Waiting on Wednesday #24 - While Beauty Slept by Elizabeth Blackwell

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. This week I am anticipating While Beauty Slept by Elizabeth Blackwell. It's due out February 20, 2014 by Amy Einhorn Books/ Putnam. 

You know I love a good fairy tale retelling. This one promises to be interesting.  It's an adult tale and not a YA title.

From Netgalley:
It's told from the point of view of Elise Dalriss, the companion, to the real princess who slept. Elise is now old and has a great-grand-daughter who has heard a minstrel tell the tale of the sleeping beauty. Elise knows all is not as it was in the story. And as only Elise understands too well, the truth is no fairytale.

From Goodreads.com: While Beauty Slept re-imagines the legend through the lens of historical fiction, telling the story as if it really happened. A Gothic tale of suspense and ambition, love and loss, it interweaves the story of a royal family and the servants who see behind the glamorous facade, following the journey of a young woman as she lives out a destiny that leads her to the brink of death. 

What book are you waiting on this week?

Teaser Tuesday - Sacrificed in Shadow by S.M. Reine

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of 

Should Be Reading. 

Rules:

• 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!

This week my Teaser comes from Sacrificed in Shadow by S.M. Reine, Book One in the Ascension series. It was published July 12, 2013 by Red Iris Books. It's an urban fantasy book with a demon, Elise Kavanagh, and a sheriff, Lincoln Marshall, as the main characters. 

About 26% through at Location 1198:

"Getting shot was an experience that Elise ranked on the 'unpleasantness' scale right around 'trying to survive a week without coffee.' It was an annoyance, but not deadly, and definitely not as difficult as walking around in full daylight."

But it sure as hell pissed her off.

What's your teaser this week?

Review: A Grimm Legacy by Janna Jennings

A Grimm Legacy by Janna Jennings was published by Patchwork Press October 29, 2013.

The general plot is 4 teenagers, Andi, Quinn, Dylan and Frederick, are ripped from their lives in the mundane world and end up in a place called Elorium where fairy tales and the people who inhabit them are all too real. It seems like each of them has a family connection to one of the fairy tales or folk tales found in Elorium. They must work together to stay alive and find their way home. "But in Elorium, happily ever after is never guaranteed."(Goodreads.com)

I liked it, but it just wasn't that good. It does have a gorgeous cover and a great premise, but it doesn't quite live up to it. I found it hard to continue to read. The things I wanted to know weren't being revealed and in truth it was more than 75% through the book before they were. The kids did have interesting adventures,  but unless you know the tales they are coming from, some of which were obvious, some less known, it's hard to appreciate all that is going on. I didn't consider editing mistakes when writing this review since this was probably an ARC. I gave this book 2 out of 5 stars.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Waiting on Wednesday #23 - A Man Came Out of a Door in the Mountain by Adrianne Harun

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. This week I am waiting to get my hands on A Man Came Out of a Door in the Mountain by Adrianne Harum. This is expected to be published February 25, 2014 by Penguin Books. For some reason the description reminds me in part of the story of the Pied Piper which is eerie enough, but then it throws the devil into the mix and then some more evil. But what attracts me to the book is the described blend of "folklore, mythology, and elements of magical realism" that are promised in the Goodreads description.

From Goodreads.com: The seductive and chilling debut novel from the critically acclaimed author of The King of Limbo
In isolated British Columbia, girls, mostly native, are vanishing from the sides of a notorious highway. Leo Kreutzer and his four friends are barely touched by these disappearances—until a series of mysterious and troublesome outsiders come to town. Then it seems as if the devil himself has appeared among them.

In this intoxicatingly lush debut novel, Adrianne Harun weaves together folklore, mythology, and elements of magical realism to create a compelling and unsettling portrait of life in a dead-end town. A Man Came Out of a Door in the Mountain is atmospheric and evocative of place and a group of people, much in the way that Jesmyn Ward’sSalvage the Bones conjures the South, or Charles Bock’s Beautiful Children provides a glimpse of the Las Vegas underworld: kids left to fend for themselves in a broken world—rendered with grit and poetry in equal measure.

