The Friday 56 (32) The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

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

Synopsis from Goodreads...

When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed...

Something alarming enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that gets her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government “rehabilitation camp.” She might have survived the mysterious disease that’s killed most of America’s children, but she and the others have emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they cannot control. Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones. When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. Now she’s on the run, desperate to find the one safe haven left for kids like her—East River. She joins a group of kids who escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can’t risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents. When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at a life worth living...

"The Grinch cast one look at me, his top lip peeling back in annoyance, before waving the doctor forward. She blew out a sigh and set her clipboard down on my lap."--The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken



What are you planning to read this weekend?

Musing Mondays (35) Should it be a Movie or TV Show?

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by Jenn at A Daily Rhythm, that asks you to muse about something book related each week.

My Musings for the Week...

This week for Musing Mondays I want to talk about movies and TV shows. This post will not about any specific books, so it’s going to be short.

So a while ago, I finally watched Jupiter Ascending (You can see my review HERE), and I didn’t like it. I got the story, but to me it felt completely unfinished. After posting my review, I thought about it a little more, and I definitely saw the potential the movie had. However, I think that it would have done better if it wasn’t a movie at all, but a TV show with a wider platform and more time to develop the world and work out all of the details. I think that the same could be applied to certain books with world building that might take longer to set up.

I want to know what you think: Would some books/movies do better as a TV show? 

Review: Oleah Chronicles: Truth by Michelle Johnson

Title: Oleah Chronicles: Truth
Author: Michelle Johnson
Source/Format: Author, Paperback
More Details: Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Publisher/Publication Date: MJ Publishing (Lulu.com); July 14, 2015

Goodreads     Amazon     Barnes & Noble    Lulu.com

Synopsis 

What would you do if everything you thought to be true in your life was a lie?

Sixteen-year-old Angel Seriki must face overwhelming truths about her family when she meets Zander Black, a new student to her high school who is smart, charming and devastatingly beautiful. The revelations he uncovers to her about her family’s past changes everything, and as her relationship and feelings for Zander deepen, so do the risks involved. She must now accept her fate and face the true reality of who and what she is. Even if that means giving up everything, including being human...

The Oleah Chronicles: Truth is a young adult paranormal romance novel that will appeal to a wide variety of readers. It’s a phenomenal introduction to the series. I absolutely loved the beginning that brought the readers into the center of  a conflict that resulted in Angel’s family fleeing their planet. The urgency of their flight from their home had me hooked early on as I anticipated the events that would follow.

The world created by Johnson was original and beautifully crafted. Truth took place on the planet Uforika and earth. It consisted of characters that we've all seen before in paranormal novels, but their characterizations had an interesting twist. I was intrigued by the Oleahs who had both lion and human characteristics all wrapped in one, which presented an interesting take on shape-shifters.

In Truth, Johnson excels at creating diverse teenage characters who maintain that teenage voice. Angel and her best friend, Julie, were polar opposites. I loved the depiction of Julie who was outgoing and rather animated. She was depicted as a very supportive friend without ulterior motives; although, they still had occasional conflicts. Zander brought a sense of mystery to the scene. And although he was a likable character, his past resulted in questions regarding his motives for wanting to get to know Angel. I liked that Angel had a questioning attitude and didn’t accept everything that Zander did as gold just because he was “devastatingly beautiful.” I also liked the fact that Johnson captured Angel’s awkwardness as she was developing an interest in boys.

Another aspect of Truth I really enjoyed was the involvement of Angel’s parents throughout the story. They didn’t just make a cameo appearance before fading into the background. They were actually key characters who were important to the overall plot.

From the cover art to the final page Johnson’s graphic design experience and creativity shine through in Truth, the first book of the Oleah Chronicles. I am definitely looking forward to reading future work by this author.

I received a copy of Oleah Chronicles: Truth from the Author in exchange for an honest review.

For More Information about the author, click on the link to visit Michelle Johnson's website!

The Friday 56 (31) Doctor Who: The Drosten's Curse by A.L. Kennedy

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

This week for The Friday 56 I picked a quote from a book I already read and reviewed (Doctor Who: The Drosten's Curse by A.L. Kennedy). You can check out my review for it HERE.

Synopsis from Goodreads...

“I shall make you the jewel at the heart of the universe.”

