•¸¸.•*¨*•☆ •¸¸.•*¨*•☆ •¸¸.•*¨*•☆ wishlist

On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every Saturday. It's where you list all the books you desperately want but haven't actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming. It's also an event that you can join in with too - Mr Linky is always at the ready for you to link your own 'On My Wishlist' post. If you want to know more click here! 

I'm a bit late posting, but I really wanted to do it since there are some great books I'm looking forward to; better late than never! So these are my books wishes, which I'm sending out into the universe :) 

Archangel's Consort (Guild Hunter Series, #3)

Reading level/Genre: Paranormal Romance

Paperback: 352 pages

Publisher: Berkley (January 25, 2011)

ISBN-13:  978-0425240137 

(product details via amazon.com) 

 There wasn't a summary on Amazon for this one yet, but I love this series and Nalini Singh's romance books. The Guild Hunter series has angels, vampires, and people like Elena, which are humans but with special skills as "guild hunters".  The guild hunters' jobs are to do everything they can to protect the human race in a world where paranormal creatures exist. Now, you might think the angels would do that but you'd be wrong. In this series angels are a breed all there own, and have concerns of their own that don't include necessarily worrying about humans. It's an interesting twist, and the stories are pretty dark but I can't wait to see what happens next. Plus, this cover is absolutely gorgeous!

The Iron Duke

Reading level/Genre: Steampunk Romance

Paperback: 384 pages

Publisher: Berkley (October 05, 2010)

ISBN-13:  978-0425236673 

First in an all-new series where seductive danger and steampunk adventure abound in the gritty world of the Iron Seas.

After the Iron Duke freed England from Horde control, he instantly became a national hero. Now Rhys Trahaearn has built a merchant empire on the power-and fear-of his name. And when a dead body is dropped from an airship onto his doorstep, bringing Detective Inspector Mina Wentworth into his dangerous world, he intends to make her his next possession.

But when Mina uncovers the victim's identity, she stumbles upon a conspiracy that threatens the lives of everyone in England. To save them, Mina and Rhys must race across zombie-infested wastelands and treacherous oceans-and Mina discovers the danger is not only to her countrymen, as she finds herself tempted to give up everything to the Iron Duke. 

(product details via amazon.com) 

I haven't read a Steampunk romance before but I'm intrigued with the idea of such a thing. I lke the aesthetic look of the Victorian mixed with scientific and steam-powered inventions.

Across the Universe

Reading level/Genre: YA Dystopic Fiction/Fantasy

Hardcover: 400 pages

Publisher: Penguin/Razorbill (January 11, 2011)

ISBN-13:  978-1595143976

 (product details via amazon.com) 
 

And last but not least, a YA book that I found on Facebook with the 1st chapter available to read. It's so good already and I can't wait to read the rest!! If you go to the FB page and "like" it, you can read chapter 1 and then comment on it to be entered to win an ARC! I reeeeally wants this one :)

A Quick Update...

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

***SPOILER FREE***

HOLY Shitballs!

Sorry to be so crass but that's an honest reaction, lol

I cant even begin to explain how much I love this series, and how I've been half-crazed by it as well.

Suzanne Collins has really outdone herself with this one, and I think it's because of how she says so much with so few words. As I read I kept thinking, "how the hell is she gonna wrap this up so that I'm satisfied?! there's only 150 pages....75 pages...20 pages..(and so on) to go!"

Well if you're thinking that YA can't be relevant, or adequately speak to readers over the age of 18 then you certainly haven't been paying attention and are not only completely misjudging an entire genre, but missing out on a series that is one of the best I've ever read. The parallels to our modern society, and on warfare and this generation are palpable. I've not read a book that effectively describes PTSD, or post traumatic stress disorder, so well either. In fact, the evolution of characters is great, and when it comes to Katniss in particular, you can see how the effects of things like war and trauma can make a person grow up from a kid to an adult really fast. And though I just finished the book, and haven't really had sufficient time to let everything brew and really hit me, I do know that this book, these books have affected me. There's definitely more to them than meets the eye.  And after I've had some time to ruminate on it all, I'll definitely post a proper review of Mockingjay and the Hunger Games series as a whole :)

View all my reviews

•¸¸.•*¨*•☆ •¸¸.•*¨*•☆ •¸¸.•*¨*•☆ wishlist

On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every Saturday. It's where you list all the books you desperately want but haven't actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming. It's also an event that you can join in with too - Mr Linky is always at the ready for you to link your own 'On My Wishlist' post. If you want to know more click here!