What book are you waiting on this Wednesday?

Teaser Tuesday - The Invisible Code by Christopher Fowler

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of 

Should Be Reading. 

Rules:

• 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!

This week I am still reading the kindle version of The Invisible Code (Bryant & May #10) by Christopher Fowler published by Bantam Books on December 13, 2013. So my teaser sentences come from this book again, just a different spot. And I think they are a little more enticing than the first ones I posted.

" As a student of human nature, he would have made a fine pastry chef. 'Are you telling me that she was murdered?' "

location 454

What's your Teaser this week?

Review: Perhaps I've Said Too Much by Rodney Lacroix

Perhaps I've Said Too Much (A Great Big Book of Messing With People) by Rodney Lacroix is pretty much a hilarious book. It's a follow up to his Things Go Wrong For Me. Both books have laugh out loud moments. And some of mine occurred in a waiting room. You know you kinda want to share what you read with the people who are now staring at you. But at the same time, you think they will think you are crazy for finding what you just read funny.

While all of it is pretty much funny, some parts shine more than others. The stories about the interactions between him and his kids are just too funny. His son really is as funny as Rodney claims he is.
Payton gets her own strikes in now and then as well. Of course after this book was published, he got married again and his family increased. I am guessing the next book will be even funnier. 

And then there is the portion where we see his Draw Something art. What a window into the way his mind works that is. Sometimes it is Too Much Information. 

And you really hope that his boss doesn't read his book, or he will have to be doing something else fulltime to fund his life while practicing his addiction to trickery. And he would need to find some other people to mess with. 

I am giving this book 4 out of 5 stars. No one is hurt by any of his messing around with them. If anything, a joke might backfire on him or one of his kids might one up him. It's all in good fun. And it is pretty much all funny. I would share quotes, but it would give away too much. If you like funny, autobiographical humor that is occasionally off color, then this book would be a good bet for you. Enjoy!

Waiting on Wednesday #22 - The Gospel of Loki by Joanne M. Harris

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating.

This week I am looking forward to getting my hands on The Gospel of Loki by Joanne M. Harris due out February 27, 2014 from Orion Publishing Group.  

From Goodreads:
"The first adult epic fantasy novel from multi-million copy bestselling author of Chocolat, Joanne Harris.

The novel is a brilliant first-person narrative of the rise and fall of the Norse gods - retold from the point of view of the world's ultimate trickster, Loki. It tells the story of Loki's recruitment from the underworld of Chaos, his many exploits on behalf of his one-eyed master, Odin, through to his eventual betrayal of the gods and the fall of Asgard itself. Using her life-long passion for the Norse myths, Joanne Harris has created a vibrant and powerful fantasy novel.

Loki, that’s me.

Loki, the Light-Bringer, the misunderstood, the elusive, the handsome and modest hero of this particular tissue of lies. Take it with a pinch of salt, but it’s at least as true as the official version, and, dare I say it, more entertaining.

So far, history, such as it is, has cast me in a rather unflattering role.

Now it’s my turn to take the stage.

With his notorious reputation for trickery and deception, and an ability to cause as many problems as he solves, Loki is a Norse god like no other. Demon-born, he is viewed with deepest suspicion by his fellow gods who will never accept him as one of their own and for this he vows to take his revenge. 

From his recruitment by Odin from the realm of Chaos, through his years as the go-to man of Asgard, to his fall from grace in the build-up to Ragnarok, this is the unofficial history of the world’s ultimate trickster."

Trickster tales are favorites for many. Jack tales, Raven tales, and of course stories about Loki fall into this category. Things are never exactly how they seem and never seem to go exactly as they should in trickster tales. I am so looking forward to reading  this one from the author of Chocolat.

Teaser Tuesday - The Invisible Code by Christopher Fowler

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of 

Should Be Reading. 

Rules:

• 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!

This week my teaser comes from the Kindle version of:

The Invisible Code (Bryant & May #10) by Christopher Fowler published by Bantam Books on December 13, 2013.

location 228 - 5% through

"Where were their parents, and why were they staring? They looked as if they were waiting for something to happen."

