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Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Things on Our Reading Wish List

~ Amanda @ Literary Weaponry ~ 10 Comments

This is my second foray into the Top Ten Tuesday meme, my first being last week’s Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Covers. This week’s theme is Ten Things on Our Reading Wish List. The meme is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. From that site you can also see all of the other Top Ten Tuesday posts that have been submitted. I just shuffled through them myself and found several excellent posts. Go check them out!

 

  1. Less Sex Shaming – This is one where I feel that art imitates life. When characters in books do the horizontal tango they either end up madly in love or it’s rape. If it is rape or the rare casual encounter the character always seem to feel that they have to hide it or lie about it. They are the victim or they are labeled as whorish. They are expected to be ashamed of either what was done to them or what they have done.
  2. Real Characters – “Why, Amanda, what do you mean by that?” I hear you say. Well, I mean characters that are organic and change as the story fleshes out. I’ve recently read too many books where the character changes only to further the plot line. Their choices and actions don’t feel real because they have altered from the character previously presented to us without any definitive reason besides convenience. The most glaring example in my mind is Tamlin from A Court of Wings and Ruin. His actions were convenient and little more.
  3. Strong Women- Pardon me, excuse me, I have a bone to pick. Maybe it’s just me. Maybe I’m just picking up the wrong books. But, it seems to me that when a female character is made as a strong character it is usually directly because of a man. She was lost and found love and now she is strong. She was weak and was guided by a man back to the light. She was indecisive and a male mentor nudged her toward the right choices. Why can’t she be strong by herself? Why does she need a partner need to make her strong?
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  4. Cultural Diversity- This one should be a given. I doubt I even have to explain. GIVE ME CHARACTERS FROM DIFFERENT CULTURAL BACKGROUNDS. /end shout
  5. Everyman- The more I read the more I notice that main characters come mostly from one of two backgrounds. The first is when they are dirt poor, starving, and far below the poverty line and are brought higher in the world during the course of the story. The second example is when the character already leads a charmed life as they are among the ruling class or hierarchy such as a royal. Where is the relatable character? Where is the Everyman?

 

I’m choosing not to do a full ten today because these five are my biggest issues with literature and by adding in five more that are only minor or occasionally aggravating would lessen their importance. If you have read a book you feel represents one of my five please leave it’s title or link in the comments, I’d love to hear about it! You may also feel free to leave a link to your own Top Ten Tuesday. Thanks for reading!

The Unique Blogger Award

~ Amanda @ Literary Weaponry ~ 5 Comments

unique-blogger-award

 

First of all, thank you to Laura @ The Book Corps for nominating me for this. She has a great blog over there and if you aren’t following her you should check it out. I love getting nominated for these things. It brings the people of the bookish community together to get to know one another and gives you some insight to the person behind the reviews and opinions.

Rules

  • Share the link of the blogger who has shown love to you by nominating you.
  • Answer the questions.
  • In the spirit of sharing love and solidarity with our blogging family, nominate 8-13 people for the same award.
  • Ask them three questions.

I know we’re all mainly YA readers on here, so what is your favourite adult fiction novel?

I love a good mystery. My favorite mystery author is Christopher Fowler who writes the brilliant Bryant and May mysteries. It is impossible to pick just one favorite from that series because they are all brilliant. Two elderly detectives, Arthur Bryant and John May, head the Peculiar Crimes Unit which is part of the London Police Department. It is an old unit and the head of the London police is often looking for reasons to close it. Using somewhat antiquated methods, the pair and their team solve crimes that are listed as dangerous to public moral (a leftover term from their creation in WWII). The books are fun and I rarely know who the evil doer is before the detectives tell me. Well worth reading and so glad I found them.

Enough with the heroes, they’re boring. Who is your favourite book villain?

This one took me a few minutes of pondering. I feel that to make a good villain they have to be likable and relatable as a character even while carrying out their villainous tasks. For this, I chose The Gardener from The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchison. The Gardener holds girls hostage in a lovely garden away from prying eyes. He kidnaps them when they are around 16 or 17 years old and tattoos each of them with a large, intricate butterfly on their back. While they reside at the garden he cares for all of them in his own despicable way. In his mind he truly loves them. None of the girls ever live beyond twenty-one. On their twenty-first birthday he encases them in resin and puts them and their tattoo on display in the hallway for the rest of the girls to see. The story itself may be horrible but it is well written and I feel like the villain is a very unique character.

