Friday, August 29, 2014

The Friday 56 (6)

     The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side (Jessica, #1)"And do not even speak to me of "Jell-O" and "sloppy joes.""--Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey




What's on your page 56 this week?

Monday, August 25, 2014

Musing Mondays (6)

     Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading, that asks you to muse about one of the following each week:
• Describe one of your reading habits.
• Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s).
• What book are you currently desperate to get your hands on? Tell us about it!
• Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying it.
• Do you have a bookish rant? Something about books or reading (or the industry) that gets your ire up? Share it with us!
• Instead of the above questions, maybe you just want to ramble on about something else pertaining to books — let’s hear it, then!

My Musings for the Week...

     This week I want to discuss items with bookish themes & book quotes, or just things in general that appeal to readers. Recently I purchased a new sketch book with Oscar Wilde quotes on it, and I have to say that I love it. There are a lot of items out there that are book themed from T-Shirts, to notebooks, and even cases for phones, iPads, Kindles, Nooks, etc. And not to forget tote bags. I actually really like the availability of items with book covers or themes on them.  Bookmarks are always a great thing and I especially like the "Initial It! Bookmark" that I recently picked up from Barnes & Noble. (I got the one with the white cupcake that says "Sweet" on the bottom.)
     So among  the tote bags, bookmarks, notebooks, accessories, etc., what are some of your favorite bookish themed items/things that appeal to readers?

Saturday, August 23, 2014

Cover Reveal & Giveaway: Something About Love by Elana Johnson

     Today on Our Thoughts Precisely we're taking part in Elana Johnson's cover reveal for Something About Love! But first, as a special promo Elevated, Johnson’s first verse novel, will be FREE for five days in September as Something About Love releases! So get your copy of Elevated for free from Monday, September, 15 – Friday, September 19.  Now onto the cover reveal:


About the Book

     High school senior Olivia Winging gave up her love of photography when she gave up her boyfriend, Trevor Youngblood, a year and a half ago. She broke things off with Trevor because her mom married his dad, and dating your step-brother? Creepy.

     Livvy hasn’t been on good terms with her mother since, and one of her stipulations for staying at the
Youngblood’s every other weekend is that Trevor can’t be there. When she gets nominated for the Junior Photography in Excellence award, Trevor insists she enter. She agrees—only if every photo in the portfolio can be of him. Knowing that Livvy can capture a person’s deepest secrets through her lens, Trevor hesitates before accepting the deal.

     As Livvy gets behind the lens of her camera again, her love of photography is rekindled. Unfortunately, the time she spends with Trevor also re-ignites the old flame for him she’s kept smothered for so long.

     In order for Livvy to finish her portfolio, she’ll have to face her feelings for Trevor as well as deal with the animosity between her and her mother. Livvy’s always been able to capture a person’s soul from behind the camera—but she’s not sure she likes it when the lens is suddenly focused on her. If she can’t find a way to forgive her mother and admit how she feels about Trevor, Livvy may end up losing more than just the photography contest. She could lose her heart.

Goodreads     Amazon


Praise for Elana’s Elevated:

     “The taut poetry keeps tension high. The plot is deftly paced, as past intrudes on present, like a photograph emerging in developing fluid.” ~San Francisco Book Review

     “Every word Johnson writes carries an emotional heft that lifts readers up to the highest happiness and then sends them crashing down to the depths of despair. It is easy to flow from the first word to the last without ever putting down the book. Johnson shows outstanding talent in this form, and her words are beautiful, important and deeply felt.” ~The Deseret News

 About the Author 

 Elana Johnson’s work, including Possession, Surrender, Abandon, and Regret, published by Simon Pulse (Simon & Schuster), is available now everywhere books are sold. Her popular ebook, From the Query to the Call, is also available for free download, as well as a Possession short story, Resist. Her self-published novels include two YA contemporary novels-in-verse, Elevated and Something About Love, as well as a YA/NA futuristic fantasy series, which includes Elemental Rush, Elemental Hunger, and Elemental Release.  School teacher by day, Query Ninja by night, you can find her online at her personal blog or Twitter. She also co-founded the Query Tracker blog, and contributes to the League of Extraordinary Writers.

 Website      Twitter     Facebook     Tumblr     Wattpad     League of Extraordinary Writers     WriteOnCon  Elana on Goodreads

Now for the Giveaway! Below you'll find the rafflecopter widget where you can enter for a chance to win $15 worth of Paypal cash. Sounds good right? Well, enter away! 

