WWW Wednesday (August 31)

Hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading

Well, it's the last day in August, and here's my WWW Wednesday post. Enjoy! :)

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions...

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you'll read next?







What are you currently reading?

I am reading "Touchstone" by Laurie R. King.
So far I'm liking it. It is a stand alone novel. I have read the first four books of the Mary Russell series by Laurie, and I love all of them and can't wait to read the next one. I found this book while borrowing the last Mary Russell book from my friends library. I thought it looked cool, so I checked it out at my public library.









What did you recently finish reading?
 I think the last book I finished was "Beastly" by Alex Flinn.
It was a good book. I liked it a lot. Here's my review on it.
 















What do you think you'll read next?
 I think I'll read "The Outlaws Of Sherwood" by Robin McKinley next.
This book is her version of the Robin Hood legend. I've only read a couple pages into it, but I can't wait to keep reading it!














Well, I hope you liked this weeks WWW Wednesday post. Until next time, and keep reading! : D

Musing Mondays (August 29)

Hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading

I don't usually do memes. The only one I keep up regularly is WWW Wednesday. I don't think I'm going to keep up with this one every Monday, but I couldn't help myself. This seems like it's gonna be a lot of fun. So here is my Musing Monday post!

This week’s musing is… a book meme!

 What was the last book you…
• borrowed from the library?
• bought?
• cried over?
• disliked and couldn’t finish?
• read & loved?
• got for review? (or: got in the mail?)
• gave to someone else?
• stayed up too late reading?

 Here's my answers:

What was the last book you...... borrowed from the library?

haha I got 8 books at my library. Do I name all eight, or just the one of them?

I'll just pick one out.   

I got "The Outlaws Of Sherwood" by Robin McKinley.

It's her version of the Robin Hood legend. I had read Jennifer Roberson's 

version called "Lady Of The Forest" and liked it a lot. So I decided to read another

author's version, and heard this one was pretty good.

 What was the last book you....bought?

The last book I bought was "The Dark Enquiry" by Deanna Raybourn.

 Actually, if you want to get technical.... I got the whole Lady Julia Grey series,

but this was the last one I got.  I love this entire series to death, and even got my parents to read them! and they liked them too. They are an amazing series. If you've followed this blog for any amount of time, you know that I love it because I'm always talking about it... If you would like you can check out the "sort of "review I did on this book, here.

 What was the last book you..... cried over?

That's a hard one! Cause I cry at a lot of books. I'm a big crier. I cry a lot. When it's happy, and when it's sad. I think that the last book I cired at was the same book up there ^^^ "The Dark Enquiry" by Deanna Raybourn. Now, the more that I think about it, I did cry at this book. It's got a really sad ending... : (

What was the last book you.... disliked and couldn't finish?

 This is a hard one too because when I get suggestions from people or I find a book, I make sure it's something I want to read. I look at the review's on Goodreads, make sure it isn't too bad and try it out.  I have a book I disliked but I finished it, because I tried to keep an open mind. It was "And Only To Deceive" by Tasha Alexander.  -sigh- I wanted to like it, but I just had a hard time. Here's my review on it.

 What was the last book you.... read and loved?

I really loved this book called "The Princess, the Crone, and the Dung Cart Knight" by 

Gerald Morris. I really like his books, and his style of writing. This book was funny, action packed, and cute all at the same time. I loved it!








What was the last book you..... got in the mail?
 Since I don't buy books for review, I'm gonna do the last one I got in the mail which is again, "The Dark Enquiry".  


What was the last book you.... gave someone else?
Do you mean gave someone as a gift, or gave someone to read and give back to you?
Well, I didn't give anyone any books, but I did let my Dad borrow a book from my bookshelf, if that counts? : P

What was the last book you..... stayed up too late reading?
Well that would have to be "Beastly" by Alex Flinn. I had to turn out my light, so I just used my book light to read with and stayed up much longer than I should have.... hehe
Here's my review on it.









