Top 10 Tuesday - Summer TBR

Top 10 Tuesday is a post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and this week's topic is: Top Ten Summer TBR.

Considering I’m somewhat of an erratic reader, there’s no telling if I’ll read these in the order that I’m placing them below, or if something else will catch my eye and one or more will be bumped off my immediate TBR list. We’ll just have to wait and see. I’m very much a read-whatever-I’m-in-the-mood-for-at-this-particular-moment kind of gal. I might have full intentions of reading a particular book at a particular time and for whatever reason I just don’t. I have to read what I’m in the mood for at that exact moment. Or occasionally, if there’s a book I know I want to force myself through, I’ll read a chapter at a time in that book while reading something else for fun. Anyway, I’ve rambled enough. The list…

1. Bitterblue – Kristin Cashore – Got to finish the series, and I guess that'll be next up since I'm midway through Fire now.

2. Jane Eyre – Charlotte Brontte – My 5th and 6th grade reading teacher, affectionately referred to as “the Dragon Lady,” read Jane Eyre to our class. But I remember she said she skipped some parts. I’m not 100% which parts. And after having recently watched the movie, I was reminded that I can’t really claim to have read this particular classic, and so it’s on my TBR list. I’ve actually already started it. I’m about 3 chapters in, so I have it listed in my “currently reading” section, but as I’m not actively reading it, I figured it also counted for TBR as well.

3. Destined – PC & Kristin Cast – Ugh, honestly, it’s going to be pulling teeth for me to finish this book. This is going to be one of those that I force myself to read chapter by chapter. I’ve increasingly been frustrated with this series with the release of each new book, and this one is no different. I read chapter one, and was so annoyed I put it down with honestly little desire to ever pick it up again. I do hope to read it this summer so I can mark it off my list and move on. You might be wondering why I keep reading it if I’m so annoyed. And that my friends is called OCD. I can’t stand to abandon mid-series if it can be helped.

4. The Selection – Kiera Cass - I’ve seen good reviews on this one. Sounds pretty interesting. I’m really looking forward to reading this one. Plus I happen to be fond of the cover.

5. Hourglass – Myra McEntire – I received book 2 (Timepiece) from NetGalley to review, but I need to read book 1 first, obviously.

6. Timepiece – Myra McEntire – Ok , obvious. See above.

7. Radiant Shadows – Melissa Marr – I actually receive this one for my birthday LAST year. And I just haven’t gotten around to it. This is another set of books that have been increasingly disappointing to me. But I will press on. And Burnbury in the Stacks loves this series and this author. So maybe they get better. I’m not sure.

8. Raven Boys – Maggie Stiefvater – It’s no secret that I’m a Maggie Stievfater fan. Love her writing. This one hasn’t been released yet. (Release date set for Sept 18, 2012.) But I’ll probably be picking this up on the release date. Hey, that’s still summer, right? Officially anyway.

9. Hollowmen – Amanda Hocking – Plan to borrow this via my friend Paula’s kindle pretty soon. Got the first book as a free Amazon deal of the day type thing, but I’m not sure I’m invested enough to buy the 2nd one, even though it’s only currently listed at $2.99.

10. Code Name Verity – Elizabeth Wein – Also received via NetGalley and need to review. I’ve seen a lot of good reviews on this one, but based off the description, it sounds like something I’m not sure I’d like. But I’m willing to give it a go and see where it takes me. Besides, having low expectations is one of the best things for me, I’ve found, when it comes to how much I’ll like a book.

So that's my summer TBR list. What's yours?

In My Mailbow - # 8

In My Mailbox is a weekly post hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren where bloggers can discuss the books we got in the mail this week.

It’s always a little tricky to go buying things for yourself the week before your birthday. But well I just couldn’t help myself. I always knew I’d purchase The Golden Lily the day it was released (June 12), and as that day drew near, I thought that I’d pick up one more book for myself since I’d be at the store anyway. I recently read Graceling and so the decision on which book to get next was easy. Fire, the next book in that series, of course. Plus I could ask Husband to buy Bitterblue for me for my birthday and thus complete that series.

