Musing Mondays (47) Random Weekly Questions & Short Stories

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by Jenn at Books and a Beat, that asks you to muse about something book related each week.

**Quick note: Musing Mondays is still being hosted by Jenn, but not at A Daily Rhythm, instead, it's now over on Books and a Beat.**

My Musings for the Week...

Before I move on to my other musings for the week, I'm going to get caught up on some of the random weekly questions I missed...

From February 22: How do you choose which books you read?

I mostly pick books at random, which solely depends on what I want to read at the time. However, if I have books that I'm required to read like ARCs that I have a blog tour for, then I'm more likely to read those first--just to get them out of the way and have the post done early.

From February 29: What was the last book you didn’t finish? Why?

The Love that Split the World was a book that just didn't turn out to be for me. I was really disappointed. If you want to know my full thoughts, check out my review here: ARC Review: The Love that Split the World.

Other Musings...

Today, I want to talk about short stories. No, this won't be a post about some of my favorite ones. Although, I could have done that, only, I haven't read enough of them to give me a reason to write a full post about them, well, yet anyway. Instead, I want to talk about how the stories are being published.

I don't know about anyone else, but I do like short stories when they're collected into just one edition--this is especially so when all the stories are by a single author (such as Untamed by A.G. Howard). For me, it's convenient, plus, I do enjoy paperbacks/hardcovers more than I do ebooks. So, really, this works out well for me.

Of course, I also enjoy anthologies like Guys Read: Terrifying Tales, because it gives me a chance to sample the writing styles of author's I'm unfamiliar with. Which is great, because if I like the stories enough, I'm more likely to be interested in potentially buying or checking out full length novels from my local library.

So, how do you feel about short stories being collected together in print format? Do you prefer having them in one print edition, or do you like to buy them separately as ebooks?

The Friday 56 (53) The Night Has Teeth by Kat Kruger

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...

There’s a darkness that lurks in the City of Light...

Seventeen-year-old Connor Lewis is chased by a memory. On his first day of kindergarten he bit a boy hard enough to scar the kid for life. Since then he’s been a social outcast at a New York private school. Through an unexpected turn of good fortune, he lands a scholarship to study in Paris, where everything starts to look up. On the first day he befriends two military brats, and he may finally get a taste of what it’s like to be a normal teenager.

It doesn’t last.

His host family — an alluring young tattoo artist and her moody, handsome boyfriend — inadvertently introduce him to the underworld of werewolves where there are two types: the born and the bitten. Those born to it take the form of elegant wolves, while the latter are cursed to transform into the half-man, half-beast creatures of horror movies. The bitten rarely survive. Unfortunately, Connor is on the wanted list of a four hundred-year-old bitten human who’s searching for both a cure and a means of wiping out werewolves for good. Connor’s loyalties are tested as he becomes embroiled in a conflict where werewolves, mad science and teen angst collide...

"Arden scrutinizes me for a long minute before releasing me. I make a big show of shaking him off and straightening myself out again. Well, as best as I can with a drink in each hand."--The Night Has Teeth by Kat Kruger



Do you have any favorite werewolf novels?

Review: Untamed by A.G. Howard

Title:Untamed
Author: A.G. Howard
Source/Format: Won, Hardback
More Details: Young Adult, Fantasy, Retelling 
Publisher/Publication Date: Amulet Books, December 15, 2015

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Alyssa Gardner went down the rabbit hole and took control of her destiny. She survived the battle for Wonderland and the battle for her heart. In this collection of three novellas, join Alyssa and her family as they look back at their memories of Wonderland.

In Six Impossible Things, Alyssa recalls the most precious moments of her life after Ensnared, and the role magic plays in preserving the happiness of those she loves. Alyssa’s mother reminisces about her own time in Wonderland and rescuing the man who would become her husband in The Boy in the Web. And Morpheus delves into Jeb’s memories of the events of Splintered in The Moth in the Mirror, available in print for the first time.

This collection expands upon Ensnared's epilogue, and includes some deleted scenes to provide a “director’s cut” glimpse into the past and futures of our favorite Splintered characters...