So there's my answers! I hope you enjoyed this meme, and keep reading! :-)

It's time...........for an update blog!

I'd never thought I'd see the day when I felt bogged down by all the books on my TBR shelf.... I have exactly 96 books on my to read shelf on Goodreads. Wow. I have books crouding my shelf right now, AND on my bedside table.... It's scary. Here, I'll show you:

The TBR books on my bedside table....

Ya see what I mean? That's a LOT of books to read. On any other day, this would make me very happy. But for some reason, today I don't feel so happy about it. I'm sure it will change later but for now... I'm a little crowded. I have to read the library books first because they have to go back soon. haha You should see my library list! Here's the pic I took of it, so you can see what I'm talking about:

My library list.

It's an entire page full of books I want to get at my library...
Anyway, so far I've read three of my 8 books I got at the library. and I've done a review on two of them so far. Now, I have to decide which book I'm gonna read next.Which one do YOU want me to read? You can leave a comment if you would like.  The one I'm thinking about reading is "Touchstone" by Laurie R. King. It looks like it's gonna be a good book, but we'll see.
Ok.... what else do I update you on? I can't think of anything. Oh well. Until next time, and keep reading! : D

Book review: Beastly by Alex Flinn

Everyone has watched the Disney movie "Beauty and The Beast", at least once in their life. So we all know the story. I never realized how many versions there are of the story! So far I've read two. One was the book I did a review on a while ago, "Beauty: A retelling of Beauty and The Beast" by Robin McKinley. (You can read it here.) It was a really good book. Now, I just finished "Beastly" by Alex Flinn.
Here's what it says on the back of the book:

"I am a beast. A beast. Not quite wolf or bear, gorilla or dog, but a horrible new creature who walks upright – a creature with fangs and claws and hair springing from every pore. I am a monster.

You think I’m talking fairy tales? No way. The place is New York City. The time is now. It’s no deformity, no disease. And I’ll stay this way forever – ruined – unless I can break the spell.

Yes, the spell, the one the witch in my English class cast on me. Why did she turn me into a beast who hides by day and prowls by night? I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you how I used to be Kyle Kingsbury, the guy you wished you were, with money, perfect looks, and a perfect life. And then, I’ll tell you how I became perfectly beastly."

 Recently they did a movie for this book and I watched it first before I read this book.  It was a good movie, I thought. Then I checked out "Beastly" at my library and read it. Usually, I hate watching the movie before the book, but it wasn't bad this time. I still had the movie in my head but I could picture what he looked like without what he looked like in the movie in my head. In the movie, he wasn't a "beast". He just had scar like stuff on his face. In the book, he actually has fur, and looks like a "beast". Kinda like the Disney movie. Fangs and claws. Here, lets do a comparison:

The Beast from "Beauty and The Beast".

Kyle in the movie "Beastly".

See? I kinda imagine him looking like The Beast more, but not quite like him. If that makes any sense...?

ANYways back to what I thought about the book. I liked the book a lot. I wouldn't give it five star's cause I didn't love it.  But it was a good book nonetheless. I give it four stars! 
  In Robin McKinley's version, it wasn't in present day. In this book, it's in modern times. Kyle (or Adrian) goes to school and a Witch turns him into a beast because he's an inconsiderate jerk, who's rich and has everything. She gives him two years to find someone to love him, and him to love her back. His personality changes as he's this "beast", and he becomes a kind guy, who's not so much a jerk anymore. It's a cool plot line, and it gets more interesting as it goes along. I liked it. I thought it was enjoyable to read. I think my favorite character is Will, the blind guy who lives with Adrian and tutor's him.  It's a good book. I recommend it to anyone who likes retelling's of fairy tales, romance, and finding out that looks aren't always important. Overall, a great book.

WWW Wednesdays (August 24)

Hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading

It's Wednesday! So here's my WWW Wednesday post:

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions...

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you'll read next?

 What are you currently reading?



