Kelly reviews "Confessions of Marie Antoinette" + giveaway!

Title: Confessions of Marie Antoinette
Author: Juliet Grey
Published: Ballantine Books, 24 September 2013

This book was reviewed as a part of Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours.



While I've read through and reviewed the first two books in Juliet Grey's trilogy covering the life of Marie Antoinette, I knew it'd all come to this. The final book. The ending is never going to change, but I always hope it does. Let me just tell you now, in Confessions of Marie Antoinette the ending doesn't change and it's extremely heartbreaking. Get out the tissues.

The overall feel of the book is very bleak and leaves you with feelings of helplessness as it takes place in the midst of the Revolution and overturning of the monarchy. Marie and her husband King Louis are losing stability everyday. Their power has been stripped away and they are completely at the mercy of the French citizens attempting to create and control a new government. The majority of their family and friends have fled to the country - those who stay risk their lives in doing so. Even servants who seem to show to much kindness to the king and queen are arrested for fears of royalist sympathies. It's a disturbing and frightening time in France, yet Marie Antoinette but put on a brave face for her husband, her children, and her people. Yet through this, we still have tender, thoughtful, and clever moments that emphasizes what a close unit Louis, Marie, and their children were forced to become. You get the feeling that their family was the only reason they survived so long.

This book was originally titled something along the lines of The Last October Sky, which I thought was extremely beautiful. It correlated nicely with the last few pages of the book. I'm not sure why the change came about, but it sounds like it'd be written in diary form, which it's not. It's also strange because the whole point of the book was that Marie was innocent of all the slander thrown against her. She had nothing to confess. Throughout the journey of this trilogy you can tell that Marie Antoinette is a figure very near and dear to Juliet Grey's heart. She is written with such sympathy, detail, and care that it's hard not to become attached to her as a character throughout this journey.
Grey's Marie Antoinette will always be my favorite!

Leave a comment below for your chance to win a copy of Confessions of Marie Antoinette!

Paula's short review of A Short Stay In Hell

 

A Short Stay In Hell by Steven L. Peck

Strange Violin Editions  

Lent to me by a friend

4 stars

A few months ago my friend was over for dinner and saw that I was reading On A Pale Horse by Piers Anthony. The cover of my edition was a great illustration of Death riding in a Cadillac and prompted a discussion of how we both adore books that take on different views and discussions of death (and capital D personification Death). Her immediate recommendation was the novella A Short Stay in Hell. 

The premise of the book is simple. Our main character, Soren Johansson, has died. He led a simple Mormon life and died young of health reasons. He finds himself in Hell- because all along Zoroastrianism was the true religion. The great thing about this religion? Hell isn't eternal. The downside... it can still last a very very very very very very very long time. (We're still talking millions of years). Soren gets cast into a specific hell based on The Library of Babel. He is told that as soon as he finds the book that contains his life story he is allowed to leave. Being cast into a library for awhile- that sounds awesome right? Soren quickly finds out that is not the case. This library contains every book that has ever been written and Soren can't leave until he finds his own....

Guys. This book is so good. It reminds me (in the best kind of way) of that Twilight Zone episode Time Enough At Last where the bookworm's glasses break. Clocking in at just over 100 pages - it only took me an hour or so to read. I devoured it. Each event that happened was perfectly chosen and needed to be in the story. This book presents a lot of different ideas on death and eternity and isolation. But in a way that doesn't feel forced or "REALLY IMPORTANT" like a lot of literature tends to do. 

Unfortunately since it is such a small release- it might be difficult to find a copy at a big box store. But it should be available on Amazon. http://amzn.com/098374842X so if you are looking for something quick to read that will still fill your mind with amazing thoughts. I highly suggest you click that link.