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Will you ever lend a book to a friend? Why/Why not? Any horror stories?

Honestly, I can’t recall the last time I lent a book to a friend. I don’t think I ever trusted my friends well enough for that. Recently I did lend a book to my mother, though, if that counts. I know she’ll take care of it which is not something I can guarantee from a casual friend. Also, I know where she lives and can go ransack the house to get it back.

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My questions for you

  1. You have the opportunity to edit and rework any book to make it into the story you always knew it could be which will then be republished with you credited. What book to you choose to edit, why, and what are some of the edits you would make?
  2. You are given the chance to go back in history and make a change. For example, you could stop Hitler from being born or warn the crew and scientists from the space shuttle Challenger about the problem. What do you change and why?
  3. Not exactly a question, but, tell us all your favorite memory and why it is important to you.

 

I never tag anyone for these but, as always, feel free to do it if you would like! It took me some time to come up with those questions so I hope that someone does this. Thanks for reading and have a lovely day!

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J Maas

~ Amanda @ Literary Weaponry ~ 7 Comments

ACourtofWingsandWuin

 

I don’t often mention it but, as this is a highly anticipated new release, beware. Spoilers and foul language to follow.  

This 700 page monster was touted as the most anticipated fantasy release of the year. Maas collected quite the following after her Throne of Glass series and the first two books in this series, A Court of Thorns and Roses and A Court of Mist and Fury. Somehow, I’d been living under some kind of reading rock for the last few years and had never heard of her. I’m so glad I came out from under that rock. While some people knock A Court of Thorns and Roses I actually enjoyed it very much but it could hardly compare to A Court of Mist and Fury. That one sucked me in and wouldn’t let me go. In hindsight it was probably all of the sexual tension and Rhysand’s cocky swagger. I pre-ordered A Court of Wings and Ruin while I was still reading the second book and dove into it as soon as it was delivered in high hopes that it would pull me in the same was Mist and Fury did. Let’s find out if it met those expectations, shall we?

“When you erupt, girl, make sure it is felt across worlds.”

We return to Feyre’s story while she is residing with Tamlin in the Spring Court with him and Lucien. After Mist and Fury we are predisposed to think of Tamlin now as an agent of evil. He continues to solidify that thought as he invites members of Hybern’s court to his home to aid them in their quest to bring down the wall between the Fae and humans.

Among the party to come to Tamlin’s court is Jurian, the human general from the last war that Hybern brought back to life using the cauldron. He comes off as a cocky bastard but I found him oddly likable. I think that is in part because of how pussy whipped Rhysand became. I loved Rhys in Mist and Fury. He was snarky and a little rude. Now he is so over the moon for Feyre that all of his bad-assery disappeared and it was nice to find some of it again in Jurian.

Moving on…

Blah blah blah, Feyre is vindictive and tosses the Spring court in a salad spinner and screws everything going on there up and then runs away. She and Lucien then both find their way back to the Court of Dreams. It was nice to see Lucien making his own choices instead of just following Tamlin blindly. However (and I feel like I’m going to have a lot of “however”s in this review) he ended up being completely pointless for the entire book. Sure, he showed up in scenes and apparently went and did things but the story would have been the same with or without him. Seriously. If every mention of him was removed from the book absolutely nothing would have changed other than perhaps being a few pages shorter. That is disappointing. I wanted him to have a moment of redemption and his own glory but he was still little more than a background player in everyone else’s games.

Let me be honest here, I could “blah blah blah” about 3/4 of this book. Most of it really felt like it had little point. The entertaining sexual tension from MAF was gone, the “men” were all pussy whipped, and the story just drug on and on and on with nothing of consequence happening. Don’t get me started on the incredibly awkward intimate scenes. At one point I’m pretty sure Feyre was having a naked chat with Rhys with her legs up over his shoulder or something. Who does that? Uncomfortable and, again, awkward. When reading or watching a movie the target audience has to have their reality suspended and become immersed in the story line and characters for the book/film/whatever to be good. The addition of these painfully awkward scenes brings the audience back to themselves and thus the story is interrupted.

