Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Waiting on Wednesday: Landline



“Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted at Breaking the Spine that spotlights eagerly anticipated upcoming releases.

Georgie McCool knows her marriage is in trouble. That it’s been in trouble for a long time. She still loves her husband, Neal, and Neal still loves her, deeply — but that almost seems besides the point now.

Maybe that was always besides the point.

Two days before they’re supposed to visit Neal’s family in Omaha for Christmas, Georgie tells Neal that she can’t go. She’s a TV writer, and something’s come up on her show; she has to stay in Los Angeles. She knows that Neal will be upset with her — Neal is always a little upset with Georgie — but she doesn’t expect to him to pack up the kids and go home without her.

When her husband and the kids leave for the airport, Georgie wonders if she’s finally done it. If she’s ruined everything.

That night, Georgie discovers a way to communicate with Neal in the past. It’s not time travel, not exactly, but she feels like she’s been given an opportunity to fix her marriage before it starts . . .

Is that what she’s supposed to do?

Or would Georgie and Neal be better off if their marriage never happened?
(Release Date: July 8th 2014)


I love all the books by Rainbow Rowell I've read, and I can't see why I won't like this one, as well.
What are you waiting for this week? Let me know in the comments!

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Top Ten Tuesday: Summer 2014 TBR List


Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by the Brooke and the Bookish. This week's top ten is of books that will be a priority on my summer 2014 TBR list.

10. "Alanna: The First Adventure" by Tamora Pierce
The title is kind of lame, but this one's a classic, and I can't believe I haven't read it yet. This summer will be the perfect time to finally get around to reading it. And, if I like it, it's the first in a series of four books. 















9. "Hild" by Nicola Griffith
I love a good tale of courtly intrigue and this one's set in pre-unification England, too, which is a period I don't know much about. I look forward to reading it. 
Also, that cover is gorgeous, even though it hasn't anything to do with the quality of the novel. 














8. "Finnick of the Rock" by Melina Marchetti
This novel is not very well known and it has received some glowing praise. I'm a little worried that it will just be a romance novel in the guise of an high fantasy, though. Here's to hoping that it will be as good as the reviews make it sound!















7. "Half a King" by Joe Abercrombie
This novel, the author's first YA, is being released in July, and I've talked about it several times before. I have been counting down the days until it's release, and I just hope I won't be disappointed. 
















6. "Grave Mercy" by Robin LaFevres 
I have been wanting to read this novel for ages, and this summer will be the perfect time to do it. It promises to be a dark and engrossing assassin story, and it has received some great reviews. 
















5. "Blond Ops" by Charlotte Bernardo and Natalie Zaman
Charlotte Bernardo first novel, "Sirens", was engrossing.
The synopsis of this book sounded fun, if a little bit dumb, perfect for light summer reading. 
















4. "Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures" by Cate DiCamillo 
This book looks freaking adorable. And the combo of a young cynic and a squirrel with superpowers has the potential to be hilarious. 
This novel promises both to be heart-warming and funny, which is a great combo. 
Also, I'm curious about the fact that it's a combo of a novel and a graphic novel. I want to see if the author is capable of pulling it off. 











3. "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman
I have read this novel once already, when the film came out. I've been meaning to reread it for ages, but I have never gotten around to it. I definitely will this summer, though.
















2. "Scarlet" by Marissa Meyer 
This book is already on my kindle, just waiting to be read. I enjoyed the first book in the series, Cinder, and plan to keep reading "The Lunar Chronicles" (though I just found out that it's not completed yet, so if I get engrossed I'll still have to wait for the last installment to come out). 














1. "The Luminaries" by Eleanor Catton
I've been putting off reading this book for far too long, but I definitely want to read it this summer (I keep getting side-tracked and always end up reading something else instead). 
The plot sounds engrossing and the novel is long enough that reading it will fill at least couple of rainy days.














What about you? What books are on your summer TBR list? Let me know in the comments! 

Monday, June 16, 2014

Review: City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

In the last installment of Cassandra Clare's bestselling series "The Mortal Instruments", Clary and her friends have to save the world (of course!). They still find the time to agonize over their love lives. go shopping for christmas presents... Even when they find themselves quite literally in hell, they still worry about their relationships, one of them even gets drunk. In real life, these guys wouldn't have lasted a day in that war.

