Daughter of Smoke and Bone

I'm torn about what to write and even how to write this review.  On one hand, everyone is blogging about this book so what more do I have to say, but on the other there is so much to say.  I think I'll try to just hit a few of the more obvious points.  I wanted to reread this book as soon as I finished it, so I'm sure I'll be posting about it again.
Daughter of Smoke and Bone is set in Prague (mostly) and follows a human girl who was raised by Demon-like creatures.  She gets swept into their war with the angels at the same time as she is falling in love with an angel soldier.
This book was hilarious at times.  It would have been enjoyable even if the plot wasn't so fantastic (which it is).  All of the characters were unique and easy to love.  The search for truth and peace was complicated and never oversimplified as so often happens.  The story was heart breaking (oh my god, the end.  The end!).  There were so many times I should have seen it coming, but just didn't want to.

What fascinates me about this book is the structure.  A major reason why I want to reread this book is to examine how the story works on a technical level.  Most books like this are heavy set up and backstory and mystery in the beginning with action packed endings.  This book was the opposite.  The action felt non-stop in the beginning with the end being answers to all the questions.  But the end worked.  Instead of being boring, it built up a crazy emotional charge.  I don't even know how to explain it.  I had to go take a shower when I finished the book, just so I could try to piece myself back together.
What I adored about this book is that the book didn't end with a thousand unanswered questions.  Instead, almost all of my questions were answered and the story ended with a call to adventure.  I wish more trilogies were set up this way.  I will definitely be reading Laini Taylor's other books.

Codename: Sailor V

Codename: Sailor V is the story written before the more popular Sailor Moon.  It was fun, but that's about it.

Mina is a middle school student who finds out she's a superhero.  With a talking cat and some magic items, she does her best to save the world... when she's not sleeping, eating, or generally being a ditz.

What struck me was how close this story is to Sailor Moon.  They are almost the same character: lazy and resistant to being a sailor scout.  I'm going to buy the re-released Sailor Moon manga soon so that I can compare them better.

For the most part the story was funny.  I always love how frustrated Artemis gets.  However, Mina could be downright annoying.  She would sometimes try to use her sailor scout powers to help people and just make a disaster, but she never realized that she was just being obnoxious.

But, I like fun, so I will be reading the second volume when it eventually comes out.

As Simple As Snow

John Green recommended this on his tumblr and mentioned that it inspired one of his books.  I would look up which one, but honestly, there are too many (awesome) nerdfighters on tumblr, which make it really hard to find the original post with a google search.

In As Simple As Snow the narrator falls in love with a crazy goth girl named Anna (but, please, call her Anastasia) who changes his life and then disappears.  All that's left is a hole in the ice and her dress perfectly arranged next to it (but no shoes or coat or body!).  Did she kill herself?  Run away?  Was she murdered?
I can definitely see why John Green likes this book.  Looking For Alaska has the narrator asking some of the same questions after a tragedy, while Paper Towns has... the same questions without a tragedy (I love them both, though). Like John Green's books the prose was beautiful and filled with unique characters and interesting observations.
Very few questions are answered and there is very little resolution, but the end still feels satisfying because the character grows up.  He learns how to act instead of just go with the flow. There are a number of storylines that I wish were better developed (especially the one involving Bryce Druitt), but I enjoyed reading it and will probably buy a copy of it the next time I see it on sale.
And the book has given me another quote that I would like to have tattooed on my body (once I start getting tattoos that is):

No one knows me, so no one knows what to expect. I can have whatever past I want; I can forget how I used to be... Before, I had nothing.... I had nothing, and nothing to lose, and then I knew loss. What I cared about was gone; it was all lost. Now I have everything to gain; everything is clean slate. It's all blank pages waiting to be written on.

Readathon Hour Eighteen Update

I am back from my party and ready for bed to finish this readathon!  I've washed my face, put on my jammies, and am desperately trying to warm up (it was a wonderful campfire party).

A little late, but here is the mid-event Survey.

