Musing Mondays (22)

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.

*MizB(Jenn) has a new blog, A Daily Rhythm, don't forget to drop by and check it out!*

My Musings for the Week...

This week for Musing Monday's I'm going to share a few of the book trailers I've come across. I did a few posts like this last year as well (Part 1 & Part 2), and I thought I would do it again. I guess you could say that this is sort of like a part three to the other two. Basically, there's one trailer that I want to share. Lets get started.

The Tapper Twins Go to War (With Each Other) by Geoff Rodkey This book releases April 7, 2015, but you can check out the website now: CLICK HERE 

Summary from Goodreads...

A contemporary comedy featuring twelve-year-old fraternal twins, Claudia and Reese, who couldn't be more different...except in their determination to come out on top in a vicious prank war! But when the competition escalates into an all-out battle that's fought from the cafeteria of their New York City private school all the way to the fictional universe of an online video game, the twins have to decide if their efforts to destroy each other are worth the price... 

So that's basically it.  Maybe I'll do another post later like this one later on, it just depends. 

What are you reading this week? Or, what are some of your favorite book trailers?

ARC Review: Finding Serendipity by Angelica Banks

Title: Finding Serendipity 
Author: Angelica Banks
Source/Format: Won, ARC
More Details: Middle Grade, Fantasy
Publisher/Publication Date: Henry Holt and Co., February 3, 2015

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Summary from Goodreads...

When Tuesday McGillycuddy and her beloved dog, Baxterr, discover that Tuesday’s mother—the famous author Serendipity Smith—has gone missing, they set out on a magical adventure. In their quest to find Serendipity, they discover the mysterious and unpredictable place that stories come from. Here, Tuesday befriends the fearless Vivienne Small, learns to sail an enchanted boat, tangles with an evil pirate, and discovers the truth about her remarkable dog. Along the way, she learns what it means to be a writer and how difficult it can sometimes be to get all the way to The End.

It took me a couple of days to finally just sit down and write this review. Not because I didn’t like this book, but for the simple fact that I had to figure out what I wanted to say without spoiling it for everyone else. When I first read the synopsis for this book I was excited to read it. It just seemed like my kind of story. And I have to say that it not only reached my expectations but exceeded them. Finding Serendipity is a gorgeously spun tale about a place where stories can live and breathe, and the adventures of a girl who sets out to find her mother, Serendipity Smith.

I loved this book. The concept of it was just awesome and done so well that I had a hard time putting this book down. The setting, wow, I loved everything about it—the idea behind it clearly had some thought to it and the execution of the details made it easy to get immersed in the story.

As far as characters go, I really liked Tuesday McGillycuddy. On the day that she thinks Serendipity will finally be able to take some time off she finds that her mother has mysteriously gone missing. And she was worried, which was entirely understandable. So, one thing led to another and Tuesday ends up in a place where she thinks she’ll find her mother. The way she got there was just…I don’t even know what to say about it besides that it was definitely something I haven’t read before, and entirely entertaining to watch unfold. It was one of the numerous aspects that I liked about Finding Serendipity. Ok, now I’m going to talk about the dog, Baxterr. I loved Baxterr! He was faithful and helpful to Tuesday and he was just such a nice addition to the story. I could go on and on about all of the various characters but that would kind of be a spoiler so I’m just going to stop now. I’ll just leave it at the fact that they were all great!

All in all, Finding Serendipity was an entirely enjoyable book, and while it might be considered middle grade, I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to read it. The only thing I really have to say that could even remotely be considered a complaint is that I wish there was a sequel, because I would totally read it.

Cover Reveal: Balance Keepers: The Pillars of Ponderay by Lindsay Cummings

Today the cover for book two of the Balance Keepers series by Lindsay Cummings is being revealed. The Pillars of Ponderay will be released September 22, 2015. Check out the cover below!

About the book...

Albert Flynn is psyched to return to the Core, the magical world at the center of the earth where Balance Keepers fix problems in three underground Realms. Last term, Albert and his Balance Keeper teammates Birdie and Leroy saved New York by fixing the Calderon Realm and were crowned First Unit, aka the Coolest Kids in the Core.
Now Albert and his teammates have been called to the Core for an emergency training session…along with their archenemy, Hoyt. There’s a horrible Imbalance in the Ponderay Realm and they have only seven days before California will be swallowed by hurricanes, earthquakes, and tsunamis. Worse yet, it’s rumored there’s a traitor among them who is causing all this chaos.

