Living a Life of Books

Saturday, April 30, 2016

April Reading Recap

How has your April been?

I felt like I was getting right back on track...until I wasn't. :) That's the way life goes, though. I managed read a decent amount, but got sidetracked by what books I wanted to read this month and didn't find too much time to write. My husband was gone for a bit and I have pretty successfully incorporated a workout routine into my daily life, but in order to make that happen, something else had to give.

Now that things are getting back to normal, I'm looking forward to finding some time each evening to work on my blog. Plus summer is coming soon! That means more time to read and more time to write. Better start working on my Summer Reading List!!

Books Read

Re-read

Reviews Posted

The Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin
The Inn Between by Marina Cohen
Sky Raiders (The Five Kingdoms #1) by Brandon Mull
The Good Girl by Mary Kubica
Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard
The Forbidden Orchid by Sharon Biggs Waller

Friday, April 29, 2016

Book Review: The Forbidden Orchid

The Forbidden Orchid
Sharon Biggs Waller
Viking, 2016
Genre: historical, YA, romance
Source: I won this copy from Brittany at Please Feed the Bookworm
Rating: 3 out of 5

~What It's About~

When Elodie's adventuring father fails to return to their home after his latest disastrous trip to acquire a rare orchid for his employer, Elodie finds herself trying to keep her family together. Her mother has just had another baby and has fallen into a depression, the local Deacon is paying quite a bit attention to their family, and a man has come looking for her father, demanding a debt be paid. In 1860s England, Elodie has little say in what happens to her or her family. She convinces her father that he must return to China to search gather the orchids his employer desires so that their family will be out of financial danger. It doesn't take her very long to realize that her father will need her help, but will he accept it? With the help of a new friend, Elodie will travel to China and help her father--whether he will allow it or not. She knows what is expected of her in society, but she's not yet willing to bow to those expectations--not while her family's livelihood is at stake.

~The Good~

I liked Elodie a lot. She's stuck in 1861 with a bunch of men telling her what to think and what's good for her, and she's smart enough to realize that she knows more than they do. The best part is that she doesn't just keep her mouth shut--sometimes she attempts to do so, but usually she just tells them what she thinks in as polite a way as possible. While her father is away, her mother is sick and Elodie is in charge. She's keeping her younger sisters occupied, finding time to study her flowers in her little green house, and searching for answers about her father and why he refuses to come home to them. When she finally finds him, he is broken and she realizes how much more she will have to take on and this excites her. She wants to travel and to ride on a ship and see China and the orchids in their natural habitat. Elodie longs to be free and adventuring, away from men who warn her against looking at orchids due their impropriety. She is strong and able and manages to get herself on board a ship and stow away for weeks until the captain finds out.

The Forbidden Orchid is entrenched in historical events about which I know very little. Part of this book takes place in China immediately after The Second Opium War, and Elodie's father had been in China during the war while searching for orchids. I also enjoyed the historical notes at the end of the novel that gave more information on various events and settings in which Elodie and other characters found themselves.

~The Not-So-Good~

I thought there was going to be more adventure, but the first half of the book was Elodie at home dealing with belittling men, or Elodie finding her father and helping him prepare for his journey. I was waiting and waiting for her to just get on the boat already, but man it took forever. When she finally did find herself on the boat, I felt like things had finally started to move and the story was beginning. I wish that it had gone faster or that we started already there. I felt like there was a lot more I would have liked to see in the end that wasn't given as much time as her home life in the beginning.

~Final Thoughts~

The Forbidden Orchid is a great historical romance. Elodie is a strong female voice with opinions and ideas of her--ahead of her time. She is impressive and likeable and makes it easy to want to find out her story--even if you have to wait awhile to truly get into it. I enjoyed it.

Please consider following me if you enjoyed this review!

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Book Review: Glass Sword

Glass Sword

Victoria Aveyard

Harper Teen, 2016

Genre: fantasy, YA

Source: purchased

Rating: 5 out of 5

~What It's About~

In Glass Sword Mare embraces who she is, trying to save as many Reds that are like her, born with a power that aren't supposed to have. Mare has found the Red Guard and escaped, along with Cal, but are they safe with them? Maven is always a threat, but there is something about this group that Mare isn't ready to accept. Are they really what they say they are and how will Mare convince them that Cal is on their side? With a small band of allies, Mare sets out to gather as many Reds who have been born with similar powers as she can, hoping she can reach them before Maven. At each turn, she's presented with the question of who she can trust and how will she keep everyone she cares about safe from the evils of Maven.

~The Good~

I could not stop. I needed to know and I needed to know immediately what was happening to Mare. I was angry at her one minute and the next my heart broke for her...mostly it broke for her.

"If I am a sword, I am a sword made of glass, and I feel myself beginning to shatter."

