What's greater way to start new month than taking a look at previous one?
It's almost funny, except it isn't. I read a good amount of books during October but for some reason I had trouble reviewing them. Mostly because of Supernatural. I started watching it at the end of September and let's just say that I finished Season 7 yesterday. So maybe I should have taken more time to write reviews than watch it. But I can't help myself, so I've pretty much divided my time between school, reading and Supernatural.
That just means you'll get more reviews during November because I already have some scheduled and some to write.
There was many book blitzes, cover reveals and other fun stuff during October and I was so happy to host them all. I have more scheduled for November, not as many but some and there probably will come some surprises as we go.
This month there's no picture of my October book haul, mostly because I only purchased one book and received two. I'm so happy that I've stuck with my book buying ban! I'm hoping to keep up until Christmas and after that I'll hopefully have some gift cards from relatives so it'll be fun and worth the wait!
Pretty good month, yeah? Especially since I did read more even though reviews are to come. So, following books I read during October but the reviews will be posted during November: Suicide Watch, Ice Massacre, The Statistical Probability of Love At First Sight, Bottled Up Secret (review already posted), The Daughter of the Sea and Sky & Raised by Wolves. I'm just saying, I read a lot of good books during October even though a couple of them were a little disappointing - but nothing major. Good month, I'd say!
I'm excited about November, even though school load will be huge and my time to read will be a little cut off but I'm hoping to keep up with my reading.
Bottled Up Secret
by Brian McNamara
Published by Bold Strokes Books
Ebook (received from publisher via NetGalley, thank you!)
YA, LGBT, contemporary, romance
Brendan Madden is in the midst of his senior year of high school and couldn’t be happier. He has a great group of friends, his pick of colleges, and he has recently come to terms with his sexuality. One night, he meets Mark Galovic, a gorgeous, younger classmate of his. In a matter of minutes, Brendan is hooked. As the friendship between them grows, Brendan reaches his breaking point when he spontaneously confesses his feelings to him. Brendan is shocked and elated to find out that Mark feels the same way about him. The two begin to date, but because Mark is not out, it must remain a secret. As their friends and family become suspicious, openly gay Brendan becomes increasingly frustrated with their discreet relationship, while Mark becomes more and more paranoid that they’re going to be found out.
Bottled Up Secret was okay read in every way. It's also everything what synopsis promised and it was good read after some heavy stories since it's pretty light story. There's problems and happenings that are present in young gay boys life such as coming out to friends and parents, and being in a relationship for a first time. However, Brendan's character wasn't keen to angst or negative thinking which lightened the mood of the story and honestly, I was surprised because of it. Most of young adult coming out stories are heavy, full of angst and sadness and while I do love those kind of stories, Bottled Up Secret was quite different in a good way. Brendan was mature and he had very positive way of thinking and living his life which was so fresh. I enjoyed that particular light, happy and positive theme during the story very much.
However, there was some problems with the story that made the reading experience a little dull. While the characters were really likable and there was great variety of them, I didn't really click with them or love them. It's mostly because while everything was okay with the story, it lacked depth - in every aspect. There was maybe too many characters because it felt like there was too little insight and they all felt swallow, not as persons but overall as characters. Even the main character, Brendan, lacked some depth. He had more it than any other character mainly because it was his point of view but something was still missing. I suspect it's because Brendan's reaction to everything were too meager. I mean, his mom pretty much despised him and tried to control him because he was gay - she treated Brendan poorly, mostly because her actions were too close to emotional abuse. And while Brendan was upset about it, he didn't react much. He talked to his friends but there was too little depth and he didn't even get really angry. Why didn't he throw a fit, yell, do something? Do anything? I waited for the confrontation patiently but there was none and that's the main reason why the story lacked depth and why it wasn't perfect read.
The story had potential and with more depth, more character study and what's most important, more feelings and emotions, the story would have been perfect. Now it was okay, I felt good after finishing but I wasn't satisfied.
I do recommend this for anyone who wants to read a little different coming out and first relationship story because it wasn't bad. Writing was fast paced and enjoyable, characters intriguing and there was great variety of them, and the story itself was solid and good. But if you're looking for something really deep with lots of character developement, then maybe this one isn't for you. However, it's really good book for getting your spirits up with the story's positive, happy and joyous undertone.
Stacking The Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews, and is all about sharing the book you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!
