Julia Reviews Shadowdance by Kristen Callihan

Title/Author: Shadowdance by Kristen Callihan
Publisher/Year Published: December 2013 by Forever
How I got this book: I bought the eBook when it was on sale a while ago
Why I read this book: This series is really fun and unique. Also Mary Chase and Jack Talent were awesome side characters in the last three books.
Rating: 4.5 stars

Here is the funny thing about series like this. The books come out so far apart that it is impossible for me to remember all of the details. So far, this hasn't been too much of a problem for me, but when I started reading this book, I knew I was forgetting some crucial facts. But I am getting ahead of myself.

Shadowdance is the fourth book in Callihan's Darkest London series. I actually have reviewed all three of the previous books Firelight, Moonglow and Winterblaze. This fourth book is the first that moves from the three main sisters on to some of the awesome secondary characters: Jack Talent, a boy turned man during the series who always had an air of mystery about him, and Mary Chase, and awesomely badass and strong woman who is a Ghost in the Machine or someone who has died but shortly their after blessed with life again with a golden mechanical heart. 

The first few books brought the supernatural elements in this steampunk series on slowly. There were always some, but we didn't get into the deep stuff until book three, Winterblaze. Those details were what I was forgetting when I started this. I was mixing this series up with Bec McMaster's London Steampunk series (also really good), and it was frustrating the hell out of me. 

You see, in the preface, I was wracking my brain trying to remember if I should know what was going on. Unfortunately I couldn't find a spoilery enough review of Winterblaze to kick-start my memory of what happened with Winston (I still can't remember to be honest). Eventually I just said screw it and kept reading. If I hadn't have been so impatient, I would have realized that Callihan did a good job of reminding the reader of details you needed to know when you needed to know them, but not to go into too much detail and recap the other books. 

The main plot deals with Jack and Mary, two people who have outward animosity but inward attraction, being forced to work together to solve a series of murders. They need to find the supernatural killer and bring him to justice. There is of course a twist to all this that happens pretty early on that makes the interactions have an interesting edge to them. 

Jack and Mary have some awesome heat and tension between the two of them, but once they finally admit their feelings it gets gooey lovey-dovey quickly. I have to admit that I missed the biting wit and sarcasm from when they were fighting all the time. Tey are still a cute couple and I am happy for them and all, it's just a personal preference to like the stories with passionate sparks flying between them.

In addition to the plot above we get the introduction of angel supernaturals, which is pretty cool. This world has all the supernaturals you can think of apparently. The rules are endless, which I guess is what frustrates me. It's hard keeping track of everything (especially when you are reading two similar series). Seriously. I need to start taking notes on what happens in books that I know are going to turn into long series. That is one great thing about Elizabeth Hoyt's Maiden Lane series... she has like a character guide and important tidbits on her website, a godsend for forgetful me. I'd love that for this series!

You don't see too much of the characters from the other books, which I was fine with, but we get a great setup for the next couple that I am excited to read about. 

Overall I was entertained. The story was enough to hold my interest in the series. It may not be my favorite as the couple lost a little of the bite I loved toward the end. But the series is still one of my favorites and one that I would highly recommend to steampunk paranormal romance lovers.

This Post Is Brought to You by the Letter M

This post was originally posted on my personal blog, but I had so much fun with it that I wanted to share it here as well!

I first encountered this meme on Trish's blog Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity.  It seemed like fun and a good way to think outside the box about my reading habits and other preferences.  So I asked her to assign me a letter.  At first she chose K, but then I said I would have to cheat, so she gave me M instead.  Much easier!  For the meme, you list out your favorite book, author, song, film, and thing that start with your letter.

Favorite Book Starting with the Letter M:
A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway

Well, I had to get a Hemingway novel on here somehow!  This was a really fun book to read.  It's about Hemingway's time in Paris.  Though he's looking back from a distance and was writing at a time when Fitzgerald was rather popular (which made him super jealous), the stories in the book are really interesting, even if they are a bit embellished.  I need to re-read it soon because I recently saw someone talking about the food parts, which I don't remember...






