Monday, June 30, 2014

With Our Last $20 -- July 2014




With Our Last $20 is a feature here at The Broke & The Bookish wherein we answer the prompt of which book we'd purchase with the last $20 left in our pocket for each month -- be it new releases or older books...basically which ever book we'd be so excited to read that we'd be willing to spend the last $20 in our pockets on. I mean, we are The Broke and the Bookish after all. We'd no doubt live up to our name and forgo other things for a new book!




Jamie's pick -- Boomerang by Noelle August: I love me some Veronica Rossi and she and another writer make up the duo of Noelle August. If there is anybody that can write a New Adult novel I will love I KNOW it's her. It sounds cute and funny!









Jana's Pick -- Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas
I've been really in the mood for a good contemporary mystery, thriller kind of book and I've seen a few great reviews pop up for Dangerous Girls recently. I'm definitely intrigued!







Julia's Pick -- Two Weeks With Lady X by Eloisa James 

I picked up this book recently for $2.99! I didn't even need to spend the whole twenty haha. I love myself some Ms. James, so getting her newest book for such a steal is an amazing deal. This book is loosely related to her Desperate Duchess series, so I can't wait to get back into that world :)




So what about you guys? What book can't you wait to get your hands on?

Saturday, June 28, 2014

Julia Reviews The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith


Title/Author: The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith
Publisher/Year Published:  2013 by Hatchette
How I got this book: My coworker let me borrow it
Why I read this book: This was our June/July bookclub pick at work
Rating: 5 stars

Summary:
After losing his leg to a land mine in Afghanistan, Cormoran Strike is barely scraping by as a private investigator. Strike is down to one client, and creditors are calling. He has also just broken up with his longtime girlfriend and is living in his office.
Then John Bristow walks through his door with an amazing story: His sister, the legendary supermodel Lula Landry, known to her friends as the Cuckoo, famously fell to her death a few months earlier. The police ruled it a suicide, but John refuses to believe that. The case plunges Strike into the world of multimillionaire beauties, rock-star boyfriends, and desperate designers, and it introduces him to every variety of pleasure, enticement, seduction, and delusion known to man.

You may think you know detectives, but you've never met one quite like Strike. You may think you know about the wealthy and famous, but you've never seen them under an investigation like this.


Introducing Cormoran Strike, this is the acclaimed first crime novel by J.K. Rowling, writing under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith.

During my reading slump book club at work selected The Cuckoo's Calling for our June pick. Luckily for me, our June meeting got pushed back into July giving me the chance to try and read it. Right after I posted my last post, my friend gave me this book and said she liked it. I really like the discussion at the meetings, so I gave it a try. And I am glad I did.

I don't read a lot of crime or mystery novels so this was a great one to expand my horizons with. First off, it's JK Rowling so I at least knew I liked some of her past writings, so I was hoping for it to suck me in, and it did. We start off with the scene of the crime in the prologue. Instantly you are thrown into the world of this supermodel and how tragically it ended. 

Then we get to meet Strike, our detective. He and Robin, his temp secretary, are hired by the murdered model's brother to investigate the suicide, because he doesn't believe that it was a suicide. He thinks it was murder. We get to follow Strike as he tried to unravel the events of months ago and figure out all the clues. I was completely wrong at who it was as per my usual mystery read, but I really enjoyed how the story unfolded. 

I am hoping that this read, which I like and was instantly involved in, snaps my slump. I am recommending this for anyone who likes a good bit of mystery in their life. It's a large book, but a quick read. 


Friday, June 27, 2014

Tahleen reviews: "Road Trip" by Gary and Jim Paulsen

Title: Road Trip
Author: Gary Paulsen and Jim Paulsen
Publisher: Listening Library, 2013 (print from Wendy Lamb Books)
Narrator: Mike Chamberlain, with John H. Mayer

Rating: 4.5

Road Trip by Gary Paulsen and his son Jim is a quick, fun middle-grade listen for summertime.

Ben is woken up early one morning by his father, who informs him they're going on a road trip for a few days to rescue a border collie puppy. Because they're on a border collie rescue list, and they already have an older border collie named Atticus, he's not too surprised. He is surprised, however, when his dad informs him that he quit his job in order to start flipping houses—and because money is tight, Ben can't go to hockey camp this summer. Ben is beyond mad, so he lashes out by inviting his older, and possibly delinquent, friend Theo along. What follows is a road trip like no other, where they meet new friends (and enemies), have some adventures, and work through their relationship issues on their way to a cute little puppy who needs them.