I also got the distinct impression that Maas threw in an LGBT character just because that seems like the thing to do right now. Don’t jump down my throat, let me explain. I love alternative sexualities and diverse cultures having inclusion in literature. In fact, there should be more of it. However, they need to be presented in a believable and appropriate manner. If you haven’t read the book yet I won’t ruin this part for you, but,  it seemed to me that the author just tossed it in because it was “the thing” to do. It didn’t feel right for the character’s previous set up and story line. I was not on board.  Good for you for including an LGBT character but credibility and believability are also important. Don’t just hop on the band wagon. And for God’s sake, don’t make them appear ashamed of their sexuality. Ridiculous and completely out of character. Okay, rant over.

“It is a new world, and we must decide how we are to end this old one and begin it anew.”

The final battle in this book is something I think fans have all been looking forward to. The big tete-a-tete with the evil Hybern when the world of man and Fae will either be saved or doomed. I’m not going to get too far into this because it was the absolute best part of the book. However (I told you there would be a lot of howevers) this was also a bit of a let down. It goes back to the suspension of belief in your own reality in order to be immersed in the presented reality. Once more, it just didn’t work. Sure, the battle was interesting and it was quite honestly the only part of the book I truly enjoyed but it did not live up to the expectations set by TAR and MAF. Everything was too convenient, too easy. This was supposed to be the be-all-end-all fight to the death and it just didn’t have the pizzazz for that. Parts that could have been truly interesting were cut painfully short while we go back to the expected and dull “I don’t want (insert name here) to die because I love them so!” BORING.

This is legitimately the longest review I have ever written and thank you all for sticking with me through it. I wish I could say that I loved this book and it was everything I expected it to be. I wanted to adore it. I was prepared to worship this book for years and re-read it time and again. Sadly, I’ll probably never pick it up again. Maybe my opinions on this book aren’t popular, I don’t know, but there they are just the same. A Court of Wings and Ruin, you let me down.

 

 

 

The Unpopular Opinions Book Tag

~ Amanda @ Literary Weaponry ~ 11 Comments

After waking up at 4am and not being able to get back to sleep (again) I decided to get up and do a book tag. Seemed like a reasonable go-to after a restless night. I found this little beauty over at A Very Fantasy Corner of Books by Cassiopeia’s Moon and it seemed right up my alley. Without further ado on this sleepless night, I give you The Unpopular Opinions Book Tag.

 

A POPULAR BOOK OR BOOK SERIES THAT YOU DIDN’T LIKE

sixofcrows

If any of you read my review of this book, which can be found here, then you know that I was completely not on board the hype train for this book. I found none of the characters to be genuine or even remotely likable. It took more than half of the book for the action to start and wading through all of the back story and buildup was torturous. So many people adore this book but it just was not up my alley.

A POPULAR BOOK OR BOOK SERIES THAT EVERYONE ELSE SEEMS TO HATE BUT YOU LOVE

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Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe. This play was actually assigned reading for me in college. I recall that during the open class discussion many of my fellow students had vehemently negative opinions of it and I simply didn’t understand why. This play made me fall in love with Christopher Marlowe. There are life lessons to be learned from this play and Marlowe presented them in an entertaining yet poignant fashion.

AN OTP THAT YOU DON’T LIKE

So, I had to look up what OTP meant. I read it and starting singing “Whose down with OPP” in my head. So, for anyone else not in the know, apparently OTP means “One True Pairing” or your favorite combination of characters in a fandom. One that I’ve come across numerous times that I just don’t like is (no opinion here). Sorry folks. Even if I don’t agree with other’s opinions on matches in books it’s not enough to bristle my whiskers. Go jump on whatever ship you want, I’ll even discuss it with you if you like, but don’t expect me to be bothered about it.

A POPULAR BOOK GENRE THAT YOU HARDLY REACH FOR

Romance. I strongly dislike books whose story lines are strictly of a romantic nature. I read one a year around Valentine’s Day and that is it. They just don’t appeal to me. I’m usually shouting at the characters, “Don’t do it!” or “You imbecile!” Not my cup of tea.

