For Your Weekend | Shadow and Bone

READING

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

"The Shadow Fold, a swathe of impenetrable darkness, crawling with monsters that feast on human flesh, is slowly destroying the once-great nation of Ravka. Alina, a pale, lonely orphan, discovers a unique power that thrusts her into the lavish world of the kingdom’s magical elite—the Grisha. Could she be the key to unravelling the dark fabric of the Shadow Fold and setting Ravka free?

The Darkling, a creature of seductive charm and terrifying power, leader of the Grisha. If Alina is to fulfill her destiny, she must discover how to unlock her gift and face up to her dangerous attraction to him. But what of Mal, Alina’s childhood best friend? As Alina contemplates her dazzling new future, why can’t she ever quite forget him?"

(Excited to finally be getting around to reading this one!)

THIS WEEK ON BTB

We had the first month of the Spine Speak Challenge and it turned out to be a lot of fun!

AROUND THE WEB

~ Jade talks about automating your Review Indexes- I really needed to read this one. Thanks Jade!

~ Megan discusses writing "bad reviews." A negative review will not stop me from reading a book if I'm interested in it and I appreciate when someone is brave enough to tell me what they really thought of a book.

~ Ten Alternatives to Goodreads. So far I still like using Goodreads, but I'll keep this list handy in case I don't like the changes that Amazon makes to the site after they purchase it.

WEEKEND PLANS

It's been a great week. It started off a bit rocky, but has rounded out well. I haven't made much time for reading lately and I have some plans for remedying that, starting today. Saturday is jam packed with dance rehearsals, helping my mom with her business, and website launch party at our friends house later that night. I'm super excited. Summer is shaping up to be killer!

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What are you reading these days? What are you up to this weekend?

Have a good one!

May Spine Speak | Book Spine Poetry

May Spine Speak: APRIL SHOWERS BRING MAY FLOWERS

"The Rain Cloud soars Up and Up
Come On, Rain!
Not such a Terrible Storm
When it leaves a Rainbow in the Sky
and a Secret Garden at my feet"

Books in My Spine Speak:

The Rain Cloud by Mary Rayner
Up and Up by Shirley Hughes
Come On, Rain! by Karen Hesse
Terrible Storm by Carol Otis Hurst
Rainbow in the Sky by Louis Untermeyer
The Secret Garden by Francis L. Hodges

If you participated in this months Spine Speak, list your post in the linky below.


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Make sure to check the details on Spine Speak and the Giveaway! Thanks for participating.

Book to Thought #9

The Book: The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen

The Discussion: In The False Prince three orphan boys compete with each other for the chance to be chosen to pretend to be the prince of Carthia. The boy who most exemplifies the true prince's identity will win.

The Question(s): Have you ever pretended to be something or someone you're not? Why?

My Answer: I think we've all played the part of chameleon at times, in order to better blend in whatever situation we're in. I know I've done it. In high school I pretended to be disinterested in going to the dances or games or activities, when really I wanted to go. I had a group of friends who were a bit cynical about the whole high school atmosphere and I felt the need to take on that view as well. But in reality, I would have had a lot more fun in high school and forged better memories if I hadn't been afraid to get involved and attend the activities despite my close friends opinions.When I got to college I didn't care if I was perceived as popular or not, if there was an event I wanted to go to, I went. As a result, college rocked and I was able to really figure out who I was and what I liked.
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Your Answer: ??? Post your answer in the comments, to Twitter, to your blog, or somewhere else and leave the link/answer below! (#BTBDiscussion)

Thanks for participating!

New To Me Authors I'd Like to Read More From

Last year and already this year I've read books from new to me authors. Some of these authors are already pretty popular with readers but for whatever reason, I hadn't read anything from them until recently.