I downloaded this book from my library on a whim because I needed something quick on my phone for a run when I realized my iPod was dead. This was a great choice! I really like Mike Chamberlain as a narrator (I had encountered his work previously with Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea), and Atticus the dog, voiced by John H. Mayer, adds his perspective every now and then, which is great to listen to.

The audiobook is only a few hours long, but it is a satisfying story nonetheless. There is no shortage of serious situations, either; Theo is in some serious trouble when he crosses the wrong guy, and Ben is genuinely worried about his father's new jobless situation. Plus, they need to get to that puppy in time.

In short, pick up this audiobook if you're looking for a quick road trip book for the summer! It won't disappoint, but what else would you expect from Gary Paulsen?

Disclaimer: I got this digital audiobook from my local library

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Top Ten Things We Like/Dislike On Our Book Covers



To learn more about Top Ten Tuesday or see the list of future topics click here.


Today we are talking about things we like and dislike on book covers!

 

 

 Things We Like:


Jamie likes....amazing typography. I'm a sucker for covers with great typography whether it's the sole focus or blends in perfectly with another subject on the cover.


Jamie likes....when the cover cleverly ties into something in the story. Recently Life By Committee by Corey Ann Haydu did this and I was reminded how much I love when a certain scene or detail is somehow incorporated into the cover.

Julia likes... when book covers clearly show what genre the book is. So when I am browsing the romance section and I see a cover like My Lady Quicksilver by Bec McMaster, I can clearly tell this has an edge of Steampunk.

Jana likes... when the book cover is illustrated (Like Shadow and Bone) more than when it uses photos. It just comes off as being more creative to me.

Jana likes it when cover designers get clever/bold with color. So many books are dark. If I look at the spines on my shelf, they all kind of blend together in a dark glob. And then BAM: a hot pink or bright yellow cover! So fun.

Things We Don't Like:


Tahleen doesn't like.....Whitewashing. Obviously. I hate it when this happens, but I'm glad people are noticing and calling out the publishers/book designers when it happens. In some cases, like Jaclyn Dolamore's Magic Under Glass and Justine Larbalestier's Liar, it's enough to get it changed.

Tahleen doesn't like..The half/partial face thing, especially if there are two faces kissing. I just don't want to look at these. There is usually nothing interesting about them, except for the rare occasion when the cover is cleverly done, like What's Left of Me by Kat Zhang.

Tahleen doesn't like.....The girl in the ballgown. Especially if the book doesn't include a ballgown. This trend is really going to date the books that sport those kinds of covers.

Jamie doesn't like....when the people on the cover don't match the description of the characters IN the book. It's bad enough if I'm seeing faces (because than that's how I'm picturing them) but seriously...why would the blonde MC being a brunette on the cover?

Jana doesn't like pretty much all movie tie-in covers. I like the original cover! I don't care about pretty celebrity faces. The book is always better anyway.

Jana does not like the trend followers. Like Tahleen said, there's a lot of half/partial faces and ballgowns on covers. There's also a lot of the same cover models, the same stock images, the same conceptual ideas (like pale hands holding various non-pale items like apples and flowers...), the same color schemes, etc. I love it when a designer chooses to be different.

What things do you like/dislike when it comes to covers and cover trends? Agree/disagree with us??







Thursday, June 19, 2014

"Book Your Trip" -- NPR's Summer Reading List

Photo from Article


I've only recently started keeping track of NPR's book news.  I know that they annually put out a summer reading list.  This year they took a different track and organized their lists into modes of transportation, as opposed to genre.  You can read the full introductory article here.

The idea came from a previous article that looked for a common thread in a variety of books.  By organizing the summer reading lists around modes of transportation, readers are introduced to a variety of books of all genres and for all ages.  For instance in the car list, both Go Dogs, Go and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas appear and on the trains list, both The Little Engine that Could and Anna Karenina appear.  The tagline for the series is that they have lists on "literary travel by train, plane, car, bike, boat, foot, city transit, horse, balloon, rocketship, time machine and even giant peach."

