It Turns Out That I Can Kinda Deal With Romance. Occasionally.

Romance in books seems to be one of the most contentious topic debates in the blogging world. Considering the love-it-or-hate-it debates around Fifty Shades of Grey and Twilight, the topic of romance has become more polarizing than ever.

I, personally, am no particular fan of romance. After spending about three straight years devouring almost everything V. C. Andrews ever wrote, I—understandably, I think—got a little sick of romance. Though I more or less stopped reading V. C. Andrews a decade ago, my general impatience with romance hasn’t abated much. In so many cases, romances in books follow the same insipid pattern: instalove, misunderstandings (however many they need to keep the book going), then happy ending (probably). So predictable, so blah. So not my thing.

Because of this, I tend to avoid anything that openly advertises romance in the blurb or in the title (or—puke—on the cover). There are plenty of other genres to keep me interested; I haven’t really felt the lack of romance in my life. I will admit—I think this miiiiight have something to do with the fact that I’ve been in a serious relationship for seven years, and it’s pretty easy to see how unrealistic most fictional relationships are. This might not be the case for all fictional relationships, but it’s the case for a lot of them, in my opinion.

I did, however, just recently pick up (and enjoy!) two different books that advertised romance. And frankly, I was surprised to find that I didn’t hate them. I mean, yeah, the romances were terribly unrealistic in a lot of ways and frankly like “…how? Why?” but since I knew it was coming, I didn’t mind it so much. And I think I hit on what I dislike about books with romance: when the romance is unexpected.

If I’m reading a thriller or a horror story or something, the last thing I want is a romance getting in the way of things. Like, I get that it makes the stakes higher because now the guy HAS TO SAVE THE GIRL THAT HE JUST MAGICALLY FELL IN LOVE WITH TWO DAYS AGO, but…it would be nice if, for once, someone wants to solve a crime or whatever for the sake of…justice? Doing the right thing? I don’t know. There are so many situations where the romance is superfluous or frankly just annoying.

But knowing one was coming, and knowing I had willingly picked up the books knowing this, helped me let it slide a little bit more, and I even let myself enjoy it. It’s still not really my thing anymore, but at least now I know that I won’t hate everything that hints at romance. The key for me, too, was that the romance in each of these books, though certainly part of and important to the plot, was still secondary to the main storyline.

So believe it or not, after a decade or more of avoiding romance and being annoyed anytime it popped up somewhere I didn’t expect, it seems my horizons have re-expanded to tentatively include romance again, or to at least not exclude it completely.

Are there topics like this that you tend to avoid, but don’t mind occasionally—as long as you’re aware of them?

Ten Books To Read If You Like These Popular Books/Authors

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Lauren's Picks

The bestselling author I chose for this week's TTT is the infamous Hugh Howey, author of The Silo Series. The Silo Serious is true dystopian at its best. If you are looking for a novel with an unsettling society, a penchant for relatable characters, or just some classic science fiction, below are a few recommendations if you like any of Hugh Howey's novels.

1 -- The Passage by Justin Cronin

2 -- Pure by Julianna Baggott

3 -- The Girl With All The Gifts by M.R. Carey

Bridget's Picks

I've always been a fan of thrillers, and 2015 has been a great year for discovering new ones! If you loved The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (and I know a lot of people did, myself included), tend to like unreliable narrators, and love a fast-paced psychological thriller, give these books a try:

4 -- In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

5 -- Before I Go to Sleep by S. J. Watson

6 -- Where They Found Her by Kimberly McCreight

Jamie's Pick

7. If you like Landline by Rainbow Rowell, read The Status of All Things by Liz Fenton

It's got that supernatural element to let the main character go back and try and fix her relationship with her fiance before the moment it all went wrong.

Julia's Picks

I don't read a lot of popular to the masses fiction, but I have read a lot of romances. Julia Quinn is one of the most popular historical romance authors and thus I recommend these three books that are sort of in line with the same style Julia Quinn used in her old Bridgerton books. They are all at random parts in a series but still good books on their own.

8 -- Any Duchess will Do by Tessa Dare

9 -- What I Did for a Duke by Julie Anne Long

10 -- A Rogue by Any Other Name by Sarah MacLean 

Tell us your readalikes!!

Kimberly's review of "The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line (Veronica Mars!)

Book: Thousand-Dollar Tan Line

Author: Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham

Why I read it: As a Marshmallow I couldn't resist!

Rating: 5 stars

 

“Ten years after graduating from high school in Neptune, California, Veronica Mars is back in the land of sun, sand, crime, and corruption. She's traded in her law degree for her old private investigating license, struggling to keep Mars Investigations afloat on the scant cash earned by catching cheating spouses until she can score her first big case.