A POPULAR/BELOVED CHARACTER THAT YOU DO NOT LIKE

At the risk of starting a riot, I don’t like Legolas. I understood his point in the story, I appreciated his contribution, but in general I just didn’t like him. Other than being able to accurately shoot things with magically never ending arrows and giving Gimli someone to harass he was dull to me. His only redeeming quality is the “They are taking the hobbits to Isengard” hilarity. If you have been living under a rock for the last decade you can see what I’m talking about here.

POPULAR AUTHOR THAT YOU CAN’T SEEM TO GET INTO

Neil Gaiman. I just can’t. I tried to read American Gods. Really, I did. I even picked up Norse Mythology just to see if maybe it was only American Gods that didn’t appeal to me. Nope. Nothing against Gaiman, from his interviews etc he seems like a good guy, but I just don’t enjoy his books.

A POPULAR BOOK TROPE THAT YOU’RE TIRED OF SEEING

The Chosen One. You know what I mean. There is only one person in all of the world that can do this one really important thing. Maybe they are the only one who can stop the evil queen, or the only one who can take down the bad guy, or the only one who can save the world. Bullocks. It’d be more fun to kill off a “chosen” character and the world be saved by a lemur tripping said bad guy onto a sword or something. If a lemur can do it, so can you!

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A POPULAR SERIES THAT YOU HAVE NO INTEREST IN READING

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I truly disliked Six of Crows so much that I have absolutely zero interest in reading the popular Grisha Trilogy. Maybe it is wonderful. Maybe they would be ground breaking books for me and the light of heavenly literature would shine down upon me in all of it’s glory imbibing me with magical powers. I don’t care. Still not reading them.

THE SAYING GOES “THE BOOK IS ALWAYS BETTER THAN THE MOVIE”, BUT WHAT MOVIE OR TV SHOW ADAPTATION DO YOU PREFER MORE THAN THE BOOK?

I’ve mentioned I am Legend before but it will never stop being relevant to the above question. When I watched I am Legend and enjoyed the movie (except for the poor dog) I decided to give the book a shot. I expected to thoroughly enjoy it. I didn’t. It was terrible. I donated my copy to the library so that I wouldn’t even have to look at it sitting on my shelves, sullying the other books with it’s foul words.

 

I never tag people in these things but if you want to do this tag, please, feel free! It was surprising cathartic.

WWW Wednesday – May 3

~ Amanda @ Literary Weaponry ~ 4 Comments

WWWWednesday

 

WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words and was formerly hosted by A Daily Rhythm. It is open for anyone to participate, even without a blog you can comment on Sam’s post with your own answers. It is a great way to share what you’ve been reading! All you have to do is answer three questions and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.

The three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading?

ACourtofWingsandWuin

“It’s a rare person to face who they are and not run from it – not be broken by it.”

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J Maas. I bet you would never have guess that I picked this up the very first moment that I could. It was agony having it delivered and not being able to read it immediately. As a bit of a surprise, so far it hasn’t been as good as the first two books. Sure, it’s a 700 page monster and there is plenty of time to get to some action but I’m jonesing. Hopefully I will have a full review for you over the weekend.

What did you recently finish reading?

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“Well, I have to keep them covered or else you lose the power of speech”

A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn. I love historical fiction. I love mysteries. So how could I resist a historical mystery? The first book in the Veronica Speedwell Mysteries, A Curious Beginning, was excellent so I had high hopes for A Perilous Undertaking. Both books have witty dialogue, an engaging mystery, and a colorful cast of characters. Worth picking up.

What do you think you’ll read next?

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“Then perhaps we should carve a world one day where the strength lies in who you are, rather than in what they expect you to be.”

The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco. Not going to lie to you, folks. I genuinely have no idea what this book is about. That cover pulls me in. I need to touch it. I’ll end up reading this one just because that cover has it’s hold on me. Reviews of this book on Goodreads seem to be hit or miss but I’ll give it a shot.

That’s all folks! I hope everyone is having a fabulous day and, as always, feel free to leave a link to your own WWW Wednesday in the comments.