One of the things that stood out to me as I was reading the list was that their emphasis was on discovery, introducing readers to books that may not have heard of or thought about reading before.  By linking the books to something readers do know about or are interested in, they might read something new and different.  Naturally, these lists are not even close to being exhaustive.  And they were going for variety, so some well-known books had to get cut from the final list.

Reader advisory is something that I really didn't get interested in until the very end of my library school time.  As in, I became interested in April, then I graduated in May.  The place I went is having a class on reader advisory this summer, but I was unable to take it (stupid graduation!).  I also got the opportunity to meet Nancy Pearl at a talk she gave in Tulsa in April (which led to my interest in reader advisory).  To me, at the core of this is that some people don't like reading because they haven't been introduced to the right book.  So when you learn how to recommend books based on a person's interests and situation, you are providing a much better service than simply handing off your favorite book to an unsuspecting victim.  I've been practicing this in the past few years--just because I love a book doesn't mean my dad or Zach (my usual "Here, read this!" victims) are going to like it, so I hold some books back.

Naturally, with these mass summer reading lists, you can't be specific to every single person who looks for the list...but you can try to be general and hopefully get someone's attention by linking a couple of books together.

Personally, I find this to be an interesting and great way to organize a book list.  Mostly for the variety factor.  But not everyone would agree.

What do you think about this kind of organization?

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Top Ten Books On Daisy's Summer TBR List


To learn more about Top Ten Tuesday or see the list of future topics click here.

So I'll be focusing on books that will be released during the summer :)

The Sequels That I Needed Yesterday


The Perilous Sea by Sherry Thomas: ALL. THE. EXCITEMENT> I mean, SERIOUSLY, I just LOVED The Burning Sky and I need this sequel in my life because Iolanthe and Titus and yes to all the magic and intrigue and just YES OK?

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas: I cannot begin to tell you how jealous I am of the people who actually got an ARC of this at BEA. Because holy crap, I will drop everything to read this when it finally arrives in my mailbox. Already pre-ordered and everything. GIVE ME MORE CELAENA AND CHAOL AND DORIAN AND just all the excitement that I know is coming.

The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness: I really enjoyed the first two books in this series and will scoop this up when it comes out!

The Series Starters


Get Even by Gretchen McNeil: this sort of sounds a bit like Pretty Little Liars and I'm always down for something like that.

Trial by Fire by Josephine Angelini: after loving her Unearthly series, I will reading basically anything that Josephine Angelini writes and this sounds really exciting!

The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson: I've heard amazing things about this and can't wait to see for myself!

Half a King by Joe Abercrombie: Joe Abercrombie's first YA series, I'm SO in!

The Standalones (I think)


(The Witch of) Salt & Storm by Kendall Kulper: WITCHES! I will always be down for anything that promises witchy goodness!

Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins: so this will probably be on a lot of lists, but I'm so excited that it's finally almost coming out! I think it'll be worth the wait :)

Just Like the Movies by Kelly Fiore: this sounds super cute and I just love the cover!

Bonus addition that technically is released in spring:
Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo:
I need more Alina and STURMHOND and just more of this world and Leigh Bardugo's writing, even though I'll be SO sad to see this series end...






Friday, June 13, 2014

Julia is in a slump. Help me out!

Reading slumps are something that come up quite frequently here. We apparently even have a tag for it. I guess that is probably because we all go through them at different times. Well, I've been stuck in one for over a month now.

I think for me it's a combination of a ton of things that are not putting my in the mood to read. But the one I am going to focus on is I am not finding books that just sucks me in. The last one to do that was Libriomancer and I believe that was only because I was stuck on a plane so I pretty much forced myself to get to the interesting part.

So I need help. What was the last book that really sucked you in from the get go? I don't even care about genre at this point. I'll try anything!



Thursday, June 12, 2014

Cocktail and Conversation


Every other Thursday here at the Broke & The Bookish is  A Cocktail & Conversation time. One of the TB&TB 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.

What is your policy on book lending?  Are certain books off-limits?  Do you only lend to certain people?  Or do you not lend at all?  Why?