Mid-Event Survey:
1. What are you reading right now?  About to start The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
2. How many books have you read so far? Two, but one was a graphic novel and I spent quite a lot of time this evening at a wonderful party.
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?
The Name of the Star.  It's supposed to be creepy and I love Maureen Johnson's writing.
4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day?  Nope, I took a break for a birthday party, but made sure I had the rest of the day free.
5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?   My dad called, but I love him, so it was an okay distraction. :)
6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?  That I'm already so tired and so close to being done.
7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?  Not really a read-a-thon improvement, but next year I better not buy knock off energy drink... gross!
8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year?  Decide my first book the night before.  I had a bit of panic when I woke up and had to choose from a stack of twenty or so before having a cup of coffee.
9. Are you getting tired yet?  Unfortunately.  Only about six more hours left though.  I can make it!  I can make it!
10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered?  Don't buy knock off energy drinks.  Read fast paced books.  Keep all the lights on when you're tired!

Readathon: Hour Nine Update

Just finished XVI.  It became great around page 50 and I probably wouldn't have been able to put it down even if I hadn't been reading it during the readathon.  I've got about two more hours before heading out to a party and then I'll be back to finish up the night!

HOUR SIX MINI-CHALLENGE
The five books I'm most excited about coming out in the next few months are...

Crossed by Allie Condie
Shatter Me by Tahera Mafi
Inheritance by Christopher Paolini
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

They are all gonna be killer.  I know it.

The Hour Eight Mini-challenge is right up my ally, but my reading and listening are far to extensive for me to make those kinds of decisions during a brief break.  Plus, like I said, I only have two hours left and I want to squeeze as much reading in as possible!

HOUR NINE MINICHALLENGE (hosted by Kate at Midnight Book Girl, who is totally obsessed with the readathon... in a good way... and has a great blog!  Plus she's a fellow Virginian.)
Sentence with books.... let's see what I can come up with.

I had a lot of fun so I did two.  My pictures are crappy, but I'm trying to read here! haha.

Supernaturally entwined, the girl who was on fire shut out the other beautiful darkness.

Soulless Troubletwisters hold still the lost hero.

I do this sometimes on my own when I get bored and can't figure out what to read.  I tried to make them creepy for Kate.  I still totally don't know what to read next!

Readathon: Hour Five Update

I've been working on XVI all morning and I'm really getting into it.  Scott Pilgrim up next.  I'm back in bed curled up after a deeeelicious lunch (I made a chicken sandwhich with bacon, yum!).  I'm hoping to finish both books and get part way through a third before running out to a birthday party.

HOUR FOUR MINI CHALLENGE
I entered in the comments here, but I'm pasting my post below as well.  For this challenge we had to name three books that did a great job with setting (I'm oversimplifying a bit)....

Ten Thousand Saints was an excellent representation of both New York City (especially St. Marks and Alphabet city) and the time period (1987).

The Stephanie Plum books definitely feel like Jersey (where I grew up... it is just as over the top as it is portrayed... which explains a lot about me).

The Eternal Ones did an amazing job of portraying life in small town Tennessee.

HOUR FIVE MINI CHALLENGE
Tami and Dave asked about how you love to share books.  Again, I entered in the comments and this is my response:
I love sharing books with my nephew.  When he was about 3 or 4 we would read Where the Wild Things Are and act out the scenes, especially howling at the moon and the wild rumpus.  Now that he's six, I set him up with paper and colored pencils and he makes a book of his own while I read to him Harry Potter and Percy Jackson.  I'm forever talking about books to everyone, but he's the one I love sharing books with most.


And I just realized I didn't leave my e-mail on either entry.  Oh well.  Back to reading for me.  No more snacks.

Readathon: Hour One

I'm so excited for the readathon that I dreamed about telling someone how much I love books (and Jessica Darling to be specific). 


1)Where are you reading from today? Fredericksburg, VA! (I totally read this question wrong the first time... it was because of lack of coffee.  See random fact number 2).

2)Three random facts about me…
1-Jason Isaacs is my favorite Harry Potter actor.  Second favorite is Alan Rickman.  But Jason Isaacs is freaking amazing.  He made the whole movies for me (and I am devout about Harry Potter).
2-If I was a car, my oil would be caffeine.  I don't need it to run, just to run well.
3-I'm staying with my parents who have a really nice house.  But I miss being on the road and living out of a car/tent.  Probably as much as I miss England.  Which is a lot.