Friday, August 22, 2014

The Friday 56 (5)


The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

Midnight Frost (Mythos Academy, #5)"Behind us, more lights turned on inside the library, and more shouts and yells cut through the night air."--Midnight Frost by Jennifer Estep




What's on your page 56 this week?

Monday, August 18, 2014

Musing Mondays (5)

     Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading, that asks you to muse about one of the following each week:
• Describe one of your reading habits.
• Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s).
• What book are you currently desperate to get your hands on? Tell us about it!
• Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying it.
• Do you have a bookish rant? Something about books or reading (or the industry) that gets your ire up? Share it with us!
• Instead of the above questions, maybe you just want to ramble on about something else pertaining to books — let’s hear it, then!

My Musings for the Week...

     Multiple points of view can be a good thing.  I personally like to see what's happening through the eyes of more than one character beyond the view of the MC. But, that can also present a bit of a problem especially when the voices sound so similar that the POVs start to blend together, making it difficult to distinguish which character is which.  Sometimes the characters can even introduce more subplots and make the story start to feel a little cluttered, but that's not always the case.  Personally, I prefer to to read multiple POVs in third person.  Some great books/series that contain multiple points of view:

     The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. I do enjoy the various points of view throughout all of the current books. (Cinder, Scarlet, & Cress.)

     Crystal Fire by Jordan Dane, with the different POVs from the crystal children and the slightly-insane-although-they-think-they're-sane scientist of the Believers. (I haven't reviewed this one yet.)

     Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson, with the views from the different memebers of the crew, especially Vin herself.

     The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater, Raven Boys, a girl named Blue, shenanigans...you get it.

    Leviathan Trilogy by Scott Westerfeld. I especially like how this series was done, with points of view from the Clanker side of the war and the Darwinist side. The blatant differences between the beliefs of the two sides was interesting to watch unfold as the two main characters interacted with one another.

     Daughter of Smoke & Bone Trilogy by Laini Taylor...there's just so much to like about this series. But the varying points of view make the story that much wider, giving a look into the different sides of the war.

     I'm sure there are plenty of other great books out there that I missed that have multiple points of view.  I either haven't read them or just forgot about them.  But what about you guys, how do you feel about multiple points of view?  Or, what are some of your favorite reads with multiple POVs?

Saturday, August 16, 2014

Review: Foundations in Comic Book Art by John Paul Lowe

Foundations in Comic Book Art: SCAD Creative Essentials (Fundamental Tools and Techniques for Sequential Artists)Title: Foundations in Comic Book Art: SCAD Creative Essentials(Click title for synopsis)
Author: John Paul Lowe
Source/Format: Publisher, Review Copy
Age Range: Um, this is an educational book
Publisher/ Publication Date: Watson-Guptill, August 12, 2014

Goodreads     Barnes & Noble    Random House

My Thoughts:

     Foundations in Comic Book Art by John Paul Lowe was an interesting book with plenty of tips and tricks to help artist working on developing their own technique. There were easy examples to follow with exercises to help with drawing straighter lines and so on. If you're just starting out with comic book art and don't really know much about the craft then I think this book would be a good beginners guide, as it goes over some basic techniques and essentials that you need. The book had great explanations on the proper use and cleaning of brushes and nibs as well as recommendations on paper types that work best with each drawing utensil. It also offers great explanations for what to do with ink when its dried out after being left open, working with thicker inks, as well as handy tips for creating certain effects such as splatter marks on a pageand how to judge if paint brushes are good or not. Lowe presents the information in an easy to understand manner, so I will definitely keep Foundations in Comic Book Art on my shelf for future reference.

I received this book from Blogging For Books for this review, thank you!

Friday, August 15, 2014

The Friday 56 (4)

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles, #1)"The faintest of smiles touched Peony's lips. She raised a hand and waved with only her fingers."-Cinder by Marissa Meyer




What's on your page 56 this week?