Bridget says:  I love lending books, especially my favorites, but that's left me in a tough spot a few times (I've had to buy new copies of Ender's Gameand The Stand). In most cases, the books I've lent out to people that I've had returned have been in the same condition, with one notable exception: my husband! If he's reading a book, there's a good chance it's getting jostled around in his backpack with a variety of other non-book-shaped things, which means rips and tears happen a bit more often :( So, only paperbacks I don't have any sentimental attachment to for him (as much as I love him).

Daisy says:  I only lend out books that I've actually already read myself, I just want to be the first one to experience that particular book. And I only lend them out to people who I know will be careful with them. The only ones that are off limit are my beautiful shiny copies of the Hunger Games series, my original set has been read by so many people and it's cracked and bent (and well-loved), so I bought myself a new set and that's not leaving the house. 

Julia says:  I don't own too many books, so lending them doesn't come up often. I have been bitten in the past when lending books, meaning I never see them again. Since I usually only buy things I really am in love with, I don't lend things often. My sister and I do end up trading books often though, but that is because I know where she lives and can just come snatch it back, and she can do the same.

Kimberly says:  One of my favorite things is introducing someone to a book I loved. Usually that happens when I slap my copy of the book into their hands and say "Read it. Now." It's always heartbreaking when I get a book back and it's been too well loved. However, those that I lend books to know how I feel about my books and they take good care of them. Signed books, however, are a different story. I have let someone borrow a signed book maybe... twice. And that came with a promise of a long painful death to the borrower if that book came to harm.

Lori says:  I've totally been burned in the past by lending out books!  As a result of losing two books (despite contacting the people borrowing them numerous times about returning them), I am extremely selective of who gets to read my books.  My dad has free reign to grab anything out of my bookshelves that are at my parents' house because I totally trust him and I know he's not going to destroy my books.  I'll also occasionally shove a book under his nose and demand he reads it.  I would also loan books to Zach and my grandparents if they asked or if it was something the just had to read.  But that's about it.  Maybe a couple of trusted online book friends...if it's not one of my special books.

Tahleen says:  I only lend books if I have already read them, or if I don't care if I won't get it back. I am terrible at returning books people lend to me, so I try not to give out books I want back. Mostly my book-lending policy is to not borrow books from other people, aside from the library, because they probably will never go back to their owners. I have too many books in my house and can never get to the ones I'm lent in a timely manner; I know I've had at least two books people have lent to me for a few years. If they ask for them back, I'll gladly give them, but they're people I no longer see on a regular basis!

What about you?  What are your personal policies on lending?  Any horror stories?

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Tahleen remembers Summer Reading at the library

As a public youth librarian, I have the great honor and responsibility of organizing and executing the Summer Reading Program, along with my director and the children's librarian. This week I'll be going to the public school to tell my young patrons all about it, and I can't help but remember the summer reading programs of my youth.

It was one of my favorite things about summer. I was a voracious reader, and summer was that magical time where I could literally lie in bed for 6 hours and read an entire book. And back then, I didn't have a TBR or the Internet to tell me which books were good or bad, or which authors were popular. I browsed freely and often, finding books on the library shelves based solely on the back descriptions, and maybe a recommendation from a friend every once in a while.

And the excitement of the prizes! I loved filling out my little sheet with each book I read, earning myself raffle entries for gift certificates and other prizes from local businesses. Sometimes I would even get the call that I had won something, and I would beg my mom to bring me to the library so I could pick it up.

Funnily enough, the summer reading program for the kids in the town where I work is similar to what I remember from my childhood. I am hoping these kids will remember this summer reading program as fondly as I remember my own.

Did you all take part in your library's summer reading program? What do you remember best about it? Or did you just love to boundless possibilities summer brought?

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Top Ten Books Daisy & Kimberly Read So Far This Year


To learn more about Top Ten Tuesday or see the list of future topics click here.

Daisy's Picks


Eon by Alison Goodman: I read this for book club and it was AMAZING! I can't believe I waited this long to read it!

Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen: why yes I love me some Robin Hood retelling and Scarlet was just a whole lot of YES!

Unhinged by A.G. Howard: I LOVE this series and cannot wait for the third book to come out because holy crap that ending was cruel.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer: so you can all told-you-so me because I was REALLY hesitant to read this but everyone and their aunt was raving about it and I gave in and it was GLORIOUS.

The Emperor's Blades by Brian Staveley: there hasn't been a lot of buzz about this one, but it is seriously awesome and if you like fantasy you should put it on your TBR list!