The writing is not terrible, but it isn't exactly good, either. At one point, Clare compared stalactites to "electrified icicles". Ugh.

There's no shortage of corny moments, either. I don't want to spoil too much, but at one point a vampire dies because they were tricked into drinking holy water, and their skin peels back until only the bones are left and then those crumble to ash. That's freaking ridiculous, how on earth am I supposed to take that seriously?

Most of the kissing scenes were boring and read like something out of a fan-fiction.
There's a sex scene, about half-way through the book and I don't like it's handled. I can see why Clare tried to keep it vague, since it still is a YA novel, and you can't put a too explicit sex scene in there. This one's vague enough that it was hard to understand what was going on. I would have preferred it if Clare had made the scene fade to black, like she did in "Clockwork Princess". Also, who the hell packs up for Hell and brings condoms along?

Yet, in the words of immortal poets Icona Pop, "I don't care. I love it!"

For all the cheesy and trashy moments, for all the inconsistencies, for all the dumb things the main characters do, I still enjoyed this novel very much. It's a lot of fun, and it kept me hooked (any book that can keep me up until two o'clock twice in a row deserves an honorable mention).

The humor is great, as always, and I even caught myself laughing out loud several times.

I also don't mind all the relationship drama, despite the fact that it is unrealistic. The only couple I cared about in book five were Magnus and Alec, but this time around I found myself rooting for all of them - Jace and Clary, Izzy and Simon, Jocelyn and Luke…
I especially enjoyed the platonic relationships, which were well-developed in this novel. I was glad for the fact that Alec and Jace's friendship and their parabatai bond was expanded upon, since in the previous books almost no details were given about it.

Even tough they sometimes did some pretty dumb things, the characters were very likable. Even Alec, whom I have never liked all that much, became much more fun and interesting in this book, as he finally stood up for himself, instead of spending all his time scowling and wallowing in his insecurities. I am now glad that he and Magnus broke up in the last book, having to go through the pain of heart-break made Alec into a much stronger and interesting character. 
Clary, who in the previous books only had a couple of badass moments and had to be saved more often than not, had some time to train and became an actually skilled warrior. I had fun reading about her, something that didn't happen when I read the previous two books. She's not only powerful, strong and determined. Most of all. she's clever and scheming. I like that in a main character.  

Despite the fact that I know that this book has flaws, I enjoyed it very much, and I still recommend it, if you're in the mood for something fun and adventurous and you like YA and Urban Fantasy. 
  
 Rating: 

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Waiting on Wednesday 04/06/2014



“Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted at Breaking the Spine that spotlights eagerly anticipated upcoming releases.

What really happened after the clock struck midnight?

Jane Montjoy is tired of being a lady. She's tired of pretending to live up to the standards of her mother's noble family-especially now that the family's wealth is gone and their stately mansion has fallen to ruin. It's hard enough that she must tend to the animals and find a way to feed her mother and her little sister each day. Jane's burden only gets worse after her mother returns from a trip to town with a new stepfather and stepsister in tow. Despite the family's struggle to prepare for the long winter ahead, Jane's stepfather remains determined to give his beautiful but spoiled child her every desire.

When her stepfather suddenly dies, leaving nothing but debts and a bereaved daughter behind, it seems to Jane that her family is destined for eternal unhappiness. But a mysterious boy from the woods and an invitation to a royal ball are certain to change her fate...

From the handsome prince to the evil stepsister, nothing is quite as it seems in Tracy Barrett's stunning retelling of the classic Cinderella tale.


Release Date: June 24th 2014

I love fairytale retellings, and this should be an interesting new take on a story we've all heard a million times. Fingers crossed that it'll live up to what it promises to be!

What are you waiting for this week? Let me know in the comments!

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Will be in My Beach Bag this Summer



10. "Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrel" by Susanna Clarke

9 "The Gods of Gotham" by  Lyndsay Faye"

8. "Half a King" by Joe Abercrombie

7. "The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry" by Gabrielle Zevin

6. "Prince of Shadows" by Rachel Caine

5. "Amy and Roger's Epic Detour" by Morgan Matson


4. "V is for villain" by Peter Moore

3. "Scarlet" by Marissa Meyer

2. "The Luminaries" by Eleanor Catton


1. "The Rosie Project" by Graeme Simsion

What about you? What will be in your beach bag this summer? Let me know in the comments!