Gretchen C. Hohmeyer's Blog, page 41

From the Notebook: What Happened to My TBR

So, you guys might remember that right before my break, Michaela and I made a Spring Break TBR. I honestly, totally believed that I was going to get that reading done while I was on my road trip. I didn’t. (Well, not mostly. You already know this if you’ve seen the most recent weekly wrap up.) This video is all about how that happened, and how it caused a revelation to me about my reading and why I should stop beating myself up about my inability to read my unread books.

Posts mentioned in the video that aren’t already linked above:

Review: The Blooming Goddess trilogy by Tellulah Darling
#imbibliomancy: Drunk Book Club with Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

#imbibliomancy: Drunk Book Club with Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

Technically, this happened last night, but I couldn’t get to my computer until this moment to post the link. Don’t worry, this is just as fantastic as I remember.

If you don’t know, Imbibliomancy is a special series spin off from our main book club, Bibliomancy for Beginners. We still talk about books, we just do it while imbibing alcohol. We’ve done this throughout our senior year, doing one episode a month. For this semester, we’ve already done my pick: Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen. This month, it was Michaela’s pick: Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel.

This was one of those weird, weird episodes where we all liked the book but the discussion still got REALLY heated with debates. Obviously, that means that you totally need to watch it because it’s great.

If you want to read along with us, in April we’re doing Taylor’s pick: Death Vigil by Stjepan Sejic. It’s a graphic novel, so it’s going to be a different kind of discussion for us. I’ve already sneaked a peek at Taylor’s copy, and it’s gorgeous!

Weekly Wrap Up + What We Read 3/27/16

I’M BACK! Okay, yes, I’ve been back for a few days but now I’m back IN THE VIDEOS. My blog might not have been nearly as impressive as Michaela’s this week–like, by a long shot–but I’m strong in the end of the week AND we finally taped our Imbibliomancy video! Even better, Michaela and I did a lot of reading and there is a great selection of interesting books for us to share with you!

Monday:

Michaela’s video about her Love-Hate Relationship with Fantasy

Tuesday:

Betwixt the Books Recommends: Horror!

Wednesday:

Michaela’s review of Tokyo Ghost Vol 1 by Rick Remender

Thursday:

Gretchen’s The Ridiculous Road Trip Adventure of Where I’ve Been

Friday:

Gretchen’s review of The Blooming Goddess trilogy by Tellulah Darling
Michaela’s What it’s Like Working in a Library!

Saturday:

Imbibliomancy: Drunk Book Club with Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

Review: The Blooming Goddess Trilogy by Tellulah Darling

Hey there guys! Today’s review is going to be a little bit different. I’m going to be doing quick reviews of the three books in the Blooming Goddess trilogy by Tellulah Darling, followed by a series overview. This series is a Hades and Persephone retelling with a twist and lots and lots and lots of swooning and sassing. This will all be spoiler free, even in the later reviews!

My Ex from Hell (Book 1)

Goodreads | Amazon

Romeo and Juliet had it easy.

Prior to the Halloween dance, Sophie figures her worst problems involve adolescent theatrics, bitchy teen yoga girls, and being on probation at her boarding school for mouthy behaviour. Then she meets bad boy Kai and gets the kiss that rocks her world.

Literally.

This breath stealing lip lock reawakens Sophie’s true identity: Persephone, Goddess of Spring. She’s key to saving humanity in the war between the Underworld and Olympus, target numero uno of Hades and Zeus, and totally screwed. All she’s gotta do is master her powers, save the world…

…and stop kissing Kai, Prince of the Underworld.

My Ex From Hell is a YA romantic comedy, Greek mythology smackdown, perfect for everyone who loves sassy girls that kick butt and the bad boys who infuriate them.

I wrote a longer review of this book (linked above) when I participated in the blog tour for it’s initial release. Honestly, I’m not sure if I would have picked it up otherwise. It sounded a little corny to me–and I love me a sassy YA heroine.

It was pure joy to read. My original rating was 3 1/2 stars, and I totally stick to that. These aren’t the best books, writing wise, that I’ve ever read. I’ll be totally honest about that. However, in terms of shear reading enjoyment? They’re one of the best. The main character, Sophie, is the quintessential sassy main character on steroids, and there is no one getting in her way. The book reads hyper fast, with plenty of action, humor and romance to go around.