Broke and Bookish Book Haul for 9/15 - 9/28

Daisy's Book Haul

Bought:
-More Than This by Patrick Ness: Book Club made me do it! I've been hearing all sorts of wonderful things about Patrick Ness' writing and although this book doesn't sound particularly exciting, I will read it and hopefully become a fan as well. It's also the first book club book! Yay book club! :)
-The Ocean At The End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman: I tell myself the excuse that I had to buy it because I am a member of this bookish-thing and it has me ordering a book from them every 3 months, but really, it's shiny. And it's Neil Gaiman.
-Hidden by Sophie Jordan: Because I can't resist ordering all the books in a series I haven't even started yet... This is a thing now...
-Deception by C.J. Redwine: I've heard really good things about Defiance and although I haven't read it yet myself, I plan to soonish!

Gifted:
I have many amazing people in my life and they make my heart happy buying me books!
-From my brother for my birthday: Het Meisjesboek: the original title was The Daring Book For Girls and it promises me that it has EVERYTHING a girl should know hidden in its pages :)
-From the GP I have my residency with for my birthday: Stand-up Filosoof: which translates as Stand-Up Philosopher, it's a non-fiction book and it sounds really interesting!
-From The Broke and the Bookish's very own Kimberly just because she's an amazing person: Tuesdays At The Castle by Jessica Day George: I ADORE this book! If you haven't read it, go do it now, because it's a Middle Grade novel that totally stole my heart! And Kimberly, being the wonderful person she is, went to a signing a while back and got me a signed copy as well!! Look how pretty it is:

I know I already said it, but thank you so much!! <3

Egalleys for Review:
-Poison Dance by Livia Blackburne: prequel to the Midnight Thief, which will be released in 2014, sounds really good!
-Gentlemen Prefer Mischief by Emily Greenwood: I love a good ugly duckling turns beauty story :)
-Far From You by Tess Sharpe: this sounds SO CREEPY and amazing and just YAY!!!
-Infinityglass by Myra McEntire: SO MUCH EXCITEMENT!! I really love this series and I'm dying to find out what happens in this last book!
-Afterparty by Ann Redisch Stampler: lately I've been leaning towards more contemporary and this one sounds amazing!
-Taste of Darkness by Maria V. Snyder: EEEE!! ALL THE EXCITEMENT!!! I mean, seriously, I squealed when I saw this on NetGalley and you better believe I'm reading it soon!! So much love for Maria V. Snyder's writing!!
-Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong: I've heard really good things about Kelley Armstrong's books and this one sounds like just my kind of book!
-Wicked Little Secrets by Susanna Ives: a childhood hero. Really, that's all I need.
-The Scandal In Kissing An Heir by Sophie Barnes: I really enjoyed the first book in this series and this one sounds really good as well :)


Our Broke & Bookish book haul is inspired by memes like IMM & Stacking the Shelves & Mailbox Monday. This is just our very simple way of doing it collaboratively so we can participate in all of them and not have to choose one.

Bookish Deals (26)

Happy Saturday, everyone! Welcome to today's biweekly edition of Bookish Deals where I (Julia) try to scour the Internet to find you guys an array of deals to fit in with any budget!



So. Today is a day for me to give you tons of deals. But I am also a rabid Cleveland Indians fan. Are in the hunt for the wild card, which is a game we would play to get into the playoffs. What this means is that I am going to be glued to the T.V. Hopefully watching us clinch a spot today. And we just got a home run, putting us up 2-0. Omg my heart.

Anyway, so as not to leave you all high and dry, EpicReads, a Harper Collins YA website, has four books on sale for 2.99 or less. I purchased For Darkness Shows the Stars.

Barnes and Noble's nookbook selection looks to have a 50% off sale on Nook best sellers (and if I had to guess, most of these would be matched on Amazon... they like to do that). Some books I saw on there that may be good deals:

• The Book Thief - $4.99
• The Shinning - $3.99
• A Game of Thrones - $4.99

And that was only looking at the first two pages. There are plenty more of various genres. 

So with that I am going to go back to my baseball.

PS: If you are a Goodreads member and unaware of the change they made to the Terms of Service (without making a site wide announcement). Check out this summary of what is going on. There is a thread in the feedback group, but it is so endless and convoluted, the summary does it better. I don't think most people have a problem with the policy, but how they are choosing to enforce it without any clear guidelines, and you deleting things without warning, that have people up in arms. Anyway take a peek if you are interested in learning more. 