After finishing Untamed I had to carefully think about what I wanted to say. It took me a while to find the right words that fit with what I thought about it. Untamed was one of my most anticipated books back in December of 2015. So, I was really excited to get my hands on a finished copy.

Did I like it?

Well, yeah, sort of. Untamed did have some great content to add to the Splintered series, but I also found myself a little disappointed by some of the stories.

This collection includes Six Impossible Things, The Moth in the Mirror, and The Boy in the Web. Out of the three, I was most excited for Six Impossible Things since it was set in a time after the end of Ensnared. That expanded epilogue was my main reason for getting Untamed. I never really liked Jeb as a character, and I had some problems with the way he treated Alyssa back in Splintered. But I was willing to tolerate some mention of him in Six Impossible Things. The story, for me, was just alright, which kind of reflects how I felt about the whole collection. It wasn't bad. I liked it.

For me, Wonderland was still the best part. I liked Howard's take on Lewis Carroll's classic story, specifically the changes she made to the well-known characters and setting of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

Untamed ended up just being okay for me. I liked it well enough, but I did have a few issues with it. Even so, I still want to check out A.G. Howard’s next novel, Rose Blood.

The Friday 56 (52) Untamed by A.G. Howard

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...

Alyssa Gardner went down the rabbit hole and took control of her destiny. She survived the battle for Wonderland and the battle for her heart. In this collection of three novellas, join Alyssa and her family as they look back at their memories of Wonderland.

In Six Impossible Things, Alyssa recalls the most precious moments of her life after Ensnared, and the role magic plays in preserving the happiness of those she loves. Alyssa’s mother reminisces about her own time in Wonderland and rescuing the man who would become her husband in The Boy in the Web. And Morpheus delves into Jeb’s memories of the events of Splintered in The Moth in the Mirror, available in print for the first time.

This collection expands upon Ensnared's epilogue, and includes some deleted scenes to provide a “director’s cut” glimpse into the past and futures of our favorite Splintered characters...

"He hesitates. There are other stories, too, about the fairy-kind. That some are tricky and deadly."--Untamed by A.G. Howard


What are some of your favorite fairy tales or retelling's? Or what are you reading this week?

Review: The Marvels by Brian Selznick

Title: The Marvels
Author: Brian Selznick
Source/Format: Won, Hardcover
More Details: Middle Grade, Historical
Publisher/Publication Date: Scholastic Press, September 15, 2015

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Two seemingly unrelated stories--one in words, the other in pictures--come together. The illustrated story begins in 1766 with Billy Marvel, the lone survivor of a shipwreck, and charts the adventures of his family of actors over five generations. The prose story opens in 1990 and follows Joseph, who has run away from school to an estranged uncle's puzzling house in London, where he, along with the reader, must piece together many mysteries...

I read two of Selznick’s books before I finally got to the last one I had on my shelf, The Marvels. Following Selznick’s previously established style, The Marvels is told half in pictures and half in words. Thus, the book was a delightful, thoroughly engrossing story from beginning to end.

Half the story belonged to Billy Marvel, the sole survivor of a shipwreck. And the other half belonged to Joseph, a young boy in 1990 who has run away from school. Part of the intrigue with Selznick’s books, for me, is seeing how the stories will eventually connect. And with The Marvels, that was one of my primary reasons for reading the book. Joseph was a good character. I liked his story. He was a boy who caused some trouble even if that wasn’t what he intended. Billy’s story was equally enjoyable and just as integral to the plot. To understand Joseph’s story, Billy’s had to be told as well. The other characters were delightful as well, and their stories tied in with Joseph’s. Their interactions were some or my favorite parts.

The illustrations perfectly conveyed the characters emotions, and were effective at telling a story on their own. The setting was, again, historical, and developed in a way that showed that Selznick knew what he was doing and had done his research. In the end, I am glad that I read The Marvels. It’s easily become one of my favorites.

Musing Mondays (46) Favorite Book Settings

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...