The book has its issues with infodumping and some 2D characters. Strangely, the romance is one that I don’t have as many issues with. There’s kind of a weird love triangle between Kai, Sophie and Sophie’s-past-self-as-Persephone, but honestly it made the story kind of cool. Sophie wants to be loved for just who she is and won’t compromise that. Kai comes off as a stereotypical bad boy, but he gets some layers that push him past the cliche.

All in all? This is great, gooey, mind candy that leaves me laughing and looking for more!

My Date From Hell (Book 2)

I’m not going to put in the Goodreads description for spoilers sake, but you can clink the title above to check it out. The basic premise of this, without spoiling most of the first book, is that Kai and Sophie end up in a bit of a pickle that leaves them requesting Aphrodite’s help. Surprise surprise, the goddess of love pops them both with arrows because she’s tired of them resisting each other. Kai and Sophie keep resisting, with hilarious results.

Originally, I honestly didn’t give this book as high a rating as the first book. I think I rated it 2 stars on Goodreads? Well, time has changed my mind. This is the book where the romance between Kai and Sophie really kicks off, but not in the sappy “they learn to love each other” kind of way that happens every other time. I mean, sure, that happens, but while they’re trying to resist these freaky lust arrows they’ve been shot with while trying to save the world while trying to deal with the specter of Persephone.  It’s hilarious, it’s swoon worthy, and it’s SO MUCH FUN.

Other favorite characters of mine in this series–Theo and Hannah–also get beaus in this book, which means that it’s this crazy romance romp with the book’s trademark sass and humor. Yes, the romance come too easily and there isn’t a lot of depth to these, but that’s okay. If you’re after depth, look elsewhere. I’ve been upfront about that.

This book also shows us a lot more of the Greek pantheon, who are hilariously characterized by Darling. Sometimes they do seem a bit over the top, but in this book that’s not out of the norm. Some of the ones you meet in this book are Zeus, Hades, Eros, Hermes, Hephestos and, of course, Aphrodite.

Bottom line on this one? It’s fluffy, romance/relationship building filler that mostly is just set up for the third book but is really fun and cute and swoony.

My Life From Hell (Book 3)

The spoiler free byline of this novel is pretty simple: the time to save the world is come, but Sophie … isn’t exactly ready. This one is above and beyond my favorite, even if some of it does feel like a weird filler story.

The reason is because of what Darling does with her characters. Up until this point, it’s all kind of felt like fun and fluffy giggles when it comes to interpersonal relationships, whether it be romantic or not. In this one, the stakes go UP. Sophie, especially, is rocked by huge problems and heart breaking reveals, but she isn’t the only one. No, it isn’t like this huge EMOTIONS moment, because the books don’t work like that, but it does create a much richer reading experience that is really great to see.

Plus, as always the highlight, Sophie and Kai’s relationship continues to evolve. They don’t just waltz right over to the lovey-dovey stage. They have to fight to get there, and to get there together, and that was nice to see. When I started reading, I would never have believed that their romance wouldn’t just be a giant cliche. Is it in places? Yes. Is it very much not in other, much bigger places? Absolutely.

The ending, too, comes in perfect Sophie fashion. Love or hate the way that these books are written, but they are always, always true to the character of Sophie and the person that she is and the sassy, sarcastic and humorous tone that has been established from day one.

At the end of the day? The middle might sag, but I still love it lots. Very, very happy with it.

Overall Series Review:

I fully admit that these are not the best books I’ve ever read. The writing style is a bit over the top sometimes, the characters aren’t exactly full 3D, and the plot is more of a fantastical romp than a well thought out adventure. This is the rom-com version of this myth. It is pure joy to read, like eating a whole bag of M&Ms in one sitting.

I’m a huge stickler for bad YA books. I call it like I see it all the time. But I am here to tell you that these books are just too damn fun, hilarious and swoony to hate. They do interesting things with the myth and the Greek pantheon, presenting it all in a way that I’d never seen before.

Best of all, I’m just in love with Sophie and Kai. Are they pretty cliche sometimes? Yeah. But they’re relationship honestly has more struggles, issues and real moments of growth and romantic coming together than a lot of other YA books that I’ve read. They aren’t just instantly in love. They have to fight through their past to build a better future, and that’s pretty cool.

Even better, Sophie as a main character stands on her own. This might be a rom-com, but it’s SOPHIE’S rom-com, not Sophie/Kai’s. The story is about them loving each other and saving the world together, yes, but it’s even more about Sophie coming into her own and learning to understand and love who she is. This theme gets a little aggressive about itself in the final book, but I like it. It was refreshing to see it step away from the romance like that.

