Weekend Tidbits {#2}: Review Copies, Homemade Things, & Waterfalls

When I originally thought of doing some kind of occasional weekend post, I already knew that it wasn’t going to be a weekly thing. It’s going to be, as I said above, occasional. All this post is about is the things I’m currently doing or maybe even look forward to. And at the very end I’ll name a place that I wish was a book setting and my choice of tea for the day.

Earlier this week I received two books for review. The first was Headstrong: 52 Women Who Changed Science and the World by Rachel Swaby—a finished review copy from Blogging for Books. And the second was an eARC of A Book of Spirits and Thieves by Morgan Rhodes from Penguin First to Read. I decided to dive into Headstrong first, because occasionally I use nonfiction books as something like a palate cleanser in between so many works of fiction.

Another notable aspect of this past week is that I tried homemade peppermint patties made with coconut oil, and I have to say that I’m entirely a fan of them. The coconut oil was a bit expensive, but I did enjoy them. Here is the recipe that was used: Peppermint Patties.

My pick for the setting this week is Barron Gorge National Park in Queensland, Australia, specifically Barron Falls. I like the overall look of this location, and think it would make a great setting for a novel.

Today’s tea is Vanilla Chai.

Review: Landry Park by Bethany Hagen

Title: Landry Park 

Author: Bethany Hagen

Source/Format: won, paperback

More Details: YA, Dystopian

Publisher/Publication Date: Speak, February 4, 2014

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Summary from Goodreads...

Sixteen-year-old Madeline Landry is practically Gentry royalty. Her ancestor developed the nuclear energy that has replaced electricity, and her parents exemplify the glamour of the upper class. As for Madeline, she would much rather read a book than attend yet another debutante ball. But when she learns about the devastating impact the Gentry lifestyle—her lifestyle—is having on those less fortunate, her whole world is turned upside down. As Madeline begins to question everything she has been told, she finds herself increasingly drawn to handsome, beguiling David Dana, who seems to be hiding secrets of his own. Soon, rumors of war and rebellion start to spread, and Madeline finds herself at the center of it all. Ultimately, she must make a choice between duty—her family and the estate she loves dearly—and desire...

I went into Landry Park by Bethany Hagen without reading the synopsis first. My first impression of the book was that it was a historical novel, the first few pages certainly read like one. However, Landry Park is set in a very different, futuristic/dystopian version of America that seemed to get some of its ideas straight from the Victorian Era.

To be fair, I gave this book more of a chance than I usually do for others that don’t immediately get my attention. I read on past the first one hundred pages—I even finished it. Madeline Landry’s story was one that I couldn’t get into. I wasn’t interested in all of the parties that happened in the first part of the book. There were small hints of a plot, but the whole conflict in Landry Park was almost…typical. And it wasn’t just Madeline either I hardly cared about any of the characters or their part in the story.

The ending was just alright, but there’s nothing much that I can say on it. The writing style was ok, it had a nice flow to it and I could visualize the setting. However, that didn’t overshadow my disappointment. Landry Park was a dissatisfying read that left me wanting so much more, and I don’t think I’ll be reading anything else by this author unless it’s available at the library.

Cover Reveal & Giveaway: Eternal Sacrifice by Stacey O'Neale

Today I’m excited to be taking part in the cover reveal for Stacey O’Neale’s Eternal Sacrifice! Stick around till the end of the post for a giveaway from O’Neale. But first, if you haven’t read The Shadow Prince or Mortal Enchantment, you’re in luck! From April 24th to the 28th, The Shadow Prince & Mortal Enchantment will be FREE on Amazon. It’s a limited time offer so get it while you can. Just follow the link: Stacey O’Neale’s Amazon Page. Now, moving on to the cover reveal…

Comments...

Tada, here is the cover and I have to say that I really like it. The color choices complement each other, and the overall style fits with the previous ones for the series. Right now there's no synopsis for it, but you can add the book to your Goodreads TBR by visiting the page HERE. 

And don't forget to visit Stacey O'Neale online...

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Below you can enter for a chance to win a $100 Amazon or Barnes & Noble Gift Card from O’Neale, winner’s choice. 

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Reading Habits Book Tag

Today I'm participating in the Reading Habits Book Tag created by TheBookJazz. This one has been around for a while, but it seemed like it might be fun to answer the questions anyway. As always, don't forget to check out the original video HERE

Do you have a certain place at home for reading?

I usually just read at my desk since its closer to where I keep the majority of my books. Plus I have a lamp there that provides the perfect amount of light for reading.

Bookmark or random piece of paper?

Sometimes I'll use a bookmark, but I hardly do.  Most of the time I just dog ear the tops of the pages.

Can you just stop reading or do you have to stop after a chapter/ a certain amount of pages?

Honestly, I can stop reading at any point of the book. It doesn't have to be at the start of a new chapter or after a certain amount of pages.  It depends solely on when I feel like putting the book down or need to stop and do other things.

Do you eat or drink while reading?

I sometimes drink water, but I usually leave the book behind if I'm about to eat. The last thing I want to do is spill something on it. Food stains on a book would be a pretty terrible thing.

Multitasking: Music or TV while reading?

I actually like to listen to music while reading. TV is a little more distracting, but I've done it before and there's a high probability that I'll do it again in the next few days.

One book at a time or several at once?

Oh, definitely one book at a time. In fact, I like to give myself at least a week to finish a book and the review before moving on to something else.

Reading at home or everywhere?

At home—I don't like reading when I'm out since there's too many things that would end up distracting me.

Reading out loud or silently in your head?

Mostly I'll read silently in my head unless I'm reading parts of a book to someone else during a discussion or something like it.

Do you read ahead or even skip pages?

What?  Read ahead?  Skipping Pages?  I'd like to say no way. However, its a little more complicated than that. I won't skip ahead especially if its a book that I'm enjoying.  Now if its something that's failing to get my interest I might skip a number of pages to see if I want to even continue on with the book in question.

Breaking the spine or keeping it like new?

Uh, I really don't care about the spines of my books, so breaking them isn't a problem for me.

Do you write in your books?

Uh-uh, no. I don't write in my books under any circumstance.  I might dog ear the pages but writing in them is a big no for me. I'd rather use Post It's to stick little notes in the books if I really needed to.

Who do you tag?

I tag anyone who wants to participate.

Don't forget to visit TheBookJazz over on Youtube. Happy reading!

Musing Mondays (27)

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

My Musings for the Week...


Its Monday again, so I decided that I would participate in Musing Mondays this week. So today I’m musing about cover art. This year I have seen some spectacular cover art for serval books, like Ten Thousand Skies Above You by Claudia Gray and Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman. (I haven’t read these books, I might not, but the covers are nice.) It got me thinking about some of my favorite artist. Some of which include Michael O, John Harris, and Stevie Lewis.

John Harris has done some of my favorite covers, because honestly I like his style of art. Some of his art has been featured on novels by Ann Leckie and John Scalzi.

This next one shouldn't come as much of a surprise, but I had to mention her. You know, Mary GrandPré, she illustrated Harry Potter. I don’t even think I can further explain this one, so I’ll leave it at the fact that her art is fantastic.

The next artist that I want to mention is Adam S. Doyle. I actually really like his covers for The Raven Cycle Series & the Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater.

Stevie Lewis illustrated one of my favorite books this year, Finding Serendipity, so it’s easy to see why I’m a fan of her artwork.

Really, I could go on and on, so I’m just going to leave it at that for today. So what are some of your favorite books covers?