Something distinctly odd is going on in Arbroath. It could be to do with golfers being dragged down into the bunkers at the Fetch Brothers’ Golf Spa Hotel, never to be seen again. It might be related to the strange twin grandchildren of the equally strange Mrs Fetch–owner of the hotel and fascinated with octopuses. It could be the fact that people in the surrounding area suddenly know what others are thinking, without anyone saying a word. Whatever it is, the Doctor is most at home when faced with the distinctly odd. With the help of Fetch Brothers’ Junior Receptionist Bryony, he’ll get to the bottom of things. Just so long as he does so in time to save Bryony from quite literally losing her mind, and the entire world from destruction. Because something huge, ancient and alien lies hidden beneath the ground and it’s starting to wake up…

"Agnew flip-flopped along the relentlessly calming corridor with its tranquilly scented incense burner, its photographs of placid lakes and its carefully positioned speakers softly playing the songs of whales who, if he could have understood them, were actually having a quite heated argument with each other about herring."--Doctor Who: The Drosten's Curse by A.L. Kennedy


What's on your page 56 this week?

Review: A Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeleine L'Engle

Title:A Swiftly Tilting Planet
Author: Madeleine L'Engle
Source/Format: Won, Paperback Omnibus
More Details: Middle Grade, Science Fiction, Fantasy
Publisher/Publication Date: Square Fish, July 1978

Goodreads     Amazon     Barnes & Noble     Book Depository     Audible

Synopsis from Goodreads...

When fifteen-year-old Charles Wallace Murry shouts out an ancient rune meant to ward off the dark in desperation, a radiant creature appears. It is Gaudior, unicorn and time traveler. Charles Wallace and Gaudior must travel into the past on the winds of time to try to find a Might-Have-Been - a moment in the past when the entire course of events leading to the present can be changed, and the future of Earth - this small, swiftly tilting planet - saved.

A Swiftly Tilting Planet is the third book in Madeleine L'Engle's classic Time Quintet...

If there’s one thing I always enjoy about the Murry family’s adventures, it’s the fact that science is blended perfectly with fantasy to create a consistently enjoyable story. And a Swiftly Tilting Planet, the third book of the Time Quintet by Madeleine L’Engle, is done in much of the same way. This book opens with the Murry family reunited on Thanksgiving—with the addition of Meg’s mother-in-law Mrs. O’Keefe—practically on the eve of an impending disaster. The simple call added a touch of tension early on in the story, and from there the plot took off. This time, it was Charles Wallace who was mostly on his own as he attempted to find a solution to the problem, with the occasional help from Meg. The adventure was just as dangerous, but ultimately the story was easy to get into. The setting, as always, was interesting. It began at the Murry’s house again, but quickly shifted focus as the story took its course, spanning across several When’s scattered across time. So in that aspect the concept of time travel was handled really well. Overall I really enjoyed A Swiftly Tilting Planet, and eventually I want to get the rest of this series to see how it all ends.

Review: Doctor Who: The Drosten's Curse by A.L. Kennedy

Title: Doctor Who: The Drosten's Curse 
Author: A.L. Kennedy 
Source/Format: Blogging for Books, Paperback
More Details: Science Fiction
Publisher/Publication Date: Broadway Books, July 14, 2015

Goodreads     Amazon     Barnes & Noble     Book Depository     Audible 

Synopsis from Goodreads...

“I shall make you the jewel at the heart of the universe…”

Something distinctly odd is going on in Arbroath. It could be to do with golfers being dragged down into the bunkers at the Fetch Brothers’ Golf Spa Hotel, never to be seen again. It might be related to the strange twin grandchildren of the equally strange Mrs Fetch–owner of the hotel and fascinated with octopuses. It could be the fact that people in the surrounding area suddenly know what others are thinking, without anyone saying a word. Whatever it is, the Doctor is most at home when faced with the distinctly odd. With the help of Fetch Brothers’ Junior Receptionist Bryony, he’ll get to the bottom of things. Just so long as he does so in time to save Bryony from quite literally losing her mind, and the entire world from destruction. Because something huge, ancient and alien lies hidden beneath the ground and it’s starting to wake up…

Whew, ok, so this is my first Doctor Who novel—my co-blogger reviewed one earlier in the year—and now I’ve finally read one. And I have to say that The Drosten’s Curse was pretty awesome, and kept me up till one in the morning.

The concept was definitely one of the most interesting I’ve read about in a while. There was essentially something lurking in The Fetch Brothers’ Golf Spa Hotel’s golf course that was making the unassuming guests vanish. There were also a number of strange occurrences surrounding the entire area, such as how people were suddenly able to know what others were thinking. That was just the least of it, trust me, there was a lot more to it. So I immediately knew that there was something very wrong with the place. And that made the story very interesting.

