license and all that. But one of the most disappointing things was that for a graphic novel that was published in full color, there was not a lot of color to go around. Mostly shades of gray, dark blue/purple, you get the idea. Granted, the end of the book reveals a very good reason why this is. So in retrospect, I understand why that chose was made, and I admire them making that choice. But in my initial reading of the book, the whole thing came off as “blah” to me.
Second of all, it doesn’t seem like much happens plot-wise until the last third or so. I realize to some extent there’s a certain amount of necessary background information that needs to be presented. In a graphic novel that’s show sort, where every panel is carefully planned to impart the maximum information to the reader, I found the amount of what felt like background a little overkill. I got a sick of all the fencing, Aliera at school with Chris, more fencing, Aliera hanging out with her cousin, more fencing… you get the idea. And once all the action does show up (in that final third) the resolution is rather abrupt. Kind of like “okay, here we go… and we’re done!”. Everything does turn out to be significant in the end, but I feel like there should have been more to keep me engaged as I went along, so I could pay a little more attention to those things while I was reading.
In the end, it’s a much better read the second time around. Knowing how it ends up, you do see more connections than the first time. And I think the book ended up being stronger than I originally thought. I see there’s been a sequel published since I first read this (Curses! Foiled Again), and I have high hopes for that second book. There’s a lot of questions and loose ends to be wrapped up, which I imagine would be just right for a sequel. In the end, Foiled isn’t a bad book, and despite my initial disappointment, I would still recommend it, especially to Jane Yolen fans. Maybe if you don’t have as high of hopes for it as I do, you’ll enjoy it more the first time than I did.
Shady Glade Rating: 6/10
Available at Amazon.com in Paperback
Add to your Goodreads shelf
Check availability on Paperbackswap.com
Aliera eats, sleeps, and drinks fencing. Not very popular at school, and with not a lot of friends, she spends most of her free time working on her fencing technique. And it helps that she’s good. Very good. Little does she know that her life is about to change when she gets assigned a new lab partner in science class. Chris is engaging, funny, and maybe a little bit mischievous (and mysterious). He brings a little bit of levity and excitement to Aliera’s life, and fencing just might start to slip out of first place in her book. When she aquires a new practice fencing foil with a red jeweled handle, Aliera’s fencing skills are about to take center stage, and she just might get more new excitement than she bargained for.
I’m going to be honest: Foiled really disappointed me at first. I’m hoping it was because I had such high expectations going into it, since it was not only a graphic novel, but one done by one of my favorite authors, Jane Yolen.
First of all, the artwork wasn’t my favorite. Eh. But I can get over that. Artistic license and all that. But one of the most disappointing things was that for a graphic novel that was published in full color, there was not a lot of color to go around. Mostly shades of gray, dark blue/purple, you get the idea. Granted, the end of the book reveals a very good reason why this is. So in retrospect, I understand why that chose was made, and I admire them making that choice. But in my initial reading of the book, the whole thing came off as “blah” to me.
Second of all, it doesn’t seem like much happens plot-wise until the last third or so. I realize to some extent there’s a certain amount of necessary background information that needs to be presented. In a graphic novel that’s show sort, where every panel is carefully planned to impart the maximum information to the reader, I found the amount of what felt like background a little overkill. I got a sick of all the fencing, Aliera at school with Chris, more fencing, Aliera hanging out with her cousin, more fencing… you get the idea. And once all the action does show up (in that final third) the resolution is rather abrupt. Kind of like “okay, here we go… and we’re done!”. Everything does turn out to be significant in the end, but I feel like there should have been more to keep me engaged as I went along, so I could pay a little more attention to those things while I was reading.
In the end, it’s a much better read the second time around. Knowing how it ends up, you do see more connections than the first time. And I think the book ended up being stronger than I originally thought. I see there’s been a sequel published since I first read this (Curses! Foiled Again), and I have high hopes for that second book. There’s a lot of questions and loose ends to be wrapped up, which I imagine would be just right for a sequel. In the end, Foiled isn’t a bad book, and despite my initial disappointment, I would still recommend it, especially to Jane Yolen fans. Maybe if you don’t have as high of hopes for it as I do, you’ll enjoy it more the first time than I did.