So I kind of broke my book buying ban - but I'm not counting that one book. I went to Helsinki Book Fair last Sunday and I made an exception: it wouldn't broke my ban if I brought something there. I only picked up London Boulevard because even though there was lots of awesome books, they were in Finnish and yeah, I wanted them in English so I didn't buy them. (And London Boulevard was like two euros so it hardly counts.)
Saruuh Kelsey published the second installement to the Lux Guardians series last month but it was published in paperback last week and well, she's amazing person and gives her books free (if you sing up for the mailing list) and I got The Wandering. I have The Forgotten, duh, and I loved it - I can't wait to dive in The Wandering! (Here you can sing up for the wailing list. You can also get the ebook version free on various different retaillers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords.)
Also I funded the #FundTheWandering campaign last summer so I got special edition of A Compilation of Side Stories in paperback and it's just so beautiful.
by Emma Raveling Publication date: TBA YA, urban fantasy
They are the Strange, those born of magic, myths, and legends. Beings who defy scientific explanation, whose physical and mental abilities far surpass the limitations of the human body.
When they first appeared, the world resisted, frightened by their powers. But after decades of bloodshed, humanity finally accepted that the Strange were here to stay.
A tenuous peace exists. For now.
WELCOME TO BRANNIGAN CITY
Seventeen-year-old Delaney Corbeau is one of the Skilled. As a Chancer, she uses her magic to help humans find everything from misplaced keys and hidden heirlooms to lost pets.
'
She can find anyone and anything…except the two people she needs the most.
Liam Connelly is an Earth Shifter and son of Brannigan City’s Alpha. When his older brother goes missing, he must turn to his former childhood friend for help. Delaney’s the only person who can locate him.
The problem is they haven’t spoken in four years.
When a reclusive art collector hires Delaney to locate a stolen antique Japanese book, her path crosses with Liam once again. Soon, the simple retrieval job becomes something much more terrifying.
An old evil is stirring and it’s determined to punish every living being in Brannigan City, both Strange and human.
Delaney and Liam will have to work together if they want to survive.
Lost Blood is the first book in Emma Raveling’s new Chancer series, featuring two unlikely allies and a mysterious, thrilling adventure set in a dark world full of monsters and magic.
Emma Raveling writes a wide variety of fiction for teens and adults. She is the author of the young adult urban / contemporary fantasy series, the Ondine Quartet, and Lost Blood, the first installment of the forthcoming young adult urban fantasy series, Chancer. She’s also working on the first book in her new Steel Magic series for adults.
An avid traveler hopelessly addicted to diet coke and coffee, she currently resides in Honolulu, Hawaii with her husband and German shepherd.
Feature and Follow Friday is hosted by two different hosts, Parajunkee and Alison Can Read! This meme is here for bloggers to gain new blogger friends and followers.
This weeks topic:
What books would you give to newbies in your favourite genre?
Well, my favourite genre is dystopia - though it needs to be really good with solid world-building. Against odds, I wouldn't recommend The Hunger Games to a newbie (most likely newbie would have heard of it anyway and in my opinion, there's better books in the genre than THG). I'd give the newbie Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi (because the world-building is stunning and even more imporantly, the characters are maybe the best I've ever had pleasure to read) AND The Maze Runner by James Dashner (because I can). I'd also highly recommend Proxy by Alex London (though I'd add that the sequel isn't as good, in fact, I struggle to even read it).
After those I'd probably recommend even more books but this can do for now. Although I just realized how few dystopian books I've actually read. I need to read more dystopians in the future!
Speak
by Laurie Halse Anderson
Published by Puffin
Hardcover (borrowed from library)
YA, contemporary
Melinda Sordino busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops. Now her old friends won't talk to her, and people she doesn't even know hate her from a distance. The safest place to be is alone, inside her own head. But even that's not safe. Because there's something she's trying not to think about, something about the night of the party that, if she let it in, would blow her carefully constructed disguise to smithereens. And then she would have to speak the truth. This extraordinary first novel has captured the imaginations of teenagers and adults across the country.
If I'm right, this is one of those books kids need to read in school (or if it isn't, then it definitely should be). In English speaking countries, at least. I had heard about this one before but somehow always missed it on bookstores or libraries - even if it's apparently translated in Finnish. However, I finally borrowed it from library after I saw it on Booktube and I'm glad I did. I just wish I'd read it sooner but maybe that's not what matters most.