Bridget Reviews The Book of Lies by Brad Meltzer

Title: The Book of Lies

Author: Brad Meltzer

Published: 2011

So I was at my local Goodwill a few weeks ago to drop off some clothes when I remembered that they probably had a book section. Naturally, I couldn't resist the idea of cheap books so I went and looked around a little while. Paperbacks were $.25 or 5 for a dollar or something, so I figured I'd buy a few and always have something new to read if I needed it.

As it happened, one of these books was The Book of Lies. Catchy title, so I glanced at the blurb and threw it in. Here's that blurb:

Cain kills Abel in Chapter Four of the Bible. It is the world's most famous murder. But the Bible is silent about one key detail: the weapon Cain used to kill his brother. That weapon is still lost to history.

In 1932, Mitchell Siegel was killed by three gunshots to his chest. While mourning, his son dreamed of a bulletproof man and created the world's greatest hero: Superman. And like Cain's murder weapon, the gun used in this unsolved murder has never been found.

Until now.

Today in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Cal Harper comes face-to-face with his family's greatest secret: his long-lost father, who's been shot with a gun that traces back to Michell Siegel's 1932 murder. But before Cal can ask a single question, he and his father are attacked by a ruthless killer tattooed with the ancient markings of Cain. And so begins the chase for the world's first murder weapon.

What does Cain, history's greatest villain, have to do with Superman, the world's greatest hero? And what do two murders, committed thousands of years apart, have in common? 

One thing I will say about this book is that I appreciated both the big twist at the end and the (mostly) utter lack of any romantic subplot. A little romance can be okay sometimes but a lot of the time it just detracts from the real plot (unless, of course, romance is the real plot). The Book of Lies, though, mostly stuck to the whole guns-and-car-chases thing.

This is a good thing, because the whole Cain and Abel/Superman thing was held together VERY tenuously. Even just a week or so after finishing the book, I can't remember quite how it all came together in the end or what exactly entwined the two things to begin with. This could be because I sort of skimmed through it half-heartedly--it never really captured my attention--but part of the reason I was skimming was because I was hoping to get to a place that would explain to me everything that was going on because it all seemed somewhat nonsensical. 

Anyway, if you've got a few hours to kill on a bus/plane/train/etc., I wouldn't discourage you from picking this up. I actually gave away my copy the day I finished it because I was working at a golf tournament and there was a lot of down time, so when I did finish it I gave it to someone who hadn't brought anything to read. It's not very memorable and not wonderfully written, but it's something to read when you have some time to kill.

Jen's Harry Potter Summer

Confession:

Until this summer I had only read the first Harry Potter book...which I read the previous summer...for the first time. My Harry Potter summer started back in June when Kelly, Kimberly, and I were discussing Code Name Verity for our collaborative post. Not surprisingly after a while we strayed from our book conversation and somehow it came up that I had only read The Sorcerers' Stone. Somehow that turned into me agreeing to read the entire series. And I did. In twelve weeks I read books two through seven AND watched the first three movies.

Conclusion:

I enjoyed the series a lot more than I thought I would! I'm not much of a fantasy novel girl and didn't think I'd like the books at all. But I loved the world that JK Rowling created and the cast of characters. She even created a fictional character that I hate with a passion, Dolores Umbridge. I have never hated a fictional character so much. I think Hagrid was my favorite character but I also loved Dobby (even though he was a tad annoying at times).

The wizard world...JK Rowling put SO much thought and effort into that and it shows. I swear she literally thought of everything. One day I'll reread the books and probably discover so many things that I missed the first time around.

Top Ten Tuesday -- Top Ten Best Sequels Ever

More information about Top Ten Tuesday and future topics can be found here.

Hi guys! Time for another Top Ten Tuesday! This week we're talking about the BEST SEQUELS EVER. These ones didn't give you the second book in a series syndrome and they just kept making the series BETTER or sealing the deal.