Random Weekly Question from January 11th: What book(s) are you most excited to read, this year? Is there anything special on tap?

 I read some amazing books last year and I'm just sitting around waiting for the next books in the series. So, I want ALL of the sequel's.I've already read some of the ones I was looking forward to. Some of them have been great, while others fell a little short. However, there are some new books on my radar, so here are just a few I'm still desperately waiting for:

• Gemina by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
• Love Charms and Other Catastrophes by Kimberly Karalius
• Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton 
• Blood for Blood by Ryan Graudin

This list is not exact, so there will probably be other books that catch my interest later in the year. But for now, those are the one's I'm definitely looking forward to.

Other Musings...

One of the aspects I look for in a book is the setting. The world is what draws me in, and I always look for the rules that the author has come up with to base that fictional world around. Characters and plot are also important too, but setting, for me, is one of the best parts. So, for today, I wanted to talk about some of my favorite fictional book settings.

To start off this list, I'm going with Julie Kagawa's Iron Fey series, the first four books. Don't get me wrong, the first four books are some of my favorite novels, and I absolutely adore them. But I haven't finished the spin-off series, not that it's bad, but I just haven't. Anyway, I liked the way Kagawa handled the fey in the novels, and to be honest, the books had one of my favorite settings of all time because it was developed so well.

Up next is Hover by Melissa West. I liked a lot about the book, and the setting was pretty much perfect for the story. The alien planet and their method of travelling from there to earth was pretty cool.

The Radiant Road by Katherine Catmull also had an interesting setting, which ended up being one of my favorite aspects about the book. It was developed pretty well and it was magical.

The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd. Shepherd managed to create a setting that was seemingly innocuous but also mildly unsettling, which was absolutely perfect for the story. I'm not joking, the setting basically set up the atmosphere that, to me, was necessary in terms of execution. And Shepherd did a wonderful job at it.

This next one is kind of obvious, but it is one of my favorites. The town of Grimbaud from Love Fortunes and Other Disasters by Kimberly Karalius. It was cute and charming, but also a little dangerous despite is romantic atmosphere.




I'm going to leave it there for today, but there are more books that I have read that had some fantastic settings. So, how about you? What are some of your favorite fictional settings/worlds? (It can be in movies or books, doesn't matter as long as it's one of your favorites.)

ARC Review: The Radiant Road by Katherine Catmull

Title: The Radiant Road
Author: Katherine Catmull
Source/Format: First to Read (publisher), EARC
More Details: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher/Publication Date: Dutton Books for Young Readers, January 19, 2016
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Synopsis from Goodreads...

And sometimes the Strange came to visit Clare, and dreams walked through her waking life...

After years of living in America, Clare Macleod and her father are returning to Ireland, where they’ll inhabit the house Clare was born in—a house built into a green hillside with a tree for a wall. For Clare, the house is not only full of memories of her mother, but also of a mysterious boy with raven-dark hair and dreamlike nights filled with stars and magic. Clare soon discovers that the boy is as real as the fairy-making magic, and that they’re both in great danger from an ancient foe.

Fast-paced adventure and spellbinding prose combine to weave a tale of love, loyalty, and the strength we carry within ourselves...

Here’s the thing about The Radiant Road by Katherine Catmull: it was just okay. There was nothing too bad about the book and there were things that I liked about it.

The things I did enjoy were the concept. This was a fairy book; there was no mistaking it since the themes were present throughout the entire book. I have read a handful of books with similar themes, and I did like Catmull’s take on it. The house was especially interesting for many reasons, mainly because it was magical in a natural sort of way. It also contained elements that connected directly to the fairies. So I did like the setting.

Another aspect that I liked were the fairies. They were interesting, and it was the conclusion to that aspect of the story that kept me reading.