Speak is influential and stunning. Subject might not be amazingly original since I've heard and even read a couple of books with same subject. However, Speak is different than those, way different, mostly of how it's written and what it concentrates on. It's about unbearable subject but Anderson shows how talented storyteller she is by making the story differ from others. Unbearable subject doesn't have to mean a story that's hard, even impossible to read, with a same ways of dealing with a tragic that happened. Instead Anderson told a beautiful, sad story about a girl with a dash of hope of better times in the future. Speak is emotional ride, that's for sure, and it really made me cry in a weirdest parts of the story but it also was funny at times. There was funny things Melinda said and also things that I haven't thought before but what Melinda pointed out. It's not usually easy to relate a young high schooler from America but Anderson made it easy. She made me as a reader to feel the same things as Melinda and really understand why Melinda stopped speaking and why she did things she did.
I don't want to spoil anything so that's why I'm being very vague about the plot. I was spoiled before starting this and while it didn't ruin my experience, it would have been better not knowing. However, I must say that besides the great emotional and influential storytelling, Speak also has intriguing characters. Melinda for sure but also the supporting characters such as Melinda's parents, art teacher, her previous friends and her new friend. Speak is as much character driven as emotional driven story instead of plot driven - and it's perfect that way. There's a plot, sure, but it's not the main point of the story.
Speak is unique, stunning and truly influential story. Everyone should read it, so I recommend it to everyone who hasn't read it yet.
by Sunniva Dee
Publication date: October 28th 2014
NA, contemporary, romance
I’m free. Fucking free!
I’m in college with my best friends and far, far from home!
With my Scheuermann’s disease as the excuse, my father kept me locked up at home all through high school. Here in Deepsilver, I can finally be me, Pandora, so—
Why the hell should I hold back?
They accept our fake IDs at Smother, our local haunt. I’m the life of the party, everyone loves me—hell, I could get away with murder in this place! Drunk off my ass, I dance on the bar, and—
I’m on top of the world!
I need to get my shit together, though. If I don’t pull off good grades, my father won’t pay my tuition. There’s no way I’m moving back into his “fortress.”
At the bar, I set my eyes on a gorgeous stranger. My plans don’t involve him long term; one night should be enough. But Dominic is more than I bargained for. God, I’m so drawn to this man. My skin hums at his touch because—
He expels the shadows of my past and replaces my pain with desire.
I’m a wild child. A hot mess. Not grownup and focused like him. He’s addictive, and I am weak, but—screw this; I can wean myself off him! With the right antidote—
I write New Adult fiction with a paranormal twist and don’t shy away from romance and heart-wrenching passion when necessary.
I moved from Norway to the United States in 2001, and the first awesome five years I spent in the San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles. Then I read “The Book,” aka Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, which spurred my husband and me to move cross country to beautiful Savannah, Georgia.
I’m currently on my seventh year in the Deep South, where I enjoy the heat and the humidity. Besides writing, I spend my time with our “petting zoo” as in an opinionated parrot, a herd of cats that are experts on keyboard shortcuts, and puppies that…uh, bark.
I hold a Master’s degree in languages, with concentrations within literature and linguistics. I taught at college level for a decade before settling in as a graduate adviser at the Savannah College of Art and Design.
Writing is my passion, my joy, and my addiction. When I’m not writing, I read.
Shattering Halos is my debut novel, and its standalone sequel, Stargazer, is due out later this year.
He always gives me more than the hour I come for, and warm, strong hands slide over my bare skin in exactly the way he’s paid to do.
Still, there’s an electricity in the room when he’s near. My heart accelerates instead of slowing down. And sometimes, when I can’t help the way my insides clench for him, my breath stutters.
My response never goes unnoticed; for an instant, his hands freeze. Then, they resume their beautiful dance over me.
When I am starved for him, I flip on the bench. I shut my eyes because sometimes, sometimes, I am shy. He doesn’t speak, then. Through thin slits under my lashes, I watch him watch me.
Some days, his breath coasts light over my face before he kisses me. “Pandora,” he whispers, “I can’t do this here.”
I don’t answer. He stops massaging me, and his hands caress me instead. Glide over the ridges of my ribs until they brush the sides of my breasts.
I’ve got to get my shit together. My life’s a mess, and I love it, fear it, hate it. I’m driving him crazy. Driving myself crazy. But it is what I allow myself. For these few hours a week are my respite, when his hands quiet my mind.