1. Jamie's Pick: Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi -OMG. Steamier, crazier, more kickass. SO GOOD. This series just gets better and better.

2. Jamie's Pick: Through The Ever Night by Veronica Rossi - I really enjoyed Under the Never Sky but Through the Ever Night BLEW MY MIND and made this series surge to the top of my favorite series lists!

3. Jana's Pick: Scarlet by Marissa Meyer - I loved Scarlet so much! I can't even begin to nail down my reasons... so I will just say I loved it for ALL the reasons! (Julia is seconding this one (and now has to think of another :)) Seriously if you like fairy tales and dystopian YAs read this (and Cinder) now!)

4. Jana's Pick: Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo - The Grisha books are definitely in my top 5 of all the books (and series) that are good. Plus, I love the new characters and all the new info! If you have not read Shadow and Bone yet, do it! (Seconded by Daisy!)

5. Daisy's Pick: Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas: I LOVED Throne of Glass, but Crown of Midnight might even be better! Lots of amazing Chaol-moments!

6. Daisy's Pick: The Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson: SO MUCH LOVE FOR THIS SERIES!! Man, I totally loved the first two books, but the third one blew my mind, it was just so amazing and everything came together and OMG, JUST READ IT OK??

7. Tahleen's Pick: Harry Potter in general. I thought the sequels kept getting better and better, with perhaps the exception of The Order of the Phoenix. (Seconded by Bridget!!) (Julia is thirding this.. with a particular shout out to Prisoner of Azkaban).

8. Bridget's Pick: Tahleen stole my only good one, so I'm going to nominate my most anticipated sequel since the Harry Potter series: Dr. Sleep, Stephen King's sequel to The Shining. It comes out tomorrow and better be on my doorstep by the time I arrive home from work!

9. Julia's Pick: I added my comments throughout, but I have to say Moonglow by Kristen Callihan. I've mentioned her Darkest London series many a time on this blog, but it really is just a great group of books :)

10. Kelly's Pick: Glass is SUCH a great sequel to the book Crank by Ellen Hopkins. You naturally want to think that the main character will overcome her addiction to crystal meth that she struggled with in the first book but the surprises and heartaches just keep rolling out. I've never been so angry at a MC before!

The Broke & Bookish Crew's Favorite Reads of Summer 2013

We've read a lot of great books this Summer-- new and future releases as well as backlisted treasures! We took to the task of each listing 1-3 favorite books we've read during Summer 2013 (June 21 through the first day of Fall!) Farewell Summer 2013, you've been great all around!

Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan: This book was amazing. This is why he is a favorite of mine.

Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick: This was an unexpected book for me this summer but it was very memorable and super powerful.

Shadow & Bone by Leigh Bardugo: I'm so late to the game on this series but I THINK I MAY SECRETLY LOVE FANTASY NOVELS!! Excited for this series and excited to delve more into the fantasy scene!
Just One Year by Gayle Forman: Everything I could have hoped for and more!

Carter Finally Gets It by Brent Crawford. I think part of the reason I enjoyed this one so much was because I listened to the audio version narrated by Nick Podehl. Now I understand why everyone loves him as a narrator. This book has it's gross moments, but it was just too funny.

The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera. Just a lovely story, especially to listen to. I don't know much about the Maori people, and this was a nice glimpse into their modern (well, 30 years ago) world and culture. Ihimaera is an excellent storyteller and writer.

Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy. It's been a banner summer for audiobooks. This one was a great fantasy adventure full of danger and magic, and a lot of (sometimes dark) humor.

Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare: This was such a refreshing book for me! Hilarious, a unique premise and some hot scenes. Though I finished it in June, my sister and I are still talking about its goodness! (mini review here)

Kiss of Steel by Bec McMaster: Yay, steampunk! This was an awesome mix of steampunk, paranormal, romance and great writing. I had some problems with the ending, but that isn't dampening me for the rest of the series!