Will Albert, Leroy, and Birdie discover who’s been putting the Core—and the world above—in danger? Can they save Ponderay before California becomes an underwater wasteland forever?

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Don't forget to visit the author online...

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Discussion: On the importance of taking a break…

On the importance of taking a break…

Most of the time blogging is fun for me, but even then I still need breaks from it. Early last week I read a book that I didn’t like and ended up DNFing—I’m not naming names—needless to say, it completely threw me off. I ended up taking the rest of the week off since my posts were already scheduled. I found that I had absolutely no enthusiasm to pick up another book.

And I have to say that I think I needed that time away to just do other things. The extra time allowed me to come up with some new ideas for the blog—a new header that I’m currently putting the finishing touches on. And now with a new week I feel ready to get back to reading and blogging. So, this week is going to be kind of slow. As for what I’m currently reading, well I’m not at the moment, but I hope to start something soon.

What do you think? Do you occasionally need time away from something, even if you enjoy it?

The Friday 56 (21)

 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

"I reach the wall and turn right, the sun beating down above us in violent waves. I wish he would have told me we were doing this today. I would have dressed in lighter clothes, like shorts and a tank instead of pants."--Hover Melissa West


What's on your page 56 this week?

Review: Hover by Melissa West

Title: Hover
Author: Melissa West
Source/Format: Purchased, Paperback
More Details: YA, Dystopian, Science Fiction
Publisher/Publication Date: Entangled Teen, August 13, 2013

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Summary from Goodreads...

On Earth, seventeen-year-old Ari Alexander was taught to never peek, but if she hopes to survive life on her new planet, Loge, her eyes must never shut. Because Zeus will do anything to save the Ancients from their dying planet, and he has a plan.

Thousands of humans crossed over to Loge after a poisonous neurotoxin released into Earth's atmosphere, nearly killing them. They sought refuge in hopes of finding a new life, but what they became were slaves, built to wage war against their home planet. That is, unless Ari and Jackson can stop them. But on Loge, nothing is as it seems...and no one can be trusted...

I don’t know if this is going to be a thing, but I have to say that the dystopian books that I’ve decided to read this year have been really good. Hover is a sequel to Gravity, which is a book I read a long time ago, so I was curious to see where the story was going. Some of the details I’ve forgotten about—but not too much to where I couldn’t get back into the story. I have to say that I really liked Hover.

Loge as a setting was interesting. The landscape was vastly different from what I remember of the setting from Gravity. The transition between the two books really highlights the differences between the two worlds, and it was easy to see where some of the characters got their motivation.

Ari Alexander’s life on Loge was immensely different from the one she lived on earth. I liked seeing how she dealt with the sudden changes. Jackson and Ari’s relationship was an aspect of the story that I really enjoyed. They worked well together, and I liked the dynamic of it. West did an excellent job conveying the emotional turmoil that they experienced the longer they were on Loge as Ari learned more about Jackson’s past. Every time Zeus would pop up I just…*glare.* Seriously, I didn’t like Zeus at all, he was manipulative, coldhearted, and it seemed like he ended up losing himself no matter if his original intentions were for the benefit of his people or not. Also, he was calculating…seriously, he was. But that was part of the suspense that surrounded the story—there was just no telling what Zeus was going to do next.

The plot, while slow at times, was nice. I’m not going to specify because I don’t want to reveal anything. But just know that I completely enjoyed Hover. And now, I’m curious to know how the trilogy ends.

Musing Mondays (21)

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading, that asks you to muse about something book related each week.

My Musings for the Week....

This week I'm going to be answering the random weekly question: Do you enjoy debating / discussing the books that others are currently reading? Why, or why not?

My answer to this is going to be short. No, I don't enjoy debating/discussing the books that others are currently reading, because I think they should form their own opinion about it—especially if I've already read the book.  I don't want my opinion influencing how they view the book.  If they enjoy it, then they just do.  And if not, they're perfectly entitled to have that opinion. So once they do finish then we can have a discussion about it, even if our opinions differ.

What are you reading this week?