 So far my most favorite book/series is The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and so I can not even begin to explain how geeked out I've been over the upcoming release of Mockingjay. And this jacket is exactly the kind of thing I'd ♥ to wear all winter!! So far it's not for sale though, and is a prize for one of the contests by Scholastic. 

Reading level/Genre: Historical Romance

Hardcover: 320 pages

Publisher: Leisure Books (April 28, 2009)

ISBN-13:  978-0843960433

(product details via amazon.com) 

The year is 1881. Meet the Mackenzie family--rich, powerful, dangerous, eccentric. A lady couldn't be seen with them without ruin. Rumors surround the ...more 
 What would a person with Asperger's Syndrome be called in the Victorian era? Eccentric? Mad? Would they be locked away? These are the questions author Jennifer Ashley discussed earlier this week over at Borders True Romance Blog. A truly different and fascinating idea! It's a great description Jennifer gives, so you should definitely read it. Here's an excerpt:

"When I conceived the series, I wanted to write about the most dark and dangerous men I could think of—rich, powerful, and decadent, they love the best in art, women, whiskey, horses, you name it. They go anywhere they want, and do anything they want. They break all the rules, and no one stops them.

Each brother is a bit obsessed with what interests them, and that obsession manifests itself fully in Ian. I was thinking about autism and started to wonder how even a mildly autistic person, perhaps someone with Asperger’s, had fared before anyone had put a name or diagnosis to the syndrome. In the Victorian age, such a person would be considered eccentric, different, mad, maybe even dangerous.

I had to do much research both on Asperger’s Syndrome and how the “mad” were treated in the Victorian age. In Ian’s case, his father gets him locked away in an asylum when he’s ten, both because Ian doesn’t fit into his father’s controlled world, plus Ian knows secrets that his blunt speeches might reveal.

Ian’s brothers, especially the two middle brothers, Mac and Cameron, could do nothing to get him out of the asylum, but they tried to make his time there bearable. The paid him visits and smuggled him cigars, whiskey, and erotic books, trying to make certain that their little brother would grow into a well-rounded man. The day that Ian’s father dies, Hart, the oldest brother, goes to the asylum to bring Ian home...."

Review: Sh*t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern

Published: It Books (May 4, 2010)

 
ISBN: 9780061992704 

176 pages, Hardcover
 

Humor; Biography/Memoir

This is the funniest book I have ever read! I laughed at almost every other paragraph, or at least that’s how it felt.  A couple years ago Justin Halpern started a twitter account called @shitmydadsays and almost instantly it had a million folks following, me included. Justin’s brief statement on the site said simply:

 Bio: I'm 29. I live with my 74-year-old dad. He is awesome. I just write down shit that he says. 

The book is made up of anecdotes about he and his dad, and the background to why he dispensed these gems of wisdom.

A few of my favorite tweets: 

"My flight lands at 9:30 on Sunday...You want to watch what? What the fuck is mad men? I'm a mad man if you don't pick me the hell up." 4:42 PM Aug 15th, 2009 via web

 

"Your brother brought his baby over this morning. He told me it could stand. It couldn't stand for shit. Just sat there. Big let down." 11:35 AM Aug 20th, 2009 via web

 

"Just pay the parking ticket. Don't be so outraged. You're not a freedom fighter in the civil rights movement. You double parked." 2:59 PM Oct 18th, 2009 via web

 

"How the fuck should I know if it's still good? Eat it. You get sick, it wasn't good. You people, you think I got microscopic fucking eyes." 3:55 PM Aug 25th, 2009 via web

 

"Why the fuck would I want to live to 100? I'm 73 and shit's starting to get boring. By the way, there's no money left when I go, just fyi." Thursday, September 10, 2009 4:58:31 PM via web

"My dad is an avid reader, and all throughout my childhood he’d come home after working for 12 hours and we’d sit on the couch and read together."

  So if you need a good laugh, get this book. It’s  a masterpiece of funny.