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Covers

~ Amanda @ Literary Weaponry ~ 21 Comments

Happy Tuesday, everyone! You know what this lovely Tuesday is? Today is the release of A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J Maas. I know I’m not the only one on pins and needles waiting to open it up to the first page. So, while I not-so-patiently wait for my copy to be delivered, I bring you my first ever Top Ten Tuesday hosted by The Broke and the Bookish! These are some of my favorite book covers. I tried not to judge them by my like or dislike of the book itself but on the merits of the cover alone.

  • The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern – I love how bold this cover is while still keeping to a simple color scheme. Walking around in a book store this cover always catches my eye even though I own it and have read it a dozen times.
  • Borne by Jeff VanderMeer  – This cover are reminds me of some bold, lovely sculpture displayed in a museum or private collection. It is easy to sit and try to pick apart the pieces of it to try to figure out what they represent.
  • The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan – I’m not entirely sure why this cover always draws my attention, but it does. Flowers and the pinkish color scheme typically aren’t up my alley but this one calls to me none the less.
  • The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco  – What can I say, I have a thing for purple and the lovely gold scroll work makes for a very striking image.
  • Wicked Like a Wildfire by Lana Popović – So, yeah, my love of purple continues. And that moth/butterfly in the corner is artfully placed to draw your eye. Beautiful.
  • The Wish Granter by C.J. Redwine – The detail on this cover looks like stitching and, to put it simply, it’s lovely. I’m sure it’s relevant to the story but, if anything, I think it would look better without that drop of blood.
  • A Twist in Time by Julie McElwain– Elegant is the best word I can think of to describe the art on A Twist in Time. Again, a more simple color scheme but absolutely lovely

 

This was my first Top Ten Tuesday and it was really pretty fun to do! I found several books I want to read while browsing the cover art. As always, thanks for reading!

 

A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn

~ Amanda @ Literary Weaponry ~ 3 Comments

APerilousUndertaking

Sequels. Whether in books or movies you never quite know what to expect. Traditionally the sequel doesn’t meet the same expectations of it’s predecessor. Take the original Star Wars trilogy for example. Some of the absolute most popular films in history and yet that second one, The Empire Strikes Back, is typically considered the most lowly of the three. The curse of the sequel.

I read the first book of Raybourn’s Speedwell mysteries, A Curious Beginning, a few months back and very much enjoyed every page. When I spotted A Perilous Undertaking at the library I was excited to jump back into it’s Victorian era mystery but at the same time apprehensive. Would it live up to the first book or would I be left wanting?

I should never have doubted Raybourn. A Perilous Undertaking is every bit as good as A Curious Beginning. Shame on me.

We return to the story with Veronica Speedwell, a lepidopterist, some months after having learned that she was a bastard child of the royal family. A family that would never, and could never, claim her. She accepted this and was quite content going about her own life in pursuit of scientific inquiry of butterflies. She and her companion (not in the connubial sense) Stoker have planned a new expedition and are excited to leave London behind in search of adventure.

Their plans are thwarted when one of their party (the one with the deep pockets) falls ill and they are forced to put their expedition on hold. In the meantime, Veronica has found herself at a club in the company of one of the royal princesses. Princess Louise asks for Veronica’s help in correctly solving a murder and clearing the name of the man currently blamed for the deed.

“The hardest lesson I had learnt upon my travels was patience. There are times when every muscle, every nerve, screams for movement, when every instinct urges escape. But the instinct to fly is not always a sound one. There are occasions when only stillness can save you.”

Going through some other reviews of this book on Goodreads and Amazon and such I’ve noticed several people commenting that it takes this story a while to get going. I don’t agree. Every act, every moment in the first few chapters is important. You are reacquainted with the cast of characters, given information on their current lives as they do differ slightly from the first book, and are introduced to the mystery at hand. I didn’t think it was slow moving at all but instead necessary information to make the story complete.

Of course Veronica takes up the mystery with the aide of dear Stoker and once again they find themselves investigating a murder. I was, as I was the first time, thrilled with Veronica’s decidedness to be her own woman. She did not allow the social aspect in the Victorian era of letting the male oppress the woman rule her. I love what a strong, intelligent, willful character she is.

