Lisa Marie Pottgen's Blog, page 26

Bout of Books 8.0 Wrapup #boutofbooks

Well, my friends.  Another readathon has come to an end.  Bout of Books has reached completion and I am calling this week a success.  Here is what I ended up with!



Visit at least 10 new blogs  Done!
Read at least 4 books  Done!
Read at least 4 hours a day   Done!
Participate in Tweet Chats   Done!  
Do at least 2 of the challenges.  Done!
Read a Debut   - Crewel by Gennifer Albin
Read a Novella - The Call of the Wild
Read a book with Male/Multiple POVs - The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
Read a book you’ve procrastinated starting  - Crewel by Gennifer Albin
Read a Children’s Classic - The Call of the Wild
Bonus:  Read a TV/Movie Adaptation  - City of Bones by Cassandra Clare  Finished!

BOOKS READ:

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
Crewel by Gennifer Albin
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

I also had a few starts and stops on a few other books along the way.  Level 2 by Lenore Applehans is one that will probably end up being a DNF.  This is huge for me, guys, because I do not DNF books but I just cannot get into this one no matter how hard I try.  I started Shadowlands by Kate Brian and I think after having read Call of The Wild, I just could not get in the right frame of mind to read that one.

All total, I read well over 30 hours this week.

I visited the following blogs, most of which were new to me this time around:

Sarah Says Read
Book Pairing
Leeswammes
My Not So Real Life
Quinn’s Book Nook
Christian Bookshelf Reviews
Bookish Outsider
As Usual, I Need More Bookshelves
The Book Tower
A Lovely Bookshelf on the Wall

My total page count ended up at about 1325

I made it for every single Twitter chat that was scheduled, as well as the Pairathon chat and the impromptu social half hour that happened, so that was awesome!

And for Challenges, I participated in:

Bookish Bucket List @ Sarah Says Read
Pairathon @ Book Pairing
Re-Title It @ Music Plus Books
TBR List Challenge @ Musings of a Bookship Girl
Book Spine Poetry @ Such a Novel Idea
Book Road Trip @ In Wonderland
I Spy… @ Paperback Dreamer
Bookish Wishes @ Kelsey’s Cluttered Bookshelf
Acrostic Book Poem @ I Read, Ergo I Write
New Bout of Books Blogs

So I declare Bout of Books 8.0 a rousing success and I cannot wait for 9.0 to roll around in January.

Now, Onto the Monster Review-a-thon that started today!

© 2013, lisapottgen. All rights reserved.

Bout of Books 8.0 Wrapup #boutofbooks is a post from: Just Another Rabid Reader

Rabid Reader Ramblings: Lets Talk About City of Bones: Book versus Movie Comparison

Okay, so if you have not read the book or seen the movie and you plan to, you really want to stop reading this now and go find something else to do.  Are you still here?  Really?  Okay, well consider yourself warned because this is going to contain many, many spoilers.  I just cannot help it.  It is what it is and there is no way to avoid spoilery in a post of this nature.

 

So, here is the thing.  I really liked the book.  And I did really enjoy the movie.  I think each had it’s merits.  I also understand that there is no way to cram a full length novel into a 2 hour or so block without some things getting cut, but really?  The first 150 pages-ish of the book made up the first 20 mins of the movie.  The big points of conflict between Clary and her mother in the book?  Totally left out of the movie.  The big fight about going to the farmhouse for the summer?  Completely cut out.  And to me, that was absolutely a critical portion of the story line.

And when the movie started, the poetry reading showed up before the club thing.  That totally screwed with me.  And when they were in the club, here I am sitting in my seat in the theater, looking for the “blue haired boy.”  He was not there and that whole seen, totally glanced over, condensed down, and downplayed big time.  I was not happy.

Some of the differences to some people, well they may have seemed subtle.  And if you hadn’t read the book yet, you wouldn’t notice any of the little things that just royally irritated me.

But I have talked with quite a few people who have felt the same way that I do.  I know people who have said that if you had not read the book, you would feel lost in the movie because there was just a lot of information missing.  And the whole thing with Valentine and Jace toward the end, well, that was just, well,not how I imagined it at all.’

I know, I know, I am ranting.  But you guys should know by now how I feel about my books, and when Hollywood comes along and messes with them, it gets my hackles up.

Now, there were a few things that I thought were done well.  Simon?  That is pretty much exactly how I pictured him.  And I loved the greenhouse birthday scene.  That was awesomely magical.  The little fit that Jace throws when he takes Clary back to her room and Simon is there?  That was done really well.

Jace is the type of character that is a total douchebag but he grows on you and you learn to love him.

