It's Monday! What Are You reading? is hosted by Sheila at . Here's what I've been reading over the past week.
Read:
by Suzanne Collins (Expect to see reviews of this and The Hunger Games soon!)
Currently reading:
by Lauren Oliver (I love this so far! Can't wait to pick it up again.)
Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation (Actually haven't picked this up in months, hoping to get back into once I finish BIF.)
I plan to read:
by Julie Kagawa
by Jane Austen
by Sarah Addison Allen
by
by Jennifer Hubbard
I don't think I'll actually be able to read all of these in the coming week, but this gives you an idea of what's near the top of my TBR (to-be-read) pile. I will say that I am reading Northanger Abbey to participate in , which is being hosted by the lovely Misty at , so expect to see some Jane Austen related posts from me this month. Jen of is offering a giveaway for those who participate in her meme by writing about Jane Austen's characters. Check it out ! I think it should be lots of fun. I for one am planning on sharing some reviews I've written of Austen's books, along with a post or two about adaptations of her work (most likely films, but we'll see!).
Otherwise, look out for reviews of and the first two books of The Hunger Games series from me, along with many other posts to come. Until my next post, happy reading!
Monday, May 31, 2010
Sunday, May 30, 2010
In My Mailbox (1)
In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at . This week was a particularly awesome week for getting books. I placed some pre-orders earlier this spring for by Suzanne Collins and by Julie Kagawa, and Amazon decided to go ahead and ship the other stuff I ordered with those early. I also bid on some prize packs during the auctions, and won two prize packs, one of which arrived earlier this week! For those of you who don't know about the auctions, authors donated prizes from books to critiques that people could bid on, and the money raised went to help Nashville after the flooding. I won the Edwardian/Regency prize pack, donated by . I will admit that the books look are not something I might normally pick up, but the prize pack was so awesome and the money goes towards a good cause, so I went for it. A big thanks to Kristina and all those who helped run the auction. Here's what I got:
Books: by E.M. Forster
by Kristina Cook
by Kristina Cook
by Amanda McIntyre, Charlotte Featherstone, Krsti Astor
by Kristina Cook
by Kristina Cook
by Kristina Cook
by Virginia Henley, Sally MacKenzie, Victoria Dahl, Kristi Astor
Swag:
A Jane Austen Action Figure! (I love Jane Austen and have been coveting an action figure of her, so I'm super excited to have this. More on that subject coming soon.)
A post card signed by Kristina, with a little note from her
A New Jersey Romance Writers bag
A pen for Kristina's novel,
A galley (I believe that's what it's called) for by Kristi Astor
A Celtic Spice water bottle
DVDs:
(I've heard great things about this movie so I'm super excited to watch it!)
A Room with a View: A romantic comic opera based on the novel by E.M. Forester
Here are some of the books I bought, borrowed from friends and checked out from my local library:
Bought:
by Catherine Fisher
by Rachel Hawkins (I'm so excited for this one! I've heard great things and love the cover!)
by Kazuo Ishiguro (This is on loan from a friend, who got really excited and started raving about how much she loved this book when I asked. I'm looking forward to it!)
by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
by Ann Radcliffe (This one is supposed to be great for fans of the Gothic. Another one I'm really looking forward to!)
From the library:
by Becca Fitzpatrick (I've been hearing really mixed things about this one, so I want to read it and formulate my own opinion.)
by Jennifer Hubbard
Book wise, this has been a really great week for me. I can't wait to read all of these. I'd love to hear about what you got in your mailbox this week. Happy reading, and I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday weekend!
Books: by E.M. Forster
by Kristina Cook
by Kristina Cook
by Amanda McIntyre, Charlotte Featherstone, Krsti Astor
by Kristina Cook
by Kristina Cook
by Kristina Cook
by Virginia Henley, Sally MacKenzie, Victoria Dahl, Kristi Astor
Swag:
A Jane Austen Action Figure! (I love Jane Austen and have been coveting an action figure of her, so I'm super excited to have this. More on that subject coming soon.)
A post card signed by Kristina, with a little note from her
A New Jersey Romance Writers bag
A pen for Kristina's novel,
A galley (I believe that's what it's called) for by Kristi Astor
A Celtic Spice water bottle
DVDs:
(I've heard great things about this movie so I'm super excited to watch it!)
A Room with a View: A romantic comic opera based on the novel by E.M. Forester
Here are some of the books I bought, borrowed from friends and checked out from my local library:
Bought:
by Catherine Fisher
by Rachel Hawkins (I'm so excited for this one! I've heard great things and love the cover!)
by Kazuo Ishiguro (This is on loan from a friend, who got really excited and started raving about how much she loved this book when I asked. I'm looking forward to it!)
by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
by Ann Radcliffe (This one is supposed to be great for fans of the Gothic. Another one I'm really looking forward to!)