3)How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours?
I'm currently reading The Passage, aka The Longest Book Ever Written, so I will NOT be reading that for the readathon.  Instead I plan to hit: XVI, Shut Out, The Name of the Star, Trouble Twisters, The Lost Hero, and Juliet Immortal.  Oh, and Scott Pilgrim five and six, too.  We'll see what I actually get to.  Eight that I mentioned above, but probably total in the pile, maybe 20.  And that's just the pile directly next to my bed and only counting my Kindle as one!

4)Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on blogs)?
I would like to read 4-5 books today (including the easy to read graphic novels).  I've never been a fast reader and a lot of the fun of the readathon is blogging and commenting. :)

5)If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time?
If you don't have coffee/tea/redbull already, make someone go get it for you.  And save it for the end of the night.  Also, don't be a stranger.  Visit lots of people's blogs and make new friends!


Hour One is my favorite.  It's nothing but optimism.

Dewey's Read A Thon

The 24 hour read-a-thon is coming up on SATURDAY and I am once again going to be attempting it.  I may be getting too old.  This will be my third time participating.  The first time I made it the whole 24 hours, the second time I made it 22 or 23 hours.  Recently, I epicly failed the epic write-a-thon.

But maybe I can redeem myself.  Maybe.  I'm going to participate as long as I can, but I have a (fabulous) party I should attend that night, so I may have to cut it short (not because I'm tired! ha!).

So, I will see you all on Saturday for hours of devoted reading time.

PS--the epic writeathon will once again happen, because I am a glutton for pain.  The first Saturday in November to kick off Nanowrimo (add me, I'm teffie).

Scott Pilgrim 1-3

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World is my absolute favorite move of the last two years.  I finish watching it and immediately want to start over.  It is just as funny every single time.  I remember someone saying that the comic books were even better, so I've been going through the graphic novels.  Brief summary: Scott Pilgrim, a heart-breaker finally dealing with having his own heart broken, falls for a new girl, but has to fight her seven evil ex's if he wants to be with her.

Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life (Scott Pilgrim 1).  The first graphic novel blew me away.  It was hilarious, but what really struck me was how close to the graphic novel the movie is.  We're talking word for word, scene for scene, I would believe it if you told me they shot straight from comic.

One of the things I liked best about the graphic novel is that it don't try to explain why Scott is such a good fighter.  In the movie, it felt like Scott learns his fighting skills from a DDR type game, but in the graphic novel he knows how to fight because... he's Canadian, so of course he knows how to fight.  Granted Bryan Lee O'Malley didn't have to contend with convincing the American public (or any public for that matter) that Michael Cera could actually defend himself.

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (Scott Pilgrim 2).  Since I just relocated and am currently job hunting, I borrowed the rest of the series from the library.  Reading the second volume made me really glad that I didn't go ahead and purchase them all.  I think there were a lot of flashbacks, but I'm not really sure because I spent the entire book trying to figure out what was going on.  There was the occasional obvious joke that made me laugh, but mostly I felt stupid for not getting it.

This volume changed significantly in the movie.  I have to say that a lot of the changes in the movie were genius.  The evil ex in this novel is an action movie start and in the movie Scott contends with both the ex and the ex's body doubles.  I found it interesting how much they used from the first volume when they used only bits and pieces of this one (thank God!).  Still, I don't feel like reading it was a waste of time, just buying it might have been a waste of money.



Scott Pilgrim & The Infinite Sadness (Scott Pilgrim 3).  The third graphic novel picked back up.  It was funny and easy to follow.  We get a lot more background on Scott's relationship with his ex, Envy, which I really enjoyed.  There really wasn't space for it in the movie, which is okay.  That's one of the reasons that I decided to read the graphic novels in the first place.

