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R3: SS Stuck to Books (11)
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Sep 18, 2014 11:43AM
@Hilary: Aw. It looked like a good book. Is it funny enough to ignore all that age talk though? I'm debating whether it's worth reading or not :P
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Take your time Marty. I will be later than usual in rolling so you can post it by then. :)
Arshiya wrote: "@Hilary: Aw. It looked like a good book. Is it funny enough to ignore all that age talk though? I'm debating whether it's worth reading or not :P"yeah maybe it was just me. It has a lot of good reviews so you might like it :)
Spot 17Chasing the Devil's Tail by David Fulmer
- #1 in the Storyville series.Finished: 9/18/14
Rating: Five stars
Review:
I have had this series on my TBR for some time. Since I'm now living in Louisiana, I figured it was high time to read it.
It's 1907 in New Orleans. Someone is killing the so-called 'sporting women' of the notorious Storyville red light district. Valentin St. Cyr is a Creole detective and former policeman in the employ of the 'King of Storyville Tom Anderson. The murders threaten to break Anderson's stranglehold on the district, so he charges St. Cyr with finding the 'Black Rose Killer' so named because he or she leaves a black rose at every murder scene.
The plot has more twists and dead ends than most mysteries out there, appropriate since nothing is ever simple or obvious in early 20th century New Orleans. St. Cyr ends up trying to remove his friend, maverick coronet jazz player Buddy 'King' Bolden, from a very tiny pool of potential suspects. Somehow, Bolden has managed to show up before every killing. Adding to the pressures of his investigation, St. Cyr is very concerned about his girlfriend, Justine, who works in a higher class of brothel and is therefore a potential black rose victim.
This was a great book, it was a fairly quick read and I loved the historical details. The author really makes this period of New Orleans come alive.
Week 3Spot 17
Finished 9/18/14
Rating: ★★
Review:
Well, as much as I just love this series, this is my least favorite so far. I guess the storyline this time was just a bit much. It was a bit like a farce with how an 80 yr old man kept slipping away from Stephanie. The laughs were there which make the series still enjoyable and I will continue to number 8. I am interested in knowing more about her sister and where these crazy relationships with Morelli and Ranger are going to end up. It's never a dull moment!
By:Myke Cole
Finished 9/18/14
Rating: ★★★★ (really 3.5)
Review:
I liked the premise of this book a lot. Basically, magic users have started to emerge. If you are latent (magical) in the US you have to be in the military. That's pretty much your only option. The rational being that magic users are to libel to loose control of their powers and cause damage, so forcing them into training (getting really effective weapons) and keeping them away from civilian life is the best option. The main character in this book has a magical awakening, and learns what the military does with people who have magic powers considered to dangerous for the regular military/civilization in general. This was basically a military action fest (with magic!), and I enjoyed it a lot. I hated the main character, however. He wasn't the usual unlikable anti-hero, but he was insanely arrogant and blamed pretty much everything on anyone else. It was like reading a book from the prospective of the toddler with his hand in the cookie jar. I think the rest of the series has other (less annoying) point of view characters, so I'll definitely be checking those out.
Rolled a 7 (3+4)Now on spot 24 (17+7)
->Read a series #2
->Read a series #4
->Read a series #24
->Read a book published in 2010
Cool. Out of the ones! I'll post our spot and my pick when I get home tonight.
I'm reading #2 in the Five Hundred Kingdoms series...
I'm reading #2 in the Chaos Walking Trilogy
I'm still debating on my book. Will let you all know as soon as I decide.
Spot 24Her Dark Curiosity by Megan Shepherd, #2 in the Madman's Daughter series
Finished: 9/23/14
Rating: Four stars
Review:
This wasn't a bad follow up to The Madman's Daughter. I didn't think it was quite as good as the first installment. That one was based on the Island of Dr. Moreau, with Juliet his daughter being the main character. In this installment, Juliet has made it back to London and is caught up in a series of bizarre murders being perpetrated by a violent killer known as the "Wolf of Whitechapel."
Mercifully it's not another Jack the Ripper tale though - this one is based on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The perpetrator is Edmund Prince, one of Dr. Moreau's more successful experiments. Edmund is masquerading as Henry Jakyll [sic] while trying to fight the animal side of his nature, aka the Beast, but the Beast has overpowered him more than once, hence the murders of those who have harmed Juliet in some way.
Meanwhile, Juliet and Montgomery, who has also tracked Juliet down in London, discover that her father's old colleagues are plotting to continue the creation of the man-beasts in order to use them as biological weapons and to make themselves very rich. Lucy Radcliffe, Juliet's best friend, has discovered that her father is financing this diabolical scheme and insists on helping to foil the plot.
In the midst of all this, Juliet is fighting to keep her own health issues at bay. As a child her life was saved by her father - by transplanting animal organs into her body. In order to keep from rejecting them, she needs to take a serum regularly, a life-saving compound that now appears to be losing its efficacy.
