Change of plans

Yeah, so, as it turns out, I suck at writing reviews.  I've tried.  I really have.  But every review I've tried to write comes out sounding ... well, less than stellar.  Even the ones where I absolutely, positively loved the book *THIS* much (pretend I'm holding my arms out as far as they can go here).  I don't know why this is.  I can be articulate when I want to be.  So why not when I want to tell people how awesome (or not awesome) a book is?  I dunno.  It's one of life's mysteries.  And I'm done beating myself up about it.  After all, there are a TON of book blogs out there so I'm just going to stick with what I do best:  random musings.

Yep, I've decided to just start writing down my thoughts on books.  Which is kind of like a review, but much more informal.  Should be easier, right?  Right.  And if my random musings happen to be incoherent, well, that's the beauty of randomness.  It doesn't have to make sense.  (Just go with me here, k?)

Since I'm participating in the Soul Screamers Reading Challenge, I thought that I'd tackle My Soul to Take for my first attempt at a random musing.  Hopefully I'll be able to get something written up this weekend.  Why not now, you ask?  Well, because it's late and I need my beauty rest, that's why.  And I need time to get my thoughts in order.  Er, I mean, time to think about what I want to randomly muse about.

Teaser Tuesdays: Enclave

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!

"Unlike the others, this place had an air of majesty, even in its disrepair.  I could tell great things had happened here."


p. 185
Enclave, Ann Aguirre


I chose these two sentences because of what they're describing: a library.  Isn't that a great way to describe a library?  Yeah, I thought so too!  

Twas a good mail day today

You know how when you order something online but it doesn't come for a while so you sort of forget about it?  I mean, you remember that you ordered something but it's not at the forefront of your mind anymore because it's been a while since you placed the order?


Well today my order finally came:

• Midnight Organ Flight by Frightened Rabbit
• Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters by The Twilight Sad
• Aspect of Crow trilogy by Jeri Smith-Ready

SO excited!!  Frightened Rabbit and The Twilight Sad are my new favorite bands and I can't wait to listen to these new (to me) albums.  (The Twilight Sad has a new (to everyone) album coming out in February two days before my birthday so I think it'll be a happy birthday to me present. So I'll have more new music from them to enjoy!!)  I could listen to both bands all day long, every day and not get tired it.  (Along with Mumford & Sons' Sigh No More. I love that album too!)

AND, the Aspect of Crow trilogy? I've heard such good things about these books and since I pretty much love everything that Jeri writes, I can't wait to get started on the series.  I have no doubts that I will love this series as much as I do her WVMP and SHADE series.  

Tonight though I am continuing my re-read of Rachel Vincent's My Soul to Take, which is the first book in her Soul Screamers series (well, technically, My Soul to Lose is the first book, but it's more of a prequel novella to the series ... meaning you don't have to read it, but it does provide some insight into Kaylee's character).  I'm participating in the Soul Screamers Reading Challenge hosted by Rachel Clarke at Fiktshun and having just finished Ashfall by Mike Mullin I needed something a bit lighter.  Not that a story about teens dying is necessarily lighter, but it's not as realistic as Ashfall.  

Anyway ... I've been enjoying the re-read so far except that it's made me remember just how much I loved Nash and knowing what's in store for him and Kaylee makes me sad.  

Teaser Tuesdays: Ashfall

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!

"The volcano had taken our homes, our food, our automobiles, and our airplanes, but it hadn't taken our humanity.  No, we'd given that up on our own."


p. 344
Ashfall, by Mike Mullin

Teaser Tuesdays: Every Other Day

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!

"I transferred to Heritage a few weeks ago.  When I'm not failing history tests, I spend my time as an insurgent superhero who lives in fear of being hunted down by monsters or bureaucrats."
Every Other Day, pg 16

Books I can't wait to read!

In no particular order, these are just some of the books that I'm looking forward to reading.  A mix of not-yet-released and already-released books.  Admittedly this list is a little YA-heavy, but there are so many awesome YA books out there right now.  I'm a little late to the party for a lot of them, but I'm doing my best to catch up quickly!

*Note: I just found out yesterday that Undone Deeds is going to be released on 31 January 2012. SO excited for this new Connor Grey book (one of my favorite UF series)!  Definitely going to pre-order this one!

Blogging Goals for 2012

Now that the first week of 2012 is over and done with, I figured that I better make some goals for this blog.  Considering that I've not done much with this blog, I'm starting small.  If all goes well then next year I'll have loftier goals.  

So here goes:

1. Write and post at least one book review a month. Yeah, I know that's not much but considering I've yet to actually write a review that's worth posting, I figured I should start small.  If I do more, great.  But I should be able to at least do one review in a month.
2. Participate in at least one weekly book blogging event.  I'm thinking that Teaser Tuesdays hosted by Should Be Reading would be a good place to start. 
3. Participate in a couple of challenges.  I've already signed up for one: the Soul Screamers (Re-)Reading Challenge hosted by Rachel at fiktshun.  So yay me!  Not only will this allow me to re-read the Soul Screamers books (which I've been wanting to do), but it will also (hopefully) get me to write reviews as well so that my first goal will be taken care of too.  :)  I've also signed up for the reading challenge on Goodreads which I participated in this year.  Last year's goal was to read 125 books and I surpassed that (though a lot of those books were novellas so it's a little misleading in that I didn't read almost 130+ full-length books).  This year I upped my goal to 130.  I'll see where I stand in June, but considering all of the books that I have in my TBR pile, not to mention the number of sequels coming out this year that I'm looking forward to reading, I don't think I'll have a problem finding books to read.  ;)  

So that's it.  Three goals.  If I can't manage to meet those then I have no business doing this blogging thing.

