Sorry, updates are going to be rather thin. This morning my computer decided to die. Since I need it for work, I am hoping that I'll be able to replace it soon. I'm sorry for this inconvenience.
posted from Bloggeroid
Theme Song Saturday (26)
Welcome to Theme Song Saturdays, a new weekly meme, hosted by yours truly, in which we share our love of music and books! Since I love books and music, this meme is for fun to try to incorporate those two loves! Whenever I read a book, a certain song -- kind of like a soundtrack or theme song -- plays through my head.
Want to know how to play? Head over to this post to read the rules and get the code.
(This failed to post last week, so I'm keeping it as my weekly pick.)
Here's this my pick this week:
King of Anything by Sara Bareilles came to mind when Christian barged into Ana's office to "discuss" her decision to keep her maiden name in the business world. Just thinking of that reminds me of his annoyance over her riding the jet ski. Considering that they are married and not in a dom/sub relationship, Christian's treatment of Ana is so much more than infuriating! At one point, he even mentions viewing her as a child. For me, every time Ana gets pissed off at his behavior, I see Ana at the beginning of this song: looking out the window of a coffee shop while Christian rants about something.
What is your pick this week? Leave the URL in the comments ^_^
Attn: Publishers, Authors, and Marketing Departments
After receiving a slew of review request asking me to review e-books, I decided it would be a good idea to write this post. I have stated in my review policy that I do not own and e-reader; therefore, I will not review e-books. I am not sure whether the people making these requests are reading enough of my review policy to grab my e-mail off of the bottom of the page or are desperate to get their books out there. Whatever the reason, please stop!
I love receiving review requests! In addition, if they are indie books, I love getting the word out about them. However, after spending hours trying to review an e-book in .pdf format on my computer, I decided to put my foot down. I don't own an e-reader and probably never will. If, however, things change, I will update the review policy. Until that time, please limit your requests to hardcopy only.
If you have an e-book and still want to get it out in the public eye, please consider advertising with Sinnful Books or one of the free promotion options!
Thank you so much for taking the time to find my blog and request reviews!
I love receiving review requests! In addition, if they are indie books, I love getting the word out about them. However, after spending hours trying to review an e-book in .pdf format on my computer, I decided to put my foot down. I don't own an e-reader and probably never will. If, however, things change, I will update the review policy. Until that time, please limit your requests to hardcopy only.
If you have an e-book and still want to get it out in the public eye, please consider advertising with Sinnful Books or one of the free promotion options!
Thank you so much for taking the time to find my blog and request reviews!
Book Review — The Car Thief
Author: Theodore Weesner
Genre: Fiction
Pages: Oversize paperback, 387
Published: 2012 (originally in 1972)
Publisher: Astor + Blue Editions LLC
ISBN: 978-1-938231-00-1
Opening Lines: "Again today Alex Housman drove the Buick Riviera. The Buick, coppertone, white sidewalls, was the model of the year, a '59, although the 1960 models were already out."
Rating:
"Set in Detroit in circa 1959, the protagonist, sixteen-year-old, Alex Housman has just stolen his fourteenth car and frankly doesn't know why. His divorced, alcoholis, working class father grinds out the night shift at the local Chevy Plant looking forward to the flask in his glove compartment—
"Fighting to survive, Alex and his father face the tough realities of estrangement, youth detention, and even violence as their lives hurtle toward a climatic episode."
~Jacket copy
Thoughts: First off, I received this book as an ARC from the publisher for a fair an honest review. Reading the synopsis and all of the favorable reviews, I had high hopes for this book. Unfortunately, I was extremely disappointed. I found myself struggling through this book and bribing myself into reading "just one more page."
I found that I could not make a connection with this book. Not being from the era where the story takes place, I felt a huge gap and separation from the story. Further, I continually felt bogged down in pointless details. He uses up too much space with seemingly meaningless details. Whatever the author was trying to do, he failed.
According to many reviews, this book is heralded as being the coming of age novel of the 20th century. And, I'm sorry, but I really doubt that. This book lacks a timelessness that makes other novels classics. It may be powerful and change the world in its time, but it will not be a classic if it cannot appeal to future generations.
Alex was extremely one dimensional. I felt no emotion from the character. While I grant that this could have been an intentional literary device, it made the character unreachable and very unsympathetic. His apathetic attitude towards stealing and being in juvenile detention made it impossible to understand the character. For me, I felt closer to him when he was frantic over the police possibly coming to his house. Before and after, nothing. Normally, the reaction he received once he returned from school would have made my blood boil; however, I was unable to muster feelings or regard for Alex. His poor characterization made it impossible to really care what happened to him.
