Tag Archives: book

Jul 1 2013
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Top Ten Tuesday – Top 10 Most Intimidating Books (7/1/2013)

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Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, this is a weekly feature that has quickly become one of my favorites. I love reminiscing about books I’ve read and I love talking about them even more. This week’s topic is a little more forward-looking:

Top 10 Most Intimidating Books

 (Gosh, just looking at these covers makes me cringe)

#1: The Lord of the Rings – I love the movies passion – they are my all-time favorites – and I wanted nothing more than to read the books that inspired them… I made it through the Fellowship (barely) but decided to stop reading because I was basically just going through the motions. My eyes were scanning the pages, but my attention was just not there. I have read a lot of dry fantasies over the years but this one takes the cake. If it hadn’t been for the epic action-packed movies, I might have been able to get into them more. I think I’ll stick with Viggo Mortensen on this one…

#2: The Book Thief – I have yet to talk to someone who’s read this who didn’t absolutely love it. To me, it looks boring. Now, I’m sure it’s an exceptional book and rewarding to anybody who picks it up, but everything from the cover to the summary puts me off.

#3 The Lord of Chaos – I’ve read the first in this series and am in no hurry to continue on. Everybody I’ve talked to about this series says it “gets boring between books 6 – 10” so I just need to “ride it out” because he “gets better” and “it’s worth it.” That’s like three or four thousand pages of “hang in there.” Does this sound appealing to anybody else? And you know what the stupid thing is? I’ll probably read them, anyway.

#4: Touched by Venom – for some reason, I’ve had these books on my shelf for at least ten years but have yet to open one. The longer I wait, the more afraid I am that they won’t be as good as I hope they’ll be.

#5: Hominids – I find the concept of this series highly fascinating. It explores an alternate reality where Neanderthal, rather than humans, inherited the world. I’ve tried to pick it up a couple of times, but it’s so darned scientific and cerebral that he loses me. I love learning things from books, but there’s a point where story needs to be just as important as the concept.

#6: The Dark Moom – I bought these books (at a rather expensive price) over ten years ago. They’ve been collecting dust on my shelf ever since. I have no idea what they are about and am a little afraid to find out – what if I invested all that money and space for nothing? Book hoarder problems 101.

#7: Beautiful Creatures – I bought the big expensive boxed set of these books after seeing a preview for the movie. I don’t even know if I’m going to like them, but they were pretty. That kind of attitude always gets me into trouble.

#8: Way of Kings – People rave about this book. I can’t imagine not liking it after all the incredible endorsements I’ve gotten for it, but the fear is still there. This is one of the few that actually intimidates me because of its size (I’ve been reading teen to long).

#9: Aurian – I actually swallowed my fear and am currently reading this one. This author’s other series (beginning with The Heart of Myrial) was my favorite for several years. I find this one intimidating because it’s only available as a mass-market paperback and holy snot-balls is the writing tiny!  It literally hurts my face to read, but so far the story is pretty good… please expect my review sometime in 2014.

#10: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – I’m really afraid I’m not going to like this series. You see, I’m positively NOT a fan of “punchy” humor in books (such as Piers Anthony and Terry Pratchett). As Adams is sometimes held in that same category, I fear the worst. Also, I think my husband might actually divorce me if I don’t like these books.

There you have it! Does anybody else find these as intimidating as I do?

Jul 1 2013
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Out This Month – Noteworthy Releases July 2013

rrrThis is a sad book release month for me. Although most are from exceptional authors, I’m too far behind in their respective series for these releases to excited me. The only one I’m super eager to read is the next Mythos Academy novel by Jennifer Estep. The good news? July can now be devoted to my TBR pile (woot!).

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Which one are you excited for?

May 1 2013
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Book Review: Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs

a2Title: Frost Burned

Author: Patricia Briggs

Series: Mercy Thompson #7

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Rating: 5/5 stars!

The Overview: Mercy Thompson’s life has undergone a seismic change. Becoming the mate of Adam Hauptman—the charismatic Alpha of the local werewolf pack—has made her a stepmother to his daughter Jesse, a relationship that brings moments of blissful normalcy to Mercy’s life. But on the edges of humanity, what passes for a minor mishap on an ordinary day can turn into so much more…. After an accident in bumper-to-bumper traffic, Mercy and Jesse can’t reach Adam—or anyone else in the pack for that matter. They’ve all been abducted. Through their mating bond, all Mercy knows is that Adam is angry and in pain. With the werewolves fighting a political battle to gain acceptance from the public, Mercy fears Adam’s disappearance may be related—and that he and the pack are in serious danger. Outclassed and on her own, Mercy may be forced to seek assistance from any ally she can get, no matter how unlikely.

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The Review:

I never have anything bad to say about Patricia Briggs! I have loved every book in the Mercy series so far, putting them at the top of my all-time favorites list.  Already owning the paperbacks, I decided to invest in the hardcovers because I like them that much. Not only are they fun to read, but they also have excellent characters, story, and humor.