I was along with Mare for the ride and every time so he made a heart wrenching decision, I was with her. I didn't always agree, but I was with her. And I could feel her shattering.

Her relationship with Cal is completely debilitating. By the end I had a hard time reading those parts because it was just so tormenting. I felt like it had built up so much that by the end every time they were together it was painful for them, but they also wanted to be there with one another. I cannot say more about this without spoiling things, even though I want to. My heart hurts.

I was also anxious throughout most of the book as I waited to see what would happen, because I couldn't tell--not completely. And I was surprised at the ending of this book, even though there are parts you are sure are coming, you'll still be shocked. There were plenty of moments where I stopped and thought, "No way is that going to happen." And then something very similar to it would.

~The Not-So-Good~

I'm not finding anything negative to say, except that it's way too long until the next one. :)

~Final Thoughts~

Mare has come into her own in this second installment of Red Queen Series. She is strong and able and determined--and flawed. In the midst of a world in which people are born with super powers and use them against one another, Victoria Aveyard has still made Mare seem so real and true. She isn't perfect, even with her spectacular power, and in Glass Sword we are able to see her transformation into a leader.

Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Book Art: Embrace It or Hate It?

Book Art is a thing now. Folding books into artwork, cutting through the cover and the pages to create 3D images, tearing and cutting out pages and using them for sculptures, and drawing on, painting on, or somehow altering those pages. If you're not sure of what I'm talking about, check out pinterest and you can see tons of images of book art--ones you can purchase even. Here are a couple of examples I found.

At first I'm always in awe of how someone took so much time and created something so intricate out of something else. And then I cringe. What book did they use? I think of a girl somewhere who has no books of her own who may have loved to delve into that book, hold it in her hands, smell it. It could have gone to her. Or a boy who loves to learn about everything and read everything, but doesn't have the money to buy all the books he wants. He could have read that one. Because obviously no one wanted it to read. They altered it so that it could no longer be read.

I realize that there are ebooks and digital is the way our world is going...but I can't go along with this. How do you build a love of reading in a child? Not through a device. A device is impersonal and separate. It has movies and songs and apps and so many other things to distract. Holding a book in your hands, though, you can shut out the world--all of it. A kid can bury their nose deep in that book and not come out until they've discovered something new. It's a physical act of holding a page and turning it in their hands, touching the pages. But we're now using books as if they are just found objects with no other worth anymore so that they have to be created into something beautiful. Weren't they already beautiful? And so interactive.

I'm sad when I see book art. It makes me sad that books aren't as valuable and precious as they once were.

What do you think about book art? I'm sure I have a few book art lovers out there. What is the draw for you?

Sunday, April 17, 2016

Book Review: The Good Girl

The Good Girl
Mary Kubica
Harlequin MIRA, 2014
Genre: mystery, thriller
Source: borrowed
Rating: 4 out of 5

~What It's About~

The Dennett family is devastated when Mia, their youngest daughter and an art teacher at a school Chicago, disappears. Her father, an important judge, believes she is just off gallivanting around and Mia's sister, a lawyer, agrees. Eve Dennett knows better and she wants Detective Gabe Hoffman to find her and bring her home. But Mia has been taken by Colin Thatcher and he has her hidden in a secluded cabin somewhere in the middle of Minnesota.

Told in alternating perspectives and time frames, the story of Mia's kidnapping and the after effects are slowly pieced together, revealing only a little at a time. Both the story of her disappearances and the Dennett family is slowly unraveled through the telling of this story.

~The Good~

Mary Kubica has done an excellent job of revealing little bits of evidence here and there. They're subtle details that cause you to start thinking chapters later and going back to search for that possible clue you might remember. Although it seems like you've got it all figured out, you're not quite sure and need the ending to confirm your suspicions.

The Dennett family is an interesting group of characters and through flashbacks we begin to understand how they work as a family unit. Even though we only hear from Eve (Mia's mother) she gives us a pretty comprehensive understanding of her view of the family dynamics. This is mostly because she is looking back at her life and her relationship with her daughter and how she went wrong. Couple with Detective Hoffman's interactions and study of the Dennetts, you feel as if you understand how they work. However, it's obvious that all of our narrators are keeping something from us and truly trusting any one of them is not a good idea.

Colin, Mia's kidnapper, almost seems to be the most honest narrator, revealing much more to the reader than he does to Mia. It's easy to trust him. I felt like Colin was a character who, if he said something, I could trust it. If he wanted to keep it from me, he wouldn't say it all. I was unable to say this about either Eve or Gabe.

~The Not-So-Good~

I did figure it out pretty early; however there were things that I didn't completely know of had questioned until the end. I would have actually likes to hear from Mia's father, but understand how and why that didn't happen. I believe his perspective (even if it had not been completely honest) would have cleared up some questions I still have at the end of the novel. I'm not sure if having those questions unanswered is good or bad. It's okay for there to be things I'm unsure of or that are left up to me to make that decision based on what I know, but I haven't' decided if the questions I still have are ones that should be left up to me to discern.

