Musing Monday 4/28/14

Musing Monday is hosted over at Should Be Reading.

Musing Mondays asks you to muse about one of the following each week…

• Describe one of your reading habits.
• Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s).
• Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying it.
• Do you have a bookish rant? Something about books or reading (or the industry) that gets your ire up? Share it with us!
• Instead of the above questions, maybe you just want to ramble on about something else pertaining to books — let’s hear it, then!

Today my muse is home librarys. What do you make of them? Is yours just a bunch of books on your night stand? Or do you have a proper home library. I myself have a full on room dedicated that was not always the case though I have had various kinds of bookshelves.

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Sunday Salon 4/27/14

Another Sunday and another Sunday Salon, I am catching up on reviews slowly but surely and for the first time in a while I am on track with my reading goal *makes yay hands*. This last week was a stressful one so overall I did not get much reading done but since I am feeling on track it’s okay overall.

This week we will be going into May and we will be hitting Beltane! Who is with me on hoping things go well for Beltane! We will also be gearing up to show some love and support for Lupus awarness and hope that a cure is found. I will be posting a cover reveal on May 1st that I hope everyone will take a look at and do what you can to help!

Other then that, this weeks Sunday Salon is going to be short. I hope everyone has a fantastic Sunday and keep reading!

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Book Review: Summer Knight by Jim Butcher

Harry Dresden’s faced some pretty terrifying foes during his career. Giant scorpions. Oversexed vampires. Psychotic werewolves. All par for the course for Chicago’s only professional wizard.

But in all Harry’s years of supernatural sleuthing, he’s never faced anything like this: the spirit world’s gone completely postal. All over Chicago, ghosts are causing trouble-and not just of the door-slamming, boo-shouting variety. These ghosts are tormented, violent, and deadly.

Someone-or something-is stirring them up to wreak unearthly havoc. But why? And why do so many of the victims have ties to Harry? If Harry doesn’t figure it out soon, he could wind up a ghost himself

 

Another fantastic installment of the Dresden series. I have to say Harry you get yourself in more trouble than Anita Blake and considering how much trouble Anita gets into that is really saying something.

Harry is again stuck in the middle of the fae and the worst thing is that the courts of Winter and Summer are going to war because something of Summer’s has been stolen. The power that belongs to the Summer Knight. Harry has to handle things, stop the war and in doing so prove himself a wizard as well. Because guess what? The white council is being a pain in the rear end.

Terrible of them. Seriously. I am sick of them and I don’t have to deal with them like Harry does. I love this book, I love the series and can I just say that Toot toot is FUNNY. Can I keep him? I mean really.

 

All hail the Pizza Lord!

My Gemstone Rating:

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Book Review: Pan’s Conquest by Aubrie Dionne

Syrinx pulled a fast one on Pan to escape his raging lust. The God of Chastity wasn’t about to break her vows and succumb to his temptations. Transported to the twenty-first century, she runs a florist shop—fulfilling her fake, mortal life. Until the breathtaking Parker Thomas hires her to decorate his grand estate for a gala. Five hundred roses? Easy enough. Except Parker makes her feel things she can’t ignore…

As the God of Fertility, Pan is used to maidens flocking in droves to his pastures. So when Syrinx denies him, he’s determined to win the one that got away. He poses as a mortal to get close to her, but he doesn’t count on falling hard for his conquest—hard enough to make a life and stay.

But Syrinx is falling in love with a man that doesn’t exist. Can Pan hide his identity forever, or will the truth tear them apart

I love the myth and legend behind this book and for me you don’t get to read about Pan nearly enough so a Book with him as the love interest yes please! He has met his match in the Goddess of Chasity and is truly shocked when she flees from him. Made me smile a bit at that, cause I am sure he had that feeling of “shes saying no to me?!” that some men get. To me he took the high road though when opting for seduction even if it is under his fake mortal persona.

This book is well written and has a fantastic steady pacing that makes it enjoyable to read. There were no points that I felt were too slow or so fast that they were convoluted. It was just the right touch of everything.  This was the first time for me to read Aubrie Dionne but I can say with this style of writing and enjoyable characters it won’t be the last.

My Gemstone Rating:

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Book Review: Entangled (Spellbound #1) by Nikki Jefford

Two months after dying, seventeen-year-old witch Graylee Perez wakes up in her twin sister Charlene’s body.

Until Gray finds a way back inside her own body, she’s stuck being Charlene every twenty-hour hours. Her sister has left precise instructions on how Gray should dress and behave. Looking like a prep isn’t half as bad as hanging out with Charlene’s snotty friends and gropey boyfriend.

The “normals” of McKinley High might be quick to write her behavior off as post-traumatic stress, but warlock Raj McKenna is the only person who suspects Gray has returned from the dead.

Now Gray has to solve the mystery of her death and resurrection and disentangle herself from Charlene’s body before she disappears for good.