Speaking of places, I think the setting was pretty much perfect, and presented an extra challenge—the golf course really made dealing with the creature difficult. There seemed to be a lot of places where it could hide and no one ever knew where it was going to appear next. Inevitably, there were a lot of elements of suspense throughout the entire book, and I enjoyed seeing how it all played out as the Doctor tried to figure out what was really going on. There were many instances that left me wondering how the characters were going to get out of the situation they found themselves in.

It was kind of the reason why I was up so late—just as things were beginning to calm down, something else came hurtling out of nowhere, adding to the troubles that the characters already faced.

Alongside the Doctor was Bryony, a receptionist at the hotel who inevitably gets wrapped up in the mess. She was pretty awesome, and I truly did enjoy her parts of the story. There’s a lot I want to talk about but can’t because this is one story that I can’t say much about without spoiling the entire thing. So I’m just going to leave it at what I’ve already said.

So yeah, I really liked the Drosten’s Curse and if you’re a fan of Doctor Who then I recommend giving this one a try.

This copy of the book was provided by Blogging For Books for this review, thank you!

A. L. Kennedy has published six novels, two books of nonfiction, and three previous collections of short stories. She has twice been selected as one ofGranta’s Best Young British Novelists and has won a number of prizes, including the Costa Book of the Year Award (2007), the Somerset Maugham Award, the Encore Award, and the Saltire Scottish Book of the Year Award. She lives in Glasgow and is a part-time lecturer in creative writing at the University of St. Andrews.

Review: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: Shiver

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Source/Format: freebie, iBooks ebook

More Detains: Young Adult, Fantasy

Publisher/Publication Date: August 1, 2009, Scholastic Press

Goodreads     Amazon     Barnes & Noble     Book Depository     Audible

Synopsis from Goodreads...

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human… until the cold makes him shift back again. Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human—or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever...

I have to admit that I struggled with Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater, and I really wanted to like it. There wasn’t anything particularly bad about it that immediately made me hate it. It’s just that it took me a week to read 138 pages, which was just way too long for such a small amount. For some reason I was bored despite the fact that I thought the writing was nice. Stiefvater’s style is definitely something worth noting, because it was easy to read and conveyed the story in a way that should have interested me. However, I don’t think I’m in the mood for a paranormal novel that involves werewolves, so maybe now wasn’t the right time to read Shiver. Another issue that might have something to do with why I’ve decided to put this book down had to do with the story and the main character. Grace…oh Grace **sigh** I felt like it was rushed, like there was no prior buildup to Grace and Sam’s relationship other than the fact that he was a werewolf that she saw around the outskirts of her yard. And with a relationship like that—based on so little—I just didn’t buy it when she suddenly decided to let him stay in her bedroom. So yeah, I’ve decided to put Shiver aside because I have to move on to other books. Maybe one day I’ll give it another try, but for now I’m done with it.

Nintendo Book Tag

I haven’t done one of these in a long time, so today I’m going to take part in the Nintendo Book Tag. This tag was created by Novels and Nonsense over on YouTube—you should really check out her channel, she has a lot of great videos. You can see the original tag video HERE

1. NES (Nintendo Entertainment System): A Classic you want to read

Just one? I don’t know, there are a lot of classics I want to read, but most recently I really want to pick up the novels for Jurassic Park and the complete Wizard of Oz series.

2. SNES (Super Nintendo): A Sequel you liked more than the 1st (can be a 2nd book in a series)

Wow, actually this is a difficult question for me. Usually it’s the opposite. Anyway, I have to go with Kiss of Frost by Jennifer Estep. Even though I loved the first one, the second one was just as good if not better.

3. Nintendo 64: A book that revolutionized the way you look at the world

It’s not one specific book that did it for me, but dozens of them that would take all day to list.

4. Gamecube: A popular book that did not go over so well with you

Oh boy, I can name a few of them—lots of them actually—but I’m just going to stick with one for today. And it’s going to be Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi. It just wasn’t my kind of book.

5. Wii: A new favorite book

Finding Serendipity—it’s a middle grade novel that I read earlier this year—and I have to say that I absolutely loved it.

6. Nintendo Power: Favorite Graphic novel series or a series you want to start

I don’t read many graphic novels so for this one I’m going to go with one of my all-time favorite manga series: D. Gray-Man.