I wasn't tagged by anyone but Cait @ Notebook Sisters kind of tagged anyone who wanted to do this. And I love meme's and tags so I took the chance. Also, here's Cait's post - go and read it, it was fun!
1. How tall are you?
About 170cm (or 5'5 - I have to confess, I needed Google to come up with that, I have never learned British and American way to say heights).
2. Do you have a hidden talent? If so, what?
I'm not sure I have any particular talent at all. I mean, I can do a little bit that and that but there's nothing I'm particularly good. I can cook, draw, paint, and I've had various hobbies when I was younger (such as different kind of sports, riding, arts) but see, I'm not talented with anything. Or I think I'm not. I can do a little bit all those but I've never held interest in them long enough to actually master anything. Except reading. That counts, yeah? And I do write a lot (when I have time, studying tooks way too much of my time).
3. What's your biggest blog related pet peeve?
Blogs which tooks forever to download. If the blog takes too long to download, I'll probably be long gone before it downloads. And the music, oh gosh, do not put any songs on your blogs that blastes whenever I go there. It tooks forever to download and the song probably isn't something I want to listen. So yeah. (Luckily those songs are out of fashion this moment but there was a time when they were everywhere.)
4. What's your biggest non-blog related peeve?
People who parks their cars wrong way. Like took two parking lots for one car and uh that's so annoying when you're looking for a parking lot and there's none and then some not-so-nice-people have parked their cars so that they took two parking lots. Go to driving school to learn how to park your cars, savvy?
5. What's your favourite song?
Ugh, I don't like favourite questons. It's so hard to pick one! I mean, my favourite song changes a lot, depending on mood and weather and everything. Almost. Let's say Bad Moon Rising by Mourning Rituals, Animals by Maroon 5, No One's Here To Sleep by Naughty ft. Bastille, A Step You Can't Take Back by Keira Knightley and Things We Lost In The Fire by Bastille.
(See? I'm incapable of picking one.)
6. What's your favourite etsy store that isn't yours?
I don't use etsy so yeah, don't know any etsy stores.
7. What's your favourite way to spend your free time when you're alone?
Reading, watching TV shows, writing, hanging on Internet, reading more, researching (usually random things like names, legends, how to do that and that, you know) jumping around the room and doing silly things. So yeah. I'm used to being alone and I even like it (I need my alone time to remain sane) so I do a lot of things.
8. What's your favourite junk food?
Depends on what counts as a junk food. Subs? Pizza? Probably both.
9. Do you have a pet?
Techinically no but my family has two dogs. Topi and Kimi, white west highland terriers. A couple years ago our first dog died, his name was Julius and yeah, he was my best friend for twelve long years. Topi is eighteen months old and Kimi is four months so they're babies, kind of. There's never quiet with them when I'm my parents house.
10. What is your top favourite non-fiction and fiction book?
Non-fiction: The Hanged Man by Robert Bartlett. It's one of study books and let me tell you, it's so much fun and easy read and my favourite type of history. Already read it twice.
Fiction: Hard. I can't only pick one! Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, Half Bad by Sally Green, Under the Never Sky trilogy by Veronica Rossi, Hushed & Made of Stars & Suicide Watch by Kelley York and The Maze Runner by James Dashner.
11. What's your favourite beauty product?
Umm. I don't have one?
12. When you were last embarrassed? What happened?
I'm so bad at questions like these. My mind goes blank and I don't remember anything embarrassing ever. I swear. I do get embarrassed a lot over small things because well, I'm that kind of person but it doesn't last that long.
13. If you could only drink one beverage (besides water) for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Tea and coffee. Though, they're my water, I'd pick them over water any time. I can't survive without tea and coffee.
14. What's your favourite movie?
Bang Bang You're Dead, Brokeback Mountain, Gladiator & Beauty and the Beast.
(You should just give up. I'm never going to name just one thing when talking about favourites.)
15. What were you in high school? (Prom queen, nerd, cheerleader, jock, band geek, valedictorian, loner, artist, prep, etc.?)
So American question. I mean, in Finland we don't have cheerleaders, no prom, we don't name valedictorian and in most schools there's no bands either. So yeah. I can't say what I was because I don't only fit in one category. I was kind of loner but I did have three good friends, kind of artist but not quite, a little bit nerd but not that much. I could go on and on. I just don't fit those American high school cliques.
16. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?
