A Reader of Fictions

Book Reviews for Just About Every Kind of Book

Sunday, July 22, 2012

On My New Arrivals Shelf (13)

Guys, I got some awesomeness this week. Link me up or comment below. I love your faces!

Books Mentioned:

The Tea Rose (The Tea Rose #1) - Jennifer Donnelly

Swann - Carol Shields
Metro Girl (Barnaby #1) - Janet Evanovich
Motor Mouth (Barnaby #2) - Janet Evanovich

The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul (Dirk Gently #2)- Douglas Adams
The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden #1) - Julie Kagawa
Violins of Autumn - Amy McAuley
Dualed (Dualed #1) - Elsie Chapman (All of the thanks to Random House!)

Bloggers/Sites Mentioned:
Tara of Hobbitsies
Goodreads First Reads

Digital Books:

Two and Twenty Dark Tales: Dark Retellings of Mother Goose Rhymes - Georgia McBride and Michelle Zink, eds. (from Month9Books via NetGalley)
Dear Teen Me: Authors Write Letters to Their Teen Selves - E. Kristin Anderson and Miranda Kenneally, eds. (from Zest Books via NetGalley)
Pale - Chris Wooding (from Stoke Books via NetGalley)
Valkyrie Rising - Ingrid Paulson (eARC for blog tour)

Size 12 and Ready to Rock (Heather Wells #4) - Meg Cabot (audiobook from HarperAudio)

Labels: new arrivals

31 Comments:

Kat said...: Wow lady, you've got some great books there - I LOVED The Immortal Rules, despite my ongoing allergy to all things vampire! And I'm so looking forward to Dualed!

The cover of Pale is pretty creepy however ;-)

Enjoy!

My Sunday Wrap Up; July 22, 2012 at 4:42 AM
kara-karina@Nocturnal Book Reviews said...: Yum! I would so gobble these books up :) Beautiful book haul, Christina! I'll be looking forward to your review of Dualed. Enjoy!; July 22, 2012 at 9:01 AM
April (BooksandWine) said...: I totally wrote a long and awesome comment, but then I was closing tabs and accidentally closed this one before finishing the comment. SOBS.

Anyways the gist:
I agree being adult sucks.
Yay Jennifer Donnelly.
My UPS guy runs away too. I am usually not home during deliveries though.; July 22, 2012 at 11:45 AM
Christina said...: I usually don't even hear the deliveries, but it's funny when they run away like I'm a monster. Maybe I AM a monster. I should get a sign for my window, only instead of saying 'Beware of Dog,' it could say 'Beware of ME.'

I may or may not have gotten enough sleep last night. :-p; July 22, 2012 at 3:47 PM
Lilian said...: I totally get the UPS guy running away thing (I still yell out a "thank you", even if I suspect they don't even hear me). I AM NOT UG...that ugly! And I don't even have a rapid dog or cat. Maybe they can't wait to get home, I don't know.
I was actually kind of scared when they just left the laptop I ordered from Amazon at my door..what if someone stole it? TT_TT
But since I live in an apartment, I usually meet the guy at the elevator so he can go back down/to the next floor immediately. And if I'm feeling particularly lazy/mean I make them walk to my door.

I wanted to get a copy of Janet's One for the Money from a thrift store yesterday but the copy they had was turning yellow and looked so worn that I didn't want to pay 2.99 for it. I am so cheap.

YAY! for DUALED! that book is on my radar, and I keep getting the cover mixed up with The Night She Disappeared. I look forward to seeing you review it~

Lilian @ A Novel Toybox; July 22, 2012 at 4:48 PM
Kara_Malinczak said...: I'm interested to see what you think of Pale. I debated requesting it but passed on it for now. I am EXTREMELY jealous you got Dualed. I would make a sacrifice of some kind to get an arc of that book. I agree, delaying adulthood as long as possible is the only way to go. <3 you bunches!; July 22, 2012 at 7:16 PM
Heather said...: Being an adult is the lamest. Seriously, why did I spend my whole childhood wishing I could be a grown up? Worst idea ever.

What an epic book week! I own Tea Rose and I really need to read it because I loved A Northern Light. Maybe next year I'll only read books that I own... haha

That cover for Pale is creepy! I'm pretty sure that's how I look in direct sunlight.; July 22, 2012 at 8:09 PM
Christina said...: Yay! I like vampires, but that does seem to be where a lot of the book crimes happen.