Now it's spring break, and college students descend on Neptune, transforming the beaches and boardwalks into a frenzied, week-long rave. When a girl disappears from a party, Veronica is called in to investigate. But this is not a simple missing person's case. The house the girl vanished from belongs to a man with serious criminal ties, and soon Veronica is plunged into a dangerous underworld of drugs and organized crime. And when a major break in the investigation has a shocking connection to Veronica's past, the case hits closer to home than she ever imagined.”

As a proud Marshmallow, I eagerly downloaded the audio book for this, especially after I learned that it was narrated by VMars herself, Kristen Bell.

It was everything I could have hoped for! (Well, minus ONE thing. I could have used a bit more of a certain character… ;) ) It has the sass, the mystery, the genius, the laughter and tension of the TV series and movie. It was so fun to be back with these characters! Every time a familiar character entered the scene it was like a reunion for me. Old favorites back together again. All of the references and inside jokes! It kept me on my toes and challenged my Veronica Mars trivia! I was weirdly pleased every time I made the connection and remembered the right facts and details.

The mystery itself kept me guessing throughout the story. I’d start to suspect someone, then change my mind. Then I’d start wavering again. The “who done it” was pretty surprising, and I was so pleased that I was actually surprised, that doesn’t happen all that often! I did guess a few of the twists.

Overall, it was a great story. Made even better by Kristen Bell’s narration. If you haven’t watched the series, you’d probably be very very lost. I also recommend the audio over print. I’ve been told that the style of writing is a bit too script-like, which makes for a great audio book.

5 stars! 

Now... Where are my fellow Marshmallows???  

Broke and Bookish Haul for 9/13 - 9/26

Lauren's Book Haul

The Bone Circle by David Mitchell

The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley

The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley

The Shadowy Horses by Susanna Kearsley

The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

The Space Between by Brenna Yovanoff

Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff

Rage Within by Jeyn Roberts

Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts

Breaking Point by Kristen Simmons

Article 5 by Kristen Simmons

Three by Kristen Simmons

The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma

Lauren Reviews Sound by Alexandra Duncan + Giveaway

A special thank you to Jamie at Rockstar Book Tours for including me on this book tour! I enjoyed this book so much and I'm so grateful that I get to share the love!

Before I get to my review and the giveaway I know you are all dying to enter... here's a little author info to brush up on. :)

About Alexandra Duncan

Alexandra Duncan is a writer and librarian. Her first novel, Salvage, was published April 1, 2014, by Greenwillow Books. Her short fiction has appeared in several Year's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy anthologies and The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. She loves anything that gets her hands dirty – pie-baking, leather-working, gardening, drawing, and rolling sushi. She lives with her husband and two monstrous, furry cats in the mountains of Western North Carolina.

You can stalk her online via these links...

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Sound (Salvage #2) by Alexandra Duncan
Published: 9/22/15 by Greenwillow Books
Source: Finished Copy from Publisher
Rating: 4 Stars

Sound is the stand-alone companion to Alexandra Duncan’s acclaimed novel Salvage, a debut that internationally bestselling author Stephanie Perkins called “kick-ass, brilliant, feminist science fiction.” For fans of Beth Revis, Firefly, and Battlestar Galactica.

As a child, Ava’s adopted sister Miyole watched her mother take to the stars, piloting her own ship from Earth to space making deliveries. Now a teen herself, Miyole is finally living her dream as a research assistant on her very first space voyage. If she plays her cards right, she could even be given permission to conduct her own research and experiments in her own habitat lab on the flight home. But when her ship saves a rover that has been viciously attacked by looters and kidnappers, Miyole - along with a rescued rover girl named Cassia - embarks on a mission to rescue Cassia’s abducted brother, and that changes the course of Miyole’s life forever.

Back to the world of crumbling planets, deep space ships, and most importantly... back to Ava and Miyole. First off, I loved the first book in this series. And... I definitely love the fact that each of the books in this series can be read as a stand-alone book. Sometimes series books get tiring for me.

While the first book has everything to do with Ava, this book focuses completely on Miyole. She's all grown up. At least as grown up as a young adult can be. She's extremely smart and determined... flying through school and university like jet plane. She landed her first job on the Ranganathan, a deep space research ship as a scientist assisting in a lab to cultivate and oversee the lives of bees and butterflies. The goal is for them to eventually be able to thrive on a newly terraformed planet. While Miyole enjoys her work, it is easy to sense something is missing in her life. 