To me, it feels as though the author is trying to read a new generation of readers with this novel; however, it lacks something to make it accessible. It is definitely a product of its time, and I don't see it as being anything else.
Currently: Blood Rites by Jim Butcher, Sacrifical Magic by Stacia Kane, & listening to Fifty Shades Freer by E.L. James
Current Pages: 9370
Current Progress:
27/50 books
Theme Song Saturday (25)
Welcome to Theme Song Saturdays, a new weekly meme, hosted by yours truly, in which we share our love of music and books! Since I love books and music, this meme is for fun to try to incorporate those two loves! Whenever I read a book, a certain song -- kind of like a soundtrack or theme song -- plays through my head.
Want to know how to play? Head over to this post to read the rules and get the code.
This week is another for50 Shades of Grey. Granted, I already finished the book, but I need to post this song
Almost Lover by A Fine Frenzy rips my heart out every time I hear it. Throughout the course of this book, this song kept being brought back to mind. Ana struggles with Christian's strange tastes, her desire for "more," and the realization that she truly loves him. However, even though he is completely "beguiled" by her and shares parts of him that are shrouded in shadows, he seems unable to fully love her. To me, mos of it is due to his feelings of being unlovable and his hideous past. The ending of this book is heart rending, and this song fits perfectly.
That's my sad pick this week. I hope yours are far more uplifting! Leave the link to your post in the comments!
Book Review — Fire Baptized
Author: Kenya Wright
Genre: Urban fantasy
Pages: Oversize paperback, 276
Published: 2012
Publisher: Dragonfairy Press LLC
ISBN: 978-0-9850230-0-3
Author Links: Website ♠ Twitter
Opening Lines: "I race past the university's gates, splashing water onto homeless Vampires. The campus security Trolls would've caught me if I were Human."
"Since the 1970s Humans have forced supernaturals to live in caged cities. Silver brands embedded in their foreheads identify them by species: a full moon or Vampires, a crescent moon for Shifters, a pair of wings for Fairies, and the list goes on, for each supernatural species has been tagged and categorized by Humans.
"Lanore Vesta is marked with a silver X, the brand of Mixbreeds, second-class citizens shunned by society. She stays to herself, revealing her ability to create fire only during emergencies. Al she wants to do is graduate college and stop having to steal to survive. But when she stumbles upon a murder in progress, she catches the attention of a supernatural killer. Now all she wants is to stop finding dead bodies in her apartment.
"Enlisting help from her Were-cheetash ex-boyfriend MeShack and a new mysterious friend named Zulu, she is steered through the habitat's raunchy nightlife. But their presence sometimes proves to be more burden than help, as they fight for her attention.
"While the corpses pile up, and the scent of blood fills the air, Lanore is left to wondering: will she find the psycho or die trying?"
~Jacket copy
Thoughts: The back of this book reminded me of the restrictions that were put on costumed heroes in The Watchmen and several other comic books. The concept of supernaturals being forced to live in pseudo-ghettos, sequestered away from the regular population was very intriguing to me. Add to that a serial killer, and we have ourselves a winner!
The writing style of this book grabbed me from the beginning. It is simple; however, it does not lack in substance. Wright is able to translate complex emotions in a simple and beautiful way. And, honestly, she has quite a way with words.
The characters and the setting of this book are very rich. Even though we focus on a few main characters, Wright did a good job of adding enough depth to the extras to flesh out the story. Even though I did not know some of the other characters, I got the sense that they also had a rich background. In terms of the main characters, I love the little quirks she gives them. Lanore's continuous theft, MeShack's insatiable lust, to name a few, added a new dimension to the characters.
Wright does a wonderful job with the murder mystery. I felt that she did a good job thinking about the motivation behind the killings, who she would kill, how the crime scenes were staged, etc. While I figured out the identity of the killer fairly quickly, once the tidbits were given, I thought she did a beautiful job keeping the audience int he dark. Once the killer is identified, it is a revelation.
The book had perfect pacing. The plot, dialogue, and character development were not forced. I found the book extremely hard to put down.
Rating:
Currently: Car Theif by Theodore Weesner and 50 Shades Darker by E.L. James
Current Pages: 9153
Current Progress:
Theme Song Saturday (24)
Welcome to Theme Song Saturdays, a new weekly meme, hosted by yours truly, in which we share our love of music and books! Since I love books and music, this meme is for fun to try to incorporate those two loves! Whenever I read a book, a certain song -- kind of like a soundtrack or theme song -- plays through my head.
Want to know how to play? Head over to this post to read the rules and get the code.
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