Favorite highlight of the late summer? I FINALLY finished A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin so I can hurry up an wait with the rest of the world for The Winds of Winter. But I can now traverse the internet and not worry about spoilers so this is a huge win for me :)

Golden by Jessi Kirby: I loved this book so much because it was about pushing your limits and getting out of your comfort zone.

Favorite reading highlight of the summer? I READ AND FINISHED THE HARRY POTTER SERIES.

Renegade by J.A. Souders: This was an amazingly glorious book about a group of people who live in a self-contained glass facility under the ocean. Their leader, Mother, has a little too much control... and a surface dweller who arrived by accident is all of a sudden very determined to undermine her authority. There's love, action, and pretty scenery! Loved it!

Camp Boyfriend by J.K. Rock: Loved this summery love story at camp! SO cute and so fun!

Covet by Tracey Garvis Graves: I love Tracey's ability to tackle tough subjects. She's an amazing writer, and I could not have asked for a better book from her.

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo: I SO LOVED THIS BOOK!! I had to text Kelly while I was reading this because I just had ALL THE FEELINGS! So Jamie: hurry up and read this :) I'm so excited to see Shadow and Bone there!

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas: SO much love for this series!! I adored this book and it may even have been better than Throne of Glass!

Boundless by Cynthia Hand: ALL THE TUCKER FEELINGS! I was so scared to read this last instalment in the series, but it was amazing and heartwrenching and just everything I could have wanted and SO WORTH IT!

And honorable mentions: The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn and Tarnish by Katherine Longshore!

Have you read any of these? What were YOUR favorite reads from this summer??

Julia Reviews The Hathaway Series by Lisa Kleypas

As everyone at this blog most likely knows by now, I read historical romance as if it sustains my life, but there are a few series' that I have heard about but just have not got around to reading. If the whole series hasn't received laudatory reviews, there is usually one book that people are gushing over, and since I am the type of person who must read in order and these omg!amazing books are usually like book 4, I go back and start the series over.

That is what happened with The Hathaway's. I had read one other Lisa Kleypas series, The Wallflowers, about the time I started cataloging on Goodreads. I thought there were some ups and downs to that one, but nothing that made me rush out and read this next series. Over time I heard some rumblings and I felt I should start reading it. 

This series which is about a family of five siblings, is like watching a chick flick and eating popcorn. I know I am not going to get some of the oh so great twists and turns as some of the other romances I have read, but in general the books are entertaining and engaging. The characters themselves are actually some of the most well rounded and consistent across the series as I have seen in a romance novel series. 

The thing with romance novel series' is that you have one main couple who are finding their happily ever after and after they find it.. well they can get rather dull. Why is this? Well part of the happily ever after is losing your personalities apparently, or so I've been taught by many (not all) romance series. The other thing I see a lot are characters who were outstanding secondary characters become people completely different from the characterization we have been shown to a lackluster effect when they are the star of their own novel. I HATE that! It happens so often! But neither of these things happened in this series, even across all five books.

The series really flows really well from one book to the other with each book focusing on one of the siblings and their love. The problems that didn't make it stand out for me is that everything is kind of predictable. And each book has a really long anticlimactic part at the end. The formula was really noticeable after awhile. But the beginnings of each book were unique(ish) and good. But once the love was wrapped up with a nice bow, there was always something that just wasn't wrapped up that I didn't care about.

Overall though it was a really fun series that I enjoyed and if you like some unique humor with historical flavor, I would check them out. I think the latter ones (especially the forth book) are really better when you have the background and the full story arc for Leo.

It's worth a looking into if you like historicals and are sick of the ton. Overall every book was a 3/5 from me (which is good :) ).

Top Ten Books On Daisy's Fall 2013 TBR List!

More information about Top Ten Tuesday and future topics can be found here.

Hi guys! Time for another Top Ten Tuesday! This week we're talking about the books on you Fall 2013 TBR list, it can be either books you're planning to read or Fall releases you're excited about!
As I'm really not very good at sticking to reading lists, I'll be showcasing the books that I'm wishing will make their way to my home in the next couple of months!

