Gretchen C. Hohmeyer's Blog, page 56
June 2, 2014
Top Ten Books That Will Be In My Beach Bag This Summer
Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish!
Hahaha, oh boy this list could be a long one. Hahaha. Hooey. Okay. Let’s try and keep this to ten, shall we?
1. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
I’ve been meaning to read this for ages, especially after Marina gave such a great review. Thankfully, one of the Bibliomancers has requested it so I’m finally getting to it!
2. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
Another one I’ve been meaning to get to for a while, so I’m making the Bibliomancers read this one too. I’ve already bought the second book–again, on Marina’s recommendation–so I hope it’s good!
This concept has intrigued me for a long time, and I posses an ARC of the second book, so really this one is just getting higher on my list.
Another one that just keeps getting higher and higher on a list with over 100 titles. I love the cover, the blurb AND the lack of a romance mentioned in said blurb.
5. The Unnaturalists by Tiffany Trent
A long time ago, Tamora Pierce told me to read this book. I didn’t. Then I got the second book in ARC form. I still didn’t. This summer, I WILL DO SO I SWEAR.
6. School Spirits by Rachel Hawkins
I LOVE the Hex Hall series. The fact that I’ve had this since it came out and haven’t read it yet is akin to a sin.
7. The Falconer by Elizabeth May
GUYS THIS BOOK LOOKS SO COOL. I just bought it. I am excited. I may read it … tomorrow.
8. Battle Magic by Tamora Pierce
Marina got to review this one, but I still haven’t read it. If my not reading School Spirits is bad, this is TEN TIMES WORSE.
9. Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout
97 thousand people told me to read this book, so I bought it. 97 thousand more told me to read it, and I still haven’t. I should fix this for shear MUST READ reasons.
10. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
An old friend let me borrow this over a year ago. I should probably give it back some time.
June 1, 2014
Random Reads: “Dark Star” by Bethany Frenette
After a last minute vacation, I can proudly say I have at least two weeks of reviews to come. One–but not the only–is this one. I finally got a random reads read! Scroll to the bottom of the post for the next Random Read!
Dark Star (Dark Star #1) by Bethany Frenette
Audrey Whitticomb has nothing to fear. Her mother is the superhero Morning Star, the most deadly crime-fighter in the Twin Cities, so it’s hard for Audrey not to feel safe. That is, until she’s lured into the sweet night air by something human and not human–something with talons and teeth, and a wide, scarlet smile.
Now Audrey knows the truth: her mom doesn’t fight crime at night. She fights Harrowers–livid, merciless beings who were trapped Beneath eons ago. Yet some have managed to escape. And they want Audrey dead, just because of who she is: one of the Kin.
To survive, Audrey will need to sharpen the powers she has always had. When she gets close to someone, dark corners of the person’s memories become her own, and she sometimes even glimpses the future. If Audrey could only get close to Patrick Tigue, a powerful Harrower masquerading as human, she could use her Knowing to discover the Harrowers’ next move. But Leon, her mother’s bossy, infuriatingly attractive sidekick, has other ideas. Lately, he won’t let Audrey out of his sight.
When an unthinkable betrayal puts Minneapolis in terrible danger, Audrey discovers a wild, untamed power within herself. It may be the key to saving her herself, her family, and her city. Or it may be the force that destroys everything–and everyone–she loves.
Four stars
I’ll be completely honest: I wasn’t expecting much from this one. I’d heard mixed things, so that was why I took so long to read it. However, though there were definite iffy parts, I’m totally glad I did. This book rocked way more than I expected.
One of my first nitpicks about this book is that the last paragraph of the synopsis from Goodreads makes the book seriously misleading. You’d expect Audrey learning about the Kin to be a smaller part of the book, and her mission to go after Tigue to be the big part. The reverse is true. In fact, Tigue is barely in the book at all.
Instead, this book is about family and friendships. Audrey knows that her mom is a superhero, but not that she has powers. The mother and daughter pair also have no idea what to do with each other. These two have a great relationship that was one of my favorite parts to read. Audrey also has two best friends: the boy-happy Tink and the too-nice-to-be-real Gideon. Despite the pair of friends being fairly two-dimensional in the beginning, they get better as the book goes on.