From the library:
by Becca Fitzpatrick (I've been hearing really mixed things about this one, so I want to read it and formulate my own opinion.)
by Jennifer Hubbard
Book wise, this has been a really great week for me. I can't wait to read all of these. I'd love to hear about what you got in your mailbox this week. Happy reading, and I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday weekend!
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Review of The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
by
Meghan Chase has never fit in at her small-town high school, and now, on the eve of her 16th birthday, she discovers why. When her half brother is kidnapped, Meghan is drawn into a fantastical world she never imagined--the world of Faery, where anything you see may try to eat you, and Meghan is the daughter of the summer faery king. Now she will journey into the depths of Faery to face an unknown enemy . . . and beg the help of a winter prince who might as soon kill her as let her touch his icy heart. The Iron King is the first book in the Iron Fey series. (Summary from )
Hey everyone! I've decided to share my review of The Iron King with you all because Kagawa's novella , which is an Iron Fey novella, will be available on June 1st as a free e-book! I first decided to read this book because I had read lots of great reviews of it. I was certainly expecting a good read, yet it surprised me even still. I didn't realize how awesome it would be or how immersed in the story I would become. I wanted to devour this novel in one sitting, but accursed school (and life) kept me from doing so. At any rate, I loved it.
Essentially, The Iron King is the story of a girl named Meghan whose brother is kidnapped and her journey into the Nevernever, where the fey live, to bring him home. I would include more about the story, but I really don't want to give anything away and I think fans of fairies and fantasy should read it themselves. There's a lot more to this story then a bunch of bloodthirsty fairies. This book has some dystopian undertones (dystopian may not be the perfect word but that's how I'd describe it) which are definitely relevant to today's society, and I think that as readers, it's worth thinking about these messages in the context of our own lives. When these themes first began to emerge, I was blown away by how seamlessly Kagawa tied them into her storyline.
Kagawa is a brilliant storyteller. From early on it was clear that she had put a lot of care and detail in crafting the Nevernever. The story is told through the point of Meghan. Kagawa definitely had her favorite descriptive adjectives, but I never felt that any of the words she used became tired. It became clear that she was trying to depict this world in a very specific light, and I'll be curious to see how Meghan's perspective of the Nevernever evolves as the trilogy continues. I'd also like to add that Kagawa did have some romantic elements in her story, and I thought they were excellently done. The emotions felt realistic and passionate, yet never over the top or eye-rollingly cheesy.
As much as I loved Kagawa's writing, I think the strongest part of this novel is the characterization. By the end of this novel I loved many of the main characters. At several points throughout the novel I found myself honestly wanting to hug one character or throttle another. I also thought Meghan was a great protagonist, and the type of female I'd like to see more in YA. She knew what she wanted and she was determined. While she was naive at times, by the end of the novel she learned to kick butt, but also seemed way more mature. I don't want to write this review without mentioning Ash and Grimalkin. A part of me swooned for Ash, and I found Grimalkin both wise and funny. I can't help but think of him as being similar to the Cheshire Cat in personality.
Overall, this is a fantastic read. Each time I read a chapter and had to set this book aside again, I thirsted for more, immediately thinking of when I could pick this up again. Kagawa's done a fantastic job of setting up for the rest of the series while still crafting a novel which can stand on its own. If you've been intrigued by this book even a little bit, absolutely go for it. I for one will be eagerly and impatiently awaiting The Iron Daughter, this novel's sequel, as I bask in the excellence of this debut.
Disclosure: I purchased a copy of this book.
Meghan Chase has never fit in at her small-town high school, and now, on the eve of her 16th birthday, she discovers why. When her half brother is kidnapped, Meghan is drawn into a fantastical world she never imagined--the world of Faery, where anything you see may try to eat you, and Meghan is the daughter of the summer faery king. Now she will journey into the depths of Faery to face an unknown enemy . . . and beg the help of a winter prince who might as soon kill her as let her touch his icy heart. The Iron King is the first book in the Iron Fey series. (Summary from )
Hey everyone! I've decided to share my review of The Iron King with you all because Kagawa's novella , which is an Iron Fey novella, will be available on June 1st as a free e-book! I first decided to read this book because I had read lots of great reviews of it. I was certainly expecting a good read, yet it surprised me even still. I didn't realize how awesome it would be or how immersed in the story I would become. I wanted to devour this novel in one sitting, but accursed school (and life) kept me from doing so. At any rate, I loved it.
Essentially, The Iron King is the story of a girl named Meghan whose brother is kidnapped and her journey into the Nevernever, where the fey live, to bring him home. I would include more about the story, but I really don't want to give anything away and I think fans of fairies and fantasy should read it themselves. There's a lot more to this story then a bunch of bloodthirsty fairies. This book has some dystopian undertones (dystopian may not be the perfect word but that's how I'd describe it) which are definitely relevant to today's society, and I think that as readers, it's worth thinking about these messages in the context of our own lives. When these themes first began to emerge, I was blown away by how seamlessly Kagawa tied them into her storyline.