I am currently reading "Beastly" by Alex Flinn.
I got a whole bunch of books at the library, 8 to be exact. And I've finished two of those 8 books. So this is the next one I'm going to read. I've only read a few pages so far, and I hope it will be good.













What did you recently finish reading?

I recently finished "A Poisoned Season" by Tasha Alexander.
It's was good, I liked it. I did a review on it with the first book, here.
















What do you think you'll read next?



I think I'll read "The Hobbit" by J.R.R Tolkien next.
My friends say that this book is really good so I'm gonna take there word for it.
I have never read any of the "Lord Of The Rings" books, so this is my first time.
I can't wait!











So there's my post! I hoped you enjoyed. :-)

Book review: And Only to Deceive and A Poisoned Season by Tasha Alexander

Ok first I'll tell you the story of how I found this series.  I had ordered the newest Lady Julia Grey novel and I was going to check and see if it shipped out yet. It was, but Amazon gave me suggestions on books they thought I would like based on my recent purchases. I just clicked on a few and the newest book in the Lady Emily series came up called "A Crimson Warning". I read some of the reviews and found out that this was the latest book to a 6 book series. So I went on Goodreads and looked up the name of the first one. It's looked pretty cool, and it kinda sounded like it would be like Deanna Raybourn's Lady Julia Grey series. I checked to see if they had it at my library and they had all the other books except the first one. So I downloaded the eBook and read it.

 Now, here's what it says on the back of  "And Only To Deceive":

"For Emily, accepting the proposal of Philip, the Viscount Ashton, was an easy way to escape her overbearing mother, who was set on a grand society match. So when Emily's dashing husband died on safari soon after their wedding, she felt little grief. After all, she barely knew him. Now, nearly two years later, she discovers that Philip was a far different man from the one she had married so cavalierly. His journals reveal him to have been a gentleman scholar and antiquities collector who, to her surprise, was deeply in love with his wife. Emily becomes fascinated with this new image of her dead husband and she immerses herself in all things ancient and begins to study Greek. Emily's intellectual pursuits and her desire to learn more about Philip take her to the quiet corridors of the British Museum, one of her husband's favorite places. There, amid priceless ancient statues, she uncovers a dark, dangerous secret involving stolen artifacts from the Greco-Roman galleries. And to complicate matters, she's juggling two very prominent and wealthy suitors, one of whose intentions may go beyond the marrying kind. As she sets out to solve the crime, her search leads to more surprises about Philip and causes her to question the role in Victorian society to which she, as a woman, is relegated."

I give this book 3 stars and I'll tell you why.   At first this book was interesting, and I had hopes for this book. I wanted it to be as good as the Lady Julia Grey series but sadly it wasn't.  The plot was good, and the story is interesting, but there was one thing I didn't like, at all, about this book: Lady Emily. 

I did not like her. It was cool that she wanted to be independent and not rely on anyone but herself. I also liked that she didn't want to follow the rules of society. She basically wanted to be a rebel. That sums it up. Which is fine because everyone needs to be rebelish once in a while, but she took it too far. She didn't listen to ANYone. It got really annoying to put it lightly. She got really braty at times, and I just wanted to slap her. 

Now, she didn't really get to know her husband while he was alive so she tries to find out new things about him and get to know him better. She ends up falling in love with her dead husband! She gets to know more about him and then shes crying all the time about how she never got to love him as he deserved when he was alive. Basically feeling sorry for herself, and deweling too much on the past. You can't change it so stop crying over it! UGH. It made me mad. Then (haha I'm not even done yet) she meets her husbands best friend Colin Hargreaves, and he's nice to her and comforts her while she's grieving. Which is awesome. I love Colin. I think he's great, but it's just her that gets me! She spends time around Colin and she starts to like him, but all she does is lead him on. She makes him follow after her like a dog, she doesn't make any decisions regarding him. Ugh. The whole time she was accusing Colin of doing stuff that he obviously didn't do! And she has it in her head that HE'S the one doing everything! She just got on my nerves in this first book. I like everything else but her. 