Shady Glade Rating: 6/10
Available at Amazon.com in Paperback
Add to your Goodreads shelf
Check availability on Paperbackswap.com
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Review: A World Without Heroes (Beyonders)
Yup, it's another review! I'm on a roll lately. :) I've been able to write up several of these in free moments over the last little while, so hopefully it will keep me supplied for a few weeks.
Beyonders: A World Without Heroes by Brandon Mull
Jason feels like he’s in a rut. Although his real passion is baseball and animals, he feels like he will have to live up to his parents’ expectation of him becoming a dentist. Why? Because his dad is a dentist, and both of his older siblings are on their way to becoming dentists as well. It seems to be a blossoming family tradition. Jason’s one escape, other than baseball practice, is his volunteer job working at the local zoo. Which is about to get a lot more interesting, as one day while working near the hippo tank he ends up falling in and getting swallowed whole. But rather than being eaten alive, the hippo leads him to an alternate world: Lyrian.
Here Jason is a “Beyonder”: someone from the world beyond this strange place he has found himself in. Lyrian is ruled over by the evil Emperor Maldor; who happens to have outlawed anything to do with the Beyond. Through a “curiosity killed the cat” moment, Jason ends up engaged on a quest to find a Word of Power that will destroy Maldor and hopefully save Lyrian. The problem? The Word has a total of six syllables, which have been scattered and hidden all over Lyrian. With the help of another Beyonder named Rachel, Jason must quickly gather all the syllables of the Word, or he might not make it home alive.
I’m a big fan of Brandon Mull’s. I loved his Fablehaven books, the Candy Shop War books are also a lot of fun, and I even got to meet him one on one once. So I definitely have a soft spot for him. So when I first heard about the Beyonders series, and that it was one he had been working on for many years, I was pretty excited.
A World Without Heroes is a book that is both alike and different from Brandon Mull’s other books. Like the Fablehaven books, this features both a male and female main character, with Jason definitely taking the larger role. Although that feature does seem to change nearer the end of the book and I expect it will continue shifting in future books. The supporting cast of characters is quite large, to the point where it was almost a little difficult to pick up on characters that were mentioned once or twice in the beginning when they pop up again in the plot later.
The plot itself is full of twists and turns. Although not much seems to happen to Jason and Rachel at first, I was certainly never bored as a reader, or felt I was being plagued with introductory material. There is a chapter of the necessary background information, but the action gets going pretty quickly, within the first chapter. One of the things that caught my attention when watching the Star Wars movies for the first time (way back in elementary school) was that in addition to a great story, if you pay attention there’s also some political/intrigue subplots taking place. I felt like this book was a lot the same. Jason is on a quest to find the Word, but there’s a lot of political reasons he comes up against the things he does, which add a whole new layer to things when you start paying attention.
The world building of this book is intriguing. Lyrian definitely has a medieval/feudal feel to it, which is typical of epic fantasy. However, there’s something weirdly alien as well as that familiar fantasy feel. The description of foreign foods/fruits, strange musical instruments, and inventive architecture (such as a tavern that rotates like a merry go round) add plenty of strange to what you would expect from this setting. There’s even the addition of the “wizard born” races that add a dimension to the populace of Lyrian. These are all magically created races, but are quite human in appearance and action, but have special features such as being able to separate from your body, or being reborn after you die thanks to a seed that grows on your neck. Yeah, I know, that sounds really weird, but you should just go with it, okay? Cuz it’s awesome.
As a general warning, this book does have a pretty decent cliffhanger ending, so you will definitely want to have the next one (Seeds of Rebellion) on hand when you finish this one. Overall, I think this is a strong start to a great trilogy.
Shady Glade Rating: 10/10!
Available at Amazon.com in Hardcover, Paperback or Kindle
Add to your Goodreads shelf
Check availability on Paperbackswap.com
Jason feels like he’s in a rut. Although his real passion is baseball and animals, he feels like he will have to live up to his parents’ expectation of him becoming a dentist. Why? Because his dad is a dentist, and both of his older siblings are on their way to becoming dentists as well. It seems to be a blossoming family tradition. Jason’s one escape, other than baseball practice, is his volunteer job working at the local zoo. Which is about to get a lot more interesting, as one day while working near the hippo tank he ends up falling in and getting swallowed whole. But rather than being eaten alive, the hippo leads him to an alternate world: Lyrian.