Favorites of 2011

Since I've obviously failed miserably in my attempt to write a review that's worth being seen by anyone other than my cat (I do have a couple of drafts, they're just ... well, not good), I decided to turn my attention to my favorite things about 2011 - in a stream of consciousness sort of way.  So, without further ado ... drumroll, please ...

Favorite series I discovered:

1. SHADE series by Jeri Smith-Ready.

I'm a big fan of Rachel Vincent and her books and follow her on Twitter.  This past summer there was a little thing called the YA Crush Tourney in which Tod (from Rachel's Soul Screamers series) was up against Zach (from Jeri's SHADE series).  After watching the "battle" on Twitter between these two fictional boys and their fans, and reading some of the teaser incentives that Jeri posted during the match I had to check out Zach for myself.

I was prepared to like Zach from what I read about him in the YA Crush Tourney (Scottish accent, gorgeous, etc.) and I did, er, do.  What I wasn't prepared for was Logan Keeley.  Logan made his way into my heart like very few fictional characters do.  In fact, the last fictional boy to affect me like this?  Adam Eddington from Madeleine L'Engle's The Arm of the Starfish.  I've been in love with him since I was oh, I don't know, 12 or 13 years old maybe?  I don't remember how old I was the first time I read the book.  Suffice to say, it's been a long, long time.  (Jeri assures me that Zach will have my heart too by the end of SHINE and I believe her.)

But I didn't just fall in love with Logan.  I fell in love with Aura and Zach as well (though not quite to the extent that I did with Logan).  Because I'm such a fast reader not many books (and fewer characters) stick with me after I've finished them because I need to make room in my head for new books and characters.  Not so with Jeri's books and characters.  Aura and Zach and Logan pop into my head still (months later) when a song I'm listening to reminds me of them.  Which brings me to my next favorite series because it takes place in a radio station and music is very important to the series.

2.  WVMP series by Jeri Smith-Ready.

I loved SHADE and SHIFT so much that I went looking for other books of Jeri's that I could read and found her adult vampire series.  I plowed my way through all three books in this series too.  Jeri's currently writing the fourth and final book in the series and I can't wait to see what happens.  She's promised us a happy ending for Shane and Ciara though! ;)

3.  October Daye series by Seanan McGuire

I'd seen these books and heard about this series but it wasn't until I went to Seattle in October that I bought the first book and that was mostly because I wanted to buy a book at the famous Elliott Bay Book Company.  I am not sorry that I picked Rosemary and Rue as the one I bought.  Upon finishing I immediately went out and bought the next two.  And before I was even finished with those I bought the next two.  I've not read One Salt Sea yet because it's the last book that's published and I kind of want to save it and savor it.  I don't know how long that will last.

4. KGI series by Maya Banks

On the surface these books look like your typical romance novels, just another addition to the myriad books out there starring special ops alpha males who have to rescue their women.  They're better than that most of the ones out there in that they have a plot and and are written well.  Yes, they're still romance books with all that entails, but they're also full of mystery and suspense.  The Kelly brothers are definitely alpha males and will do anything and everything to protect those that they love, but they also aren't afraid to show affection and love.

Favorite book:

Room by Emma Donoghue

Hands down the best general fiction book I read all year.  A difficult subject matter told through the eyes of an innocent five year old.

Favorite experience:

Seattle.

I had the opportunity to go to Seattle for a weekend - the same weekend that the Smart Chicks Kick It tour was going to be there (with a LOT of my favorite authors) AND the same weekend as the Northwest Tea Festival.  Books and tea and me in a place I've wanted to visit for a while?  YES!  I had an incredible (though much-too-short time) in Seattle.  Not only did I get to listen to some of my favorite authors talk about writing, but I discovered new favorite teas.  It was my first "real" vacation by myself and I discovered something: I liked being on vacation by myself.  Don't get me wrong, I love going on vacation with other people too, but there was something incredibly freeing about being on my own.  I want to go back.

Favorite music:

1.  Frightened Rabbit

I learned about Frightened Rabbit thanks to Jeri Smith-Ready and fell in love with them immediately.  I don't know what it is about their music, but their album "The Winter of Mixed Drinks" has gotten me through some rough times just in the past two months that I've had it.  I love the whole album - every single, solitary song on it.  And the free acoustic download from their website?  Absolutely brilliant.  Three heart-wrenching, beautiful and raw songs that will kill you.  But in a good way.  Mostly.

2.  The Twilight Sad

From following Frightened Rabbit on Twitter I discovered The Twilight Sad and ... yes, you guessed it, fell in love with them as well.  So much so that I'm (semi-)seriously considering trying to make a trip back to Seattle to see them in March.  They'll also be in Chicago, but as I'm tired of Chicago and not tired of Seattle I'd rather go see them in Seattle.  This will probably not happen, but a girl can dream, right?  They also have a free acoustic download on their website and, well, the raw energy that James Graham puts into singing those songs makes me shiver.


So there you have it.  Some of my favorites from 2011.