Friday Faves (2)

Friday Faves is a feature here at Emily's Reading Room. Each week I gather up the latest and greatest posts from my reader and post them here. Feel free to leave your favorites in the comments.

Steph Su Reads talks about what's missing from YA Literature. For instance, parental involvement and realistic romances. One thing I'd add to her list is characters with a religion in a non-religious book.

The Story Siren and Persnickety Snark talk about why they love book blogging. You can also check out my post this week on the subject.

Ohnotheydidnt gives us the formula for creating a Nicholas Sparks movie. This is related to that awful interview done by USA Today a couple weeks back.

What awesomeness did you read this week?

Book Blogger Hop April 30-May 6

I had so many people drop by from the book blogger hop last week that it seriously took me the whole week to get caught up. This week was my last week of maternity leave. So, if it takes me longer to get back to you this week, the reason is because I'm hard at work. Thanks so much to these bloggers for their visit:

Casey @The Bookish Type
Precious @Fragments of Life
Amelia @Imagination In Focus
Bobbie @'Til We Read Again
Casse @A Writer's Journey
Miel @Reminder List
(Female) Opinionated Reader
KJ @KJRoberts
Girl on a Mission @Only Sexy Books Allowed
Detweilermom @A Room Without Books is Empty
Felicia @Geeky Blogger's Books Blog
Emily @The Ninja Librarian
Becki @Confessions of a Bibliophile
Teresa @Teresa's Reading Corner
Katelyn @The Bookshelf Sophisticate
Kris @Voracious YAppetite
Beverly @The Wormhole
Lisa @Bibliophiliac
Page @One Book at a Time
Kimberly @Mystical Lit Lounge
Susan @Ink Spells
Sara @Along for the Ride
Jamie @The Book Junkie's Bookshelf
Mel @Mel's Books and Info
Kelly @Book Sanctuary

Phew! Anyway, if you're here from the hop, welcome!

Guest Posting at It's All About Books

I did guest post today at It's All About Books. I did a review of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia Wrede. Stop by and say hi!

Moon Called by Patricia Briggs: Review

Moon Called

By: Patricia Briggs

Synopsis (From Goodreads): Mercy Thompson's life is not exactly normal. Her next-door neighbor is a werewolf. Her former boss is a gremlin. And she's fixing a VW bus for a vampire. But then, Mercy isn't exactly normal herself.

My Review: I seriously almost didn't post the cover of this book. I feel like it so poorly misrepresents the book that it would turn off potential readers, and I'd hate to do that. I didn't pick up this book for months because it looked like a trashy romance novel.  The trend of scantily clad women in leather on urban fantasy novels has got to stop. Blegh.

Anyway, I love Mercy! What a fantastic female protagonist.  As I was reading this book, I made a list of things I liked about Mercy:

• Not only is Mercy strong willed, she has the skills and expertise to back it up. (Unlike some protagonists I know. Yes, I'm looking at you Bella Swan-Cullen).
• Mercy doesn't put herself in harm's way on purpose and knows her limits.
• But, she's not afraid to follow her instincts and test those limits.
• Mercy's shape-shifting abilities are very awesome.
• Mercy can and does cry. She's not a whiner, but she is still female and has compassion.

Gosh there were so many things I liked about this book. The fact that vampires were creepy and unpredictable. I loved the fast pace of the book. The plot kept rolling right along and each interaction in the book had a specific purpose. I didn't feel like there were any loose ends that needed to be tied up. Briggs did a fantastic job of explaining Mercy's past without spending too much time going backwards.

I am going to admit that the climax/ending really puzzled me. I think I left off at a bad place in the book, because I got really confused about which characters were doing what and with what motives. I think too many characters were introduced at the end, and I'm so bad at retention that I couldn't figure out where they all belonged. I had to read a couple chapters twice to get it all.

But, it was a fantastic urban fantasy. I'm excited to continue reading in the series

My Rating:
I gave this book 5 stars

Book-a-likes:
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare, Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

Profanity: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol: Mild
Sexuality: Moderate. It's quite tame, but it is mentioned

Violence: Moderate. Lots of werewolves die.

For the Love! (of book blogging)

There has been some great energy floating around the bookish interwebs this week. Adele at Persnickety Snark declared a Blog Thanksgiving week. And Kristi at The Story Siren joined in with her thoughts on why she loves to blog.

I'm coming up on one year of blogging in June. I had no idea the community of book bloggers that existed until I started blogging. Initially I hadn't planned on joining any type of community. This blog was meant to share my love of young adult literature with my family and friends.

But, I got hooked.