I loved how they did Isabelle’s whip, as the snake bracelet thing?  That was awesome.  But seriously, am I the only person who was disappointed that the boy in the club did not have blue hair?

So let me have it.  I gave the book a 5 star review and I think the movie lands at a solid 3 and a half, in my book.  How far off base am I?  What did everyone else think?

© 2013, lisapottgen. All rights reserved.

Rabid Reader Ramblings: Lets Talk About City of Bones: Book versus Movie Comparison is a post from: Just Another Rabid Reader

Monster Review-A-Thon

While I am not officially behind on writing reviews for books I have already read, I am going to use this event as motivation to get as many reviews scheduled up as possible to get the flow of things situated on the blog.  Here is the quotings from The Book Monsters

 

After participating in the Bout of Books 8.0 readathon, I’m sure I’m not the only one with reviews piling up. So, it’s been a while since we hosted a review-a-thon, so I’m excited to be hosting this one again. Here’s the info:

Date: August 26-September 1
Goal: To review as many books as you can.
Obviously, still read, but it’s a chance to get caught up on backlogs of reviews and keep up with current ones.You have a whole week, so set your goals and get to work!

So there you have it.  My goal? To get a bunch of reviews scheduled so that my content is more consistent.  I have massive piles of review books that need posted up so here’s hoping I can make a dent!

© 2013, lisapottgen. All rights reserved.

Monster Review-A-Thon is a post from: Just Another Rabid Reader

Bout of Books 8.0: Final Day Challenge: New Bout of Books Blogs #boutofbooks

This final day brings what perhaps is one of my favorite challenges – to visit and make a list of 5 new to me blogs that I had not visited before.  This challenge is hosted by Little Lovely Books.

So without further adieu, here are some of the new to me blogs that I discovered this time around:


Quinn’s Book Nook
Christian Bookshelf Reviews
Bookish Outsider
As Usual, I Need More Bookshelves
The Book Tower

I don’t know how I did not know that these blogs existed, but I will be visiting them again in the days and weeks and time to come!

© 2013, lisapottgen. All rights reserved.

Bout of Books 8.0: Final Day Challenge: New Bout of Books Blogs #boutofbooks is a post from: Just Another Rabid Reader

Rabid Reader Recap (9) 8/18/2013 through 8/25/2013

This post is in something of a similar style to The Sunday Post, hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer, as well as Showcase Sunday hosted by Books, Biscuits and Tea; and Stacking the Shelves, hosted by Tynga’s Reviews.

      

 It has been very busy, busy busy on the blog this week!  I had lots and lots of posts, awesome and amazing stuff, too.  Bout of Books was this week, and today is the final day.  So I am scrambling to get some more pages in before midnight tonight, trying to see what I can accomplish this week.  I have already finished four books, and i participated in some awesomely fun challenges.  I had a minor snafu when my kindle decided to be difficult and wanted to freeze up, but that seems to be almost behaving now.  I am thinking maybe I have too much on it, but it says I have almost 2 gigs of space left, so I am just not sure what it’s issue is.

And around the blogosphere, I guest posted at Ensconced in YA about what I would like to see more of in YA books.,

 

So enough babbling for now, and onto the posts!

So, the posts.  Here is what we had.


 Bout of Books 8.0 Goals and Updates #boutofbooks #BookBFFs
 


Review: Crewel by Gennifer Albin


Bout of Books: Acrostic Poem Challenge. #boutofbooks


Bout of Books Challenge: Bookish Wishes


Review: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare


Feature & Follow #6 Book Selfie! Me and My Book!


Cover Reveal: Love and Other Games by Kara Leigh Miller


#Boutofbooks 8.0 Challenge: I Spy


#Boutofbooks 8.0 Challenge: Book Road Trip Challenge


Bout of Books 8.0 Book Spine Poetry #boutofbooks


Bout of Books 8.0 TBR Pile Mini Challenge


Litfuse Blog Tour: Winter in Full Bloom by Anita Higman – My Review


#Boutofbooks Re-Title It Challenge.


Review: The Iron King


Clean Teen Publishing Presents: Wind Warrior

Three reviews posted, and i have another scheduled for this week.  Lots of stuff happening around here!