Suddenly a small space ship crashes into the Ranganathan, bringing with it a handful of survivors as well as a cat. Dakaits, whom I imagine to be like space pirates, attacked the small space ship, kidnapped a few of the people, and left the everything else to burn. One man that was kidnapped happened to have a sweet young daughter and a courageous/fiery sister: Cassia. Cassie enters Miyole's life and reminds her of the past. Miyole has done everything to forget her Manman, her biological mother who was killed, and to forget her life before finding Soraya, Miyole's adopted mother. Now Cassia's distress over her lost brother starts the bring Miyole's past back to life. Cassia is stubborn and will not take no for an answer when she asks the Ranganathan's commander for help rescuing her brother. Miyole cannot accept it either. Miyole and Cassia steal a short range space shuttle and make plans to rescue Cassia's brother. Miyole has decided to risk all just as her Manman and Ava had for her.

The courage Cassie and Miyole display is awe-inspiring. Against all odds, against so many variables, against all of the evil lurking deep in space... they decide to venture into the unknown to save a loved one. Rules be damned. I was extremely happy to see how the author also incorporated Miyole's Haitian ethnicity and Mumbai upbringing into this book. I loved reading about the cultural aspects involving the beautiful saris and practices. Cassia and Miyole also have a little romance going on at times... which is a huge high-five in my book for more authors including homosexuality in their writing. I throughly enjoyed this book and I can only hope the author writes another.

And finally... the giveaway! Enjoy!

Enter below to win a signed hardback of Sound, a signed paperback of Salvage, and this electronic butterfly in a jar. Open to U.S. residents only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Daisy Talks About Birthdays and Books

So in light of my recent birthday, I started thinking about books as gifts. Because I'm definitely a person who gives books to other people, even if they're not the biggest of readers. Maybe the gift will convert them ;)
BUT as a well-known booklover to pretty much all of my friends and family, I almost never get books for my birthday (or other ocassions), despite annually sending my family my online wishlist so as to not get 'but I don't know which one, cause you have so many'. They're reasoning: you already have a lot of books (which is kinda the same argument I get when I don't give them a wishlist).

Sometimes there's an exception and one of my friends, mother or brother will get me a book, but usually I get other kinds of things. Which is fine, but it made me wonder if this is something that other bookish people experience. Do you get books for your birthday? Does your family/friends start sighing when you give them your wishlist? And what is the favourite book you ever got for your birthday? Mine are the first 3 Harry Potter books, I finally have a full English set (read them in Dutch first)!

Now excuse while I go stuff my face with some leftover pie.

Tahleen reviews: Audiobook "Ghosts of Tupelo Landing" by Sheila Turnage

Title: Ghosts of Tupelo Landing
Author: Sheila Turnage
Publisher: Listening Library, 2014 (print available from Puffin Books)
Narrator: Lauren Fortgang

Rating: 4 stars

Mo and Dale, along with all of our other favorite characters from Three Times Lucky, Newbery Honor winner in 2014, are back with another mystery to solve. A decidedly ghostlike mystery. Miss Lana, along with Grandmother Miss Lacy Thornton, find themselves the new owners of an old inn and, as it turns out, a ghost that was in the fine print. Determined to get the inn back up and running in order to sell it to someone nice (gotta have nice neighbors, after all), Miss Lana and the gang sets to work—only to find out that ghost might not just be a footnote after all. Mo, along with a reluctant Dale, seize upon the opportunity to interview said ghost for their history assignment. But can they 1) get her to talk to them, 2) figure out what old Red Baker is doing and why he's sneaking around everywhere, and 3) possibly figure out what happened to their ghost all those years ago? Mo is no coward, and along with Dale and new friend Harm Crenshaw, set out to do it all.

I really, really love this series. And I'm so glad it's a series. I was very impressed with Three Times Lucky, as some of you might remember, and this is a great continuation. Turnage still deals with the tough realities of life in a gentle subtle way, without sugarcoating anything. There is an illegal moonshine still, poverty, bullying, and hints of past abuse and neglect, yet it's all very age-appropriate and well done. And Turnage adds in a hefty dose of humor. Mo is never fazed and generally seems to be a fantastic human being, though she does of course make mistakes and poor judgment calls now and then. It is nearly impossible to ruffle the girl, even when arch-nemesis Anna Celeste (aka Attila) continually brings up Mo's unknown origins to be spiteful (Mo was adopted by Miss Lana and the Colonel when she was washed downstream during a storm).