Kimberly's Picks

Cress by Marissa Meyer: Okay, I really liked Cinder and Scarlett. But Cinder? My absolute favorite out of the three. Cress is positively adorable. The other characters remain amazing, and I loved their interactions with each other. As each character is discovered and added to the group, the more I love the story. 

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas: Loved the first book. This one was just as wonderful, maybe even better? I CANNOT wait for the next book! 

New York: The Novel by Edward Rutherfurd: Now, if you've read my blog or follow me on twitter, you know how much I love New York. I'm also a total history geek. I house-sat for a relative. What was I most excited about? They have the history channel. Anyway, this book tells the story of New York, from it's earliest days of Dutch settlers, all the way up to the events of 9/11. I grew to love the families I was introduced to. I learned SO MUCH from this about the history of the city. I was googling stuff every few pages. 

Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein: This was a tough read, but like the first book, the writing is wonderful. Letters on a page transformed into fully realized people. The harsh landscape of their world was detailed and gritty. Their friendships were beautifully, and painfully, real. I was invested in all of them. 

Maybe One Day by Melissa Kantor: Picture this. Me, 3 am, sitting my bed, book in hand, tears streaming. Okay. Maybe DON'T picture that. Ha. But this book. This was one of those that doesn't connect with everyone. No book does. But this book slammed into me. It pulled me in, broke my heart and warmed it all at once. 

Tell us what books are your favorites this year!! 








Monday, June 9, 2014

Daisy's Review of Don't Call Me Baby by Gwendolyn Heasley


Title/Author: Don't Call Me Baby by Gwendolyn Heasley
Publisher/Date published: HarperTeen, April 22nd 2014
How I got this book: received it from the publisher as an egalley

Goodreads summary: All her life, Imogene has been known as the girl on THAT blog.

Imogene's mother has been writing an incredibly embarrassing, and incredibly popular, blog about her since before she was born. Hundreds of thousands of perfect strangers knew when Imogene had her first period. Imogene's crush saw her "before and after" orthodontia photos. But Imogene is fifteen now, and her mother is still blogging about her, in gruesome detail, against her will.

When a mandatory school project compels Imogene to start her own blog, Imogene is reluctant to expose even more of her life online... until she realizes that the project is the opportunity she's been waiting for to tell the truth about her life under the virtual microscope and to define herself for the first time.

So I was actually really excited to start this book because reading about a girl whose the star of her mother's blog just sounds really interesting and I'm always interested in reading a book that has blogging in it. Let's just say that Don't Call Me Baby wasn't really what I'd expected. Some of my thoughts on the book:

-Imogene's mother is HORRIBLE! I mean, WTF, seriously? You can't post all these embarassing things about your daughter on your blog and expect her to be ok with it. Seriously. And why the heck isn't her dad doing something about it? I really felt that Imogene's grandmother was the only adult who actually had some sense, she was cool.

-I disliked that blogging is put in such a negative light, because well, not every blogger is the same and we're not all in it for the fame and money and just, UGH ok. I was annoyed. I get that Imogene didn't like her mom blogging about her, but blogging isn't evil.

-I did think that Imogene and her best friend made some valid points about privacy and the internet and how parents should really not put their kids' whole lives up on the internet for everyone to see. And sometimes I wish I could unplug for a while and just live in the moment, I did that while I was on Mallorca last year and it was awesome.

-I was REALLY not digging the boy. I mean, he's all like 'don't be so hard on your mom cause at least she's paying attention to you' and I was like DUDE UNCOOL! And also: unrealistic. What teenager would tell another teenager that it's ok for their parents to post about them in full detail?

-I didn't really like how it was resolved towards the end, there was all this drama and then it just ended with a bit of a fizzle.

It was a pretty quick read, but it wasn't as much fun as I'd expected and some things really annoyed me, which was a disappointment as I'd heard good things about Gwendolyn Heasley's other books.

My rating: 2 stars

Sunday, June 8, 2014

Broke and Bookish Book Haul for 5/25 - 6/7

Daisy's Book Haul



Bought:
Only one book landed in my mailbox this week, but it's one I'm really excited about:
Quintana of Charyn by Melina Marchetta: I loved Finnikin of the Rock! I haven't read Froi of the Exiles yet, but I just needed to have this one ready for when I finally do get around to continuing this series.