Coming up this week:

Review of The Raven Boys
Book to Movie Comparison for City of Bones
There are just a few more days to enter the Amanda Hocking giveaway.
Bout of Books Wrapup

Onto the Books.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shadowland by Alyson Noel – Paperback Swap
Postmark 9/11:  The Lost Letters that Reveal the Untold Story by Tara Young and Blake Watson – Librarything win
Word Catcher: An Odyssey Into the World of Wierd and Wonderful Words by Phil Cousineau – Librarything Win
The Counterfeit Family Tree of Vee Crawford-Wong by L. Tam Holland – ARCycling
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead – Paperback Swap
Poison by Bridget Zinn – Disney Publishing – Finished Copy

Then of course, there was the horrid behavior on Netgalley:

 

And I borrowed Shadowlands from a friend so that I can be all caught up to read Hereafter.  That seems to be about the extent of it.  I am not even close to making a dent in this TBR pile at this rate.  It keeps getting bigger and bigger!

What did you all add to your shelves this week?  What amazing posts did you put up?  Let me know so I can come and see!

© 2013, lisapottgen. All rights reserved.

Rabid Reader Recap (9) 8/18/2013 through 8/25/2013 is a post from: Just Another Rabid Reader

Review: Crewel by Gennifer Albin

Title:  Crewel (Crewel World 1)

Author:  Gennifer Albin

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

Publication Date: October 16, 2012

Page Count: 368

Where I got it:  Won in a giveaway

Where you can get it: Amazon

How much: Paperback:  8.99

Format I read it in: Print ARC

Challenges:  ARC August Challenge, 2013 ARC Reading Challenge,

 

 

 

 

 

 

Description/Blurb:

Incapable, Awkward, Artless – That’s what the other girls whisper behind her back. But sixteen-year-old Adelice Lewys has a secret – she wants to fail. Gifted with the ability to weave time and matter, Adelice is exactly what the Guild is looking for, and in the world of Arras, being chosen as a Spinster is everything a girl could want. It means privilege, power and beauty, the ability to embroider the very fabric of life. It also means entering a world secrets and lethal intrigue. But unlike the others, Adelice isn’t interested in controlling what people eat, where they live, and how many children they have and will do anything to hide her talent from the Guild. But when she slips up during her final test, her gift is identified. Now she has one hour to eat her mum’s overcooked dinner. She has one hour to listen to her sister’s school gossip and laugh at her dad’s stupid jokes. She has one hour to pretend everything is OK. And she has one hour to escape. Because once you become a Spinster, there’s no turning back.

Crewel by Gennifer Albin

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I won a copy of this book in a Shelf Awareness giveaway what seems like a very, very long time ago. I saw so many people reading it an I wanted to see what it was all about, so I had entered. And it has sat on my shelf ever since. So when it came time to choose my books for Bout of Books and the Book BFFs group decided to set group goals, I felt it fitting to choose this as my “procrastinated read.”

I have very mixed feelings about the book. The concept seemed interesting enough, and something still tugs at my memory relating back to mythology. But I just can’t place it.

I did have a chuckle at the women who did the weaving being called Spinsters, and that they were women who could never marry, et cetera. The irony of the choice of words amused me greatly.

But to me it felt as though there was something missing from the story. While I didn’t dislike it, per se, I didn’t really love it either. There was no real action to the story until toward the very end, and then the story ends and you are left wondering what is happening. I will likely read the sequel when it comes out in October if my library has it, but I am not sure if I will rush out to buy it, like I had hoped I would feel like doing.

It is not that often that I feel ambiguous about a book, and it makes me a little sad, but there it is.

The characters were moderately interesting, at least some of them, but others really just irked and annoyed me. The story itself, while well written, just felt flat and like it was missing something vitally important. It was just an okay read for me.

View all my reviews

**DISCLAIMER** In full compliance with FTC Guidelines, I won a copy of this book in a giveaway. I was in no way compensated for this opinion, and the thoughts are my own. Links above will take you to a site where you can PURCHASE a copy. Using those links will take you through an affiliate link and I will receive a small percentage of the purchase cost. You are in no way obligated to use affiliate links and there is no additional cost to do so. Clicking here will take you to more information about the book on Goodreads. 

© 2013, lisapottgen. All rights reserved.

Review: Crewel by Gennifer Albin is a post from: Just Another Rabid Reader

Bout of Books: Acrostic Poem Challenge. #boutofbooks

This challenge is:  Acrostic Book Poem hosted by I Read, Ergo I Write.  Click the blog name to understand the rules!

 

 

W-onderous things

A-mazing mythological creatures

K-eep you re-evaluating

E-verything you ever believed.

 

 

© 2013, lisapottgen. All rights reserved.