There are 2 children watching a young woman. To say more than that about the scene would be to reveal a spoiler. So, yes something will happen. 

What's your teaser this week?

Review: Once Upon a Time: New Fairy Tales edited by Paula Guran

Once Upon a Time: New Fairy Tales edited by Paula Guran was published October 2, 2013 by Prime Books. It's a fantastic collection of 18 stories. "Contributions could be new interpretations of old fairy tales or an original story inspired by earlier fairy tales." Among the authors gathered within the pages are Caitlin R. Kiernan, A.C. Wise, Tanith Lee, and Jane Yolen.

Generally speaking, I do enjoy fairy tales, and these were no exception. Of course I did end up with a few favorites though. A few are listed here:
"The Coin of Heart's Desire" by Yoon Ha Lee - The description is so lush I swear you can feel the water.
"Blanchefleur" by Theodora Goss - I really enjoyed watching the Idiot begin to learn that he might be capable of more than he thought.
And what collection would be complete without a story by Jane Yolen "The Spinning Wheel's Tale" - I loved the change of point of view in this retake on a familiar tale and the language. "The story begins with spinning, spinning the wheel,  spinning the curse,  spinning the lies that lie at the heart of a mouth, a castle, a hedge. And of course it all begins with a witch."

If you enjoy fairy tales and retellings at all, you will enjoy this book. It's definitely worth the time to take a look at it. The stories are all well written and interesting. I give this collection 5 out of 5 stars.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

Review: Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh

Hyperbole and a Half: unfortunate situations, flawed coping mechanisms, mayhem,and other things that happened by Allie Brosh is for the most part a humorous book. It's based on entries from her blog of the same name. Each entry has multiple illustrations that are integral to the story. 

Although I enjoy almost all the stories, my particular favorites are the ones she writes about her dogs, the helper dog and the simple dog. 
About the simple dog from p.19, "A lingering fear of mine was confirmed last night: my dog might be slightly retarded." 
And about the helper dog on p.77, "The shelter worker said, 'This one hates everything and she doesn't know anything, and I hope you aren't planning on taking her outside ever because she's more like a bear than a dog, really, and unfortunately, she can scale a seven-foot-tall fence like the fucking Spider-Man."

Allie Brosh has a great sense of humor. It took me a while to figure out that the yellow fin thing sticking out of her head was a ponytail. I think the pictures are great. The book is awesome, but there are a few entries that are kinda downers. There are 2 on her depression and 2 on identity. The 2 on depression are very valuable for someone looking for insight into depression. As for the ones on identity, many people have been there before, but not many have shared that particular journey with others.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars for having great drawings and mostly humorous biographical stories. It is definitely worth your time to read it. 

Review: Independent Study by Joelle Charbonneau

Independent Study is book #2 in Joelle Charbonneau's Testing Series. It was recently released on January 7, 2014 from HMH Books for Young Readers.

The setting is a dystopian future Earth after a big war and many natural disasters. The United States has reorganized under a new government. There is a much smaller area that is deemed safe to live in. People are working to make other areas safe as well and creating new technologies to help in that mission.

This is the continuing story of Malencia Vale and her friends and enemies as they find out that all is not as expected at the University. The advice her father gave her in book one that is mentioned again in this book, "Trust no one," seems at times to be particularly apt. Even her beau, Tomas, leaves her doubting his trustworthiness.

It is Year 2 at the University for Cia and her friends. They have finished with their general courses and are now placed into the fields that the teachers and administrators feel they are best suited for whether they agree or not. Cia would much rather work with mechanical things than spend her time learning things she would need to know to be a good political leader.

But something fishy is going on. The upperclassmen are supposedly hazing them, but it is like a brief repeat of the original testing. And there is word that an uprising is coming. All that is needed is proof that the testing is barbaric and not at all civilized. Will Cia and her friends be able to get the proof and get it into the right hands to insure a peaceful transfer of power instead of a bloody one? Who is really behind what is going on? Who will survive?

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. It is a really enjoyable story, but it reads better if you have also read book one.