The Series Starters

These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner: I'm usually not a space-setting kinda girl, but this sounds really good and I've heard people rave about it already! So I'm excited :)

Pawn by Aimee Carter: I totally loved Aimee Carter's Goddess Test series and this sounds SO EXCITING!!

After Eden by Helen Douglas: I'm thinking time-travel related romance and high stakes and YES COUNT ME IN!

Tandem by Anna Jarzab: I am slightly obsessed with parallel worlds/lives/whatever and this sounds like my kind of book :)

Unbreakable by Kami Garcia: three words: ANCIENT. SECRET. SOCIETY. Seriously. That's all you need.

Perfect Ruin by Lauren DeStefano: I totally fail at reading series and have read Wither, but not the other books in Lauren DeStefano's series, BUT I really loved Wither, so I'm excited that she's releasing a new series :)

Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson: you guys know how much I love fantasy right?? I LOVED Elantris by Brandon Sanderson and am excited that he's branching out into YA as well! Steelheart sounds EPIC!

The Queens of Historical Romance Have Books Coming Out, Hold Your Bodices!

No Good Duke Goes Unpunished by Sarah MacLean: SO MUCH LOVE for this author!! She never fails to get me hooked into the story and her heroines are always lovable and smart and doesn't she have the best titles??? They are so clever and I like that :) And YAY for Temple's story!!

The Sum of All Kisses by Julia Quinn: I love Julia Quinn, she's one of those rare authors who manages to bring the funny along with the romance and I LOVE that! So yeah, I'm really excited to dive into her next book :)

The Hooray! Standalones are still a thing as well

The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes: teenagers working with the FBI and profiling and just being generally awesome --> OF COURSE I WANT TO READ THIS!!

Bellman and Black by Diane Setterfield: I have so much love for The Thirteenth Tale and I'm just SO EXCITED that there's a new book coming out by this author!! I hope it'll be just as wonderful as her other book was!

The Lonely Little Sequel

Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken: I completely LOVED The Darkest Minds and OMG, THAT ENDING!! So you better believe I'm itching to continue Ruby's story!!

So that's it for me, what's on your Fall TBR list? Any that we have in common? Books that definitely needed to be added to my list? Let me know!

Finding reading time during school

I am currently in my final semester of my undergrad. (WOOHOO!) I’m taking 20 credits and am working on my capstone project. I’m also working full time. Basically, some days I barely see the sun. Thankfully I have a boyfriend that understands the insanity of a final semester and doesn’t complain that half the time I get to spend with him I’m also doing homework. 

Unfortunately it also means I barely have any time to read. When I do, it’s usually just before bed and I end up reading a couple of pages before having to put it down because I can’t keep my eyes open. I don’t want to pick up any books that are too long because it would take so long to read I’d get bored. I don’t want to pick up anything with high angst levels because they stress me out, and I have plenty of stress as it is. I read Fangirl last week and loved it, it was such a fun read and was perfect. It also helps that I was out sick that day and spent the day in bed reading….

I need to find a happy medium. A good, entertaining read that I can put down when I need to but pick up and read a couple pages here and there when I have time. Anyone else experience this during their final semester? Or during school? Any recommendations??