Here Jason is a “Beyonder”: someone from the world beyond this strange place he has found himself in. Lyrian is ruled over by the evil Emperor Maldor; who happens to have outlawed anything to do with the Beyond. Through a “curiosity killed the cat” moment, Jason ends up engaged on a quest to find a Word of Power that will destroy Maldor and hopefully save Lyrian. The problem? The Word has a total of six syllables, which have been scattered and hidden all over Lyrian. With the help of another Beyonder named Rachel, Jason must quickly gather all the syllables of the Word, or he might not make it home alive.
I’m a big fan of Brandon Mull’s. I loved his Fablehaven books, the Candy Shop War books are also a lot of fun, and I even got to meet him one on one once. So I definitely have a soft spot for him. So when I first heard about the Beyonders series, and that it was one he had been working on for many years, I was pretty excited.
A World Without Heroes is a book that is both alike and different from Brandon Mull’s other books. Like the Fablehaven books, this features both a male and female main character, with Jason definitely taking the larger role. Although that feature does seem to change nearer the end of the book and I expect it will continue shifting in future books. The supporting cast of characters is quite large, to the point where it was almost a little difficult to pick up on characters that were mentioned once or twice in the beginning when they pop up again in the plot later.
The plot itself is full of twists and turns. Although not much seems to happen to Jason and Rachel at first, I was certainly never bored as a reader, or felt I was being plagued with introductory material. There is a chapter of the necessary background information, but the action gets going pretty quickly, within the first chapter. One of the things that caught my attention when watching the Star Wars movies for the first time (way back in elementary school) was that in addition to a great story, if you pay attention there’s also some political/intrigue subplots taking place. I felt like this book was a lot the same. Jason is on a quest to find the Word, but there’s a lot of political reasons he comes up against the things he does, which add a whole new layer to things when you start paying attention.
The world building of this book is intriguing. Lyrian definitely has a medieval/feudal feel to it, which is typical of epic fantasy. However, there’s something weirdly alien as well as that familiar fantasy feel. The description of foreign foods/fruits, strange musical instruments, and inventive architecture (such as a tavern that rotates like a merry go round) add plenty of strange to what you would expect from this setting. There’s even the addition of the “wizard born” races that add a dimension to the populace of Lyrian. These are all magically created races, but are quite human in appearance and action, but have special features such as being able to separate from your body, or being reborn after you die thanks to a seed that grows on your neck. Yeah, I know, that sounds really weird, but you should just go with it, okay? Cuz it’s awesome.
As a general warning, this book does have a pretty decent cliffhanger ending, so you will definitely want to have the next one (Seeds of Rebellion) on hand when you finish this one. Overall, I think this is a strong start to a great trilogy.
Shady Glade Rating: 10/10!
Available at Amazon.com in Hardcover, Paperback or Kindle
Add to your Goodreads shelf
Check availability on Paperbackswap.com
Tuesday, August 06, 2013
Review: Dorothy of Oz
So I know it’s been a while since I’ve done reviews. And despite the fact that things are little crazy around here recently (see previous post about impending court date and Disneyland trip), I would like to get back into doing more reviews here on the blog. So I’m going to start with this graphic novel series I picked up recently.
Dorothy Of Oz by Son Hee-Jun
This is a sort of manga-style retelling of the Wizard of Oz story. Or more appropriately, a manhwa retelling, since it hails from Korea instead of Japan. But the artistic style is pretty typical of your average manga shojo series. Quick side note: favorite character is Toto. Why? Because he is just so darn adorable! He’s like a little ball of fluff with ears and legs. But anyway, moving on.
Dorothy Of Oz, not to be confused with an upcoming animated sequel to the Wizard of Oz (which I found out about in my Google searching for images), is the story of Mara Shin. Like Dorothy, she finds herself unexpectedly in the Land of Oz, and is chiefly interested in finding her way back home. Though in a twist of events, she ends up in Oz more like Alice ends up in Wonderland, by following Toto down a dark alley that leads to a yellow brick road. There, she meets up with the typical characters: scarecrow, tin man, cowardly lion, though not necessarily in the form you would expect them. I won’t give away how they are different here, as it would ruin the plot. Everyone is so excited to meet her, because they think she’s Dorothy, who’s been prophesied to return to Oz and fix everything that’s gone wrong since she left. The problem is, Mara isn’t Dorothy, she’s Mara, and she doesn’t want to save Oz, she just wants to get back home to Korea.