I guess that I found this second installment to be a little bit predictable. I think that the author could have done a little bit more with the Jekyll and Hyde angle. The next book is supposed to deal with Juliet's family's connection with Victor Frankenstein. Hopefully that one will be a little more satisfying.
Finished 9/23/14
Four Stars
Review
This is the second book in the Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness. It's a dystopian (I really need to take a break from these) where all the women of a settlements town are dead, and the last of the children are turning of age. Also, the thoughts of everyone in the town are broadcast, basically mental shouting. The main character in the last book finds out more about how that came to be, and what happened in the town. This book really broadens the intrigue and has the results of a war between the settlements. If found this one easier to get into, but for some reason the pacing was off around half way through. This is one of those books where one character doesn't know what the other is doing, and if they did it would finally resolve the plot in about five minutes. I get impatient with books that have that go on for a couple hundred pages. Overall though, I really like it.
Week 4Spot 24
Finished 9/18/14
Rating: ★★★★
Review:
This was an easy and well written read. It could have gotten pretty complicated with all of the various supernatural creatures and terms, but the author did a good job explaining everything and reminding the reader of the various details, which I appreciated! This is also a great book for Fall reading, because it is set in Connecticut in the Fall... And there is a Halloween party too :) The author really put a lot of details into descriptions of clothing and food... Sometimes too many clothing details, in my opinion! (The color shirt, hair scrunchie, the brands, etc). The main character, Leesa, was a sweet young person... The kind of girl I would want my own daughter to hang out with! This was a pretty clean story with little to no swearing, and nothing more than kissing. Sometimes it did seem a little childish that a college freshman was so obsessed with "kissing" but it did not really detract from the story. My favorite aspects were the spooky setting and the writing style. I am not sure if I will read the next book in the series, but I am going to keep it in mind.
Week 4Spot 24
Finished 9/25/14
Rating: ★★★
Review:
This is the second book in this series and it was just o.k. The Queen of Acadia has decided to sacrifice a virgin weekly to the dragon that is tormenting the country in order to keep the dragon at bay. She turns out to be evil and her daughter, being too smart, is selected in the lottery to be sacrificed. Nothing is as it seems, of course, and the story has a few twists and turns and lovely surprises. Overall, it was fun in some places but the writing seemed verbose in boring places and short in the exciting scenes. I'm not really intrigued to continue with this series but it's not to say I wouldn't try another series by Mercedes Lackey. I hear this is one of her weakest.
Week 4Spot 24 : Book #2 in series
(Pivot Point #2)Finished : 26 Sept
Rating : 5 stars
Review : Only one word. Amazing.
I absolutely loved Pivot Point - the first book in the series and the sequel to it was just as amazing - but in it's own way. I loved Connor and the fact that Laila FINALLY got her happy ending! Also Trevor *sign* totally dreamy. And Addie's new ability to slow time? Sooo cool!
The first book had an edge over this one on the suspense factor though. Made me want to read this that much more. :D
Rolled a 6 (2+4) and now on spot 30.->Read a series #3
->Read a stand alone
->Read a series #30
->Read a book with a blue cover
All set guys. Phew! I didn't think I was gonna make it this week! :P
Arshiya ... you know you actually have until FRIDAY midnight to post your review from last week.OF course that means that your team cannot ROLL until that last review is in, but you don't have to use a free pass unless that last review is still missing on Friday night (or if you know in advance that it won't be in).
Um. Okay. But we didn't use our free pass......
I thought I might not finish by midnight but the book was too gripping to let go so I did :)
Arshiya wrote: "Um. Okay. But we didn't use our free pass......"Sorry .. I thought you had posted that you were going to use it ... My bad. Good you're still holding onto that free pass!
I really thing that random dice roller is rigged. lol. I've never seen a high number generated by it.
I know right? I'm waiting for the day we actually get a double digit score. :PSpeaking of. Suppose we're near the end and we have only say 5 or so places till the finish line and we roll a 7 or 8......What happens then? It's probably pretty early for that question but I'm just curious :P
I'm thinking the stand alone or the blue cover this week. Will post my book as soon as I decide :)
If I remember correctly you can either read a book that corresponds to the last tile, or the number you would be on. I could be wrong though. The game ends after the final reviews, not the roll itself. Of course, this only matters if we are in the top spots in the week of the last roll. I'm, also, not sure how they figure out who wins if more than one team rolls past. My team also suffered from low numbers last game. Obviously jinxed!
Folks I'm going to have to change my book for this week. I can't get Iscariot in time for the deadline. I'm going with this stand alone instead.Aaron's Leap by Magdaléna Platzová
I read a stand alone after the roll and it fits. So I'm gonna go with that for this week :)
Week 5Spot 30: Stand-alone
Book Read:
by M.K. SchillerFinished: 29th Sept
Rating: 4 stars
Review: It was a very good love story. The mystery factor though definitely there, was not much. The remaining story made up for that though. Cal and Slyvie make one great couple. I couldn't help rooting for them.