This volume fell in the middle of the first two volumes on the amount of changes the filmmakers made.  A lot of scenes seemed to be shot straight from the pages of the novel, but a lot of the best material just didn't fit with the flow of the movie.  The filmmakers did a wonderful job of taking some of the funniest moments and bits of dialogue and changing them ever so slightly so that they would fit perfectly within the film.

I loved the movie, I'm loving the books, and seeing how they made the adaptation work has proved to be far more interesting than I expected it to be.

Old Magic

I bought Old Magic for my kindle over a year ago, because I really loved Marianne Curley's Guardians of Time trilogy.  In Old Magic, Kate--a real witch--falls for the new boy, Jarrod, because she can sense amazing power within him that he doesn't believe he possesses.  His life is pretty crap because there is an ancient family curse and he and Kate travel back in time to kill the sorcerer and break the curse.

Old Magic is her first novel and I can definitely see the connection between the two series.  Here Curley is just starting to explore time travel and the ramifications of messing with the past.  I think she does a phenomenal job with it in the Guardians of Time, but it wasn't a big focus of Old Magic.

There were quite a few times that I thought Curley didn't take the story far enough.  At one point in particular Kate says, "It's not like we're going to need to rally an army and storm a castle."  Then they get there and the sorcerer lives in a castle and I thought, fantastic, I love famous last words.  But they totally didn't have to rally an army.  It was a major letdown.

As for the characters, Kate was kind of annoying, and Jarrod was stupid.  They switched off as narrators (all of Curley's published works have dual narrators) and would say things about the other that I never really believed.  For example, Kate would always call Jarrod a coward, but I felt that all the incidents where he showed cowardice were superficial and didn't really count.

I was a little disappointed by this book, especially in the beginning where it was slow, but the end picked up and I found that I really enjoyed reading it.  Even though it is not a masterpiece, it was interesting seeing Curley explore themes and ideas that come back to play a major role in The Guardians of Time trilogy (which I seriously love).

Housekeeping: Would you participate in a Write-a-thon?

I'm going to have a bunch of reviews to post soon, but wanted to take care of two things today.

1. My friend redesigned my blog background.  What do you think?  He took my obnoxious, old background and made it look like a Louis Vuitton pattern... which is perfect!

2. WRITE-A-THON.... So, a lot of you participate in the Read-A-Thon (a super fun event where readers from all over the world read for 24 hours).  Would it be completely crazy to try to write for 24 hours?  Just to see if we could do it?  It's an idea that has been bouncing around my head for about six months and I finally have time to get it together if there is anyone besides me who is interested.  So let me know.  Because I might do this on my own anyway.  But it would be more fun on the internet. :)

EDIT: A friend and I are going to test run this.  Let me know if you want in on the experiment. :)
EDIT 2: epicwriteathon.blogspot.com

One of the things I'm known for amongst anyone who has ever met me, is the phrase "This is my favorite [fill in the blank]".  It drives a lot of people crazy, but I don't see it as a bad thing.  I'm a passionate person.  It's way better than being boring.  However... this is my actual favorite book.  This is the book that changed my life.  And rereading it three and a half years after I first picked it up, I am able to see just how much.

Sloppy Firsts is told in a series of letters and journal entries and follows Jessica Darling in the year after her best friend moves away.  Jessica is smart, feels completely isolated, and has a hard time buying into everything she's told to want out of life.  She's also slowly falling in love with Marcus Flutie, who is the poster child for boys you do not tell your friends and family about (sigh Marcus Flutie, the perfect reformed bad boy).

I love this entire series.  It follows Jessica from sixteen, all the way to her twenties and each book perfectly captures what it is like to grow up.  These books feel like home, and Sloppy Firsts was the first book I had read with a narrator I could completely relate to.  For the first time, I felt like I wasn't a terrible person for being jaded so young.  It made me want to fall in love and take chances and write stories that seemed more real than the world.  It also made me a little bit obsessed with Marcus Flutie (sigh, Marcus Flutie).

I journaled for a year after reading these books.  It was exactly what I needed to be honest with myself about the kind of person I was and the choices I had been making.  It was what allowed me to make changes, to pursue the things I love, to become a better person.  I realize this isn't a great "review", but this is what I want you know about this book.