In the near future I'd like to read more from:

Linda Gillard

I'VE READ:

I WANT TO READ:

 

 Glass Guardian

"Ruth Travers has lost a lover, both parents and her job. Now she thinks she might be losing her mind...When death strikes again, Ruth finds herself the owner of a dilapidated Victorian house on the Isle of Skye: Tigh na Linne, the summer home she shared as a child with her beloved Aunt Janet, the woman she’d regarded as a mother.

As Ruth prepares to put the old house up for sale, she’s astonished to find she’s not the only occupant. Worse, she suspects she might be falling in love...With a man who died almost a hundred years ago." 

Ken Follett

I'VE READ

I WANT TO READ:

Fall of Giants

"This is an epic of love, hatred, war and revolution. This is a huge novel that follows five families through the world-shaking dramas of the First World War, the Russian Revolution, and the struggle for votes for women. It is 1911. The Coronation Day of King George V. The Williams, a Welsh coal-mining family, is linked by romance and enmity to the Fitzherberts, aristocratic coal-mine owners. Lady Maud Fitzherbert falls in love with Walter von Ulrich, a spy at the German Embassy in London. Their destiny is entangled with that of an ambitious young aide to U.S. President Woodrow Wilson and to two orphaned Russian brothers, whose plans to emigrate to America fall foul of war, conscription and revolution."

Cathy Kelly

I'VE READ:

I WANT TO READ:

Always and Forever

"In the Irish town of Carrickwell, with its lush, endlessly rolling hills and authentic country tranquility, three women's lives are anything but calm. There's Mel, a compulsively ambitious mother/publicity manager at a high-powered PR firm — living proof that balancing motherhood and a full-time job is no walk in the park. The hot-headed, indomitable Cleo, just out of college with a degree in hotel management, would like nothing better than to modernize and revive her family's dwindling hotel — but faces a constant battle with her old-fashioned parents. And finally, there's the stylish, sweet-tempered Daisy, a self-consciously curvy fashion buyer for an upscale clothing boutique, who has been struggling — and longing — to have a baby with her absolutely perfect boyfriend. Although unconnected, these three women have one thing in common: they all need a break from their stressful lives....these tough gals hit the nearest spa!

 

So each one sets out for a little R & R at the new Clouds Hill spa, built by an American woman with her own secret turmoil. It is there that Mel, Cleo, and Daisy meet — their worlds and troubles colliding — forming an intimate bond that helps them to realize what matters most in life, always and forever."

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What new authors have you discovered lately that you'd like to read more of?

PS- Don't forget to post for Spine Speak this week!!

 

My Week in Books | The Madness Underneath

Title: The Madness Underneath
Author: Maureen Johnson
Published: February 26, 2013
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Length: 304 pages
Series: Shades of London #2
Format: Library Book
Challenges Read For: Paranormal

Summary: "After her near-fatal run-in with the Jack the Ripper copycat, Rory Devereaux has been living in Bristol under the close watch of her parents. So when her therapist suddenly suggests she return to Wexford, Rory jumps at the chance to get back to her friends. But Rory's brush with the Ripper touched her more than she thought possible: she's become a human terminus, with the power to eliminate ghosts on contact. She soon finds out that the Shades--the city's secret ghost-fighting police--are responsible for her return. The Ripper may be gone, but now there is a string of new inexplicable deaths threatening London. Rory has evidence that the deaths are no coincidence. Something much more sinister is going on, and now she must convince the squad to listen to her before it's too late." (goodreads)

My Thoughts: Even better than the first book in this series! New characters are introduced and at first I wasn't sure about them. Trust your instincts! Plus there's a whole new twist, which I think is going to make things very, very interesting in the next book. Rory has a little bit of a love interest but you don't get much of it. I kind of like that- when the boy is not the main focus of the story. Instead the focus is on Rory's new life as a human terminus. Basically she can kill ghosts just by touching them. I'm hoping book 3 will add even more action. I really think Johnson upped the anty on this one and I expect her to do the same with the next book.
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This post linked to Book Journey