Review: Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare, The Infernal Devices #1

The Infernal Devices #1: Clockwork Angel 

Published: Margaret K. McElderry Books, August 31, 2010
(an imprint of Simon & Schuster)
ISBN: 9781416975861 
496 pages, Hardcover
Young Adult - ages 14 &up

 Whoa, this book is so much darker than I recall The Mortal Instruments series ever being.  Seriously, the villains’ transgressions involve the flaying of skin and craziness I couldn’t help but compare to Buffalo Bill in Silence of the Lambs. I thought zombies were creepy but wait till you get a load of the creatures in Clockwork Angel. They are creeeepy! lol

The story is set in Victorian London and follows Shadowhunters  Will and Jem in their efforts to assist Miss Tessa Gray in finding her brother, while also finding out if the numerous humans, or mundanes, going missing are due to Downworlders violating the Accords.

Tessa arrived in London from New York at her brother Nathaniel’s behest but almost instantly she is kidnapped and held hostage by Dark Sisters. She is found by Shadowhunters tracking evidence of the mundane murders, but her trauma has also revealed a secret to her, and the Shadowhunters are determined to find out all they can in order to try and keep peace in the city. So many mysteries remain unanswered for Tessa and she isn’t about to trust just anyone.  Especially when she realizes no one knows where her brother is or if he is even still alive.

This story  is a bit complicated, with tons of moving parts and characters, just like pieces of a clock. It might be a little difficult to hang on to at first but if you stick with the moving parts and make it to last chapters in order to see it all begin to come together, readers will definitely appreciate the story and the set-up that this book 1 provides for the rest of the trilogy.

This book is a solid stand-alone, not at all spoiling any of the surprises in The Mortal Instruments books, and instead truly complimenting them with a fuller picture of the Shadowhunter world and history. So don’t be concerned to read Clockwork Angel if you haven’t read the other series; it’s perfectly safe. 

Last week, Cassandra Clare had a live chat via Simon & Schuster and Ustream.tv and she made an exciting announcement. TMI is going to have THREE additional books!!  Books 4, 5, and 6 are tentatively titled City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls, and City of Heavenly Fire.  A friend of mine attended her signing at Barnes and Noble that same day after the chat and said that the info was pretty much the exact same as what I saw on the chat but that she did say there would be character deaths in these books. It’s PURE speculation but for whatever reason we both feel it will be Simon, lol! Go figure.  You can watch the chat below so check it out!

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/8716941

(I don't know what's going on with my stupid computer but it won't let me embed or even copy & paste otherwise I'd have put the actual chat here instead of just the link *grrr*)

Review & Giveaway: i know i am, but what are you?

Published: Gallery Books June 1, 2010
ISBN: 1439142734  (ISBN13:  9781439142738)
256 pages, Hardcover
Humor; Biography/Memoir

This lady is cuh-RA-zee! lol But in the best way and I love her.

Samantha Bee's first book, i know i am, but what are you?, is a twistedly funny memoir. It has the kind of half embarrassing and half hysterical stories that we tend to laugh like crazy over with family and close friends, but when asked by an outsider "what's so funny?", you reply "nothing" and keep it as an inside joke. The great thing about really funny comics like Samantha is that she shares these anecdotes, and  you just can't help but laugh harder for it. One of my favorites when she talks about her mom's visit with her to Woodstock. I won't ruin the story but dang that made me laugh :D

You can check out Samantha Bee on Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Monday through Thursday nights at 11pm/10c) where she holds the title of Most Senior Correspondent after having systematically eliminating all those before her.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Exclusive - I Know I Am, But What Are You?
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

Now for the giveaway! To Enter is simple, just do the following:
-Fill out form below
-Follow this blog publicly through Google Friend Connect or Facebook Networked Blogs

 (Shipping to U.S. addresses only) Contest starts now and ends August 31st, 2010 at 12 noon CST.  Winner will have 48 hours to respond with name & address or another winner will be chosen.)

Giveaway: ARC of Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick!

I've had a hellish summer this year, trying to keep up with grad school, work, and personal stress. And it's bothered me that I've had to neglect my beloved reading and blogging so much just to keep up with regular life. But I'm gonna make it up to y'all with a couple giveaways, and I'm gonna start with a good one :)

There's nothing better than giving away books to people who really want to read them and love them, and that's just what I'm gonna do. Thanks for visiting!
~Bella

 To Enter is simple, just do the following:

-Fill out form below

-Follow this blog publicly through Google Friend Connect or Facebook Networked Blogs

***Sorry but due to cost, Open/Shipping to U.S. addresses only***

(Shipping to U.S. addresses only) Contest starts now and ends August 31st, 2010 at 12 noon CST.  Winner will have 48 hours to respond with name & address or another winner will be chosen.