 So you would think that she would be too annoying to go and read the second one, but I decided to give it a chance and read the second one and see if it would be better than the first. So I went to the library and got it. Today I finished it. 

Here's what it says on the back of "A Poisoned Season":

 "London's social season is in full swing, and Victorian aristocracy is atwitter over a certain gentleman who claims to be the direct descendant of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. Adding to their fascination with all things French, an audacious cat burglar is systematically stealing valuable items that once belonged to the ill–fated queen.

But things take a dark turn. The owner of one of the pilfered treasures is found murdered after the theft is reported in the newspapers, and the mysterious thief develops a twisted obsession with Lady Emily Ashton. It takes all of Lady Emily's wit and perseverance to unmask her stalker and ferret out the murderer, while faced with a brewing scandal that threatens both her reputation and her romance with the dashing Colin Hargreaves.

 Now, I give this book 4 stars.  I thought this book was WAY better than the first one. In this one, she's over her dead husband and moving on with her life. She's fine until one of her friends, Mrs. Francis comes up to Emily and asks her to solve the mystery of  her husbands murder. So she agrees to help her. On top of that, someone keeps breaking in to Emily's house and sending her love notes and roses. She has a secret admirer. So, she tries to figure out who he is. All the while, still leading Colin on even though she loves him. -sigh- Just marry the poor guy! Other than that I liked this book a lot better. She wasn't as braty and she finally came to a decision regarding Colin. It's about time!
The plot was good, the mystery was good also, and it was exciting. One more thing I didn't like, was that it was a slow read. It dragged on for a while. I thought that the romance in it was cute. The only reason I'm gonna read the next one is because of her relationship with Colin. Colin is a cool guy. I want to see more of him. Overall, a pretty good book.

These books are good, but I wouldn't say there great. Once I finish with the series, I'm not gonna read it again. Normally I would recommend these to you but, I don't think I would. The second one is good. but the first one is not worth reading a second time. I wouldn't have a problem with it, if it wasn't for Emily. She kinda ruined the series for me, and I didn't want that to happen. I wanted to like her but, I couldn't. Even though I like her a bit more in the second book, I still didn't really like her. And I can't really name what it is...
Well, I hope the second book will be good, but I'm not sure. I really hope that it will change my mind about the series.

Books, books, and more books.

Well if you look at my Goodreads button you can see all the books I got from the library today... and there's a lot. 8 books in all. I'm sure everyone thought I was a freak... I had my arms full of books walking around with a purpose trying to find more books. haha -shakes head- I have a problem....

Anyways, I'll name off the books I got and show you the covers. Here's the list:

• "A Poisoned Season" by Tasha Alexander
• "Beastly" by Alex Flinn
• "Touchstone" by Laurie R. King
• "The Princess, The Crone, and the Dung-Cart Knight" by Gerald Morris
• "The Birth Of Venus" by Sarah Dunant
• "The Blue Sword" by Robin McKinley
• "The Outlaws of Sherwood" also by Robin McKinley
• "Hobbit" by J.R.R. Tolkien

 So there you have it. All of the books I got. and I have to read them in two weeks. Which isn't bad... I could do it by then. I've done it with 10 books before.
Anyways, I'm really excited to read them and maybe if I like them enough, I'll do a review on them.

Also if you noticed, I changed my blog up! I was kinda tired with the template I had so I have a new one now! I like it. I even put a little welcome message for those of you who are new. The only problem I'm having with it is that the little bar at the top it usually has is gone, and (I said this in the welcome message) you can get out of my blog by going to the top of the page and clicking "Log In" and it should take you back to your dashboard. If you found my blog, and you don't have a Blogger account, it will take you to blogger.com.

Ok I'm gonna go becuase I want to start reading my new books, so bye for now and keep reading! :)

P.S I didn't feel like showing the covers so you'll have to find them on your own. I'm pretty sure that these books will be good, so check them out!