I re-read this series over break because I needed something with a fun romance that would make me laugh out loud. I read the first book back in 2013, and they still never disappoint. They are what they are, love it or hate it. Better still, they OWN what they are. Sometimes, pure mind candy is EXACTLY what you need.

The Ridiculous Road Adventure of Where I’ve Been

Hey guys! Technically I got back in on Tuesday, but I spent all of Wednesday trying to get back into school and readjust to this time zone. I have accomplished neither of these things so far, but I’m swimming.

Since I don’t have anything for a Thesis Thursday this week, I thought I’d do some life blogging and show you guys some pictures of where I went. This was not a normal trip out west. Rachel and I–you know, Rachel from the first couple seasons of Bibliomancy for Beginners–went on a road trip.

I have never had so much fun and whil

e having so many moments convinced I was going to die.

Day 1: LA to San Francisco

This day was a beautiful one. Once we got out of the city, we got onto the Pacific Coast Highway and took that up to San Fran. This is NOT the way that your GPS will ever tell you to go. It winds around the edge of the coast–literally, the edge–but it is SO PRETTY. So pretty.

San Francisco itself was kind of annoying, and the place that we were staying wasn’t so great. But we went out that night and found the most delicious Thai food I ever tasted, and Rachel and I decided that things could only go up from there! We were wrong.

Day 2: San Francisco to Crescent City, CA

Rachel and I woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed, but that quickly changed. While we slept, someone broke into our car–shattering the back passenger window. Rachel lost some stuff, but nothing that wasn’t replaceable. Except, you know, that window. She got to call the police while I filed the insurance claim and then it took us forever to find someone to fix the window that day because it was the weekend. When we finally did, we spent the hour we waited for the window debating whether or not to give in, turn around and go home. We were both really shook up. HOWEVER, we chose to carry on!

Once again, we took the Pacific Coast Highway. Or, well, we tried. We made it almost all

This was before we lost all signs of civilization. Pun intended.

the way to Crescent City, and then the highway was closed. We were sent on this detour, on a road with no guardrails, no shoulders, no lines on the road–no nothing. Our phones lost signal and we just kept creeping around turns that were smaller than 90 degrees, hoping we didn’t die. Eventually we came out the side, but honestly I think I had about seventy million panic attacks that day.

Day 3: Crescent City, CA, to Seattle, WA

An astute person might be able to deduce that I skipped a state, here. That’s right: on day 3 we drove right on through Oregon. Well, almost right on through. While we were driving (on a highway, I might add. I love highways. I wanted to kiss the pavement. It was very straight), I just happened to look up a few of the Oregon wineries that my dad stocks in our wine cellar. Turned out that we were going right by Willamette Valley Vineyards. We decided to stop by, because we could.

Turns out, they were having this huge “Wine, Pear and Cheese Jubilee” event to celebrate the recent release of a bunch of their wines. We got to do a tasting that included 8 wines, 4 of which had been released that day and were only available to buy from the winery that day. Each one was paired with gourmet cheese. Okay, 7 were with cheese and one was with pears. I ended up sending some wine to my parents and making off with a bottle of rose that had just been released the previous day. I still have that bottle.

After that, we popped by Portland for lunch, since Rachel is from Maine and this was a very important comparison to make. Then we managed to survive the traffic through Tacoma and get to our hotel outside of Seattle!

Day 4: Seattle, WA

We were so confused by a day without driving for like 10 hours. IT WAS GREAT. Our first stop was to make a pilgrimage to the holiest site at that which Rachel worships: the Starbucks Reserve Roastery. We spent a wad of cash on the fanciest, most amazing coffee I’ve ever tasted and stared unabashedly at the pretty, pretty copper roasting machines happening all around us. I don’t even LIKE coffee all that much, and it was amazing.

From there, we went to the EMP Museum, which is exactly what anyone might imagine

She was just about crying when this picture was taken.

would spring up if you mashed me and Rachel’s interests together. Rachel is an audio production major here at Ithaca, and EMP’s big focus is music and music recording. There were exhibits on Nirvana, Jimi Hendrix, and a bunch of recording rooms for drums, guitars, keyboards and vocals as well as mixing boards that you could play with.

For me, there were three separate exhibits on fantasy, horror and science fiction. All of our favorite show were represent; Star Trek, Star Wars, Alien, Doctor Who, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, The Princess Bride, Game of Thrones–you name it, they had it. You could also play around on the “bridge” and become a part of their fan created exhibit by stepping into a scream booth and put yourself on a tarot card to figure out your inner fantasy figure. SO MUCH GEEKING OUT.