Masters of Sex by Thomas Maier

Technically I am just in the process of reading this one, but it's been really super good so far and I think it is going to be a favorite book, which is kind of weird to say about a non-fiction book.  I had seen tons of promotions for the show, but that was not a channel I had access to.  I happened to catch an episode at the end of season 1 while at a friend's house and fell in love with the show!  I immediately bought the book (as in, I was sitting on their couch watching the episode when I ordered the book) and haven't looked back.  I need to buy the first season of the show so I can see it from the beginning.



Favorite Authors Starting with the Letter M:
Margaret Mitchell!  I am so happy I was able to include her in this list.  I really need to re-read Gone with the Wind soon (I say that in every post though, don't I?).

W. Somerset Maugham is apparently becoming a favorite author of mine.  I read The Razor's Edge not too long ago and I recently read The Painted Veil, then I immediately ordered Of Human Bondage because that sounded really good.  His novels are what I would call "good reads," they're good stories, but not super substantial.  Except for when he just sucker punches you with an amazing bit of writing.  I underlined several really good quotes from The Painted Veil that I need to copy into this book of quotes that I have

Favorite Song Starting with the Letter M:

"My Way" by Frank Sinatra
"Memories Are Made of This" by Dean Martin

I just don't see how you could go wrong with songs by these two.

Favorite Movie Starting with the Letter M:

Midnight in Paris was one of those movies that just really stuck with me the first time I saw it.  I love the story of this guy finding a portal to the 1920s.  I love the cast of characters (real life figures!) that he meets back then.  I love the lessons he learns.  It's been way too long since I've watched this movie, so I'll have to rectify that soon.







Favorite Object Starting with the Letter M:

When I was first doing this, I was going to be super cheeky and say "My _____" because "My" starts with M.  But I actually thought of something--Macbook.  I love my laptop.  It does a lot of great things and has helped me out a number of times.  I wish I were more techy because I sometimes feel like I am not using it to its full capabilities.




If you want a letter, just let me know in the comments and I will pick one for you.  I have to say--this post was a lot of fun to put together.

Cocktail and Conversation -- Distractions

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 distracts you easily when you’re reading?

Bridget says: Background noise is a definite. I generally like there to be as little noise as possible when I'm reading. And something that stops me from reading on my iPad as often as I should is the siren song of other apps--it's so much harder for me to concentrate on a book when I'm reading on a screen, because my usual screen reading habits (ie general internet browsing) are a lot less attention-intensive than most books.

Julia says:If I am on my tablet, wanting to go look something up that I just read about. Maybe it's fact checking, maybe it's just wanting more information before I continue. Recently I was reading the 4th book in the series and forgot what had happened in the third. I was so distracted by the fact that I should know what is going on! In general though I can zone pretty well into a book and only get distracted if someone starts talking to me.

Tahleen says: It's terrible, but I get distracted by my phone or the Internet. I'll often find myself sucked into Facebook or Instagram or my email, and before I know it an hour has passed. I also get very distracted by the TV—anytime HGTV or the Food Network is turned on, there goes my evening.

Lori says:  I usually get distracted by the TV going in the background, even if it's not something I want to watch.  I'll also get distracted by people's conversations, more so if I know the people talking.  Like Julia, I am really bad about wanting to hop on my phone to fact check or read more about something I just read, which opens up a whole rabbit hole of distraction.


What about you?  What distracts you while you are reading?

Jamie Reviews We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

Book/author: We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
Publication date: May 2014
Publisher: Random House
How I Got This Book: I received it as a galley for review.
Rating: 5+ stars


You've probably heard about this book. If you haven't, well you are ESPECIALLY who I want to talk to today. You have no expectations or preconceived notions. The hype hasn't invaded your mind!

I was lucky enough to read this book last November and I didn't know anybody else who had read it yet because ARCs had not gone out yet and nobody was really talking about it on Twitter. I don't say this to sound like a DOUCHE all HEY LOOK AT ME I'M SPESHEL..I say this because I hadn't heard anything about it AT ALL. Truly and in the purest sense. There were NO expectations. And that is the place that I think is the best place to be for this book. To have randomly picked it up on a whim and gone into it blind as opposed to hearing a lot from the book community about it. Not to say you still can't enjoy it having heard about it, oh certainly you can, but I'm saying that is the BEST place to be.