The investigation takes the duo to some very interesting places. A vast private home being used to house and teach budding artists, an opium den, Scotland yard, the royal palace, and a grotto on a piece of private property which was obviously used as a salacious sex den. All the while Veronica and Stoker keep up their witty banter which I quickly fell in love with in the first book. They are both highly intelligent people on a mission and their dialogue is marvelous. The dynamic between those two is so entertaining that they could be having a discussion about the common house fly and make it interesting.

If you enjoy a good mystery or have an interest in Victorian era historical fiction I highly recommend giving this series a shot. The story was thoroughly engrossing and while I suspected the eventual murderer it was still a joy to watch the duo come to the same conclusion. As a side note, while I am not particularly squeamish I know that some topics can be delicate for folks and would like point out that the murdered person was a pregnant woman. I’m sure it would be a touchy subject for some people and prefer to give readers a heads up.

I hope that if you do choose to pick up these Veronica Speedwell mysteries that you enjoy them as much as I do. The third book featuring these characters, A Treacherous Curse, is due out in January of 2018.

The Greek Gods Book Tag

~ Amanda @ Literary Weaponry ~ 6 Comments

Hello, everyone! I spotted this tag over at The Books Cover Girls and, due to my eternal love and obsession for ancient cultures, had to do it. Seems like a fun tag that I haven’t seen around before so lets get to it, shall we? The original tag was created by Zuky @ Book Bum.

Rules:

  • Pingback to Zuky’s post
  • You can use Zuky’s graphics if you like, but you don’t have to if you don’t want
  • Tag as many people as you want, but please, share the love

 

Zeus

ZEUS: KING OF THE GODS – YOUR FAVORITE BOOK

– It is impossible to choose an absolute favorite book. It changes fairly regularly depending on mood and whatever else is going on in my life. However, I certainly do go through book obsessions. My current obsession is the A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J Maas. Her writing style is immersive and I’m very much looking forward to A Court of Wings and Ruin‘s release on May 2nd.

Hera

HERA: QUEEN OF THE GODS – A BAD ASS FEMALE CHARACTER

-I love a book with a bad ass female. A woman who doesn’t need saved by anyone else. A woman who isn’t there just to further a ridiculous love story. For this, I give you Paige from The Bone Season series by Samantha Shannon. In a world ruled by a highly corrupt government that oppresses it’s people, Paige rises to lead a rebellion to end her people’s suffering. To allow them to live in the light. She is such a strong character and I have loved watching her develop through the first three books of the series. Can’t wait for Shannon to release the next.

Janus

JANUS: GOD OF BEGINNINGS – YOUR FAVORITE DEBUT(S)

-I had a little bit of trouble with this. Admittedly, I’m a little bit picky with my reading and tend to only pick up books (or at least only pay for books) that have numerous strong, positive reviews. Typically those are found in established authors. That being said, The Case of the Green-Dressed Ghost by Lucy Banks has been one of my favorite books so far this year. It’s an easy read but has entertaining characters and a fun story line. Wonderful debut.

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Athena

ATHENA: GODDESS OF WISDOM – YOUR FAVORITE NON-FICTION BOOK

–The Plantagenets: The Warrior Kings and Queens Who Made England by Dan Jones. As I may have mentioned, I have a vibrant love of history. While my main interest is certainly Ancient Egypt, medieval Europe is certainly a close second. I feel like Jones captured the history and eccentricities of the ruling family of Plantagenets. He kept to the facts while keeping it interesting. Very nice read if you enjoy that kind of thing.

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Aphrodite

APHRODITE: GODDESS OF LOVE – A BOOK YOU ADORE AND RECOMMEND EVERYONE READ (OTHER THAN YOUR FAVORITE BOOK!)

-Usually when given this task I will spout off Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore without a second thought. This time, I think I’ll do something different. Recently I had the pleasure of reading Red Rising by Pierce Brown. I did not expect to love this book. I expected yet another over-hyped knock around. What I got instead was a wonderfully written, thoroughly engrossing fantastical story. Even though I finished it weeks and weeks ago I still can’t get it out of my head. I know at some point I will pick up the rest of the books in that series and I hope they are just as magical as the first.