Here are some of the things that fell into the gray area for me, between good and bad, just sort of alright. From the start, it was made clear that Clare was special, she could see things no one else could, spoke of magical creatures and sort of believed in them despite being ridiculed for it. Her life seemed typical for this kind of book, and of course, things do take a turn for the worst once her father moves their family back to Ireland—to the house where she was born. In this way The Radiant Road was a little predictable. I could see things happening but Clare still plodded into them anyway despite being warned of the consequences. As often was the case, Clare wasn’t the one paying the majority of the price for her mistakes, but she did suffer some consequences.

Despite that, I found Clare and Finn’s friendships to be nice. And the plot still held some twists. The ending was okay and it wrapped up the story. The majority of the book was spent building up to this end and, I don't know, I was a little disappointed, but despite that it was an okay ending. So the characters and the story were pretty good.

Overall, The Radiant Road was a book that I found to be okay. It was fun for the most part with some faults. And if I was ever in the mood, I might consider picking up another book by Catmull.

This copy of the book was provided by Penguin First to Read (publisher) for this review, thank you!

ARC Review: The Love That Split the World by Emily Henry

Title:The Love That Split the World
Author: Emily Henry
Source/Format: First to Read, eARC
More Details: Young Adult, Fantasy
Publisher/Publication Date: Razorbill, January 26, 2016

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Natalie Cleary must risk her future and leap blindly into a vast unknown for the chance to build a new world with the boy she loves.  Natalie’s last summer in her small Kentucky hometown is off to a magical start... until she starts seeing the “wrong things.” They’re just momentary glimpses at first—her front door is red instead of its usual green, there’s a pre-school where the garden store should be. But then her whole town disappears for hours, fading away into rolling hills and grazing buffalo, and Nat knows something isn’t right. That’s when she gets a visit from the kind but mysterious apparition she calls “Grandmother,” who tells her: “You have three months to save him.” The next night, under the stadium lights of the high school football field, she meets a beautiful boy named Beau, and it’s as if time just stops and nothing exists. Nothing, except Natalie and Beau.

Emily Henry’s stunning debut novel is Friday Night Lights meets The Time Traveler’s Wife, and perfectly captures those bittersweet months after high school, when we dream not only of the future, but of all the roads and paths we’ve left untaken...

So, I tried to read this book, and I’m a little sad that it ended up being a DNF. The Love that Split the World turned out to be a big disappointment for me. I was actually looking forward to this book. And initially, I thought that The Love that Split the World would be my kind of book. The writing was good. However, and this is a big deal-breaking kind of “however”, there were a few minor details in the beginning that I really didn’t like. After that, I kept putting the book down, and I just couldn’t get into the story even though there were numerous details that should have caught and held my interest. I did give this book the first hundred pages, even a little more—I skipped ahead to see if there was anything that would make me want to read on. Sadly, there wasn’t. At the end of the day, The Love that Split the World didn’t end up being for me. But, if it seems like something you want to read, check out other reviews, and don’t let my opinion stop you.

This copy of the book was provided by Penguin First to Read (publisher) for this review, thank you!

Musing Mondays (45) Random Weekly Questions

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...

Today, I'm going to keep it short by answering some of the random weekly questions I missed.

What do you do with your books once you’ve read them?

I review them before finding a place to fit them on my bookshelf. I typically like to keep my books because there's always a chance I'll want to read them again later.

What would you say is the best children’s book you’ve ever read?

Sometimes, I hate questions like these because I have a lot of favorites. So, for that reason alone, I'm going to stick with some of my more recent reads. One of the best children's book I've ever read was probably Finding Serendipity and its sequel, A Week Without Tuesday. You can see what I thought about them HERE & HERE. Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick was another good one. Oh, and the entire Double Vision trilogy by F.T. Bradley.

What are you reading this week?

The Friday 56 (51) The Marvels by Brian Selznick

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 quote comes from page 392 since 56 is an illustration.

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Two seemingly unrelated stories--one in words, the other in pictures--come together. The illustrated story begins in 1766 with Billy Marvel, the lone survivor of a shipwreck, and charts the adventures of his family of actors over five generations. The prose story opens in 1990 and follows Joseph, who has run away from school to an estranged uncle's puzzling house in London, where he, along with the reader, must piece together many mysteries...