Review: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

Title: A Wrinkle in Time 
Author: Madeleine L'Engle
Source/Format: won, 50th Anniversary Edition
More Details: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Middle Grade
Publisher/Publication Date: Square Fish, first published 1962

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Before I get started, let me just say that I completely forgot that this review even existed. Its just been sitting unpublished for a few months and it wasn't until recently when I was going through my drafts that I realized this mistake. Anyway, moving on to the forgotten review. (This one only covers the first book in the edition I have.)

Before I won the 50th anniversary edition I never actually considered reading A Wrinkle in time by Madeleine L'Engle.  Despite the fact that I've heard about it I honestly didn’t think that it would interest me. But I’m glad to say that I didn’t pass it up because I actually ended up enjoying this book.

 A Wrinkle in Time is a deeply imaginative story about friendship, the bonds between family no matter how far apart you are, and absurdly cool science fiction themes that contrasted nicely with the story. The setting was numerous places and spanned across different, often times strange—sometimes drastically methodical—worlds that were so unlike the one we all know. It all began in a small town but gradually shifted once the Tesseract’s meaning was revealed. A Wrinkle in Time was easily an enjoyable, entertaining novel that’s one of my favorites. The characters were wonderful—they were well-written with a number of flaws to make them different from one another—and it was interesting to see how those characteristics would play into the events of the plot.

While I did find the beginning to be a little slow—as it did take some time to introduce the characters and setup the plot—things did pick up quickly after that and the pacing ended up having a nice flow. The ending was quick, but nice, and it wrapped up a lot of the plotlines introduced in A Wrinkle in Time. All in all, I look forward to reading A Wind in the Door.

Would You Rather Book Tag

So today I’m going to participate in the Would You Rather Book Tag created by RayKayBooks over on youtube. Link to the original video: CLICK HERE 

Read only trilogies or standalones?

While I do love series sometimes I’m just looking for a single story that’s completed in one book. So, I have to go with standalones.

Read only female or male authors?

I can’t choose between them, so I’m just going to have to go with both. Sure, it’s a cop-out answer, but I really can’t decide because some of my favorite authors are male as well as others that are female.

Shop at Barnes & Noble or Amazon?

I’m going to say Barnes & Noble because I enjoy going to the store to see what they have rather than browsing the selection online.

All books become movies or TV shows?

Sometimes I think that books with more information in them would do better as TV shows, not that I don’t like movies. However my answer for this one would be TV show.

Read 5 pages per day or 5 books per week?

5 pages per day, because I want to have time to do others things besides reading.

Be a professional reviewer or author?

N/A

Only read your top 20 favorite books over and over or always read new ones that you haven't read before?

I would actually read the books I haven’t read before, because rereading only my favorites would mean that I would be passing up all the other great books out there that I haven’t discovered yet.

Be a librarian or book seller?

My answer for this one is book seller.

Only read your favorite genre, or every genre except your favorite?

Oh man, this is a tough question considering that I would really want to read books in my favorite genre, but that would be kind of restrictive. So, I have to go with every genre except my favorite.

Only read physical books or eBooks?

Physical books all the way, because I still prefer them over ebooks.

Well those are my answers. I’m not tagging anyone specifically, but if you want to participate then I tag you. And don't forget to check out RayKayBooks on youtube. Happy reading!

Musing Mondays (20)

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading, that asks you to muse about something book related each week.

My Musings for the Week...

This week I'm reading Hover by Melissa West, book two in The Taking series. This book was released August 13, 2013.

Goodreads     Amazon     Barnes & Noble     Book Depository     Book Outlet

More about the book (Summary from Goodreads)...

On Earth, seventeen-year-old Ari Alexander was taught to never peek, but if she hopes to survive life on her new planet, Loge, her eyes must never shut. Because in this world, pleasure is everything, held up by a ruling body that keeps their people in check by giving them what they want and closing their eyes to what's really happening around them. The only hope Loge has is to move its people to Earth, and they have a plan.

Thousands of humans crossed over to Loge after a poisonous neurotoxin released into Earth’s atmosphere, nearly killing them. They sought refuge in hopes of finding a new life, but what they became were slaves, built to wage war against their home planet. That is, unless Ari and Jackson can stop them. But on Loge, nothing is as it seems…and no one can be trusted...

What are you reading this week?

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day from Our Thoughts Precisely! I hope everyone has a wonderful day.

The Friday 56 (20)

  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

"I'd do what I always did: I'd survive."--The Keep Veronica Wolff




What's on your page 56 this week?