Last Summer I hung out with some amazing blogging friends at an event organized by Natasha at Maw Books. I can be a little shy in large gatherings. I like to lurk and observe rather than be loud and vocal. But, after about 10 minutes I was chatting it up with Becky from One Literature Nut, Angie from Angieville, and Britt from Confessions of a Book Habitue. By the end of the evening it was like we were old friends. I don't often feel like I belong in situations like that, so it was pretty neat.  I was really sad that I didn't get a chance to go to their social in February, and also sad that I won't be going to BEA this year.

One of the other awesome things that I discovered through blogging is how freaking awesome authors are.  I used to think they were these super-human figures that were untouchable by the common folk. (Okay, maybe SOME of them are). But, nowadays, I look up their blog and shoot them an email to tell them how much I liked their book, or to ask them a question. And 9 times out of 10 I get a response.  Although I still freeze up at signings and act like a total fan-girl dork. (We're working on that in preparation for when I meet Shannon Hale someday)...

But most of all I love reading and I love writing. It is unlikely that I will ever publish a novel. (I say unlikely because anything is possible). But, every day I am able to put my thoughts about books into writing. It's totally helped with my reading retention which sucks because I read so quickly. It's like water through sand. Blogging helps me remember the finer points of stories and why I liked them.

Thanks to all of you who read my blog and for your wonderful comments. It's so fun to have a community of people that I have so much in common with to talk about the things I love most.

So, talk to me about the reasons you love to blog. (Or reading them)

Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder: Review

Magic Study

By: Maria V. Snyder

Synopsis (From Goodreads): Yelena is a survivor. Kidnapped as a child, held prisoner as a teen, then released to act as a poison taster, she is now a student of magic. But these magic skills place her in imminent danger, and with an execution order on her head, she has no choice but to escape to Sitia, the land of her birth.
But nothing in Sitia is familiar. As she struggles to understand where she belongs and how to control her powers, a rogue magician emerges and Yelena catches his eye. Suddenly she is embroiled in a situation not of her making. And once again her magical abilities will either save her life or be her downfall.
With her greatest enemy dead, and on her way to be reunited with the family she'd been stolen from long ago, Yelena should be pleased. But though she has gained her freedom, she can't help feeling isolated in Sitia. Her Ixian background has changed her in many ways and her new-found friends and relatives don't think it's for the better.
Despite the turmoil, she's eager to start her magic training especially as she's been given one year to harness her power or be put to death. But her plans take a radical turn when she becomes involved with a plot to reclaim Ixia's throne for a lost prince and gets entangled in powerful rivalries with her fellow magicians.
If that wasn't bad enough, it appears her brother would love to see her dead. Luckily, Yelena has some old friends to help her with all her new enemies. 

My Review:
This book connects flawlessly with Poison Study. I thought that the reunion between Yelena and her parents was handled beautifully. Her mother never wants Yelena to leave her sight for fear of losing her again. However, Yelena has grown up without parents. Frankly, without any type of family unit, so the concept is foreign to her and she fights against it. Yelena's brother is an absolute jerk. But, it's not so surprising, given the circumstances. As his story unfolds, I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. The emotions he's been dealing with alone were far beyond his years.

Yelena proves herself to be resourceful in this sequel. Despite being caught between two worlds, she doesn't spend a lot of time whining about returning to the North to be with Valek. Yes, she does pine for him occasionally, but it's not often enough to be annoying.  Frankly, if I were in her situation, I'd want him around. Considering what she's dealing with, a trained assassin would be so bad to have around.

I was happy that Janco and Ari made an appearance in this book. They are my favorite characters in the story.  It's not just the bantering that adds a light-heartedness to an otherwise pretty dark book, but their loyalty is unwavering. They are exactly the kind of friends I'd want around.

One thing I love about Snyder's writing is the way that her characters almost never live up to their first impressions. The bad guys aren't always bad. Sometimes they are just misguided. Or, sometimes they have very good reasons for their actions.  The good guys can be hardened jerks. It keeps you on your toes.

This book didn't captivate me as much as Poison Study. I think I wanted to see more of Yelena working with Irys rather than trying to do everything on her own.  It just seemed like a step backwards from all the progress she made in Poison Study. But, it continued the story very well, and I'm anxious to read Fire Study next.

My Rating:
I gave this book 4 stars

Book-a-likes:
I honestly couldn't think of any. Suggestions anyone?

Profanity: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol: Not much, if any
Sexuality: Moderate. It's never graphic, but Valek and Yelena's relationship is mentioned a lot more. Then there is the sexual abuse aspect.
Violence: Moderate. Anytime you're dealing with a trained assassin, there's bound to be blood

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? 4/26

Hosted by Book Journey

This week marks my last week of maternity leave. So, I'm going to try to get in a lot of good reading this week.