**Possible spoilers for book 1 follow**

Dale's father is now in jail, and Mo is pretty vocal about her opinion of him. She can't understand the complicated feelings Dale and his mother Miss Rose have about him; because at the end of the day, he's still Dale's father, and as Dale says, "you only get one Daddy." It is very clear that the whole situation is very hard for Miss Rose, who is trying to get on with her life despite not having much experience in not being in an abusive relationship. The whole situation was portrayed very well, and I thought Mo's child's understanding of it added much. Lots of showing instead of telling.

I did think it was slightly strange that this volume went into the paranormal realm, but I like a ghost story now and then. This one was good; just surprised it veered into this genre after the first book was strictly realistic fiction/mystery.


As for the narration, Lauren Fortgang was great. I was sad that Michal Freidman passed away shortly after narrating the first, but Fortgang was a worthy choice. Her matter-of-fact tone brought out the humor of Mo's inner dialogue and conversations with others, not to mention the vocal differences between characters was very well done.

Anyway, would I recommend this book? You bet I would. It's a great middle-grade mystery series with a quirky cast of characters in a small-town setting.

Disclosure: I got a copy of this audiobook from OverDrive through my local library.

Top Ten Tuesday -- Top Ten Books On Our Fall TBR

For future Top Ten Tuesday topics & info on how to participate, click here!

Lauren's Picks

1 -- Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

2 -- The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell

3 -- The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma

Daisy's Picks

4. The Immortal Heights by Sherry Thomas: I LOVE this series and I need to know how it all ends and OMG the gorgeousness of that cover!!

5. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo: OMG SO EXCITED! I adored the Grisha Trilogy and I'm even meeting Leigh Bardugo cause she's coming to Holland!!! YAY!

6. For the Record by Charlotte Huang: this looks super cute! And ever since I started watching Nashville, I can't get enough of stories about artists.

7. The Vanishing Throne by Elizabeth May: the cliffhanger ending of The Falconer totally killed me. So I very much need this book in my life!

Jana's Picks

8. Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine

9. A Madness So Discreet by Mindy McGinnis

10. Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick

Tell us what is on YOUR Fall TBR!!

Lauren Reviews Minotaur by Phillip W. Simpson

Minotaur by Phillip W. Simpson
Published: September 2015 by Month9Books
Source: eARC
Rating: 5 Stars

“Where shall I start?” asked Minotaur.
Ovid made an expansive gesture with both hands. “Where else but the beginning of course.”
Minotaur nodded his huge head. “Yes,” he said. “Yes,” his eyes already glazing over with the weight of thousand year old memories. And then he began.

So begins the story of Asterion, later known as Minotaur, the supposed half bull creature of Greek legend. Recorded by the famous Roman poet, Ovid, Asterion tells of his boyhood in Crete under the cruel hand of his stepfather Minos, his adventures with his friend, Theseus, and his growing love for the beautiful Phaedra. And of course what really happened in the labyrinth. 

This is the true story of the minotaur. Ovid, a scholar who has written a huge volume of myths/legends, travels to the site of the minotaur's labyrinth. His tour guide Asterion, who is known as the minotaur, leads Ovid up the mountain and to the crumbling labyrinth.

Eventually Asterion decides to tell Ovid that he is the infamous minotaur, still alive and living close to the labyrinth. At first Ovid is just humoring Asterion, allowing Asterion to tell his story... this is when the book really starts for me. Asterion weaves the threads that bind story of his life together simply, yet with a heavy heart. The hardships he faced during his childhood... how he was ridiculed and looked down upon because of his appearance, how his father despised him because he was the bastard son of a god. The love of his life and how she was stolen from him. And then the most impressive twist of the story... the minotaur's time in the labyrinth. We all know the story. Asterion tells the true version, which of course is much less gory and extremely compelling. I felt so many emotions during Asterion's life story. But it was Asterion's perseverance that really resonated with me. I don't think I could have kept my own and not turned into the monster everyone thought I was if I was treated as he was.

This was a very thought-provoking read and I absolutely adore mythology, so basically the author wrote this for me. :) So thanks, Phillip.

Top Ten Tuesday Freebie -- Top Ten Book To Movie Adaptations Jamie Still Needs To Watch

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It's freebie week and I was recently thinking about book to movie adaptions after seeing a preview for The Martian. I still need to read that book.

I am SO the person who tends to be adamant about reading the book before I watch the adaption though I think with the increasing number of adaptations I've gotten a LITTLE more lax. But I remember back in the day when Will and I were first dating (circa like 2006/2007) we'd walk around Blockbuster (RIP) and pick out movies to watch. He used to get SO frustrated because I'd always be like "Oh, we can't watch that because I still need to read the book" (one of 10 things my husband is sick of this bookworm saying).