Review: The Keep by Veronica Wolff

Title: The Keep
Author: Veronica Wolff
Source/ Format: Purchased, Paperback
More Details: YA, Paranormal
Publisher/ Publication Date: NAL Trade, June 4, 2013

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I had a hard time deciding just how much I liked this book after I finished it. It took me some time to get to The Keep, but at least now I can say that I finished the series. And I’m trying to finish more of the various series I started a while ago. And this one happened to be about vampires. I did enjoy the concept of The Watchers series throughout the previous books, and I was looking forward to seeing how it ended.

I’m conflicted, I really am. Don’t get me wrong I liked this book, but it was just sort of average for me. However, there were a few things that bothered me. But first I’m going to start with what I did like.

The Keep sat on my shelf for about two months. I finally decided to read it after finishing and reviewing a book for another blog. This book began a short time after Blood Fever ended, and Drew is basically struggling with what happened. I’m not going to specify what that something was, but it changed things on the island for Drew. Speaking of the main character, well, she was reckless and didn't seem to listen to any advice being given to her—and one aspect of the story almost seemed to become an obsession for her. Though I could understand why, the Isle of Night was a horrible place to be. So I think Wolff did a good job capturing the overall atmosphere of the Isle of Night, and portraying the characters—including those that thrived in that environment and others that didn't do so well.

And now here’s what I didn't like so much: the ending and parts of the plot. The plot…hmmm, well at times I felt like it was a little repetitive but interesting enough to keep my attention. The part that really got me was the ending. It felt entirely rushed and unfinished to me. There were too many mysteries introduced in this novel—even at the very end—and I had to sit down and think for a while about what I wanted to say about The Keep. I believe that this is the last book and I wish that there had been more—maybe even another book to finish tying up those loose ends. I liked this book but not as much as the previous three in The Watchers Series. So that's why I'm going to give it a 3.5.

Excerpt & Giveaway: Salt & Stone by Victoria Scott

Salt & Stone by Victoria Scott is nearly here! But before we get to the excerpt & giveaway here's a little more about the book.

Summary from Goodreads...

In Fire & Flood, Tella Holloway faced a dangerous trek through the jungle and across the desert, all to remain a Contender in the Brimstone Bleed for a chance at obtaining the Cure for her brother. She can't quit--she has to win the race, save Cody, and then fight to make sure the race stops before it can claim any more lives. In the next legs of the race, across the ocean and over mountains, Tella will face frostbite, sharks, avalanche, and twisted new rules in the race.But what if the danger is deeper than that? How do you know who to trust when everyone's keeping secrets? What do you do when the person you'd relied on most suddenly isn't there for support? How do you weigh one life against another?The race is coming to an end, and Tella is running out of time, resources, and strength. At the start of the race there were one hundred twenty-two Contenders. As Tella and her remaining friends start the final part of the race, just forty-one are left--and only one can win.

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I swallow and stare at him in the dark, my entire body itching to feel his touch. When I see the anticipation in his stance, the way he looks at me as if I’m both infuriating and appealing — it makes me feel powerful. But when he takes a step in my direction, that power plummets to some place untouchable. Now I’m a seventeen-year-old girl again, standing in the shadows with someone who feels like he’s lived three lives to my one.

“Come with me,” he orders.

There’s no room for refusal, and I don’t want there to be. He takes my hand to help me step over sleeping bodies, both human and Pandora. When I stumble, he leans over and sweeps beneath my knees. I’m brought into his arms with the same ease I may use to curl a rabbit to my chest. But I’m not such an innocent, silent creature.

I’ve got spirit and fire in spades. Though, right now, as he carries me to the single back bedroom, I have neither. I’m somebody else now. I’m Tella Holloway, Boston girl turned Montana transplant, sitting on the edge of her bed, awaiting her very first date with the boy who makes her parents uneasy. A boy who doesn’t speak nearly enough, but when he does, this girl stops and listens. In my mind’s eye, I’m wearing the silver-sequined dress that’s hibernated in my closet far too long. I feel beautiful and confident, and who cares if he said we’re going to the lake at night? I want to glimpse the look on his face when he sees me. I envision how his entire face will light up as if it’s lit from within. How his full lips will part slightly and his cold blue eyes will soften.

Guy sets me on my feet, and I gaze up at him.

Oh yes. Right there. That’s the look I imagined.