"Joseph was lost. Somewhere far away the headlights of a car swept through the snowy night. He stopped to rest beneath a low passageway of an ancient cobblestone street."--The Marvels by Brian Selznick


What are you reading this week?

Review: Dead is the New Black by Marlene Perez

Title:Dead Is the New Black
Author: Marlene Perez
Source/Format: Purchased, Paperback
More Details: Young Adult, Paranormal
Publisher/Publication Date: HMH Books for Young Readers, September 1, 2008
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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Welcome to Nightshade, California—a small town full of secrets. It’s home to the pyschic Giordano sisters, who have a way of getting mixed up in mysteries. During their investigations, they run across everything from pom-pom-shaking vampires to shape-shifting boyfriends to a clue-spewing jukebox. With their psychic powers and some sisterly support, they can crack any case! Teenage girls are being mysteriously attacked all over town, including at Nightshade High School, where Daisy Giordano is a junior. When Daisy discovers that a vampire may be the culprit, she can’t help but suspect head cheerleader Samantha Devereaux, who returned from summer break with a new “look.” Samantha appears a little . . . well, dead, and all the most popular kids at school are copying her style. Is looking dead just another fashion trend for Samantha, or is there something more sinister going on? To find out, Daisy joins the cheerleading squad...

It has been a long time since I picked up a book by Marlene Perez. Honestly, I kind of forgot that I had this book. It wasn't until I went looking that I remembered I had the first two books of the series. Basically, Dead Is the New Black was a short and fun mystery novel with a supernatural twist, and I can see why I found the series appealing. The story revolves around Daisy Giordano, who lives in Nightshade, California, a place where the residents were less than ordinary, well, at least some of them anyway. This fact is made clear pretty early on with Daisy’s family, who all had identifiable psychic ability. This early setup established the tone of the story. Dead Is the New Black is a supernatural whodunit. The mystery was pretty good, but it was a little easy to see through. The clues were obvious, and the pieces clicked together early on. However, I still liked the book. The supernatural elements added some much need tension to the story. All in all, Dead Is the New Black was a pretty good book.

The Friday 56 (50): Dead Is the New Black by Marlene Perez

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...

Welcome to Nightshade, California—a small town full of secrets. It’s home to the pyschic Giordano sisters, who have a way of getting mixed up in mysteries. During their investigations, they run across everything from pom-pom-shaking vampires to shape-shifting boyfriends to a clue-spewing jukebox. With their psychic powers and some sisterly support, they can crack any case! Teenage girls are being mysteriously attacked all over town, including at Nightshade High School, where Daisy Giordano is a junior. When Daisy discovers that a vampire may be the culprit, she can’t help but suspect head cheerleader Samantha Devereaux, who returned from summer break with a new “look.” Samantha appears a little . . . well, dead, and all the most popular kids at school are copying her style. Is looking dead just another fashion trend for Samantha, or is there something more sinister going on? To find out, Daisy joins the cheerleading squad...

"I gestured to my borrowed finery. "This isn't going to float off my back at midnight, is it?""--Dead Is the New Black by Marlene Perez

What are you reading this week?

Launch Blitz & Giveaway: Starflight by Melissa Landers

 

About the book...

Author: Melissa Landers

Release Date: February 2, 2016

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Synopsis from goodreads...

Life in the outer realm is a lawless, dirty, hard existence, and Solara Brooks is hungry for it. Just out of the orphanage, she needs a fresh start in a place where nobody cares about the engine grease beneath her fingernails or the felony tattoos across her knuckles. She's so desperate to reach the realm that she's willing to indenture herself to Doran Spaulding, the rich and popular quarterback who made her life miserable all through high school, in exchange for passage aboard the spaceliner Zenith.