Audrey’s love interest, Leon, is honestly fairly cut and dry. In the beginning they hate each other. Then they grow to not so much. Your basic YA romance–without the love triangle, thank God.
Thankfully, the focus isn’t on Audrey and Leon so much. It’s about Audrey and her mom. It’s about Audrey and her long last dad. It’s about Audrey and the Kin family she never knew she had. It’s about Audrey and her friends. It’s about Audrey and her devotion to everyone she loves. And that’s what made it great.
Granted, the middle gets bogged down a little bit after Audrey finds out about the Kin. She gets “Kin lessons” from her grandma as well as multiple flash backs that serve as insane amounts of info dumping. All of that certainly wasn’t necessary.
Still, the action is fairly intense. Audrey loves jumping into situations she isn’t prepared for, believing that there is some way that she can help. Her need to help is almost a death wish, honestly. She needs to be saved from herself a little too often, but the stakes are real. Girls are dying all over the place and even Audrey’s infallible mom gets a few moments of weakness to show how real the danger is.
I certainly didn’t see the ending coming. When it happened, it all came together in an obvious fashion (and there is certainly ways I could have guessed it earlier), but it was still quite shocking. That made me really happy. Although, the ending did feel a bit rushed. The end almost had too many big reveals to do them all justice.
In the end, I can understand many of the points made by the not-so-impressed reviews. There were some clunky parts that made the book slow down. However, I was really impressed with the book overall. I’m a huge superhero fan, but this wasn’t your typical superhero story. I appreciated the family and friends dynamic, and the relationships were written really well. I was so excited by it that I immediately rushed to my phone-Kindle to start reading my e-copy of the next book in the series, Burn Bright.
AND THE NEXT RANDOM READ IS:
The Edge of Falling by Rebecca Serle!
Bibliomancy for Beginners: “Good Omens” by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
Welcome to tonight’s belated episode of Bibliomancy for Beginners! Tonight we have Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett on tap. This is definitely going to be a good one, so don’t miss out!
According to The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (the world’s only completely accurate book of prophecies, written in 1655, before she exploded), the world will end on a Saturday. Next Saturday, in fact. Just before dinner.
So the armies of Good and Evil are amassing, Atlantis is rising, frogs are falling, tempers are flaring. Everything appears to be going according to Divine Plan. Except a somewhat fussy angel and a fast-living demon—both of whom have lived amongst Earth’s mortals since The Beginning and have grown rather fond of the lifestyle—are not actually looking forward to the coming Rapture.
And someone seems to have misplaced the Antichrist . . .
May 22, 2014
Bibliomancy for Beginners: “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” by Ken Kesey
AND WE’RE BACK!
Bibliomancy for Beginners is opening up our summer season with an off day transmission of Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Just knowing my opinions, I can promise you that this is going to be a good time.
Also, you can look forward to watching for new sections of our broadcast and maybe a giveaway!
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey
Boisterous, ribald, and ultimately shattering, Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest has left an indelible mark on the literature of our time. Turning conventional notions of sanity and insanity on their heads, the novel tells the unforgettable story of a mental ward and its inhabitants, especially tyrannical Big Nurse Ratched and Randle Patrick McMurphy, the brawling, fun-loving new inmate who resolves to oppose her. We see the story through the eyes of Chief Bromden, the seemingly mute half-Indian patient who witnesses and understands McMurphy’s heroic attempt to do battle with the powers that keep them all imprisoned.
Hailed upon its publication as “a glittering parable of good and evil” (The New York Times Book Review) and “a roar of protest against middlebrow society’s Rules and the invisible Rulers who enforce them” (Time), Kesey’s powerful book went on to sell millions of copies and remains as bracing and insightful today as when it was first released. This new deluxe hardcover edition commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of the original publication of the novel on February 1, 1962, and will be a must have for any literature lover.
May 19, 2014
Top Ten Books About Friendship
Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish!
So something I just discovered is that there are a lot of books that just have generic friendships that I was meh about. However, there were also some books that had a bunch of GREAT friendships that made me swoon over their beautiful friendship-ness. Here the top ten of those are!