Not much I can say about this one. I wanted to like it the concept was there, the cover was pretty, but the book for me was just not there. The writing is okay, the book is edited that isn’t the issue with this one. I think the issue for me was the characters. I could not connect with them because I didn’t understand why they did what they did. When I can’t connect or feel for a character (love or hate), I have issues with the book.

This one may be a good read for someone else, but for me it was a miss. I didn’t want it to be but can’t win them all.

My Gemstone Rating:

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Teaser Tuesday 4/22/14

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

“So. You get handed a holy sword by an archangel, told to go fight the forces of evil, and you somehow remain an atheist. Is that what you’re saying?”
― Jim Butcher, Death Masks

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Musing Monday 4/21/14

Musing Monday is hosted over at Should Be Reading.

Musing Mondays asks you to muse about one of the following each week…

• Describe one of your reading habits.
• Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s).
• Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying it.
• Do you have a bookish rant? Something about books or reading (or the industry) that gets your ire up? Share it with us!
• Instead of the above questions, maybe you just want to ramble on about something else pertaining to books — let’s hear it, then!

This week let me spotlight a book because It has been making me laugh a lot.

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“In the name of the Lord of Pizza express!”

Harry Dresden’s faced some pretty terrifying foes during his career. Giant scorpions. Oversexed vampires. Psychotic werewolves. All par for the course for Chicago’s only professional wizard.

But in all Harry’s years of supernatural sleuthing, he’s never faced anything like this: the spirit world’s gone completely postal. All over Chicago, ghosts are causing trouble-and not just of the door-slamming, boo-shouting variety. These ghosts are tormented, violent, and deadly.

Someone-or something-is stirring them up to wreak unearthly havoc. But why? And why do so many of the victims have ties to Harry? If Harry doesn’t figure it out soon, he could wind up a ghost himself.

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Book review: The Lady Elizabeth by Alison Weir

Following the tremendous success of her first novel, Innocent Traitor, which recounted the riveting tale of the doomed Lady Jane Grey, acclaimed historian and New York Times bestselling author Alison Weir turns her masterly storytelling skills to the early life of young Elizabeth Tudor, who would grow up to become England’s most intriguing and powerful queen.

Even at age two, Elizabeth is keenly aware that people in the court of her father, King Henry VIII, have stopped referring to her as “Lady Princess” and now call her “the Lady Elizabeth.” Before she is three, she learns of the tragic fate that has befallen her mother, the enigmatic and seductive Anne Boleyn, and that she herself has been declared illegitimate, an injustice that will haunt her.

What comes next is a succession of stepmothers, bringing with them glimpses of love, fleeting security, tempestuous conflict, and tragedy. The death of her father puts the teenage Elizabeth in greater peril, leaving her at the mercy of ambitious and unscrupulous men. Like her mother two decades earlier she is imprisoned in the Tower of London–and fears she will also meet her mother’s grisly end. Power-driven politics, private scandal and public gossip, a disputed succession, and the grievous example of her sister, “Bloody” Queen Mary, all cement Elizabeth’s resolve in matters of statecraft and love, and set the stage for her transformation into the iconic Virgin Queen.

Another story of the Tudor court and another good story. While I did not feel blown over by this one I did enjoy it. The story of Elizabeth I is something that I personally feel you can never really get enough of. She had such a life from her birth and on it is just a great interest. I always get a little laugh because we all know how badly Henry VIII wanted a boy and yet one of the greatest rulers England ever knew was his Heir but a Daughter. So take that guy.

Alison Weir as always does a good job of writing, mixing the history we know with the fiction that we couldn’t possible know what happened one way or another. If you like a good historical fiction this is a good read that will hold your attention. You may not learn any new facts (like me) if you read a lot of Tudor history but you will really enjoy the book.

My Gemstone Rating:

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Sunday Salon 4/20/14

Sunday again and in my last Sunday salon I mentioned the great debate over what books to take with me on my trip and how I did not trust the kindle not to run out of batteries so I was taking a coupld hard copy books too. Guess what? GOOD THING,yup ran out of juice and I was out of interesting movies to watch so I had my hard copy books to turn too and I was happy for that. I am home now have been for a bit here, and swinging slowly back into a non vacation reading routine.

I am three books behind schedule. on my main challenge *gasp* but I am not stressing about it. Aside from the fact that there is still a lot of time left in the year this tends to happen to me in the start of the year. I have good reading but not enough and then summer time hits and I tend to crank out more books then most would think. Happened last year at one point or another too and then I smashed several goals, so I am not worried not worried at all yet, talk to me in June ha ha.

I am really enjoying the Dresden series I can say I am sorry I didn’t get started on it sooner but hey better late they never right? For the most part they have only been on my radar a year or two and there are TBR books that have been on my pile for 6 or more so they line jumped ha ha. That reminds me…..I need to read the next Cynster book.