Hades

HADES: GOD OF THE UNDERWORLD – AN EVIL BOOK YOU WISH DIDN’T EXIST

–SeQuence (The Heart of the Ocean #1) by Lorraine M.L.M. This piece of trash needs to go in the garbage and never be heard from again. I have never read a story that has angered me the way this one did. The “leading lady” has no ambition and happily allows herself to be controlled by others. She doesn’t have an original thought in her head and is always saved from her predicaments by a man who claims to love her but spends most of his time ignoring or avoiding her. I can’t believe this book was written by a woman because it encourages women to be little more than door mats. Complete and utter rubbish.

Poseidon

POSEIDON: GOD OF THE SEA & EARTHQUAKES – A BEAUTIFUL & GROUND-BREAKING BOOK

-Let’s be honest, I seriously entertained jumping into the Pit of Sarcasm this morning and putting a book about archaeology here. You get it? Ground breaking? Archaeology? Work with me here, people. My snarkiness aside, I can’t think of a book I’ve read that is truly ground breaking. To me that means pushing the boundaries of what is currently considered fiction and opening the world’s eyes upon something new and mind altering. If/when I stumble across a book like that, I’ll let you know.

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APOLLO: GOD OF THE ARTS – A BEAUTIFUL BOOK COVER

–Mayan Mendacity by L.J.M. Owen. Perhaps this cover isn’t conventionally beautiful but I find it stunningly eye catching. Simple yet bold color scheme and with the use of Mayan eyes at the top this cover never ceases to catch my attention.

Hypnos

HYPNOS: GOD OF SLEEP – A BOOK SO BORING YOU ALMOST FELL ASLEEP

–The Shadow Land by Elizabeth Kostova. Usually I can find something nice to say about just about any book I read but oh my God this book was boring. Kostova is a critically acclaimed author and this book was highly anticipated upon it’s release among the community. However, getting through it was a complete and utter chore. I feel like I could have found my way out of a tar pit more easily than it was to drag myself through this thing.

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Hermes

HERMES: MESSENGER OF THE GODS – A BOOK YOU SPED THROUGH

–A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab. If you haven’t heard me gush about this book before, it was amazing. Stupendous. I loved every word on every page. I love it so much I loaned out my hard copy of it for someone else to read. I have only ever done that once before as I am very proprietary about my books. I started reading this on a mere whim one afternoon and was sucked in within the first couple of pages. Wonderful book with vivid details and obsessive story.

ShadesOfMagic

 

Well, that’s that. I really did enjoy doing this tag and if you want to do it as well, please feel free! I hope everyone has a wonderful day and happy reading.

 

 

This or That Book Tag

~ Amanda @ Literary Weaponry ~ 8 Comments

It’s 3am and I can’t sleep. So, laying in bed wondering exactly how far I am from a spider at that exact moment (I hate spiders), I decide to get up and find myself a book tag to do. Lo and behold I found this little beauty over at Book Princess Reviews. Please, join me and my sleep addled, arachnophobic brain for the This or That book tag!

misunderstood-spider-1

Rules

  • Mention the creator of the tag (Ayunda @ Tea and Paperbacks)
  • Thank the blogger who tagged you
  • Choose one of the options, you don’t have to tell the reasons why you chose that but you can also do them if you want to.
  • Tag other people to do this tag to spread the love!

 

READING ON THE COUCH OR ON THE BED?

-I have absolutely no preference either way. Lately I have been relaxing in my husband’s old man recliner to read but I’m just as content sitting on the stairs or sprawled out on the floor. If I have a good book in my hands it doesn’t matter where I am.

MALE MAIN CHARACTER OR FEMALE MAIN CHARACTER?

-I’ve noticed that most YA books seem to have female leads but, after some consideration, I don’t think that I have a preference either way. One of my favorite series, Bryant and May by Christopher Fowler, has two aging gentleman detectives but I also adore a strong female lead. As long as it is a good book I don’t honestly care.

SWEET SNACKS OR SALTY SNACKS?

-I’m one of those weird people who don’t like sweet things. Chocolate has little draw for me but I also don’t find myself reaching for salty things often. Hm. Maybe this needs a savory/other option. My typical reading snack is a cheese stick or maybe a grapefruit. If I do reach for a candy or something along that line it is usually sour. Now I want some war heads…

TRILOGIES OR QUARTETS?