1. The Maximum Ride series by James Patterson
So maybe this was more a family than a friendship, but the Flock weren’t technically related except by their wings. This counts. Their dynamic was one of the best friend group/families that I’ve ever read.
The best way to describe this book is: Laugh out loud. Tom and his friends are hilarious and always up to shenanigans. Even my brother got into this one!
3. The Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead
I wanted to make sure Richelle Mead was represented, but it was a hard choice between this series and the Bloodline series. In the end, I have to go with VA because Rose and Lissa’s friendship was the driving force behind most of the series, and it was beautiful.
4. The Protector of the Small series by Tamora Pierce
Unlike lady knight Alanna, who wanted to be a loner, Kel survives as a lady knight BECAUSE of all her friends. One of the best examples of friends banding together, in my opinion.
5.
Surprisingly, this is not here simply because I demand to have this book on every list I write up. This is ACTUALLY one of THE BEST friendships I’ve ever read, to the point where I cried for forever.
6. Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff
How could this not go on here? For one, Yukiko’s friend is a thunder tiger. For two, said thunder tiger is wonderfully sassy. Best. Friend. Ever.
7. The Fire and Thorns series by Rae Carson
Okay, I couldn’t get through this without adding this. This has the best relationship to come through friendship that I’ve read in a while. So maybe this is cheating. Sue me.
8. The Pendragon series by D. J. McHale
This journey wouldn’t have been possible if it hadn’t been for Bobby’s friends. They were an integral part of every book, and I loved every one of them. Sometimes I even liked them better than Bobby himself.
9. The Eon series by Alison Goodman
I’ll admit that I usually focus on the main character, but this book had way too many friends that I adored. I would have taken a whole book on Eon’s friends. I would still read that book.
10. Poison Princess by Kresley Cole
I adore Evie’s motley crew of friends. If I had to be stuck as one of the last people on earth, I wouldn’t mind having all these guys around. Even if I wasn’t sure they were going to try to kill me at some point.
May 18, 2014
Reviving My Random Reads!
If you remember back in January, I wanted to get through my have-but-need-to-read list on Goodreads by creating this feature called “Random Reads.” This just basically makes sure that I read at least one book that I’ve had sitting around for a while each week. For all I know all my reviews in a given week could be from this list, but hey. I go where the reading wind takes me.
I chose a book and everything, but never read it. So, I’m going to start all over again by using Random.org to pick a new number for me off the list.
AND THE WINNER IS…!
Dark Star by Bethany Frenette!
Check back next Monday for this review and my next Random Reads choice!
May 17, 2014
Four Year Blogoversary Giveaway!
Wow. Wow wow wowza. I got back in the game just in time for WordPress to congratulate me for FOUR YEARS since beginning to blog. I guess time really does fly when you’re having fun!
I could do one of those recap posts about how great the past four years has been, but that would be boring. Instead, I want to thank all of YOU for making this a great experience. Ergo–giveaway!
And it’s a big one.
And there’s two prizes.
PRIZE ONE:
The Katerina Trilogy by Robin Bridges
The second book in this series, The Unfailing Light, was one of the first ARCs I ever got direct from a publisher. I think this makes it a perfect choice for this blogoversary giveaway!
PRIZE TWO:
A mystery box of four books!
My only criteria for this giveaway is that I’ve reviewed it on my blog. There will be a few ARCs and a few finished copies. Of what, you ask? Even I’m not sure yet! I’m still picking the best ones!
The only stipulation for this giveaway is that you live in the US. Sorry, but for shipping purposes it must be so. This giveaway goes til the end of May, and there are multiple thing you can do per day so keep stopping by!
Ready to enter?
Follow the link to a Rafflecopter giveaway
May 15, 2014
My Thoughts on the End of “Allegiant” by Veronica Roth
So, I tried to title this so that no one would accidentally click this but just in case…
WARNING. SPOILERS WILL HAPPEN.
Now that that is out of the way…
A while ago, I read Allegiant by Veronica Roth and added it to my long list of reviews to write. As I thought about it, I realized that my entire review was being warped by my response to the huge backlash that followed the edge of the series. I know I’m late to the party, but I still want to talk about this because I’ve been using Allegiant as an example of something in a lot of conversations lately.