When a twist of fate lands them instead on the Banshee, a vessel of dubious repute, Doran learns he's been framed on Earth for conspiracy. As he pursues a set of mysterious coordinates rumored to hold the key to clearing his name, he and Solara must get past their enmity to work together and evade those out for their arrest. Life on the Banshee may be tumultuous, but as Solara and Doran are forced to question everything they once believed about their world—and each other—the ship becomes home, and the eccentric crew family. But what Solara and Doran discover on the mysterious Planet X has the power to not only alter their lives, but the existence of everyone in the universe...

Goodreads     Amazon     Barnes & Noble     Book Depository     Indie Bound

A note from the author...

Hey there, booklovers! I’m author Melissa Landers, and I’m thrilled to announce the release of STARFLIGHT, the first in a brand new sci-fi series from Disney-Hyperion. I originally pitched this story to my editor as “Overboard” (one of my favorite romantic comedies) meets “Firefly” (an amazing show that was tragically cancelled after one season). STARFLIGHT follows the misadventures of Solara Brooks, a penniless felon who indentures herself to her high school nemesis, Doran Spaulding, in exchange for passage to a new world. But when Doran’s memory is temporarily erased, Solara convinces him their roles are reversed—that she’s the master and he’s the servant—and leads him onto a renegade spaceship, where intergalactic shenanigans ensue. STARFLIGHT is very different in tone from the Alienated trilogy, but the story is still filled with all the things I love: humor, heart, and adventure...

What do reviewers have to say?

“Get ready for blast-off! Action-packed and utterly addictive, nobody writes like Melissa Landers. A smart, satisfying romance set in a vividly detailed world, Starflight was just plain fun!” –New York Times bestselling author Amie Kaufman

“Teens will be bracing themselves during the swashbuckling action scenes. A great choice for fans of raw sci-fi action, reminiscent of the lawlessness presented in the television series Firefly.” –School Library Journal

“A lively tale of romance, space pirates, conspiracy, and made (as opposed to genetic) families.” –Booklist 

To celebrate Starflight's release, Melissa Landers is offering one lucky winner a STARFLIGHT swag pack, complete with custom nail wraps, bookmarks, and a mini poster! This giveaway is open internationally. Due to sweepstakes laws, entrants must be 18 years or older to participate. Best of luck, and happy reading!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Melissa Landers is a former teacher who left the classroom to pursue other worlds. A proud sci-fi geek, she isn’t afraid to wear her Princess Leia costume in public—just ask her husband and three kids. She lives outside Cincinnati in the small town of Loveland, “Sweetheart of Ohio.” For more information or just to say hello, visit www.melissa-landers.com.

Review: Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

Title: Wonderstruck
Author: Brian Selznick
Source/Format: Won, Hardcover
More Details: Middle Grade, Historical
Publisher/Publication Date: Scholastic Press, September 13, 2011

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

Ben and Rose secretly wish for better lives. Ben longs for his unknown father. Rose scrapbooks a famous silent actress. When Ben finds clues and Rose reads enticing news, the children independently run to New York for what they are missing. Ben's story in words, Rose's in pictures, come together in deafness...

Wonderstruck was wonderful. This book, from start to finish, was absolutely fantastic. Selznick has done it again, perfectly crafting a story through words and pictures.

Unlike The Invention of Hugo Cabret, I went into Wonderstruck without really knowing what I was getting into. But, thanks to my lack of prior knowledge about the book, I was left with moments that I can only describe as surprising. As the synopsis indicates, this story is divided into two perspectives set fifty years apart. The first is Ben, whose story is told mostly through words. And the second is Rose, whose story is told through pictures. One of the main reasons I read Wonderstruck was to see how these two timelines would eventually meet.

I got what I was looking for and then some.

Ben was a wonderful character. His reactions to situations were believable, and really, all I wanted to see was for him to get a happy ending—he went through a lot in a short amount of time, and that’s where the story begins. Ben is adjusting to changes in his life, mainly concerning his family. Rose was also wonderful. Although her story was told through pictures, the images captured her emotion and story so well that words weren’t really needed to tell it. Ben and Rose were great characters, and I enjoyed reading their story.

So, Wonderstruck was great. I have one more unread book by Selznick sitting on my shelf, and I plan to read it soon.