This is an Oz that’s both familiar, and completely alien. The role of magic is much more prevelanet, and it appears as though Oz is ruled over by the four witches (North, South, East, West) since the Wizard has mysteriously disappeared. The land is covered by war, and there seems to be a lot of mercenaries roaming about as well, each with their own agenda. Of course, I’m not really sure exactly what’s going on, as in typical manga tradition, Volume 1 drops you into the middle of the story, has a bunch of action, and then drops back to the introductory material once the battle is over. It’s great for drawing a reader in (nothing more exciting than unanswered questions), but can be a little disorienting.
As a content warning for those who are so inclined, the book does feature quite a bit of fighting, and some resulting violence/blood is depicted, although it’s toned down a lot from some manga I’ve seen. There’s also a typically manga skimpy fighting outfit for Mara, which is quite sexed-up. Those familiar with manga will know what I’m talking about, but if this is your first foray into the genre, you have been warned. As of the writing of this review, I’ve read three of the books in this series (the aptly named Volume 1, Volume 2, and Volume 3). Unfortunately, it looks like the series quit after Volume 4. And based on what’s happened so far in just the first 3 books, I’m not optimistic the action can all be wrapped up in that last book. So it looks like I might have to just resign myself to a lot of unanswered questions. But I will still definitely pick up that last book, just as soon as I can get it from the Interlibrary Loan.
Overall, it tends a bit to the mediocre side of things once you’re no longer reading and trying to figure out what’s going on in the story. But the storyline is engaging enough, and I think those who love books that have anything to do with Oz will enjoy it. And I would recommend it to those readers based on that facet alone. As long as you can get past that possibility of there not being a true ending after Volume 4, that is.
Shady Glade Rating: 5/10
Although apparently out of print, it is available at Amazon.com in Paperback
Add to your Goodreads shelf
Check availability on Paperbackswap.com
On a side note:
If you'd like a more classic, and in my opinion stronger, Oz-related graphic novel, you should check out the adaptations of the original L. Frank Baum Oz books that are published by Marvel. The story is done by Eric Shanower (a veteran of both Oz adaptations and graphic novels) with excellent artwork by Skottie Young. I haven't read one of those that I haven't enjoyed yet. For those wondering on the chronology, they follow the original oz books: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Graphic Novel), The Marvelous Land of Oz, Oz: Ozma of Oz, Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz, and Road to Oz have all been published at this point, with The Emerald City of Oz to follow soon I believe.
This is a sort of manga-style retelling of the Wizard of Oz story. Or more appropriately, a manhwa retelling, since it hails from Korea instead of Japan. But the artistic style is pretty typical of your average manga shojo series. Quick side note: favorite character is Toto. Why? Because he is just so darn adorable! He’s like a little ball of fluff with ears and legs. But anyway, moving on.
Dorothy Of Oz, not to be confused with an upcoming animated sequel to the Wizard of Oz (which I found out about in my Google searching for images), is the story of Mara Shin. Like Dorothy, she finds herself unexpectedly in the Land of Oz, and is chiefly interested in finding her way back home. Though in a twist of events, she ends up in Oz more like Alice ends up in Wonderland, by following Toto down a dark alley that leads to a yellow brick road. There, she meets up with the typical characters: scarecrow, tin man, cowardly lion, though not necessarily in the form you would expect them. I won’t give away how they are different here, as it would ruin the plot. Everyone is so excited to meet her, because they think she’s Dorothy, who’s been prophesied to return to Oz and fix everything that’s gone wrong since she left. The problem is, Mara isn’t Dorothy, she’s Mara, and she doesn’t want to save Oz, she just wants to get back home to Korea.
This is an Oz that’s both familiar, and completely alien. The role of magic is much more prevelanet, and it appears as though Oz is ruled over by the four witches (North, South, East, West) since the Wizard has mysteriously disappeared. The land is covered by war, and there seems to be a lot of mercenaries roaming about as well, each with their own agenda. Of course, I’m not really sure exactly what’s going on, as in typical manga tradition, Volume 1 drops you into the middle of the story, has a bunch of action, and then drops back to the introductory material once the battle is over. It’s great for drawing a reader in (nothing more exciting than unanswered questions), but can be a little disorienting.