Egalleys for Review:
- by Amy Ewing: this world sounds fascinating, so I'm hoping this will be awesome!
-Falling Into Place by Amy Zhang: I'm thinking heartbreaking and compelling story, so I'm in.
-The Perilous Sea by Sherry Thomas: OMG ALL THE EXCITEMENT!! I couldn't click that button fast enough when I saw this on Edelweiss! LOVED The Burning Sky and can't wait to read more about Iolanthe and Titus!
-Anatomy of a Misfit by Andrea Portes: this just sounds like a whole lot of fun put into a book, so obviously I want to read it.
-A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray: parallel worlds and mystery and all that: YES!
-Top Ten Clues You're Clueless by Liz Czukas: this sounds like a cute contemporary and I love those.
-Remember Me by Romily Bernard: so I haven't read Find Me yet, but I've heard really good things about it.
-Crashland by Sean Williams: I'm ashamed to say I haven't read Twinmaker yet either, but this series sounds really good and I'm excited to start it soon!
-Deliverance by C.J. Redwine: this sounds like SUCH a Daisy series, maybe it's better if I can just binge read them?
-Clariel by Garth Nix: so yes, I will finally get it together and read this series!
-The Vault of Dreamers by Caragh M. O'Brien: I really like the author's writing, and a school doing something to you while you sleep is just creepy and needs to be read!
-The House of the Four Winds by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory: I loved Mercedes Lackey's The Fairy Godmother and this has a lady sailor! And pirates! I'm SO in!
-Age of Iron by Angus Watson: I think this will make my fantasy loving heart very happy!

Saturday, June 7, 2014

Bookish Deals (36)



Hello! 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!



Firelight by Kristen Callihan - $1.99
AZ | BN
Miranda Ellis is a woman tormented. Plagued since birth by a strange and powerful gift, she has spent her entire life struggling to control her exceptional abilities. Yet one innocent but irreversible mistake has left her family's fortune decimated and forced her to wed London's most nefarious nobleman.

Lord Benjamin Archer is no ordinary man. Doomed to hide his disfigured face behind masks, Archer knows it's selfish to take Miranda as his bride. Yet he can't help being drawn to the flame-haired beauty whose touch sparks a passion he hasn't felt in a lifetime. When Archer is accused of a series of gruesome murders, he gives in to the beastly nature he has fought so hard to hide from the world. But the curse that haunts him cannot be denied. Now, to save his soul, Miranda will enter a world of dark magic and darker intrigue. For only she can see the man hiding behind the mask.

I  love this series. This is the first book. I even reviewed it ;)



The Perfume Collector by Kathleen Tessaro - $1.99
AZ | BN
London, 1955: Grace Monroe is a fortunate young woman. Despite her sheltered upbringing in Oxford, her recent marriage has thrust her into the heart of London's most refined and ambitious social circles. However, playing the role of the sophisticated socialite her husband would like her to be doesn't come easily to her—and perhaps never will.

Then one evening a letter arrives from France that will change everything. Grace has received an inheritance. There's only one problem: she has never heard of her benefactor, the mysterious Eva d'Orsey.

So begins a journey that takes Grace to Paris in search of Eva. There, in a long-abandoned perfume shop on the Left Bank, she discovers the seductive world of perfumers and their muses, and a surprising, complex love story. Told by invoking the three distinctive perfumes she inspired, Eva d'Orsey's story weaves through the decades, from 1920s New York to Monte Carlo, Paris, and London.

But these three perfumes hold secrets. And as Eva's past and Grace's future intersect, Grace realizes she must choose between the life she thinks she should live and the person she is truly meant to be.



The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons - $1.99
AZ | BN
The golden skies, the translucent twilight, the white nights, all hold the promise of youth, of love, of eternal renewal. The war has not yet touched this city of fallen grandeur, or the lives of two sisters, Tatiana and Dasha Metanova, who share a single room in a cramped apartment with their brother and parents. Their world is turned upside down when Hitler's armies attack Russia and begin their unstoppable blitz to Leningrad.