Completed:
The Princess and the Bear Mette Ivie Harrison (review this week)
Moon Called Patricia Briggs (okay I've got like 10 pages left...)

Currently Reading (or will read this week)
The Demon King Cinda Williams Chima audiobook (Still working on this one from last week because I listen to it as I fall asleep)
Palace Beautiful Sarah Deford Williams
The Dead and Gone Susan Beth Pfeffer
The Outsiders S.E. Hinton

What are you reading this week?

In My Mailbox 4/25

Welcome to my first ever vlog. And, as a special treat, it is guest starring my daughter Abigail. She was being fussy, so I let her sit on my lap as I filmed it. Just you try to concentrate on the books with her cute head bobbing around, I dare ya!

Books featured in this video:

From Publishers
Benjamin Pratt and the Keeper's School Andrew Clements; Simon & Schuster 2010
Keeper Kathi Appelt; Simon & Schuster 2010
Shadow Hills Anastasia Hopcus; Egmont USA; July 13, 2010

From Paperback Swap
Phantom Tollbooth Norton Juster
Sword in the Stone Terrence Hanbury White
Speak Laurie Halse Anderson
Phillip Hall Likes Me I Reckon Maybe Bette Cireen
There's a Boy in the Girl's Bathroom Louis Sachar

From Wandering Wardrobe
The Princess Diaries Meg Cabot
Airhead Meg Cabot
Lock and Key Sarah Dessen
Princess of the Midnight Ball Jessica Day George
Emily of New Moon L.M. Montgomery
Goose Chase Patricia Kindl *not featured in video
Wings Aprilynne Pike *not featured in video

From Library
Pendragon D.J. MacHale
City of Glass Cassandra Clare
The Outsiders S.E. Hinton
The Dead and Gone Susan Beth Pfeffer
Moon Called Patricia Briggs
Amaranth Enchantment Julie Berry
Princess and the Bear Mette Ivie Harrison
The Eyre Affair Jasper Fforde
Palace Beautiful Sarah DeFord Williams
Princess Ben Catherine Gilbert Murdock

Bloggers/Websites featured in this video
Angie from Angieville
Elise from Reading Rocks (Wherever Nina Lies Contest)
The Wandering Wardrobe in Springville, UT (Where I got all my fantastic books for a total steal!)

Friday Faves (1)

Friday Faves

April 23, 2010

Required Reading: a Love/Hate Relationship Angieville 

Angie lists her favorite (and not so favorite) required reads from high school.  I can remember very little of my high school reading. I remember a few titles, but I have a hard time remembering what I thought of them and in some cases even what they are about.  However, I do remember To Kill a Mockingbird. Gosh, I love that book. I love it so much that I'm going to name my first boy Atticus. No joke.

Celebrating the Life of Samuel Clemens Milly Marie

This was a great post on Mark Twain, one of Milly Marie's favorite authors.  She had a lot of great background and stories that I hadn't heard before. I've always thought that Mark Twain was fascinating, and I have some very fond memories of reading Huckleberry Finn with my dad.

What do you want to be when you grow up? Suzanne Saxton

Suzanne talks a little about her journey to becoming an author and what she originally wanted to do.  The post was great, but there were some fantastic comments. I definitely suggest you check it out and leave a comment.

Prelude to Hell: Nicholas Sparks Gettsr

I seriously laughed out loud a few times during this post. Gettsr dissects part of an interview that USA Today did with Nicholas Sparks and Miley Cyrus.  Whodathunk that Miley Cyrus would come off looking smarter than Sparks? If you haven't read the interview, it's a must. The link is in the blog post.

So, what posts did you find (or write) last week that were worth mentioning?

Book Blogger Hop April 23-29

Another week of exciting blog hopping! This week I visited:

Chelle @Time Out
Christina @Confessions of a Book Addict
Em @Super Reader Girl's Book Reviews
Emidy @Une Parole
Carrie @In The Hammock Blog
Emily @Af-fiction-ate

About Negative Reviews

Earlier this week on my It's Monday! What Are You Reading? post, I got a comment from Chelle at Time Out. I was going to email her back, but I thought it was an important enough question to do a little longer post about it.

When I first started blogging, I imagined myself as a snarky critic that would say whatever I felt and whatever came to mind about a book I was reading. That's generally how I speak with friends. I pride myself on my "quick wit."  You should hear me talk about Twilight. I could go on for days about my idea for a sequel where Bella ends up divorced 15 years later and is left as a vampire single mom. Think dating is tough with a kid? It's even harder when you want to suck your date's blood.