~Final Thoughts~

The Good Girl is another story that will bode well for readers of Gillian Flynn and fans of The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. There are many secrets and clues to unravel before you can feel like you know what's really going on with Mia Dennett's disappearance.

If you enjoyed this post, consider following me on Facebook, Twitter, or Google Plus!

Thursday, April 14, 2016

Book Review: Sky Raiders

The Sky Raiders (Five Kingdoms #1)

Brandon Mull

Aladdin, 2014

Genre: fantasy, adventure, middle grade

Source: Borrowed from a student

Rating 3 out of 5 stars

~What It's About~

When Cole follows his friends through a manhole in an attempt to save them from kidnappers, he doesn't expect to find himself in another world, but that's exactly what happens. The Outskirts is a world of slaves and trading and of "shaping" whatever you could imagine. There are dangers Cole could never think of, but also wonders that could only be a part of a dream. When he's traded to the Sky Raiders, a group that jumps from flying boats onto moving clouds filled with castles, he's sure he'll be dead within a week. Luckily he meets a new friend, Mira, who helps him find his way in this strange new world and he might just be able to help her out as well.

~The Good~

Sky Raiders is full of adventure! Cole is not only in a new world trying to figure out how to navigate this place, but he's also trying to find a way to save his friends. There are a lot of evil and cruel people in this world, but there are plenty of helpful people as well. I loved the idea of "shaping." In The Outskirts there are people called "shapers" who have the ability to create things--magnificent things--from their imagination. They can easily fuse together or alter already existent objects to form some other object that can help or hinder. This idea really comes to light when Cole travels through a land that a young child created from his imagination filled with skeleton armies and plastic dinosaurs that attack, but also a babysitter who can help keep you safe.

~The Not-So-Good~

I found it hard to get into this book for the first chunk of it. The very beginning where Cole and his friends are kidnapped wasn't compelling and I can see kids being turned off by this right away. It didn't really get better for me when he landed in The Outskirts and tried to save his friends. I was glad when he was traded into the hands of The Sky Raiders because things finally started to pick up for me as a reader. Luckily it didn't take too incredibly long to get to that point, but I am an adult reader.

~Final Thoughts~

Cole's story is built well for an epic adventure that is compelling for fans of fast paced stories with danger around every corner. Fans of adventures will definitely enjoy this one and if they make it through this 400+ pages long book they will probably find their way to the next one in order to see what kinds of adventures Cole gets himself into again.

If you enjoyed this post, consider following me on Facebook, Twitter, or Google Plus!

Monday, April 11, 2016

Book Review: The Inn Between

The Inn Between
Marina Cohen
Illustrations: Sarah Watts
Roaring Book Press, 2016 Genre: Fantasy, Middle Grade
Source: ARC from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

~What It's About~

Quinn has had a rough time and now her best friend is moving, but at least they have this one last trip. She's traveling with Kara and her family as they head out west to move into their new home. It's their last time to be inseparable. On the way there, they find themselves at a strange inn that seems to appear out of nowhere and Quinn has her suspicions about its guests as well as the staff. When Kara's parents disappear, Quinn knows she is right and is determined to find out what's going on in this strange place. She's also slowly peeling back clues from her past that might help her understand herself as well as the Inn Between.

~The Good~

Quinn and Kara have a strong friendship that cannot be broken. They are both trying not to think about being torn apart when they finally arrive in Kara's new town and Quinn will have to go back home alone. They trust one another. Even when Kara isn't so sure of what Quinn is trying to do in her search for the truth of this strange hotel, she trusts her. This is a good and not so good thing, which we see throughout the book, but I like it because of their strong friendship.

~The Not-So-Good~

The story is set up to be a mystery, where there are only bits and pieces revealed at a time so that you can slowly figure out what's going on with this strange inn. It's pretty obvious, though. I realize this is written for middle grade readers, but it still seemed too obvious for them as well. I was actually waiting for something unexpected to happen to challenge my idea, but it never came.

There is almost constantly some kind of major crisis or event throughout the story. After the opening where we're learning a little bit of the background of our characters, there isn't much actual story telling, as it relies heavily on action and a steady flow of conflicts and running around attempting to discover the truth. I also found myself wanting to roll my eyes at the conclusion.

~Final Thoughts~

I wasn't that thrilled with Inn Between. With the carefully laid out clues, it made it obvious what was happening from well on in the beginning. The story was trying too hard to be something else. If you're truly looking for a mystery, this probably won't fulfill that desire. However it may be good for young readers who would need something a little more predictable, but I'm doubtful many middle grade and up readers will fall for it.

If you enjoyed this post, consider following me on Facebook, Twitter, or Google Plus!