While we’re in the store, Russ says, “Hey what was that book you wanted me to get you for your birthday? If you want we can go ahead and get it.” And so I’m all like “SWEET!” However, it wasn’t with the other books in the series on the shelf, and I didn’t see it with the other fairly new releases. So we decided he could just order it from Amazon. Besides, with Amazon’s Wish Lists making gift giving so easy, why not? (If you don’t have one, you’re missing out. Easiest way to shop for birthdays and Christmas, or whatever occasion. As well the easiest way to ensure you get something you want for your own special occasions.) But then he tells me that he didn’t see it on my Wish List. And that should have been a big red flag. But I was just thinking “user error,” or more likely, he just wasn’t paying attention. And I said “I’ll send you the link when we get home.” Only when we got home and I tried to send him the link I was alerted that “someone may have purchased this item already.” OOPS! I totally didn’t think about OTHER people buying for me for my birthday. Like maybe my mom, sister, brother, sisters-in-law, mother-in-law…

So, I inadvertently ruined a birthday gift surprise (or three). My bad. And I actually ended up with some duplicates from what I bought at my trip to the books store and a couple of other books I noticed were also “may have been purchased.” However, it does get me excited about my birthday. And since I was already planning a birthday & 100th blog post giveaway, I might just be able to do two giveaways. Don’t hold your breath though, we’ll have to see how the first one works out initially. Stay tuned for more information. (Particularly, look out for any post coming up this Thursday, June 21st.)

All of that being said, I got several great books in this week.

The Golden Lily (Bloodlines #2)

By: Richelle Mead

Published: June 12th 2012 by Razorbill

417 pages

Source: Personal Library

( Goodreads | Amazon )

Goodreads description--The second thrilling installment in Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy spinoff series.

Tough, brainy alchemist Sydney Sage and doe-eyed Moroi princess Jill Dragomir are in hiding at a human boarding school in the sunny, glamorous world of Palm Springs, California. The students--children of the wealthy and powerful--carry on with their lives in blissful ignorance, while Sydney, Jill, Eddie, and Adrian must do everything in their power to keep their secret safe. But with forbidden romances, unexpected spirit bonds, and the threat of Strigoi moving ever closer, hiding the truth is harder than anyone thought.

Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, Richelle Mead's breathtaking Bloodlines series explores all the friendship, romance, battles, and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive. In this second book, the drama is hotter, the romances are steamier, and the stakes are even higher.

(And I've already reviewed it. Here.)

Fire (Graceling Realm #2)

By: Kristin Cashore

Published: 2009 by Dial

461 pages

Source: Personal Library

( Amazon | Goodreads )

Goodreads description—She is the last of her kind…

It is not a peaceful time in the Dells. In King City, the young King Nash is clinging to the throne, while rebel lords in the north and south build armies to unseat him. Ware is coming. And the mountains and forest are filled with spies and thieves. This is where Fire lives, a girl whose beauty is impossibly irresistible and who can control the minds of everyone around her.

Exquisitely romantic, this companion to the highly praised Graceling has an entirely new cast of characters, save for one person who plays a pivotal role in both books. You don’t need to read Graceling to love Fire. But if you haven’t, you’ll be dying to read it next.

Also, I've already received Timepiece (book 2 in this series) via NetGalley and need to review it. But obviously I want to read book 1 before reading and reviewing book 2. So...I went ahead and bought book 1, Hourglass for my Kindle. Amazon currently has it for $1.59.

Hourglass (Hourglass #1)

By: Myra McEntire

Published: June 14th 2011 by Egmont USA

387 pages

Source: Personal Kindle Library

( Goodreads | Amazon )

Goodreads description--One hour to rewrite the past . . .

For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn't there: swooning Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents' death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She's tried everything, but the visions keep coming back. So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson's willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may change her past.

Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he's around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that never should have happened?

And I celebrated my birthday with my in-laws this weekend so other than The Golden Lily and Fire that I mentioned above, I also received Bitterblue as birthday present.

Bitterblue (Graceling Realm #3)

By: Kristin Cashore

Published: May 1st 2012 by Dial

563 pages

Source: Received as birthday present, therefore, personal library

( Bitterblue | Amazon )

Goodreads description--Eight years after Graceling, Bitterblue is now queen of Monsea. But the influence of her father, a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities, lives on. Her advisors, who have run things since Leck died, believe in a forward-thinking plan: Pardon all who committed terrible acts under Leck’s reign, and forget anything bad ever happened. But when Bitterblue begins sneaking outside the castle—disguised and alone—to walk the streets of her own city, she starts realizing that the kingdom has been under the thirty-five-year spell of a madman, and the only way to move forward is to revisit the past.