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Review: Courting Magic by Stephanie Burgis

Courting Magic (Kat, Incorrigible, #3.5)Title:Courting Magic
Author: Stephanie Burgis
Source/Format: Review Copy, Ebook
Age Range: YA
Publisher/Publication Date: Five Fathom's Press, August 12, 2014

Goodreads    Amazon     Kobo     Smashwords     iBooks

Summary from Goodreads
    In Kat Stephenson's Regency England, magic is even more shocking than a stolen kiss. But now that she's eighteen, it's time for wild and magical Kat to be introduced to high society by her older sisters, whether she likes it or not...and to finally have a romance of her own! Read More Here


     Magical mayhem, humor, with the right amount of mystery and a touch of romance—Courting Magic by Stephanie Burgis had it all, and it worked perfectly. Even though it was a novella, I found Courting Magic to be highly entertaining with a well executed plot, and I was more than happy to return to the Kat, Incorrigible world. Kat was back at it again with more crazy antics, but this time she was on a specific mission while also being introduced into "Society." Needless to say, her family was slightly overbearing but meant well in their attempts to help her find a husband. I loved the way things unfolded. The mystery aspect was done well and I was left to wonder who was behind it, and when the culprit was revealed it turned out to be someone I never expected.  I was stunned, nearly speechless, it was a really good plot twist. The ending was absolutely perfect, loved it—that's all I've got to say on it. For anyone who's read any of the Kat, Incorrigible books you're going to need to read this one for sure. Or if you're anyone just looking for a quick read definitely consider checking out Courting Magic.

This Review Copy was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review, thank you!

About the Author
Stephanie Burgis was born in Michigan, but now lives in Wales with her husband, writer Patrick Samphire, and their children. Before becoming a fulltime writer, she studied music history as a Fulbright Scholar in Vienna, Austria and worked as a website editor for a British opera company. She has published over thirty short stories for adults. Kat, Incorrigible (US)/A Most Improper Magick (UK) won the Waverton Good Read Children's Award in 2011 for Best Début Children's Novel by a British writer. It was followed by Renegade Magic/A Tangle of Magicks) and Stolen Magic/A Reckless Magick. And don't forget to visit Stephanie Burgis on:

Twitter     Website     

Monday, August 11, 2014

Musing Mondays (4)


     Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading, that asks you to muse about one of the following each week:
• Describe one of your reading habits.
• Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s).
• What book are you currently desperate to get your hands on? Tell us about it!
• Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying it.
• Do you have a bookish rant? Something about books or reading (or the industry) that gets your ire up? Share it with us!
• Instead of the above questions, maybe you just want to ramble on about something else pertaining to books — let’s hear it, then!

My Musings for the week...

Fairest (The Lunar Chronicles, #3.5)So this week for Musing Mondays I'm talking about a book I'm desperate to get my hands on since I want to keep it short today.  As you can tell by the picture to the left the book I'm waiting for is Fairest by Marissa Meyer! I mean, come on, it's a novel about Levana's back story, maybe we'll finally get some answers surrounding the evil queen. Who doesn't want that?

Well that's all for today, but what books are you desperately waiting for?

Saturday, August 9, 2014

Updates

    It appears to be that time again, Our Thoughts Precisely is receiving a bit of an update. (Just a new background & header, nothing big.) I wanted to go for something a little brighter this time. So, after 1 & 1/2 days of coming up with a concept and working on it until I liked it enough to consider it for a new header, here it is!!!

Friday, August 8, 2014

The Friday 56 (3)

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden, #1)"I bolted upright, shrieking, clawing at the darkness. As I opened my eyes, a searing light blinded me, and I cringed away with a hiss. All around me, strange noises assaulted my eardrums, familiar yet amplified a hundredfold."-The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa



What's on your page 56 this week?

Thursday, August 7, 2014

Review!! Dork Diaries 7: Tales from a Not-So-Glam TV Star

Tales from a Not-So-Glam TV Star (Dork Diaries, #7)
Title:  Dork Diaries 7: Tales from a Not-So-Glam TV Star
Author:  Rachel Renée Russell
Format/Source: Hardcover, Won
Age Range: 9-13
Publisher/Publication Date: Alladin, June 3, 2014
Genre: Fiction, Friendship
Amazon     Audible     Barnes & Noble     Book Depository  


Book Summary from Goodreads

    Everyone’s been rooting for Nikki Maxwell and her crush, Brandon—and fans will finally learn if they had their first kiss in this seventh book of theNew York Times bestselling Dork Diaries series!