We Were Liars was a book that surprised me. It had me weeping and I totally didn't expect what this book contained. I loved E. Lockhart's prose (seriously the writing is gorgeous!) and I really enjoyed reading about the Sinclair family (super rich & dysfunctional & I wanted to punch certain characters). The main character's memory loss and her return back to the family's island was just so compelling and I became addicted to find out what the Liars did and know all the secrets and lies that were just bubbling on the surface of this family.

It's suspenseful, beautiful and heartbreaking. Honestly one of the best books I read this year. And it came as such a surprise to me. I knew I'd probably like it by the summary but it hit me like a freight train.

So, if you haven't read it. Don't read anything more. Just don't. Go pick up the book and read it. It's much different than what I've read from E. Lockhart previously (all which I enjoyed) and I LOVED IT TO PIECES.

Have you read this one? What did you think??

Top Ten Books We'd Recommend To People Who Haven't Tried Historical Fiction

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

We tried to come up with some picks we thought would be good for the historical fiction reluctant out there!

Jamie's picks:

For the young adult reader who read a lot of contemporary YA:

1. Brazen by Katherine Longshore: What I love about this book is that it's such a good introduction to historical fiction to people who think historical fiction is just going to be history class all over again. There is drama that could rival anything on TV (which a lot of it REALLY DID HAPPEN in this book) and romance and it's just a perfect mix of fun and history. I was thoroughly immersed in King Henry's court and this time period...very easy to get lost in!




For the young adult reader who loves paranormal YA:

2. Something Strange & Deadly by Susan Dennard: This is a historical paranormal novel and, while it isn't straight historical fiction, I think it is the perfect book to get your toes wet and see how great historical settings can be if you typically read paranormal and think you'd be bored by a historical setting.






For the young adult or adult reader who wants something a little more serious:

3. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys: This is one of my favorite historical novels of all time. It was so heartbreaking and hard to read but I just NEEDED to hear this story.






For the reader who typically reads women's fiction or contemporary adult fiction:

4. Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum: This was such a great mother/daughter story! It's alternating between the WWII setting and the contemporary setting so it's a great way to get into historical fiction if you aren't sure of it!

Tahleen's Picks

For the middle school student who likes realistic fiction:

5. Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko, and its sequels: At its heart, this is a story about a boy and his new home, meeting new friends and dealing with a slightly atypical family (his sister is on the autism spectrum, but this book takes place before doctors knew exactly what this was). Lots of kids can identify with Moose, the narrator, as his problems (girls, friends, family) are problems kids still deal with today. Oh, and also, Moose lives on Alcatraz Island back when the families of staff were able to do so. And there is the issue of Al Capone, one of the most famous gangsters of all time...

For anyone interested in seldom-told true stories and feeling nostalgic for Sesame Street:

6. The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano by Sonia Manzano: This one takes place in the '60s, in Spanish Harlem, right around the time of a civil rights revolution in the title character's Puerto Rican neighborhood. It's simply written and a fast read, but tells a story about a piece of history rarely discussed in classrooms or pop culture. Oh, and the Sesame Street part? You might know Sonia Manzano better as Maria from that show.

For the science fiction/fantasy fan:

7. The Soulless series by Gail Carriger: Okay, so not technically historical fiction, but this steampunk series is a way to ease into Victorian London society. Etiquette and proper behavior are extremely important in this society, but there are also vampires, werewolves, and lots of fun steam-powered technology. Plus, it's wickedly funny. And romance fans will be happy too.

For the science fiction fan who DOESN'T want romance: 

8. The W.A.R.P. series by Eoin Colfer: The author of the Artemis Fowl series brings us another action-packed adventure series, but instead of fairies, we have time travel. Again, not technically historical fiction, but Riley is from Victorian London, and he and Chevy go back into Victorian London, so I'm going to count it anyway.

Julia's Picks

For the reader looking for non-European history books: 

9. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See: I had this on my to read list for years and years before I picked it up at a going out of business sale for Borders (the pain is still raw). This book was great! I was transported back to not that too far gone China, into the lives of two best friends as they grew from girls to women. It's a wonderful look at Chinese culture especially surrounding women while also being the heart-wrenching story of just two friends.