Kagawa is a brilliant storyteller. From early on it was clear that she had put a lot of care and detail in crafting the Nevernever. The story is told through the point of Meghan. Kagawa definitely had her favorite descriptive adjectives, but I never felt that any of the words she used became tired. It became clear that she was trying to depict this world in a very specific light, and I'll be curious to see how Meghan's perspective of the Nevernever evolves as the trilogy continues. I'd also like to add that Kagawa did have some romantic elements in her story, and I thought they were excellently done. The emotions felt realistic and passionate, yet never over the top or eye-rollingly cheesy.
As much as I loved Kagawa's writing, I think the strongest part of this novel is the characterization. By the end of this novel I loved many of the main characters. At several points throughout the novel I found myself honestly wanting to hug one character or throttle another. I also thought Meghan was a great protagonist, and the type of female I'd like to see more in YA. She knew what she wanted and she was determined. While she was naive at times, by the end of the novel she learned to kick butt, but also seemed way more mature. I don't want to write this review without mentioning Ash and Grimalkin. A part of me swooned for Ash, and I found Grimalkin both wise and funny. I can't help but think of him as being similar to the Cheshire Cat in personality.
Overall, this is a fantastic read. Each time I read a chapter and had to set this book aside again, I thirsted for more, immediately thinking of when I could pick this up again. Kagawa's done a fantastic job of setting up for the rest of the series while still crafting a novel which can stand on its own. If you've been intrigued by this book even a little bit, absolutely go for it. I for one will be eagerly and impatiently awaiting The Iron Daughter, this novel's sequel, as I bask in the excellence of this debut.
Disclosure: I purchased a copy of this book.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Blog Roll
This blog roll is a list of some book blogs which I enjoy reading. I love to discover new blogs, so if you'd like to see your blog on this list, or would like to recommend one to me, feel free to leave a comment or shoot me an e-mail.
About Me
Greetings, readers, and welcome to my new book blog Consumed by Books! Some of you may recognize me from GoodReads or Twitter, where my username as @lizpatanders. For those of you who have no idea who I am, my name is Liz and I am a recent college graduate who majored in English and has a strong love of books. I’ve been reading book blogs for just under a year now, and have finally gotten around to starting one of my very own.
One of my primary goals on this blog is to review books. I read a variety of genres and am willing to try any genre once, but some of my favorites are fiction, YA fiction, classics and fantasy. I hope that this space will allow me not only to air my own thoughts on what I’m reading but to network with fellow book lovers.
Now that you know a bit more about me and my intentions, I’m guessing you’re wondering what might have drawn me to reading and how this obsession started. Everyone else in my family was an English major, and both of my parents have been English professors at some point in their careers, so I’ve been encouraged to read from an early age. I was the type of child who demanded that my parents read me a second or third bed time story and start a book on tape on my cassette player so I could fall asleep to the story. Once I could read on my own, Matilda by Roald Dahl quickly became one of my favorite books. I loved reading about how Matilda had so many adventures just by sitting in an armchair with a pile of books, and it made me want to start reading more right away. Plus, I thought she was hilarious and intelligent. As a brief aside, that book inspired me to access any telekinetic powers I have might inside of me, but thus far I’ve had very little luck. Besides , some of my my other favorite books include by J.R.R. Tolkien, the series, by Virginia Woolf, by Jane Austen, the series by Ann Brashares, by Neil Gaiman and by Terry Tempest Williams.
I hope you’ve enjoyed learning a little bit more about me and my blog. If you’d like to know more, just leave a comment or shoot me an e-mail. Thanks for reading and I hope you stop by again soon!
One of my primary goals on this blog is to review books. I read a variety of genres and am willing to try any genre once, but some of my favorites are fiction, YA fiction, classics and fantasy. I hope that this space will allow me not only to air my own thoughts on what I’m reading but to network with fellow book lovers.
Now that you know a bit more about me and my intentions, I’m guessing you’re wondering what might have drawn me to reading and how this obsession started. Everyone else in my family was an English major, and both of my parents have been English professors at some point in their careers, so I’ve been encouraged to read from an early age. I was the type of child who demanded that my parents read me a second or third bed time story and start a book on tape on my cassette player so I could fall asleep to the story. Once I could read on my own, Matilda by Roald Dahl quickly became one of my favorite books. I loved reading about how Matilda had so many adventures just by sitting in an armchair with a pile of books, and it made me want to start reading more right away. Plus, I thought she was hilarious and intelligent. As a brief aside, that book inspired me to access any telekinetic powers I have might inside of me, but thus far I’ve had very little luck. Besides , some of my my other favorite books include by J.R.R. Tolkien, the series, by Virginia Woolf, by Jane Austen, the series by Ann Brashares, by Neil Gaiman and by Terry Tempest Williams.
I hope you’ve enjoyed learning a little bit more about me and my blog. If you’d like to know more, just leave a comment or shoot me an e-mail. Thanks for reading and I hope you stop by again soon!
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)
LinkWithin