© 2015 Victoria Scott. From Salt & Stone by Victoria Scott, published by Scholastic Inc. All rights reserved.

That excerpt was awesome, right? Anyway, don't forget to visit Victoria Scott...

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Below you can enter for a chance to win a signed UK edition of FIRE & FLOOD, a signed galley of SALT & STONE, and signed swag. This giveaway is open internationally. Good luck to everyone who enters!

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

Musing Mondays (19)

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading, that asks you to muse about something book related each week.

My Musings for the Week...

This week I'm going to share a bit about the book I'm currently reading. I literally just started an ARC of Finding Serendipity by Angelica Banks. This is a middle grade novel that was released on February 3, 2015.

Goodreads     Amazon     Barnes & Noble     Book Depository

More about the book (Summary from Goodreads)...

When Tuesday McGillycuddy and her beloved dog, Baxterr, discover that Tuesday’s mother—the famous author Serendipity Smith—has gone missing, they set out on a magical adventure. In their quest to find Serendipity, they discover the mysterious and unpredictable place that stories come from. Here, Tuesday befriends the fearless Vivienne Small, learns to sail an enchanted boat, tangles with an evil pirate, and discovers the truth about her remarkable dog. Along the way, she learns what it means to be a writer and how difficult it can sometimes be to get all the way to The End...

What are you reading this week?

Book Haul

So, today I thought I would do an actual book haul, which I haven’t done before on Our Thoughts Precisely. But I figured I might as well put together a post since I recently received some books in the mail.

Won…

First, I won Save Me by Jenny Elliott from TheBook Bratz. It’s one of Swoon Reads books so I’m curious to see how it goes.

Next I won Mortal Gods by Kendare Blake (Thank you to RayKayBooks & Kendare Blake).

And finally, I won Finding Serendipity by AngelicaBanks (Thank you to Macmillan Kids, this book sounds adorable and I can’t wait to start it).

For review…

I got Scarlett Undercover by Jennifer Latham (A huge thank you to The Novl for this one. I’m really excited to read it, but I think I’ll do the review closer to the release date).

Purchased…

I purchased a kindle copy of Alienated by Melissa Landers (I’ll get to this one eventually, but I do look forward to reading it).

So that’s basically it for this haul. I don’t know, maybe I’ll do another one when I get more books, but for the foreseeable future who knows.

ARC Review: Lucidity by Stephanie Thomas

Title: Lucidity

Author: Stephanie Thomas

Source/Format: Author, E-ARC

Age Range: YA

Publisher/Publication Date: February 7, 2015

Goodreads     Amazon

Summary from Goodreads...

Beatrice never thought she’d find herself in the middle of Aura, the city of her sworn enemy, the Dreamcatchers. Nor did she never think she’d abandon everything she’d ever known and everyone she’d ever loved to blindly follow Echo, the Dreamcatcher Prince. Gabe would never forgive her, if he lives, and nor will any of the Seers. Upon arriving, Beatrice is quickly thrown into the Dreamcatcher Queen’s self-serving plot to save Aura from a disastrous plague, and Bea’s anticipated return to the City is becoming less likely every day she is held captive and subjected to the epidemic. Full Summary Here

My history with dystopian books has been spotty to say the least—I liked some and I disliked even more—but thankfully, Lucidity by Stephanie Thomas is one that I actually liked! You have no idea how excited I am about that.

It’s been some time since I read Luminosity, the first book in the series, and it was kind of an average read for me. But I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the sequel. The writing had a good flow to it, and it was easy to get into the story. There were plenty of descriptions and I could easily visualize the setting and what was happening. I really enjoyed the concept of Seers and Dreamcatchers, and the conflict that surrounded them.

Things literally started where the last book ended, and I was glad to see what happened to the characters after the events of Luminosity. Beatrice was a little indecisive—sometimes she was sure about what she wanted, and at other times she seemed more conflicted. But actually, it kind of worked. Beatrice was raised to have certain beliefs and I could understand why she had a hard time straying from them.

The conflict in Lucidity was enough to keep me invested in the story—the ending wrapped things up nicely and I liked it. Overall, the plot was good and the pacing was nice. The world building was handled well and it was easy to understand the society that the characters had to live in. Who knows, maybe my enthusiasm for dystopian books has finally returned, but regardless I enjoyed this book.

This copy of the book was provided by the author for review, thank you!