~Kimberly

Broke and Bookish Book Haul for 9/1 - 9/14

Daisy's Book Haul

Bought:
-Me Before You by Jojo Moyes: I've heard really good things about this book and I bought if for one of my friends, so I figured I should read it myself as well ;)
-The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan: LOVE RICK RIORDAN!!! I don't know how I never got around to buying this book before!!
-The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick: Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock had SUCH a powerful message that I want to see if this is as amazing!
-Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson: I'm not really a thriller-reader, but I really enjoyed this one and as I keep recommending it to thriller-readers, I felt that I should own it so I can push it on people :)
-The Demigod Files by Rick Riordan: OF COURSE I HAD TO HAVE THIS! LOVE PERCY JACKSON!!
-The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith: yes, I am one of those people who got sucked into the whole AAAH IT'S ANOTHER J.K. ROWLING BOOK thing and I couldn't resist buying it...
-Untold by Sarah Rees Brennan: LOVED Unspoken so much!! Of course I had to buy this sequel!!
-Antigoddess by Kendare Blake: YAY MYTHOLOGY!
-Relic by Renee Collins: I really love this cover! And it's YA Fantasy! How was I supposed to resist this???
-The 100 by Kass Morgan: I've been pretty disappointed by a lot of dystopians, but I still really want to give this a chance because it sounds exciting!
-The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black: Holly Black is awesome. I really need no other reason.
-The Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson: SO MUCH LOVE FOR THIS BOOK!!! And the whole series! I totally hugged it when it got here and seeing as I read it MONTHS ago, it's probably due a reread :)
-All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill: Debby says this is amazing, I think Debby is awesome --> OF COURSE I BOUGHT IT.
-The Distance Between Us by Kasie West: same reason, and also: I loved Pivot Point!!
-The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon: came across this while I was looking for a birthday present for one of my friends and NEEDED IT!
-The DUFF by Kody Keplinger: I've been meaning to read this for ages and it's another Debby book ;)
-Promised by Caragh M. O'Brien: I have some issues with this series, but I also enjoyed the first two books and I need to know how it ends!!
-Wake Up Missing by Kate Messner: how is there not more buzz about this book??? I totally love the sound of it!
-Sweet Legacy by Tera Lynn Childs: really enjoyed the first book in this series, haven't read the second yet, but I really needed this. Duh.

So I went book shopping with some AMAZING Dutch book bloggers: Debby, Judith, Mel, Daphne and Iris! :D It was so much fun! We went to a booksale and all got a nice pile of books :)

-Cocktails for Three by Sophie Kinsella: I love Sophie Kinsella's standalones :)
-Roses by Leila Meacham: I keep picking this up whenever I come across it at the bookstore and now it was SO CHEAP SO YES INSTA-ADD TO THE BASKET!
-Dreaming Anastasia
-Haunted by Joy Preble: Russian History!! And Baba Yaga!! I so hope this series is good!
-A Knight In Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux: I really enjoyed one of her contemporary romances, True Love, so I figured I should try this historical romance :)
-The Predicteds by Christine Seifert: this sounds really interesting and also creepy!
-The Lovely Bones and Looking Glass by Alice Sebold: I really loved this book when I read it a couple years ago and I couldn't resist this pretty boxed set with the added Looking Glass which FREAKED ME OUT when I opened it because it has all these faces in it!! I mean, I get why they're there, it just freaks me out.
-Fake Boyfriend by Kate Brian: I totally bought this because of the awesome cover with a Ken doll on it. And it sounds kinda cute :)
-Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult & Samantha van Leer: it sounds like my kind of feel-good read :)

I think I might need to go on a book buying ban... Those never really last though...

Egalleys for Review:
-Never Desire A Duke by Lily Dalton: I'm a sucker for a marriage gone wrong and then going SO RIGHT!
-Notable by Marni Bates: I really liked Invisible, and I hope this will be just as good!
-Death Sworn by Leah Cypess: AAAH!! ALL THE EXCITEMENT!!
-Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi: SO MUCH LOVE for Under the Never Sky!! And then I never got around to reading Through the Ever Sky but now I totally will!!
-Between a Rake and a Hard Place by Connie Mason and Mia Marlowe: I love a good rake :)
-Something Real by Heather Demetrios: this take on reality TV sounds intriguing!
-Alienated by Melissa Landers: I'm usually not an alien-kinda-girl but this sounds really good!
-Model Misfit by Holly Smale: I thought Geek Girl was really cute, so I'm looking forward to reading more about Harriet's adventures!
Suddenly Royal by Nichole Chase: I totally loved The Princess Diaries and movies like that, and this sounds like it is a slightly more mature version of that!!