Anyway, I digress.

I wrote a couple reviews early on where I was pretty harsh on some books. And then I started meeting authors. And it kind of dawned on me that these people put a lot of effort into their work. Writing is an incredibly emotional experience that requires soul searching and putting yourself on the line. Even people who write stuff I think is junk have spent a lot of time writing something for others to enjoy. And, I sacrifice nothing by reading their books. Yes, I give my time, which could be considered valuable. But, if I don't like a book, I generally don't finish it. Unless it's REALLY bad, then I finish it so that I can talk to my friends about it later and say how bad it was.

But, using the veil of the internet to post mean things about someone's hard work just isn't something I'm comfortable with. So, if a book is bad enough that I can't come up with a few good things to say about it, the review doesn't go on my blog. But, I will post it on Goodreads, because many of my friends are on there, and I feel an obligation to warn them about books that may not be worth their time.

One last note on this subject. Earlier this year I heard Brandon Sanderson speak at a conference about the Fantasy and Science Fiction genre.  I took away from his speech this nugget of wisdom: we spend too much time focusing on the "junk" in the genre, when frankly, it's such a small portion of what's out there. For instance, instead of saying, "You liked TWILIGHT? What a bunch of crap. There are so many better vampire books out there..." we should say something like, "I'm so glad you liked that book. Since you liked that one so well, here are some others that I'm sure you'd enjoy."

Others may disagree with my philosophy on bad reviews, and that's fine. There are lots of blogs and places out there to read those types of reviews. But, I feel better knowing that I most likely haven't written something that is going to make a starving author cry themselves to sleep.

The Books of Bayern Series by Shannon Hale: Review

Books of Bayern Series

(Goose Girl, Enna Burning, River Secrets, Forest Born)

By: Shannon Hale

I started reading these books several years ago (before I had this blog), and absolutely loved them.  I finished reading Forest Born a month or so ago and really wanted to write a review on it. But it seemed weird to only review the last book in the series. So, I decided to do a mini review of the whole series. If you haven't read the books, you may want to hold off reading the entire review, since there are bound to be spoilers... Just warning you ahead of time.

Goose Girl
This is possibly one of the best books I've ever read.  I think I picked up this book based on a librarian's recommendation 5 years ago. I had just finished Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine (another favorite), and was looking for more fairy tale retellings.

I was hooked on this book from the beginning. A few people have mentioned that it was slow starting. I didn't think that at all. The evolution of Isi's character was amazing. I loved that she was a strong character, even though many times she didn't think she was. Her friendship with Enna and the Forest Boys was endearing and heartwarming. They were the kind of friends that I'd want to have around, and oftentimes did. Geric was a very solid character as well. None of this "I'm so dangerous that you must be with me" stuff. He was a good guy. There just aren't enough Geric's in this world.

I gave this book 5 stars. If I had a 6th star, I'd give it.

Enna Burning
Enna Burning wasn't nearly as good as Goose Girl. However, I found Enna's story to be compelling as well.  I think that the plot moved a little slowly at first, but by the end I really enjoyed the story.  Even though this book was not as fast-paced as Goose Girl, it dealt with deeper human emotions than Goose Girl did. Enna struggled much more with her power than Isi did, I think due to the fact that hers is naturally more destructive.  Enna was a supporting character in Goose Girl, and definitely became the character in need of support in the sequel.

I gave this book 4 stars.

River Secrets
This was probably my least favorite book out of the series. That doesn't mean it wasn't good, just not as good.  Razo's story just wasn't as interesting to me as Enna and Isi's were.  Also, by now the powers were a little predictable. I wasn't taken by surprise like I was in the first two books.  I think Razo's character just wasn't developed enough for him to warrant his own book.

But, Razo is fun and lighthearted and brought a new perspective to the series.  It was a good continuation to the story.

I gave this book 3 stars

Forest Born
This book was the perfect way to round out the series. Rin, Razo's younger sister, makes an appearance in this book. She was a wonderful main character full of insecurities. Okay, maybe that makes it sound bad. Rin's gift of Tree and People speaking made for an interesting "opposites attract" type situation.  Rin doesn't feel like she fits in at home anymore. As the youngest child she's kind of forgotten and is sometimes used by her family.

Rin's character development was a lot of fun to read.  Rin dealt with a lot of social problems that I think a lot of readers could identify with.

It's hard to give much more of a review without giving away some of the plot. But, this was a great way to end the series, and I loved it.

I gave this book 4 stars.