-As long as it is a good series, the more books the better. Sometimes you run across a quartet when the fourth book feels forced that leaves you wishing they’d stopped at a trilogy. Other times you can read five or more books with the same characters and still want more. It all depends on the story and the author.

FIRST PERSON POV OR THIRD POV?

-Usually I find myself gravitating to a more third person POV. I’m not sure why but when I pick up a book written in first person I feel an immediate turn off toward it. When that happens it isn’t a conscious choice just an automatic knee jerk reaction. I honestly couldn’t tell you why. I’m sure a psychologist could have a field day with that…

READING AT NIGHT OR IN THE MORNING?

-While I usually only have time to read in the mornings I love reading late into the night. Recently when my husband was out of town I was up until nearly four in the morning devouring a book and it was glorious. GLORIOUS I TELL YOU!

LIBRARIES OR BOOKSTORES?

-Libraries. Definitely libraries. The older I get the more and more I dislike wandering through a book store. It just feels overwhelming and I end up never finding anything I want. Typically I will research a book to read at home and then reserve it at my local library. The only time I buy books anymore is if I am obsessing over getting my hands on a certain book that my library hasn’t been able to locate for me or if I fell in love with a book or series and want to add them to my shelves.

BOOKS THAT MAKE YOU LAUGH OR BOOKS THAT MAKE YOU CRY?

-I love a good laugh. If I want to cry and get depressed I’ll turn on the news. I read for enjoyment, not to bring myself down.

BLACK BOOK COVERS OR WHITE BOOK COVERS?

-Black, white, color, who cares as long as it’s a good book.

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CHARACTER DRIVEN OR PLOT DRIVEN?

-Interesting question. Both can be equally good but I think I am more drawn to a character driven story. The book would still need a good plot but a well written character can save a lot of floundering plot lines. Also, I love witty banter between characters and you don’t typically find that in a more plot driven story (at least in my experience).

 

Thanks for joining me in my middle of the night ramble! If this tag catches your fancy, tickles your pickle, floats your goat, or any other silly saying please feel free to go ahead and do it!

WWW Wednesday – April 26

~ Amanda @ Literary Weaponry ~ 4 Comments

WWWWednesday

 

WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words and was formerly hosted by A Daily Rhythm. It is open for anyone to participate, even without a blog you can comment on Sam’s post with your own answers. It is a great way to share what you’ve been reading! All you have to do is answer three questions and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.

The three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading?

APerilousUndertaking

A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn
“There are times when every muscle, every nerve, screams for movement, when every instinct urges escape. But the instinct to fly is not always a sound one. There are occasions when only stillness can save you.”

I fell in love with Raybourn’s Veronica Speedwell mysteries when I read A Curious Beginning. Set in Victorian times, the characters in this series have depth and intelligence and the dialogue is superb. Not to mention the leading lady, Veronica, is wildly clever and sassy. It is impossible not to adore her.

What did you recently finish reading?

ACourtofMistandFury
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas
“He thinks he’ll be remembered as the villain in the story. But I forgot to tell him that the villain is usually the person who locks up the maiden and throws away the key. He was the one who let me out.”

I have genuinely read this book twice in the last week I love it so much. I didn’t expect to fall in love with this book or it’s predecessor, A Court of Thorns and Roses, but I did. When I started reading this series all I had heard was people gushing over them and, I admit, it was a little off putting. Over hyped books usually end up falling flat for me. But, I gave it a try and I am so glad I did. These are the only ones I’ve ever read about faeries that I have sincerely liked. Can’t wait for book three!

What do you think you’ll read next?

ACourtofWingsandWuin

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J Maas
“You belong to all of us, and we belong to you.”

I bet no one saw this one coming, right? I started reading this series just over two weeks ago and I have to say that I am immensely glad that I’m not one of the folks who had to wait a year for the third book in this series to come out. The anticipation would have been brutal. A Court of Wings and Ruin is set for release on May 2nd and I am going to be waiting to pounce on the UPS guy when he delivers it.

I tried a new format for this today and am curious if anyone has an opinion on which one is better, this one or my previous format? If you have an opinion please let me know in the comments. Thanks for reading, everyone, and feel free to leave a link to your own WWW Wednesday!