As a content warning for those who are so inclined, the book does feature quite a bit of fighting, and some resulting violence/blood is depicted, although it’s toned down a lot from some manga I’ve seen. There’s also a typically manga skimpy fighting outfit for Mara, which is quite sexed-up. Those familiar with manga will know what I’m talking about, but if this is your first foray into the genre, you have been warned. As of the writing of this review, I’ve read three of the books in this series (the aptly named Volume 1, Volume 2, and Volume 3). Unfortunately, it looks like the series quit after Volume 4. And based on what’s happened so far in just the first 3 books, I’m not optimistic the action can all be wrapped up in that last book. So it looks like I might have to just resign myself to a lot of unanswered questions. But I will still definitely pick up that last book, just as soon as I can get it from the Interlibrary Loan.
Overall, it tends a bit to the mediocre side of things once you’re no longer reading and trying to figure out what’s going on in the story. But the storyline is engaging enough, and I think those who love books that have anything to do with Oz will enjoy it. And I would recommend it to those readers based on that facet alone. As long as you can get past that possibility of there not being a true ending after Volume 4, that is.
Shady Glade Rating: 5/10
Although apparently out of print, it is available at Amazon.com in Paperback
Add to your Goodreads shelf
Check availability on Paperbackswap.com
On a side note:
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Busy days... here's a video instead
I know I've missed a couple posts lately. Let's just say things have taken a turn for the crazy! Hot weather, prepping to be a witness in a criminal misdemeanor trial (I turned in a drunk driver) and oh, yeah, we're going to Disneyland next week. And I just found out yesterday!
Anyway, I don't know if I'll have time to post before I leave next week, so just in case I don't, here's a video to keep you entertained while I'm gone.
A couple 4th of Julys ago, I posted a YouTube video from a group called Soomo Publishing. It was a new take on "Too Late to Apologize" by One Republic, where they took the song and twisted it around to match the signing of the Declaration of Independence. If you haven't seen that yet, check out the original post to see it (it's really good).
Well, the same people have done it again, this time with women's suffrage. It's a remix of Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance". Pretty neat (and a little freaky) and actually quite historically accurate. Check it out:
Anyway, I don't know if I'll have time to post before I leave next week, so just in case I don't, here's a video to keep you entertained while I'm gone.
A couple 4th of Julys ago, I posted a YouTube video from a group called Soomo Publishing. It was a new take on "Too Late to Apologize" by One Republic, where they took the song and twisted it around to match the signing of the Declaration of Independence. If you haven't seen that yet, check out the original post to see it (it's really good).
Well, the same people have done it again, this time with women's suffrage. It's a remix of Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance". Pretty neat (and a little freaky) and actually quite historically accurate. Check it out:
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Waiting on Wednesday: Love Disguised
Today's Waiting on Wednesday pick again brings us back to Shakespeare. But this time it pulls towards that historical fiction side I love, rather than a retelling of one of his plays:
Hmmm... sounds kind of like a YA version of Shakespeare in Love? I have to say, I love Lisa Klein's books. Now, Klein has already proved she can do a good job with Shakespeare, with her books Ophelia and Lady Macbeth's Daughter. But she also does a good job with actual historical events like in Two Girls of Gettysburg, and Cate of the Lost Colony. So perhaps this 5th book, which seems to combine both elements, will be a hit out of the park?
This also reminds me a bit of Carolyn Meyer's Loving Will Shakespeare, and Carolyn Meyer is probably my other favorite YA historical author.
Now, about that cover... what do you think? I'm not a fan. It's certainly eye catching, but the mismatched random body parts in the diamonds seem weird to me. Good thing I head about this one before the cover was released, since I'm totally a "judge a book by it's cover" girl.
Love Disguised will be available in the US at the end of the month, on July 30th.
Available at Amazon.com in Hardcover or Kindle
Add to your Goodreads shelf
Check availability on Paperbackswap.com
Love Disguised by Lisa Klein
About the Book: "Will Shakespeare is about to meet the girl who will change his life forever. After a mixed-up courtship with the Hathaway sisters ends badly, Will jumps at the chance to go to London, where he can pursue his dream of becoming an actor. There, Will meets the unusually tall (and strong) Meg who has earned the nickname "Long Meg" for her height. She's also fleeing her own past as an orphan turned thief. Disguised as "Mack," Meg was once a member of a band of boy thieves who betrayed her. When Will is robbed by those same villains, Meg disguises herself as "Mack" again--telling Will that Mack is her twin brother--in order to help Will recover his money. As Mack, she finds true friendship with Will. But is there more? And who is Meg really fooling with her disguise?