The writing was very good too. All the emotional scenes were heart-wrenching and the love confessing scenes sooo romantic. The ending was beautiful too. I loved the way the author ended it with the dedication from Cal's book written for Slyvie. :')
Spot #30-Blue Cover
By: Marissa Meyer
Finished: 9.27.14
4 (4.5) stars
Review:
I really liked this. The first in the series, Cinder, was a retelling of Cinderella. This book is a retelling of Little Red Ridding Hood, but also acted as a continuation of the first story. The first book had some issues with pacing, but since there were two major story-lines in this book, I think it worked better. Also, the fairy tale elements were incorporated in a very cleaver way. I am really looking forward to the next book in the series.
Arshiya wrote: "I know right? I'm waiting for the day we actually get a double digit score. :PSpeaking of. Suppose we're near the end and we have only say 5 or so places till the finish line and we roll a 7 or 8...."
In order to win, you have to roll past 75 and if other teams have that week as well, then you have to be the first team to finish. To pick a book for after spot 75, you can go by the numbers of the space you'd be on or use the alternate. The last few weeks of the challenge I randomly select the alternates from the current alternate list and assign them a spot.
Okay. I think I got it. But what if, by coincidence we get a number that lands us right on spot 75? Does that count as well?
Highly improbable I know. Just curious :P
You have to go past 75 so landing on 75 isn't a winning roll.
Oh. It would be such bad luck if that happened. :PTo have come so close yet not close enough.
How's it going guys? Rolling time tomorrow :)
Week 5Spot 30
(blue cover)Finished 10/2/14
Rating: ★★★★
Review:
This was the type of story where I never knew what to expect! The three main characters (Ring, Wally, and Risa) had an interesting and unique relationship. The author's writing style and the narration of the story was refreshing to read. To be honest, I found some parts of the story a little too confusing...for example, the short chapters where Elizabeth's "daughters" were portrayed. There were just a lot of characters and sudden plot twists that frequently left me thinking "wait.. what just happened?"
I also enjoyed the audiobook. The narrator was amazing... super good at accents and male/female voices. Each character had a distinct accent and voice, and the story was read in an animated way. Overall, this story was pretty spooky and I plan on reading book 2 :)
I'll be done with my book tonight. I'll try to get a review written if it's not past midnight. Otherwise, I'll put one up first thing tomorrow morning.
Sorry for the delay. I will be posting mine late tonight or first thing in the morning as well. Busy week but I am almost done! :)
That's okay Sha and Marty. I'll roll as soon as your reviews are in. Hope you're enjoying your books! :)
Okay, here it is at last:Title: Aaron's Leap by
Finished: 10/3/14
Rating: 2.5 stars
Review:
I was looking forward to this book. It ended up being a bit of a chore to read. The writing is very good, which is why I gave it 2.5 stars instead of a 1. The title's a bit of a tease - there is a character by the name of Aaron, the cameraman involved the documentary filming that takes place at the start of the novel, but he is a very peripheral character. He and the mini plot that he's involved in really aren't necessary to the story.
The main character is Berta Altmann, an artist in Vienna, who is loosely based on Friedl Dicker-Brandeis. Dicker-Brandeis taught art to the children of Terezin concentration camp and died at Auschwitz. Berta's fate is the same, but the novel is mostly take up with her life before WW II, as revealed in her diaries.
The other main character is Kristyna, Berta's now elderly former pupil. Kristyna is still working through her own issues with the loss of Berta as well as her own abandoned art career. Berta's diaries were left in her keeping. Before they were deported, Kristyna had an affair with Berta's husband, another source of guilt. She's not pleased with how the documentary portrays her former mentor, or herself.
I expected more depth to Berta's story. Since the flyleaf made such a big deal out of the different art schools that she came in contact with, Including the Bauhaus, I was hoping for more interplay between Berta and the artists who matriculated in those groups. However, this is only superficially alluded to in the novel itself. I thought overall that this had potential to be a great book. It turned out to be a big disappointment.
I'm finished! Whew- what a busy week!Week 5
Spot 30
Finished 10/3/14
Rating: ★★★
Review:
Mau is the only one left on an island after a huge "wave" wiped everyone out. He was returning from his mission to become a man and the island was supposed to welcome him back to continue the ceremonies. He came back to nothing and virtually had to start this civilized nation from nothing. He met "ghost girl" who happened to be washed ashore from the big wave as well. Together the two of them learn about life, tragedy and the traditions of man from different cultures. This is such a good book, but sadly, not really something that would keep my attention. I enjoyed many parts of the book but there were others that had me yawning. I attribute this to the fact that it is simply not really my cup of tea but lovers of these types of books would find it quite entertaining and warm. I will find another Terry Pratchett book to read as I do love his thought processes and writing.
Great! All reviews are in! I'll be rolling now :)
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