For the reader looking for a book with a balance of history and a little bit of romance:

10. An Affair with Mr Kennedy by Jillian Stone: First off, no not that Mr. Kennedy. This is set in Victorian London among the middle working class. It stars a man from the newishly formed Scotland Yard and a lady who is looking for adventure. I call this romance out of the many I've read because I distinctly remember taking notes the whole first chapter on things I wanted to look up for historical accuracy, and I was pretty much wrong about all the things I had question. Ms Stone did her due diligence. This is a mystery romance with a balance between both, but I thought the historical setting really transported me there, too.

Which books would you recommend to historical fiction newbies? 

Broke and Bookish Book Haul for 7/20 - 8/3

Daisy's Book Haul

Bought:

-Idols by Margaret Stohl: I haven't read the first book in this series yet, but I couldn't help myself when I saw this pop up as a pre-order.
-The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott: there really is a rule against falling for your best friend's boyfriend, I'm curious to see how Elizabeth Scott does her take on it.
-Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce: I have only read her Song of the Lioness books, and I really liked those, so I thought I should try her other series as well.
-Dissonance by Erica O'Rourke: I'm fascinated by parallel worlds and also: I love the cover.
-Just Like the Movies by Kelly Fiore: this sounds ADORABLE!

-The Fourth Wish by Lindsay Ribar: I got the first book in this series from my friend Debby and am DYING to read it, and couldn't resist this shiny cover.
-Not That Kind of Girl by Siobhan Vivian: so I kept hearing people talking about this book and when it was on a pretty awesome discount I decided to just go for it.
-First Test by Tamora Pierce: another series starter from Miss Pierce!
-Assassin's Quest by Robin Hobb: SO YES I FINALLY GOT THE COVER THAT MATCHES THE OTHER TWO!! :D Hooray!

Egalleys for review:

-The Summer of Jake by Rachel Bailey: a NA romance with the best friend's brother plotline, do I really need to say more?
-Arcana by Jessica Leake: it's historical fiction combined with paranormal and I'm just EXCITED!
-Wild by Sophie Jordan: I really enjoyed the 2nd book in this series, and I love Sophie Jordan's writing, so I'm very much in.
-Storm Siren by Mary Weber: this could be the start of a beautiful new fantasy series!
-Season of Storms by Susanna Kearsley: I read one Susanna Kearsley's books a couple of years ago and loved the writing, so I hope this will be just as amazing.
-Damsel Distressed by Kelsey Macke: a contemporary retellig of Cinderella, it sounds very interesting!
-Liars, Inc by Paula Stokes: I loved the Art of Lainey, so I will pretty much try whatever Paula Stokes decides to write next.
-The Last Time We Say Goodbye by Cynthia Hand: basically the same thing goes for Cynthia Hand after I totally loved her Unearthly series, I don't care that this will be nothing like it as it's not paranormal, I WILL READ THIS.
-Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard: this pretty much sounds like I will love it.
-A Wicked Thing by Rhiannon Thomas: a retelling of Sleeping Beauty! YES THIS!
-Everything That Makes You by Moriah McStay: another what if novel, I'm really curious about this one!
-Remember by Eileen Cook: an invention that allows you to wipe away bad/sad memories, this is fascinating!

View from Page Thirty: The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

It's been a while since I've done A View from Page Thirty, so I thought I would bring it back. And what better way to bring it back then with a new graphic and using the list of suggestions that you guys gave me during my reading slump post.

For those of you not familiar with this, A View from Page Thirty is a feature where I read thirty or so pages into a book and give you guys my first impression. Some books are great out of the gate, some take a little bit of warming up to. Some are just books that you know right away are going to be tough to read.

My general rule with books is that if I am not interested at all by around page thirty, I don't have to go on. There are too many books in this world for me to waste my time on something that I don't enjoy. But every book I start (barring some rare cases) get's thirty pages.

Hence was born A View from Page Thirty.