Yet there is light in the darkness. Tatiana meets Alexander, a brave young officer in the Red Army. Strong and self-confident, yet guarding a mysterious and troubled past, he is drawn to Tatiana—and she to him. Starvation, desperation, and fear soon grip their city during the terrible winter of the merciless German siege. Tatiana and Alexander's impossible love threatens to tear the Metanova family apart and expose the dangerous secret Alexander so carefully protects—a secret as devastating as the war itself—as the lovers are swept up in the brutal tides that will change the world and their lives forever.




The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis - $1.99
AZ | BN

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, completed in the winter of 1949 and published in 1950, tells the story of four ordinary children: Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy Pevensie. They discover a wardrobe in Prof. Digory Kirke's house that leads to the magical land of Narnia, which is currently under the spell of a witch. The four children fulfill an ancient, mysterious prophecy while in Narnia. The Pevensie children help Aslan (the Turkish word for lion) and his army save Narnia from the evil White Witch, who's reigned over the Narnia in winter for 100 years.

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Summer Reading

Found on Google Image


Summer reading is my favorite kind of reading.  Hands down.  Granted, curling up on the couch under a heavy quilt and reading during the winter is pretty cozy.  But summer reading is even better.

My favorite thing to do in the summer is wake up naturally without an alarm (but still somehow early, maybe even earlier than I normally would wake up) and have the entire day open for reading.  Granted, this only happens on the weekend--stupid job--but maybe that helps me enjoy it more.  Anyway, I'm up.  I have all the time in the world.  I can make my coffee and relax.  I can go grab soft warm donuts.  I can throw open the window and let the sunlight and warm air stream in.  Or I can crank up the AC.  Then I work my way around the room.  I usually start off stretched out on the couch.  Once I make my coffee I move over to the chair because there's a side table.  At some point I am probably sitting on the floor.  Freedom.  Pages turned.  Amazing.

But also with summer, you have a greater variety in where you can read.  I love reading outside.  Sometimes I'll drag out one of our porch chairs and sit on the porch.  This kind of sucks because we live on the first floor and passersby will think that I want to make conversation.  I also like going to Starbucks and sitting at their outside tables, sipping a cool drink.

Summer is also the time where you go on trips.  Then you really have no schedule and you can just wake up naturally and read.  Camping is a great time to get more reading done because there is (blissfully!) no TV and no computers to tempt you.  The beach is also great because you get some sun while you lay out and read.

For me, it doesn't even matter what I read during the summer.  One year I polished off the entire Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series in about a week.  Other times I have read massive chunky fiction or chick lit or non-fiction.  It doesn't matter.  I feel freer in my reading during the summer than at any other points throughout the year.

What about you?  How do you feel about summer reading?

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Top Ten Books That Will Be In Daisy's Beach Bag This Summer


To learn more about Top Ten Tuesday or see the list of future topics click here.

My vacation is in June this year and I LOVE reading on the beach, so here's what I'm bringing:

17 First Kisses by Rachael Allen: this sounds like a super cute contemporary, AKA a perfect beach read.

Lady Windermere's Lover by Miranda Neville: I like Miranda Neville's writing and I love reading romance novels in the sun.

The Vanishing Season by Jodi Lynn Anderson: I've heard great things about Tiger Lily and am really curious about this one!

On the Fence by Kasie West: Kasie West is awesome. So I need this in my beach bag. And also: cute contemporaries make for the best summer reads!

For All Time by Jude Devereaux: I LOVED the first book in her Nantucket Brides series, and as I said before: romance + sun = awesome.

Eona by Alison Goodman: we read Eon for book club and Eona is our June read and OMG I JUST NEED TO READ IT BECAUSE EON WAS SOOOOOO GOOD!

Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson: but only if someone tells me it won't make me cry! I've heard her books are tear-inducing and crying on the beach is a bit awkward.

A Breath of Frost by Alyxandra Harvey: because it's a witchy book and I love (good) witchy books.

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez: I'm guessing this will be in more bags than only mine. I read Love in Times of Cholera on the beach in Italy and it worked perfectly, so I'm thinking I'll do the same with this one.

A Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martin: but only if I can still carry my bag after adding this one cause it's HUGE! But I promised Kelly and Kimberly I'd start it soon, so I'll try!

That's it for me, what's in your beach bag? Anything I should add and explain to the nice people at the airport that my bag is overweight because I just HAD to add another book?








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