I feel ashamed to admit but a lot of movies we've been wanting to watch for years? I still have not read the book. I would say I give in maybe 5% of the time meaning lots of movies we so want to watch have not been watched. I AM THE ABSOLUTE WORST. (TV shows I'm way more lax about if it's book to tv show).


Anyways, here are 10 book to movie adaptations I still need to watch -- some of these I totally did read the book for and some I haven't.

1. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close -- I read this book back in 2008 and it became an all time favorite. So years later I hear the movie is going to be made and I was excited yet SUPER terrified. I'd say I was more terrified than anything because I STILL have not watched it.

2. Pride & Prejudice -- I've read this one a long time ago but have still yet to see a single adaptation. TELL ME YOUR FAVORITE ONE.

3. Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone: Sooo shhh but I've only read the first Harry Potter book (I DO plan to continue) but have yet to watch the first movie. My plan was to read the book then watch the corresponding movie but just hasn't happened. Perhaps it will be great for this Fall!

4. Coraline: I keep meaning to read this book but haven't and thus have not watched the movie but want to so badly!

5. Insurgent: Okay it hasn't been out long at all but considering how much I enjoyed Divergent (and staring at Theo James) I'm kind of shocked I haven't. I read Divergent and then saw the movie but have yet to read Insurgent so I didn't go out to see it right away. I'm still trying to decide if I'll read it based on lots of mixed opinions on the rest of the series so I've just stalled with watching it.

6. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo: I really enjoyed this book but haven't seen either the Swedish or American adaptation still.

7. The Maze Runner: My sister begged me to see this with her and I was like OKAY BUT LET ME READ THE BOOK FIRST....and I never did.

8. It's Kind of A Funny Story: I keep planning on reading the book but never did so thus have not seen this.

9. Anna Karenina: I kept telling myself I would read this finally before the movie but never happened.

10. The Help: I have had this book on my shelf for forever and thus have not seen the movie still. WOMP WOMP.

BONUS #11 (seriously this list could have been like 30) -- Eat, Pray, Love -- I wanted to see this so bad after loving the book when it came out but STILL HAVEN'T.

So tell me in the comments...are any of these adaptations worth watching??? Are you a person who HAS to read the book before or do you not really have a preference?

When Life Changes Disrupt Reading Habits

Hey guys! Jamie here!

September has been CRAZY thus far. I'll get to why in a minute. One of the reasons it has been crazy is due to a life change. I always find that, even the best of life changes, always seem to disrupt my life and my habits.

Let's take reading for example, when things are going pretty normal I typically average about the same books read per month -- give or take a couple depending on how busy that month is.

This month I have read 1 book so far. ONE BOOK. And while I recognize it's better than most of the population it is CRAZY for me to not have read at least a couple by now. And the book I read wasn't even long AT ALL.

So what's my life change?

MY HUSBAND AND I ADOPTED A DOG EXACTLY A WEEK AGO. His name is Finnikin (Finn for short) and he's totally named after a literary character I love. You can check out all the details here on my blog!

Since we've been married in the past 3 years we've had no pets or kids so adopting a dog is a pretty big life change to two people who do as they please and are spontaneous and have relatively few commitments in life.

It's amazing and I've loved every moment of spending time with him but things like blogging and reading and working out have just NOT happened. Like at all. And sure, some of my time is devoted to playing and to walking and spending time with him in this past week (and going to dog parks and Petco and all that jazz) but I know not ALL my time is devoted to him. I totally have just laid here on the couch with him when I could have been reading. I totally COULD be blogging when he's lazily sleeping. But I just haven't. I've mostly binge watched Game of Thrones season 1 while he lays on me.

I'm okay with all the spending time I'm doing with him. No regrets. But it's made me realize that any time I have a change in my life it takes me a little to bounce back. I feel exhausted even though it hasn't been THAT exhausting...he's a really good pup. For some reason, when my ~schedule~ or ~routine~ gets significantly shaken up I just kind of stop doing things I normally do. Even when I would love nothing more than to sit here and read. My brain just won't let me settle back in.

So that's where I'm at. So in love with my adorable little 1 year old beagle/bassett/pit mix and having so fun doing the dog thing. But also in my typical weird I DON'T KNOW HOW TO LIVE LIFE mode when change hits. There's probably some very psychological explanation (holla at me psych people who know!) but here's to hoping I can settle back down and starting adding normal Jamie things back in my life.