Day 5: Seattle, WA

Our first stop on our second day of NO DRIVING was the Pike Place Market, which is this cute outdoor market filled with all kinds of shops. We ate lunch there, with the most delicious seafood entree. I’m probably never going to be able to eat fish again. For at least a week.

After that, we went to the Chihuly Glass Museum and Garden. I am a gigantic lover of all art that has to do with glass and light, so this place was just about my heaven. Every time we stepped into a new room, I gasped. There was everything from these tiny glass balls to giant chandeliers and a whole ceiling installation. There were pieces inside, but also the gardens were created so that everything fit together perfectly. The flowers were color matched, for goddess sake. God, it was amazing.

After that, we had some time to kill, so we started wandering around Seattle. We went by the Olympic Sculpture Park, and climbed around on the rocks by the ocean. It was so … relaxing. We really needed that.

Right as the sun was beginning to set, we popped up



onto the Space Needle! We didn’t stay long because it was super chilly, but it was still really cool. I like being in high places.

Day 6: Seattle, WA, to Yreka, CA

No pit stops today! Not much of anything, actually. Yreka, however, was a wonderful place. It’s this cute little mining town, and the waiter at the place we ate had a waxed mustache. It was perfect, and a nice way to start our craziness of the road trip again.

Day 7: Yreka, CA, to Groveland, CA

Right after we left Yreka, we stopped in by Mt. Shasta really quickly. We’d actually been able to see this mountain since we’d approached Yreka yesterday, and it was really impressive. It was really important to me to stop by so I could send some pictures and pick some stuff up for my mom, and Rachel indulged me. We had a lot of fun driving as far as we could up the mountain and messing around in snowbanks that were higher than our car while still being in t-shirts!

After that, we booked it to Groveland, where we camped in the car for a night. Groveland is right outside of Yosemite, which was our plan for the next day. We ate dinner at what is apparently the oldest standing saloon in America, and then bought s’mores supplies and had a campfire. I hadn’t gone camping since, well, the last time I was in Yosemite like five years ago, so it was a lot of fun!

Day 8: Groveland, CA, to LA

You could say that we took the long way to LA, by which I mean that we drove as much as we could through Yosemite before we jetted back down to Rachel’s apartment. Words can’t even describe how gorgeous Yosemite is, guys. We were stopping the car every few seconds to jump out and get pictures. Each one of them could be a postcard. Like I said, I’d camped up in Tioga Pass a few years ago (which is closed in the winter), but this felt like a whole new view of the park. SO. PRETTY.

The rest of the trip involved me and Rachel being poolside at her apartment complex in LA, where we laughed about not having to drive anywhere. I got a ridiculous sunburn. It was FABULOUS.

And now I’m back in Ithaca, where it is really cold and I look like a tomato.

I know this wasn’t very bookish, but I plan to do a From the Notebook video on Monday talking about what weirdly happened to my reading habits during this trip. As you may have seen, I did a Spring Break TBR right before I left and … well. You’ll see!

 

Weekly Wrap Up + What We Read 3/20/16

Hey there guys! This week, it is SUPER IMPORTANT TO ME that you watch this video. Why? Because I’ve been on hiatus this week and Michaela has been pulling double time to make up for all the stuff I’m not posting. So please give her a round of applause! Stop by a video or post and tell her you love her. I haven’t seen her face all week because I’ve been roadtripping and it makes me sad. But anyways! Here’s what happened this week from (mostly) Michaela!

Monday:

Michaela’s Monday Musing: How to Take Down Your TBR

Tuesday:

Betwixt the Books: (I wish I had a) Spring Break TBR

Wednesday:

Gretchen’s Worth It Wednesday: Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff
Michaela’s Comic Book Review of Runaways: Battleworld by Noelle Stevenson

Friday:

Michaela’s Blind Date with a Book Unboxing

Saturday:

Michaela’s Flicks: Room by Emma Donoghue

 

Worth It Wednesday: “Stormdancer” by Jay Kristoff

Worth It Wednesdays is a weekly post where I feature my favorite YA titles. Find out more about it here!

Title: Stormdancer

Author: Jay Kristoff

Goodreads Description: A DYING LAND

The Shima Imperium verges on the brink of environmental collapse; an island nation once rich in tradition and myth, now decimated by clockwork industrialization and the machine-worshipers of the Lotus Guild. The skies are red as blood, the land is choked with toxic pollution, and the great spirit animals that once roamed its wilds have departed forever.