7. Super Mario: A Character that you'd love to squish like a Goomba

This is an easy one: Alcantara, a vampire from The Watchers series by Veronica Wolff. There are just so many reasons why I disliked him, mainly because of the things he did throughout the entire series. So he totally deserves to be squished like a Goomba.

8. Zelda: A newer fantasy that you consider to be a modern classic

I absolutely love Mistborn. The world building was fantastic and the overall story was entirely enjoyable.

9. Samas-Aran: Favorite Sci-fi novel or one you want to read

I would actually like to read Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff (it’s just not out yet) and These Broken Stars also by Amie Kaufman with Meagan Spooner.

10. Pokemon: Book editions that you want to collect

All of the Barnes and Noble classic editions.

11. Donkey Kong: A book with original characters

For this one I’m going to go with Love Fortunes and Other Disasters by Kimberly Karalius. The characters in the novel had very unique interests and habits that I’ve rarely seen.

12. Nintendo Fandom: Favorite Nintendo game(s) or game you really want

Mario Kart—I would also like a reboot of Double Dash because that game was a whole lot of fun.

Don’t forget to check out Novels and Nonsense on YouTube. And because this is such a fun one, I tag anyone who wants to participate. Happy reading!

Musing Mondays (34) Space Exploration & Other Things That Have me Excited This Week

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by Jenn at A Daily Rhythm, that asks you to muse about something book related each week.

My Musings for the Week...

(Ok, so this might be a little off topic, but I just have to say that it’s completely awesome that Serena Williams won Wimbledon 2015 (Women’s Singles). Man, what a year for women’s sports!)

Anyway, I’m just going to move on to something that’s actually related to books. Since reading Space Exploration for Dummies, I’ve been more interested in watching shows about…well, the universe. Thankfully I have multiple History channels to watch—even a science one—that actually plays episodes dealing with the universe on some days. So far, I’m enjoying How the Universe Works, and looking forward to the new season that starts on July 14th.

Also, if you haven’t checked out NASAs Instagram you totally should. So I’m just going to link to it now. CLICK HERE TO GET TO IT

So what do you think? Do the books you read sometimes influence what you want to watch?

The Friday 56 (30) A Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeleine L'Engle

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

For my 56 this week, I selected a quote from a book I recently read. (A Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeleine L'Engle)

Synopsis from Goodreads...

When fifteen-year-old Charles Wallace Murry shouts out an ancient rune meant to ward off the dark in desperation, a radiant creature appears. It is Gaudior, unicorn and time traveler. Charles Wallace and Gaudior must travel into the past on the winds of time to try to find a Might-Have-Been - a moment in the past when the entire course of events leading to the present can be changed, and the future of Earth - this small, swiftly tilting planet - saved. A Swiftly Tilting Planet is the third book in Madeleine L'Engle's classic Time Quintet...

"Charles Wallace wrapped his arms about himself as though for warmth. "And you wonder that I'm frightened?" 

"Of course you're frightened. I'm frightened, too.""-- A Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeleine L'Engle

What classic novel(s) have you read recently?

Movie Review: Jupiter Ascending (2015)

Title: Jupiter Ascending
Director(s): Andy & Lana Wachowskis
Produced by: Grant Hill, The Wachowskis 
Written By: The Wachowskis
Rating: PG-13
Release Date: February 6, 2015
Source: Rented from Redbox
Gifs & Movie Poster from the official Jupiter Ascending website (Check them out here)

Yes, I actually watched this movie from start to finish because I was curious to see what it was like. My initial thoughts—upon seeing the trailer—for Jupiter Ascending was that it was going to be a science fiction/fantasy film of epic proportions. But after watching the movie, I was more than a little disappointed by it.

Here’s the thing, Jupiter Ascending had a lot of potential to be great, but suffered from too many flaws.

Albeit, visually stunning, the movie fails in the story department. I felt like I was watching different, segmented scenes with transitions that couldn’t properly put them together. Thus, the entire movie felt like a video game with villains popping in and out—disappearing altogether once what they had to offer to the plot was over and done with. I would have liked to see more of a resolution, but instead, I was left feeling like I’d just sat through two hours of something that wasn’t complete—like it needed a sequel to further explore the world.