Two thieves, who only steal what has already been stolen, change her life forever. They hold a key to the truth of Leck’s reign. And one of them, with an extreme skill called a Grace that he hasn’t yet identified, holds a key to her heart.

And that ladies and gentlemen is my mailbox for this week. What books did you guys get over the past week?

The Soulkeepers - Review

The Soulkeepers (The Soulkeepers, #1)

By: GP Ching

Published: June 24th 2011 by Createspace

308 pages

Source: Personal Kindle Library

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description—When fifteen year old Jacob Lau is pulled from the crumpled remains of his mother’s car, no one can explain why he was driving or why the police can’t find his mother’s body. A beautiful and mysterious neighbor offers to use her unique abilities to help him find his mom.

But in exchange she requires Jacob to train as a Soulkeeper, a protector of human souls. He agrees to her demands, desperate for any clue to the mystery of his mother’s disappearance. But soon Jacob finds himself trapped in a web of half-truths, and questions her motives for helping him.

Wow. I have absolutely no idea where to start. I guess first let me say that I got this book on my kindle when I was going through a bit of a book drought. I can’t remember if it was free on Amazon or $0.99 or what when I got it. (It’s currently listed as free for kindle on Amazon.) But either way, I was desperate to get my hands on something to read. And the ratings on Amazon showed a high 5 star count and not too far behind that a fairly high 4 star count. Obviously those people don’t have the same standards that I do, but I digress.

I started this book MONTHS ago. At the very beginning of the book, the actual crash/accident scene, I wasn’t sold. But who’s able to tell how good a book is going to be based solely on the very beginning every single time? When Jacob was waking up in the hospital, I thought that was actually pretty well done and began to think that the book might actually have potential. However, it went downhill after that and never really recovered. This book quickly slipped into one of those books I was forcing myself to read. I’d force myself to read one chapter of this book before I allowed myself to read anything for fun. Occasionally, I’d find a chapter that wasn’t so bad and I’d willingly read two chapters. And some (very small) parts I’d even venture to say were decently written. But there just wasn’t much to keep me interested especially when compared to the things I found utterly uninteresting.

I don’t really think the description above gives a really good description of what this book is actually about. Though, honestly, I don’t feel like putting in the effort to tell you what it’s really about. Ultimately, it did have a good moral to the story—you’re not the worst thing you’ve ever done. But now that I’ve told you the moral, you don’t have to read it yourself. (Yikes, that was kind of harsh, yet it’s how I feel.)

I’m giving this one 2 stars but only because it had moments of mediocrity and a decent moral to the story. Have you guys read The Soulkeepers? What did you think?

The Golden Lily - Review

The Golden Lily (Bloodlines # 2)

By: Richelle Mead

Published: June 12th 2012 by Razorbill

417 pages

Source: Personal Library

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Vampires

(Amazon | Goodreads | Book Depository ) *Note: The above links to Amazon and Book Depository are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--The second thrilling installment in Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy spinoff series.

Tough, brainy alchemist Sydney Sage and doe-eyed Moroi princess Jill Dragomir are in hiding at a human boarding school in the sunny, glamorous world of Palm Springs, California. The students--children of the wealthy and powerful--carry on with their lives in blissful ignorance, while Sydney, Jill, Eddie, and Adrian must do everything in their power to keep their secret safe. But with forbidden romances, unexpected spirit bonds, and the threat of Strigoi moving ever closer, hiding the truth is harder than anyone thought.

Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, Richelle Mead's breathtaking Bloodlines series explores all the friendship, romance, battles, and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive. In this second book, the drama is hotter, the romances are steamier, and the stakes are even higher.

Bought this book on Tuesday (June 12) and finished it this morning (Thursday). I was trying so hard to finish it last night, but we didn’t get home until close to 9:00 pm and I ended up falling asleep on the couch reading. Obviously, I read it quickly, and hard a time putting it down.

I don’t feel like there’s much to say because I want to keep this spoiler free. But I’ll start with how much better The Golden Lily was than Bloodlines. I liked Bloodlines, don’t get me wrong. (You can read my review of Bloodlines here.) But I said it then, and I’ll say it now, Bloodlines was first and foremost setup for the rest of this series and for future events. Bloodlines was necessary, but it wasn’t the meat of the story. We’re finally starting to get into the “good stuff” with The Golden Lily.