Our Broke & Bookish book haul is inspired by memes like IMM & Stacking the Shelves & Mailbox Monday. This is just our very simple way of doing it collaboratively so we can participate in all of them and not have to choose one.

Bookish Deals (25)

Happy Saturday, everyone! Welcome to today's biweekly edition of Bookish Deals where I (Julia) try to scour the Internet to find you guys an array of deals to fit in with any budget!

Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger - $2.99  
AZ | BN

Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is the bane of her mother's existence. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper etiquette at tea--and god forbid anyone see her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. She enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.

But little do Sophronia or her mother know that this is a school where ingenious young girls learn to finish, all right--but it's a different kind of finishing. Mademoiselle Geraldine's certainly trains young ladies in the finer arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but also in the other kinds of finishing: the fine arts of death, diversion, deceit, espionage, and the modern weaponries. Sophronia and her friends are going to have a rousing first year at school.

Embrace by Jessica Shirvington - $2.99  
AZ | BN

It starts with a whisper: “It’s time for you to know who you are…”

Violet Eden dreads her seventeenth birthday. After all, it’s hard to get too excited about the day that marks the anniversary of your mother’s death. As if that wasn’t enough, disturbing dreams haunt her sleep and leave her with very real injuries. There’s a dark tattoo weaving its way up her arms that wasn’t there before.

Violet is determined to get some answers, but nothing could have prepared her for the truth. The guy she thought she could fall in love with has been keeping his identity a secret: he’s only half-human—oh, and same goes for her.

A centuries-old battle between fallen angels and the protectors of humanity has chosen its new warrior. It’s a fight Violet doesn’t want, but she lives her life by two rules: don’t run and don’t quit. When angels seek vengeance and humans are the warriors, you could do a lot worse than betting on Violet Eden…

The Chocolate Thief by Laura Florand - $1.99  
AZ | BN

Paris

Breathtakingly beautiful, the City of Light seduces the senses, its cobbled streets thrumming with possibility. For American Cade Corey, it's a dream come true, if only she can get one infuriating French chocolatier to sign on the dotted line. . .

Chocolate

Melting, yielding yet firm, exotic, its secrets are intimately known to Sylvain Marquis. But turn them over to a brash American waving a fistful of dollars? Jamais. Not unless there's something much more delectable on the table. . .

Stolen Pleasure

Whether confections taken from a locked shop or kisses in the dark, is there anything sweeter?

A Cocktail & Conversation With TB&TB -- If You Could Be A Book Villain...

Every other Thursday (errrr Friday this week) here at the Broke & The Bookish is  A Cocktail & Conversation time. One of the TBTB members will pose a question to 2-3 of the other members of TB&TB crew about books, life, music, etc and then they'll answer and we can converse about it. So grab a cocktail & cozy up for some conversation. It's 5 o'clock somewhere, friends.

 

 Jana asks:

If you had to be a book villain, which one would you choose to be and why?

Lori says:  I think I would want to be the Queen of Hearts from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.  It would be a lot of fun to just be able to scream "Off with their heads" when I got mad and something be done about it.  I'd get to live in Wonderland and would get to be a character that isn't really despicable, but isn't liked.  Plus, I think that there is some really good potential for some interesting outfits.

Jamie says: OH THIS IS HARD because I'd never WANT to be a terrible person like many of these villains but I'd say that if I HAAAAD to be a villain I'd pick Queen Levana from Cinder because I'd like to travel through space and her whole glamour thing would be useful in getting what I wanted -- I could trick people into seeing me as the most beautiful creature on earth. The bad stuff about her would suck but WHATEVER I'M A BADDIE SO I DON'T CARE.

Paula says: Could I be Big Brother? I know if that counts as a villain. I want to be an entire dystopian government. If I had to choose an actual villain it would be The King in Yellow from The Book of Heroes by Miyuki Miyabe.  The King in Yellow has crossed over to our world from the land of books and is the manifestation of every villain ever told. So he's a pretty bad dude and he's here to ruin your day (or life).

If you had to be a villain/baddie from a book who would YOU choose?