AN IMPOSSIBLE QUEST

The hunters of Shima’s imperial court are charged by their Shōgun to capture a thunder tiger – a legendary creature, half-eagle, half-tiger. But any fool knows the beasts have been extinct for more than a century, and the price of failing the Shōgun is death.

A HIDDEN GIFT

Yukiko is a child of the Fox clan, possessed of a talent that if discovered, would see her executed by the Lotus Guild. Accompanying her father on the Shōgun’s hunt, she finds herself stranded: a young woman alone in Shima’s last wilderness, with only a furious, crippled thunder tiger for company. Even though she can hear his thoughts, even though she saved his life, all she knows for certain is he’d rather see her dead than help her.

But together, the pair will form an indomitable friendship, and rise to challenge the might of an empire.

Why it’s worth it: If you know a thing about me, than it is probably already clear why this book made my Top 10 Series I NEED to Finish. For one thing, just look at it. I got an ARC of this book, originally, but I would gladly spend money to own a copy of this cover. LOOK AT IT.

Alright, listen.I admit that my original ARC review was extremely confused. I gave it four stars, but I spent a lot of times talking about the negatives. I don’t know why–I can almost sense that something else was happening to my emotional state why I was reading it. Trust me, that original emphasis does not hold up on subsequent readings.

Jay Kristoff is a fabulous writer. Just. His writing is beautiful and wonderful and of a caliber not often appreciated enough in young adult writing.I would read a menu or instruction manual written by him and it would be amazing.

Also, his world. This is one of the most amazing worlds I’ve ever encountered. Does it lean into some of my personal biases, i.e. Japanese inspiration and THUNDER TIGERS? You bet it does. Does that mean anything less than IT IS AMAZING? Absolutely not.

Oh yeah, by the way: THUNDER TIGER. Though I love Yukiko as a character, strong and fierce as she is, my heart forever belongs to the thunder tiger. His voice was so hilariously amazing that it made me legitimately sad that I did not have a friend like him. Okay, so no one really has a thunder-tiger but still.

So the beginning of this book is a little slow and the romance aspect is convoluted to say the least. IT IS WORTH IT. If you don’t believe me, just know that Taylor from Bibliomancy for Beginners also read and loved this series and we rarely agree on ANYTHING. It’s that good.

Read it if you’re looking for: fantastic writing, strong female characters, Japanese inspired mythology, steampunk, strong world building, action, adventure, THUNDER-TIGERS

Betwixt the Books: (What is) Spring Break TBR!

This video was recorded before I left for the west coast, but it talks about all the books that I packed up as I was planing and road tripping everywhere. Since Michaela is a Real Person with a Real Life and a Real Job, she has picked out some books that she wants to read next! There are also some goodies about our next Imbibliomancy episode, some ARCs we’re reading and some upcoming joint and single reviews.

Also, now that it’s like a week after we recorded this, I can admit that A) I am not getting as much reading done as I thought I might and B) Fingerprints of You didn’t fit in the bag when I went to pack all this nonsense.

Don’t tell Taylor I’ve started reading Lady Midnight and Tell the Wind and Fire but not Get in Trouble. I will literally get in trouble.

Enjoy!

Weekly Wrap Up + What We Read 3/13/16

Hey guys! Really fast post from on on the road, actually. And really, you guys know how this works by now!

Monday:

Michaela’s Monday Musing: I got a job!
Gretchen’s From the Notebook: Giveaway Winner and Hiatus Annoucement

Tuesday:

Michaela’s Lady Pr0n? or International Women’s Day: Female Spaces in Literature

Wednesday:

Gretchen’s Worth It Wednesday: The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare
Michaela’s #girlgamer: What I’ve Been Playing

Thursday:

Gretchen’s Thesis Thursday: I DID IT!

Friday:

Gretchen and Taylor’s Review of Mermaids and Other Mysteries of the Deep (Short Story Anthology) edited by Paula Guran
Michaela’s Used Book Haul

Review: “Mermaids of the Deep and Other Mysteries” Short Story Anthology

It’s finally here! Taylor and I are back to bring you our joint review of the Mermaids and Other Mysteries of the Deep anthology edited by Paula Guran. Once again, we had a hard time not chatting–and a harder time not arguing. However, you’re in for a treat if you hang out. I even hit him in the face with my book a few times.

Sorry in advance that the middle section is out of focus. Such is the fate of my poor, sad video camera. My birthday is in June, guys. Hang in there.