Most importantly, what we get with The Golden Lily is character growth. Sydney is changing. Her beliefs are being called into question. Her eyes are opening to the world around her. She’s seeing humans for what they are and what they have the potential to become (not as “good” as they might pretend to be) all on their own versus what the vampires around her are (evil and unnatural is what she’s been taught to believe) and what they have the potential to become (better than the humans who raised her?). Things used to be black and white for her, and some things still are. Yet other areas are slowly blending, melding, and turning gray. I REALLY like what’s happening with Sydney. And I’ve got hope for her future.

Along the same lines, I honestly like what’s happening with all of the other characters too. Eddie, Jill, Angeline, Adrian—oh Adrian—and even Trey. They’re growing, developing, changing. And I like it all.

My only negative is that it falls into the category of yet another book that was built up to me and thereby didn’t meet my expectations. It was the ending’s fault (and only the ending that I’m disappointed with and not even because of what happened, but how it was built up). Richelle Mead said quite a while ago that the ending would make you want to throw the book across the room. And then Anna Reads followed it up by saying that the ending would leave you emotionally raw (though after re-reading just now her comments on the ending, maybe I'm the one who built it up in my head). And while the ending was emotional, I guess it had just been built up too much for me. I was expecting epic. I wanted epic. And what I got, was…well…just an unadulterated desire to continue reading. Which is a good thing, and it means a long wait until the next release. *pouts* But I definitely didn’t throw the book across the room, and I didn’t shed any tears or even get angry. It just was what it was. Still an excellent read, but maybe if everyone else lowers their expectations (or doesn't have the same problem as I do) then they might just end up blown away. And I’d love nothing more than for that to be your experience while reading this book. I’m just learning that expectations play a massive role in my reaction to a book whether good or bad.

What did you guys think? Have you read The Golden Lily? 4.8 stars for me.

Updated: July 8, 2018

Top 10 Tuesday - Beach Reads

Top 10 Tuesday is a post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and this week's topic is: Top Ten Beach Reads.

I have to say, that I’m pretty sure my definition of “beach reads” isn’t the same as everyone else’s. And mostly that’s because over the last 5 years that I’ve increase my reading, I really haven’t read a ton of books that take place at the beach or anything like that. So…my list is probably going to appear random to some, but it makes sense to me.

1 –The Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer– Because this was the series that Holly (my SNL) was reading at the beach when I got sucked back into reading and haven’t been able to stop since. After Holly finished with Twilight and started New Moon, I borrowed Twilight from her and finished it in a day while we were still at the beach. I think many people who were original fans of these books have in some ways betrayed the series. And I think that’s really sad. Of course the series is not without its flaws (no book is), but you can’t love it and fawn over it and then just because it picks up steam and makes something of itself suddenly change your mind.

2 – The Glimpse by Claire Merle – Because this is the book I read during my own beach vacation back in April. It was a fast read that I could get engrossed in and not come up for air if I didn’t want to.

3 – The Song of Fire and Ice Series by George R. R. Martin– Because these books are so long. You expect to be out on the beach for hours upon end, right? At least, I do. So why not have a huge book that I can hope to knock out (or at the very least, put a nice dent into) since I have the time, especially because who knows how long it might take for me to read these when I’m just reading bits and pieces at a time? But also because with the swapping of narrators, it makes for good stopping points if you need to run into the ocean for a dip to cool off or whatever various other errands you might have.

4 – Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley– Because it’s a stand-alone book that you could knock out quickly, and better than I expected.

5 – The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare– Mostly because I know two different people who decided to take these to the beach with them, and I’m a fan of the series as well. So why not? (Though they've been poping up on my Top 10 lists way too often.)

6 - Any of the Stephanie Plum books by Janet Evanovich- Because you need some comedy while you're at the beach. Who doesn't want to bust out laughing at jokes that the people around them can't hear? I do, I do!!!

7 - Persuasion by Jane Austen - Because it's not that long. And though I believe most of Jane Austen's books include travel from one location or other, I've not read all of her books yet. But Persuasion actually has a beach/ocean location in the story. So, perfect beach read IMO.

8 - Divergent by Veronica Roth- This is just a series I can get sucked into. With the fast paced action, it is possible this could be an awesome beach book.

9 - Angel Burn by LA Weatherly - A quick read. Road trip with a hot angel-assassin. Count me in.

10 - The Dead Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan- Beach with Zombies. YAY! I know this is the 2nd in the series, but just read the first one before your trip. Or take it along and read both. Shoot, add the third if you've got time.

What do you guys think? What are your top 10 beach reads?