    Nikki’s juggling a lot this month. A reality TV crew is following Nikki and her friends as they record their hit song together, plus there are voice lessons, dance practice, and little sister Brianna’s latest wacky hijinks. Nikki’s sure she can handle everything, but will all the excitement cause new problems for Nikki and Brandon, now that cameras are everywhere Nikki goes? Read More

My Thoughts

       OMG, where do I even start? After reading this book I’m sitting here wondering how could I miss six books of hilariousness? HOW!?
       This Dork Diaries book starts out as Nikki Maxwell is still drooling over prom night when she is interrupted by a call from Trevor Chase about recording a song. But wait, there’s more! She even gets her own reality show! However, with all the things she has to do including dealing with the cameras following her and Mackenzie who was out for revenge, Nikki starts to wonder if it’ll ruin her friendship with Brandon, the guy she has a crush on.
       The book was well written and kept me going without yawning once. Although I loved Nikki and her humor, there was another character—not mentioning names— introduced in this book that was so funny I cried.  I absolutely loved how Nikki solved her problems as well as the conclusion to the story.
       If you want to dork out this summer, you’ll definitely want to read Dork Diaries 7: Tales from a Not-So-Glam TV Star.
Review written by my teen, Adri
--Andrea M.

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Review: Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson

MistbornTitle: Mistborn
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Source/ Format: Purchased, Paperback
Age Range: YA
Publisher/ Publication Date: Tor (Tor Teen), May 13, 2014 (First Published July 17, 2006)
Barnes & Noble     Amazon      Goodreads      Book Depository      Audible


     Warning, there aren’t spoilers ahead. (I tried to contain my excitement, and willingness to spew spoilers left and right by numerous rounds of editing this review.)

     So where should I begin? I want to say with EVERYTHING, but I should start with one at a time, right? Well for starters, Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson has become one of my favorite books ever, effectively earning its spot right beside the Rithmatist. With its interesting cast of characters, amazing world building, and plot that kept me reading despite the books length, Mistborn is easily a read I would recommend to just about anyone.

     The characters were interesting, all of them, one-dimensional doesn’t even describe them, not even a little. Vin was fantastic and I enjoyed seeing her change across the events that unfolded throughout the book. Kelsier was a character who was shrouded in an air of mystery, and I liked that his history was eventually revealed—so I could understand his motivation for what he did. Breeze, Ham, Dockson, and the rest of the crew were great as well, and I loved seeing their team work together. The Lord Ruler, the villain, he was so powerful that I was left wondering what they were going to do about him. Then there was Elend, he was interesting, but I don’t want to say much about him, otherwise I might end up putting in a massive spoiler…unintentionally. So to avoid doing so I think I’ll just stop talking about the characters now, moving on.

     The world building in Mistborn was executed nicely; the pacing was also excellent because despite the length, which I mentioned before, it was entertaining throughout. The Finale Empire and the system of magic, Allomancy, were both impressive concepts at the core of Mistborn, and I enjoyed learning more about both. The opening chapters really set up a nice beginning for the rest of the epic story. The descriptions really helped me get a sense of the setting, and I could really picture what was happening as it was happening. The ending was satisfying to say the least and wrapped up the plot quite nicely. Mistborn just sort of solidified my reasoning for why Brandon Sanderson is one of my all-time favorite authors. So, anyone that’s looking for a good fantasy read with strong characters, solid world building and plot, then you should definitely check out Mistborn.

Monday, August 4, 2014

Musing Mondays (3)

    

     Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading, that asks you to muse about one of the following each week:
• Describe one of your reading habits.
• Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s).
• What book are you currently desperate to get your hands on? Tell us about it!
• Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying it.
• Do you have a bookish rant? Something about books or reading (or the industry) that gets your ire up? Share it with us!
• Instead of the above questions, maybe you just want to ramble on about something else pertaining to books — let’s hear it, then!

My Musings for the week...
     I'm going to keep this kind of short today, but lets talk briefly about books with illustrations. Sometimes I do like books that have small illustrations in them, because it gives me a sense of what the characters and settings really look like beyond what my imagination came up with. (They also come in handy when small, intricate details like symbols, some pieces of complicated jewelry worn by the characters, etc aren't really explained.) Some great examples of books with illustrations in them are: The Leviathan Trilogy by Scott Westerfeld, The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson, The League of Princes Trilogy by Christopher Healy, *shuffles through books*...hmmm I don't seem to have many young adult ones, but plenty of middle grade ones. Anyway, what about you guys?  What are your thoughts on books with illustrations, young adult or otherwise?

Friday, August 1, 2014

The Friday 56 (2)

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

The Archived (The Archived, #1)
"I wonder if boredom prompts him to it, or if it's more."-The Archived by Victoria Schwab




What's on your page 56 this week?
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