 With each new book so far, Briggs has introduced a new element of supernatural expanding the otherworldliness of her series. Now were at the point where there is so much back history and development with each creature and character that the storyline for this book was almost a culmination of everything we have read so far. Frankly, the characters could be doing practically anything at this point and I would still enjoy reading about it.

Conflicts that happen in past books play a big role in this one, so it didn’t take long to get into the action of the story. I love how Briggs paces her novels, there is usually barely enough time to catch your breath before she launches from one action scene to the other. Mix that with fantastic, lovable characters and a great deal of humor, and you have yourself one fantastic series! I am bummed that it’s going to be at least a year before I get to read another one… It kind of makes me wish I had read it slower. Oh, well. I guess I’ll just have to go back and do a series reread!

As a side note, I chose to read the Alpha and  Omega series because there are rather important things in those books that played a major role in Frost Burned. In fact, if I hadn’t read them I would’ve been a little confused with the feeling of, “Wow, I don’t remember that in the last Mercy book… What other stuff that I forget?” (this usually only happens if I read books in a series too far apart). Anyway, the first A&O book, Cry Wolf, I didn’t really care for. However, the other two, Hunting Ground and Fair Game, were every bit as good as the Mercy series, adding a lot of back-history to the werewolf culture.

Recommendations: These books don’t have near as much language and sex as many other urban fantasies on the market, which is why (aside from their obvious awesomeness) I recommend them the most often. Along with Butcher’s Dresden Files, these books are excellent starter sets for the genre and must-reads for any hard-core fans!

by Niki Hawkes

 Other books you might like:

Apr 30 2013
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Top Ten Tuesday – Top Ten Words/Topics That Instantly Make Me Buy/Pick Up A Book! (4/30/2013)

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This is a feature posted by The Broke and The Bookish that allows book bloggers to talk about the books they loved – or hated – and provides a platform for us to get to know each other. This week’s topic is:

Top Ten Words/Topics That Instantly Make Me Buy/Pick Up A Book

I want to disclaim that these subjects will almost always make me give the book a second glance, but I have a much more thorough selection process before they actually wind up on my shelf at home (I’ve gotten really picky lately). There is a broad spectrum of books in the categories I’m about to name. For the sake of geeking out about books I love, I have chosen to provide pictures of the covers that best represent each category.

 #1 dragons:

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Dragon Avenger by E.E. Knight

Because I am a slave to my obsessions. I try everything I can get my hands on, Seriously though, if publishers were marketing specifically to me all they would have to do is put a pretty dragon on the cover and I would pick the book up – regardless if there is an actual dragon anywhere in it.

#2 animals:  

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Wild Born by Brandon Mull

Yep this is pretty much the only subject that will get me to read nonfiction. However, any genre novel that manages to incorporate animals will grab my attention right away.

#3 magic/wizards:

Magician Apprentice by Raymond E. Feist

Magician Apprentice by Raymond E. Feist

It seems like all of my favorite books have at least some element of magic. When you love dragons and fantasy as much as I do, magic sort of goes hand in hand with those topics. Unique magic systems, like the ones found in the Mistborn trilogy, can be highly memorable and sometimes the best parts of a story.

#4 dystopian:

Partials by Dan Wells

I am up to the point where I will actually read anything set in a dystopian story as long as the basic concept sounds good. I am so glad I have, because it has allowed me to enjoy some of the best books I’ve read in years!

#5 vampire/werewolf:

Moon Called by Patricia Briggs

I went through all of my teen years saying with conviction that I hate paranormal creatures. And then along came an unsuspecting paranormal romance by Lori Handeland…One thing led to another, and now I simply can’t get enough. Who knew these stories also had some of the best characterization and romance for any genre – with robust, complex storylines to boot!

#6 Richelle Mead:

Gameboard of the Gods by Richelle Mead (June 4th)

Yep, put this name on any cover and I guarantee you I will pick it up. Vampire Academy was great, but my favorite was her Succubus series. And I really liked Gameboard of the Gods coming out in June.

#7 swords/adventure:

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Most of the fantasy books I’ve and loved offered a great deal of battle scenes and adventure. To have a cool adventure, you usually have to be in a cool setting; therefore, most of my favorite world building stories also had a major elements of adventure and exploration.

#8 teen:

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Teen is my weak spot, my guilty pleasure. Anything that can be categorized as fantasy or paranormal gets at least a basic look through, and I usually spend most of my browsing time in this section. I also am quite fond of books with girls in pretty dresses… And they’re everywhere.

#9 love:

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I’m a romantic at heart, and I usually don’t pick up a book unless it has at least a chance for a love story. PS. This cover in particular is one of the most intriguing covers/titles out there… I’m going to read it.

#10 nonhuman races:

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Whether it be elves or aliens the opportunity to read about someone’s take on the development of a new species (or a spin of a well-known one) grabs my attention every time. On a side note, I will also pick up ANYTHING with cover art done by Luis Royo…And you know what? He hasn’t led me astray yet!

What are your book-trigger words?  Leave a blog address in the comments area so I can visit your TTT. :)