Almost anywhere but Finland. I'm not patriotic at all. Okay, I can answer this simple way: London. (Though I'm not picky as long as it's Great Britain.) I've loved GB and London for most of my life and I went to London once already and fell even more in love with it. It's my kind of place.
17. PC or Mac?
Easy, PC.
18. Last romantic gesture from a crush, date, boy/girlfriend, spouse?
I hugged the dogs and they sat on my lap and licked my face. That's all romance I'm capable of.
19. Favourite celebrity?
Dylan O'Brien.
20. What blogger do you secretly want to be best friends with?
I'm so new and I haven't get to know well anyone yet, so everyone. And that's perfectly good answer.
I won't tag anyone particular but if you want to do this, do it! And if you link your post to me, I'll check it out :)
Feature and Follow Friday is hosted by two different hosts, Parajunkee and Alison Can Read! This meme is here for bloggers to gain new blogger friends and followers.
This weeks topic:
Characters, sometimes our favorites, die during books. If you'd get to choose, who would you bring back?
Firsly, I can't believe a question suggested by me got picked. This is awesome!
It's hard to pick one because so many of my favourite characters have died. Finnick from The Hunger Games, Knox from Proxy and Brom from The Inheritance Cycle are high on my list because their deaths were tradegy. However, I'm going to choose Sirius Black from HP because that's the death I cried the most. I loved him so much and his death was horrible even though I understand why Rowling had to kill him. It still hurts and yeah, I'd bring him back any second possible.
by Annika Martin & Skye Warren Publication date: October 23rd 2014 NA, romance
He seethes with raw power the first time I see him—pure menace and rippling muscles in shackles. He’s dangerous. He’s wild. He’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
So I hide behind my prim glasses and my book like I always do, because I have secrets too. Then he shows up in the prison writing class I have to teach, and he blows me away with his honesty. He tells me secrets in his stories, and it’s getting harder to hide mine. I shiver when he gets too close, with only the cuffs and the bars and the guards holding him back. At night I can’t stop thinking about him in his cell.
But that’s the thing about an animal in a cage—you never know when he’ll bite. He might use you to escape. He might even pull you into a forest and hold a hand over your mouth so you can’t call for the cops. He might make you come so hard, you can’t think.
And you might crave him more than your next breath.
I’m a NYT bestselling author living a stone’s throw away from the Mississippi with my awesome husband and two cats in a home full of plants, sunshine and books. I'm heavy into writing love stories about criminals--some of them are dirty and fun (my Kinky bank robbers!) others are dark and intense (Prisoner!)
I also write gritty romantic suspense as the RITA-award winning author Carolyn Crane.
Skye Warren is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of dark romantic fiction. Her books are raw, sexual and perversely tender. For those new to her work, consider the bestseller Wanderlust or Don't Let Go.
Thanks
so much for having me! I’m Skye Warren, New York Times bestselling author of
dark romance. I’m excited to share my new release, Prisoner, which is a book I
co-wrote with my friend and bestselling author Annika Martin.
I
think one of the joys of reading, thinking back even to childhood, was the
sense that anything could happen. Wardrobes opened to new lands and golden
tickets opened the gate to magical chocolate factories.
So
I really didn’t have a sense that there were boundaries in books. That was
something I learned later, as an adult.
And
it’s something I try to unlearn, in a way.
I
try to push my own boundaries with each new book. I try to stretch myself.
Because that’s a huge part of the fun of writing. And even though this is my
career, I want to have fun. Plus, it produces better books. The books I wrote
with my hands flying over the keyboard, the ones I questioned before I
published them if they were even acceptable for public viewing, are
consistently my bestsellers. My readers want me to push the envelope.
When
Annika and I first discussed co-writing we both knew it would be dark and sexy.
Well, that’s what we both already wrote, but we came up with a new style
working together. There’s something seriously sexy about prison… strong men,
powerful men, cunning men contained by something as primitive as metal bars.
Something sexy about defying the laws of society and getting caught, but
maintaining an air of danger.
Some
days, I don’t even see how this stuff is considered that dark—or dangerous.
After all, there are demons and werewolves in books and no one bats an eye. Is
it that strange to read about a person finding love? Even if that person does
happen to be a prison inmate… Real criminals find love (and hot sex) every day.
But then I remember that that’s what makes these stories scary. They hit close
to home. They make us squirm. And that’s why I love them.