What ensues is a tale involving love triangles, mistaken identities, and the pursuit of hapless villains, as Shakespeare becomes a key player in a lively drama that could have sprung from his own pen."
Hmmm... sounds kind of like a YA version of Shakespeare in Love? I have to say, I love Lisa Klein's books. Now, Klein has already proved she can do a good job with Shakespeare, with her books Ophelia and Lady Macbeth's Daughter. But she also does a good job with actual historical events like in Two Girls of Gettysburg, and Cate of the Lost Colony. So perhaps this 5th book, which seems to combine both elements, will be a hit out of the park?
This also reminds me a bit of Carolyn Meyer's Loving Will Shakespeare, and Carolyn Meyer is probably my other favorite YA historical author.
Now, about that cover... what do you think? I'm not a fan. It's certainly eye catching, but the mismatched random body parts in the diamonds seem weird to me. Good thing I head about this one before the cover was released, since I'm totally a "judge a book by it's cover" girl.
Love Disguised will be available in the US at the end of the month, on July 30th.
Available at Amazon.com in Hardcover or Kindle
Add to your Goodreads shelf
Check availability on Paperbackswap.com
Wednesday, July 03, 2013
Waiting on Wednesday: Still Star-Crossed
This week's Waiting on Wednesday post ventures once again into the realm of retellings/sequels, but this time instead of fairy tales, we're doing Shakespeare.
Still Star-Crossed by Melinda Taub
By the way, if anyone wants to see a hilarous animated move retelling of Romeo and Juliet with an actual happy ending, I highly recommend Disney's Gnomeo & Juliet. This movie had me and my brother rolling.
Getting back to the book, I have another book on my shelf that's written from Romeo's point of view called Romeo's Ex. I haven't read it yet (towering To Be Read pile and all that) but perhaps this is the time to pull it down and jump into it. I have a feeling these two books will either compliment each other nicely, or totally clash.
Still Star-Crossed will be available in the US starting July 9th, 2013, just a few days away.
Available at Amazon.com in Hardcover or Kindle
Add to your Goodreads shelf
Check availability on Paperbackswap.com
Still Star-Crossed by Melinda TaubAbout the Book: "Romeo and Juliet are gone. Will love live on? Despite the glooming peace that's settled on Verona after the recent tragedy, Montagues and Capulets are brawling in the streets. Faced with more bloody battles, Prince Escalus concludes that the only way to truly marry the fortunes of these two families is to literally marry them together.So, I'm kind of an oddball in that I actually do enjoy some of Shakespeare's plays a lot. However, Romeo and Juliet was never one of my favorites. I like happy endings, not tradegy. But for some reason, I seem to love retellings of Romeo and Juliet, so this one is right up my alley.
Everyone is skeptical, but none more so than the pair selected, for the most eligible Montague bachelor is Benvolio, Romeo's best friend, still anguished by the loss of his companions, and the chosen Capulet maid is Juliet's older cousin Rosaline, the girl Romeo first loved and whose refusal of Romeo's affection paved the way for bloodshed. Contrary to their late cousins, there's no love lost between Benvolio and Rosaline, yet they forge a bond to end the renewed feud not only to escape their forced betrothal, but to save their lives and the city of Verona itself."
By the way, if anyone wants to see a hilarous animated move retelling of Romeo and Juliet with an actual happy ending, I highly recommend Disney's Gnomeo & Juliet. This movie had me and my brother rolling.
Getting back to the book, I have another book on my shelf that's written from Romeo's point of view called Romeo's Ex. I haven't read it yet (towering To Be Read pile and all that) but perhaps this is the time to pull it down and jump into it. I have a feeling these two books will either compliment each other nicely, or totally clash.
Still Star-Crossed will be available in the US starting July 9th, 2013, just a few days away.
Available at Amazon.com in Hardcover or Kindle
Add to your Goodreads shelf
Check availability on Paperbackswap.com
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