For one thing, this movie was incredibly long, and some of the scenes felt like they lasted forever, like they were fillers to take up some of the space. At several times I found myself a little bored by it. Now the detail put into the visual aspects were as I said above, nice—even stunning—especially the scenes directly involving space and the various planets featured in the movie—as well as the alien technology/Abrasax ships. And then there was Jupiter Jones (played by Mila Kunis), ugh, I felt like she just sort of had this I’m-kind-of-bored expression throughout the entire movie. And when she actually did something productive—being saved by Caine Wise (played by Channing Tatum) doesn’t count—that it seemed so out of character for her that it was almost entirely unbelievable. Her character could have been better if developed more. Caine Wise was a complete (not even borderline) dues ex machina. His presence was more than convenient, and he showed up whenever Jupiter seemed to be stuck, which happened way too often. Now the characters weren’t all bad and Diomika Tsing (played by Nikki Amuka-Bird) was probably my favorite character in the entire movie. She was the captain that oversaw the Aegis ship that was present in the movie—she was kind of awesome.

At the end of the day, Jupiter Ascending seemed like the kind of movie that would interest me, but the story itself basically destroyed my enjoyment of the film. If you want to see this movie I suggest renting it before buying it.

Quarterly Recap: April-June

Wow, would you look at that, it's already JULY. Anyway, welcome to what would have been the second trimonthly recap, but I'm renaming it to Quarterly Recap. (Its still going to remain as once every three months, so that's not changing.) As always, I’m going to give a quick summary of all of the things that happened on the blog from the beginning of April all the way through June. So, I’m just going to jump right into it, and start with reviews…

April Reviews:

• Howl's Moving Castle
• Seeker
• John Shaw's Guide to Digital Nature Photography
• Landry Park
• Headstrong: 52 Women who Changed Science and the World 

May Reviews:

• Rise by Amanda Sun
• Cookie Love by Mindy Segal with Kate Leahy
• Space Exploration for Dummies by Cynthia Phillips & Shana Priwer

June Reviews:

• Love Fortunes and Other Disaster by Kimberly Karalius
• Save Me by Jenny Elliott
• The Tapper Twins go to War (With Each Other) by Geoff Rodkey
• Inside Out (Movie Review)
• The Book of Spirits and Thieves by Morgan Rhodes
• Max (Movie Review)

In general, April was a relatively busy month. I did the first Trimonthly Recap for the January through March, and started doing a new type of post called Weekend Tidbits. I also participated in the Reading Habits Book Tag and a list post called Series/Novels I would Like to see on the Screen. And lastly, I took part in the Blitz for Awakening by Shannon Duffy and a release day post for Dragons Are People, Too by Sarah Nicolas.

I started off May with a much needed week long break before participating in the Release Day Blitz for The Wrath and The Dawn by Renee Ahdieh. I also did a Weekend Tidbit about the humming bird that was nesting right outside the window of my house. They were cute while they stuck around, but I never got a picture of them before they left the nest. Later in the month I participated in a Release Date Reveal for Victoria Scott's Titans and a short release day post for Lindsay Cummings Death Code.

And finally, we have June. At the start of the month was the cover reveal for Of Ice and Snow by Amber Argyle. On the fifth it was National Doughnut day and about a week or so later I posted a Weekend Tidbit about my day and the recipe I tried out. Later in the month I did an Interview with Kimberly Karalius, and entered Marissa Meyer's The Lunar Chronicles Bookmark contest.

I have to say that it's been a pretty productive three months, so the only thing I'm really looking forward to doing is maintaining my pace with blogging and reading.

Sale Alert: Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott

Psst, hey, you guys, Fire and Flood by Victoria Scott is currently on sale for only $1.99. Still not convinced that you need it? Well, check out my review for it HERE

Click here to Follow the Link to the sale!

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Time is slipping away....

Tella Holloway is losing it. Her brother is sick, and when a dozen doctors can't determine what's wrong, her parents decide to move to Montana for the fresh air. She's lost her friends, her parents are driving her crazy, her brother is dying—and she's helpless to change anything. Until she receives mysterious instructions on how to become a Contender in the Brimstone Bleed. It's an epic race across jungle, desert, ocean, and mountain that could win her the prize she desperately desires: the Cure for her brother's illness. But all the Contenders are after the Cure for people they love, and there's no guarantee that Tella (or any of them) will survive the race. The jungle is terrifying, the clock is ticking, and Tella knows she can't trust the allies she makes. And one big question emerges: Why have so many fallen sick in the first place?

Want to know more? Check out the links below. . .

Twitter     Website     Facebook     Goodreads