I am the first one to tell you that I like happy endings. Sad books make me … sad, of 
course, and really unhappy. When I get invested in characters, I want those characters to make it. I want those characters to survive. I want their endings to be tied up in the end with a bow and–if I’m lucky–a wedding and seven kids. So of course that’s what I wanted to for Tris and Four.
However, here’s the thing about that ending: it’s what I expected.
What struck me–after I was done sobbing over the end–was exactly that fact. If Tris hadn’t made the choice she did, THAT was what would have thrown me and made me upset.
Authors have the unenviable task of appeasing their readers and staying true to their characters. Sometimes, those wishes coincide and everyone leaves happily. Sometimes, this is not the case and the choice the author makes will have the biggest impact of the entire book/series/what-have-you. For me, it is more of a betrayal to have the characters betray themselves then “betray” the ending the readers would want.
Tris wouldn’t have been Tris if she had let Caleb sacrifice himself. Veronica Roth–thank God–understood that. I can only imagine how heartbreaking it was to write that scene, when I’m sure she too just wanted Tris and Four to run off into the sunset. If this had not been the ending, I think my overall impression of the series would have been “good.” But because Roth stood by her characters like this, I think I’ll have to give it a “great” recommendation simply based on how much I respect this decision.
Okay, disclaimer time. Much of the motivation to write this post comes from my desire to talk to someone about this ending. So, seriously, comment and tell me what you think!
Hello Summer, Hello Blogosphere!
Well, well, what do we have here? A blog I haven’t touched since February? Oh man, that’s so sad. Apologies, guys. If I ever said things were crazy before, understand that this semester reached a whole new level. To put it plainly, I loaded up on 21 credits, three jobs and an internship and life just went bonkers the whole way. I was lucky I was getting my school work done, let alone anything else.
But lo and behold, I made it to summer. And lo and behold, I’m revamping the blog. Like the new look? Bibliomancy for Beginners is going to start up again in a week or so, and I’m actually going to be able to read. Back in January, I said that I wanted to play catch up with my have-but-need-to-read list, and I still want to do that. So that’s what I’m going to do.
Bibliomancy for Beginners will be happening every week. That’s for sure. I’m going to try to
get back into Top Ten Tuesday and Waiting on Wednesday, at the very least. ARC reviews will be few and fair between, because I have too many that I never read as I promised and that’s just not fair.
It WILL be a truncated summer, because I’m leaving for my semester abroad in early August. But that’s a while away. For now, I’m just going to start reading.
Thanks for sticking around, guys. My plan is to many it worth your while!
February 10, 2014
Top Ten Books That Will Make You Swoon
Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the Broke and the Bookish!
Alright, folks, guess I got the Valentines themed one. This is amusing, because one blogger on this site is bitter about Valentines this year and one is not and GUESS WHO’S DOING THIS LIST! But no, actually, this list is still going to be really hard to put together. Gosh. Uh. Well, here’s some in no particular order!
1. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
As if this book wouldn’t be here. Please. This book would be all 10 choices if it could.
2. Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead
Practically all of these books could be on this list. But this one? Well it’s this one. VA fans know what I’m saying.
3. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles
This book just has a place in my heart, even after all this time. Always a great guilty pleasure.
4. Dare You To by Katie McGarry
Katie McGarry will be on this list multiple times. Just sayin’.
5. Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry
Told you! Actually, I like this one a liiiiiitle bit more than #4, but for different reasons so I’m not even sure if that counts.
6. Incarnate by Jodi Meadows
First, you have the main romance. Then, you have all the little romances happening in the background and the great stuff Meadows says about love in general. Sold!
7. Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins
These books should have a steam warning. Just sayin’.
8. Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill
This book is just TOO CUTE not to be on this list. It won me over.
9. The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead
Richelle Mead could fill this TTT on her own. Seriously.
10. Shadows in the Silence by Courtney Allison Moulton
I was really torn between this one and the second book in the series, Wings of the Wicked, because HELLO.