Today's book as I mentioned comes off of the reading slump post. I compiled all of the suggestions into a list of 65 books, which I am lovingly calling the slumplist, and I plan to look at them all. Of those 65 books I've already read 4, so only 61 more to go. I decided to start with Patrick Ness' The Knife of Never Letting Go. Four people, Hayley, Susan, Kritika, and Rockyriverteenlibrarian recommended it saying:

"It's the first in the Chaos Walking series, and it's really amazing. I've been recommending it to everyone since I read it in January." - Hayley

"The narration in the Ness series is a little hard to get used to at first, but don't let that dissuade you -- it's a great, unique YA series." - Susan

"I love both of those series! I'd recommend the audio for both of them as well - the narrators are excellent." - Kritika

I am going to go into detail on what happens in the first thirty pages. While it is nothing that isn't in the summary, if you consider that spoiler territory, jump down to my Final Verdict.

The Book: The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
Release Date: January 2008 
Publisher: Walker
Genres: YA, Dystopian, SciFi Fantasy

Series: Chaos Walking #1

Summary:

Prentisstown isn't like other towns. Everyone can hear everyone else's thoughts in an overwhelming, never-ending stream of Noise. Just a month away from the birthday that will make him a man, Todd and his dog, Manchee -- whose thoughts Todd can hear too, whether he wants to or not -- stumble upon an area of complete silence. They find that in a town where privacy is impossible, something terrible has been hidden -- a secret so awful that Todd and Manchee must run for their lives.
But how do you escape when your pursuers can hear your every thought?

The View From Page Thirty:

The book starts off with a first line that is quite intriguing, "The first thing you find out when yer dog learns to talk is that dogs don't got nothing much to say." From that I have learned that this is some sort of alternate Earth where dogs can talk I guess, and that this is going to be a book with annoying first person misspelled like the person thinks narration. Surprisingly both the first person and the 'yers' and 'thrus' stopped annoying me almost immediately because the story starts off right away.

Our narrator is Todd, the youngest boy in a city of men on the verge of becoming a man himself (he's 13 turning 14 in our years. Years in this world at 13 months so he keeps mentioning his 13th birthday, but I stopped and did the math). Todd explains through these 31 pages (first three chapters) that this is a new world of some kind where women and men went to colonize for maybe religious freedom (?). But once they arrived they got into a war with some sort of native people they call the Spackle who release some sort of chemical weapon that killed all the women. Todd was the last baby to be born before the women died. 

That right there would be interesting enough right? But remember that talking dog? Apparently when that happened it also warped reality into making every human and animal telekinetic. So Todd can think to his dog Manchee and Manchee can think back. They call this noise because there isn't really much control over it. Holy hell, is that a scary thought. I couldn't imagine being around people who can always hear my thoughts. No secrets, no privacy. But I guess it would be cool to talk to dogs and things...

Anyway, the story kicks off in the first chapter with Todd coming across silence. Something is there and it has no noise. He high-tales it back to town where since there are no secrets his adoptive fathers immediately know what's up. The last line I read in the selection was, 

"But all Ben says is, 'Oh, my God," real quite like, and then he says it again, 'Oh, my God," and then, without even moving or looking away, he says, "We have to get you outta here. we have to get you outta here right now."

What I am Loving:

I am really liking the pace of this. It is clipping right along and getting me into the action. At the same time, it is slowly revealing the rules of this world and not just telling me how it works. It's all show. I love that. I'm interested to find out more about their enemies and why all the women died off. And obviously what this silence is and why it is chasing him...

What I am Unsure Of:

I was unsure of the narration, with the colloquial speech patterns in the writing, but that grew on me quickly. I guess I am still unsure of my narrator Todd. Will I be able to connect with the 13 year old boy who is coming of age? I had a hard time of doing that when I read The Outsiders in my twenties (I loved it when I read it at 13 though). This isn't going to deter me from reading on though. I am very interested in this story.

Final Verdict:

Yeah I am totally reading on. I am really curious to see how the story unfolds and what the rules and limitations of this world are. It sounds like a different twist on the dystopian thing, rather than just the controlling government makes us do something strange that our main character is rebelling against. I want to know more and can't wait to continue on!