Bout of Books: Acrostic Poem Challenge. #boutofbooks is a post from: Just Another Rabid Reader

Bout of Books Challenge: Bookish Wishes

One of today’s Challenges is Bookish Wishes hosted by Kelsey’s Cluttered Bookshelf.  The challenge is to answer one of the following two questions:

 

Question 1: If you could be like any character from a fictional book, who would it be? What do you like about them?Tell me why!

or

Question 2: There’s lots of books out there, but is there one that you’ve been dying to read that doesn’t seem to be written yet? Describe it briefly.

 

I am going to go with answering question 1.

If I could be any character from any book, I think I would be Quinn from the Dusk Gate Series by Breeana Puttroff.  Quinn finds this whole other world hidden in the shadows of her little town, and goes through a gate and gets to have all kinds of adventures.  And then, she finds out she really is a princess and is meant to rule this part of this other world.  I think that would be amazing and all kinds of fun.  Plus she gets this amazing guy who treats her like gold.  Perfect!

 

 

 

© 2013, lisapottgen. All rights reserved.

Bout of Books Challenge: Bookish Wishes is a post from: Just Another Rabid Reader

Review: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Title:   City of Bones

Author:  Cassanda Clare

Publisher:Margaret K. McElderry Books

Publication Date: January 1,2007

Page Count:  528

Where I got it:  Won in a giveaway

Where you can get it:  Amazon

How much: Paperback 9.49

Format I read it in:  Paperback

 

 

 

 

Description/Blurb:

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder — much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It’s hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing — not even a smear of blood — to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?This is Clary’s first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It’s also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace’s world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. . . .

Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare’s ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end

My Thoughts: ★★★★★

Let me start by saying that this was one of the most intense books I have read so far all year. I am …wow, I am not even sure where to begin to be honest. But I am going to try. Also, I always strive to be spoiler free, but I may fail miserably and if I do I am so sorry.

Let’s start with Clary. Something about her, well, she just felt odd to me. Like, what you saw on the surface really couldn’t be who she really was. In the beginning of the book she struck me as kind of, well, bratty. But she grew on me as the book progressed and I felt as if I really knew her.

Simon, the ever-present puppy-dog style lovestruck boy. How I wish I had someone who was that into me in high school, but alas, I was the geeky,nerdy girl. Oh crap, I think I was Simon!

Jace. What can I say, something about the description of that boy in the book got my heart pumping. I wanted to cry toward the end, I was so sad for the characters.

But if I am being honest, I think my favorite Character was probably Isabelle. Something about her. She was not afraid to tell it like it is, even if people’s feelings got hurt, and that was refreshing to me.

The worldbuilding was amazing, in my opinion. I could picture the greenhouse. I could picture Idris in my mind and wanted to go there!

And, bonus, I have nothing to complain about with the editing. This is unsettling and unusual to me!

I know that there was some drama and controversy with this book, with it being stated about HP fan fiction, and I can see the similarities. But here is the thing. If you write, you are invariably going to be influenced by what you read. The biggest thing that stuck out at me was the Valentine/Voldemort thing. But the story itself was so unique and different that it was entirely new to me and I really enjoyed reading it.

**DISCLAIMER** In full compliance with FTC Guidelines, I reviewed this book of my own free will, and was not requested to do so. I was in no way compensated for this opinion, and the thoughts are my own. Links above will take you to a site where you can PURCHASE a copy. Using those links will take you through an affiliate link and I will receive a small percentage of the purchase cost. You are in no way obligated to use affiliate links and there is no additional cost to do so. 

© 2013, lisapottgen. All rights reserved.

Review: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare is a post from: Just Another Rabid Reader

Feature & Follow #6 Book Selfie! Me and My Book!

    The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee’s View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it’ll allow us to show off more new blogs!

 How does this work?

The goal is to increase blog followers and make friends. First you leave your name here on this post, (using the linky tools — keep scrolling!) then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them “hi” in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you! What sets this Hop apart from others, is our Feature. Each week we will showcase a Featured Blogger, from all different genres and areas. Who is our Feature today? Find out below. Just remember it is required, if you participate, to follow our Features and you must follow the hosts (Parajunkee & Alison Can Read) as a courtesy. How do you follow someone? Well, if you have a preference, state it in your #FF post. A lot of blogs are transitioning to WordPress in which they do not have the luxury of GFC, so an RSS subscription is appreciated or if you choose an email subscription. If you don’t have GFC please state in your post how you would like to be followed. All features are chosen randomly to be the feature. They are not chosen by content or name.

So this week, we were to take a picture of ourselves with our current read.  I am feeling particularly crappy today, but I figured I would step out of my comfort zone.  Here is me and what I am reading now!

 

 

© 2013, lisapottgen. All rights reserved.

Feature & Follow #6 Book Selfie! Me and My Book! is a post from: Just Another Rabid Reader