DUALED! SO EXCITED.

That Pale cover is HORRIFYING. I have no idea what it's about, but it's a dystopia, so REQUEST.; July 23, 2012 at 9:05 AM
Christina said...: I'm looking forward to my Dualed review too!

It was a great week...for books, anyway.; July 23, 2012 at 9:05 AM
Christina said...: I'm not sure if yelling at them as they run will actually help matters. :-p I do have a cat, but he usually stays away, so I have no idea why they're terrified of me.

I ordered a laptop through Woot and it waited on my doorstep. Thankfully, it was there when I got home. I totally get being concerned about that, because that's a lot of money in an easily accessible box!

I'm very picky about my Goodwill copies. I didn't used to be, but, over time, I realized that if you wait long enough you'll usually find a pretty copy, especially of really popular things like Janet Evanovich. You'll find a nice one someday!; July 23, 2012 at 9:08 AM
Christina said...: We will see about Pale. Only because of my dystopian obsession did I request it.

DUALED will be epic. I am convinced.; July 23, 2012 at 9:08 AM
Christina said...: Same here. I was so excited to grow up. I used to fantasize about being 25 and gorgeous and having the best life ever. FALSE.

You will love The Tea Rose! It will definitely be a 4-5 for you. At least you're reading the books I own?

BAHAHA. So much sun!; July 23, 2012 at 9:09 AM
Lilian said...: Let's just say that the UPS guys all want to get home to catch their episode of True Blood. I love cats, but my apartment complex doesn't allow pets except boring fish.

I went to Savers (another thrift store that I find a lot bigger than Goodwill) and I was surprised at their collection (though I think the only "new" YA book they had was Amanda Hocking's Torn.) But they had so many copies of the Twilight, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (I was so tempted to buy the movie-tie in edition), and The Hunger Games series. And I swear an entire bookcase full of Mary Clark Higgins...which made me feel kind of bad for not having read any of her books. I knew she was popular, but not THAT popular. Or did a Higgins collector donate her entire collection?

They also had several copies of Water for Elephants. I didn't even know it was a movie. Shame on me.; July 23, 2012 at 9:53 AM
Christina said...: I don't blame them for wanting to finish work as quickly as possible, because, let's be honest, who doesn't. Besides, True Blood is pretty exciting. Aww, boo! You'll have a cat someday!

Oooh, I want to go to this store. In my experience, it's really difficult to find YA within the last five years at thrift stores. You can also always find all of the Gossip Girl and Clique books. Of course, if they were that popular, wouldn't people have kept the books? *muses*

I knew it was a movie. I liked the book when I read it ages ago, but who knows what I would think now. I don't always agree with my own assessments.; July 23, 2012 at 10:28 AM
Casey said...: I agree with Christina - read Tea Rose, Heather, I bet you'll love it!; July 23, 2012 at 2:03 PM
Lilian said...: Yes! I will be cat lady!!..Which actually sounds pretty awesome to me.

Oh yes, I saw quite a few Gossip Girl books. And then there was a girl who was looking for the Pretty Little Liars books (which makes me want to read the series.)
Sometimes I wonder if some books are donated from bookstores in an effort to get rid of unwanted stock.

I watched the trailer for it (or the first 10seconds)...it was a bit creepy. And I stopped so I wouldn't be spoiled if I read the book.
I often find myself refusing to even glance at the book synopsis in an effort to be completely surprised. And then sometimes I think I should read them because then I would've known A Discovery of Witches had an obsessive vampire in there.; July 23, 2012 at 5:11 PM
Anonymous said...: Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul has one of my favorite opening lines....; July 24, 2012 at 11:35 AM
Christina said...: One of my 'friends' in college told me I would end up alone forever living as a crazy cat lady. Needless to say, we're not super close now.

Maybe. I don't know. There certainly are a lot of books in perfect condition.

Yeah, I avoid book synopses as well. Just this morning I read a review which told me there was a spoiler in the synopsis for Survive by Alex Morel. Why do they do that?; July 25, 2012 at 9:21 AM
Lilian said...: Ah, SPOILERS! That's why I often skim through reviews (or only read the final thoughts), scared of being spoiled. And it doesn't take much to get me to read something anyway--I would read a book just because I like it's cover (but maybe not buy it solely based on it's cover.)

Your reviews seem to balance plot and your opinions quite well, they interest without giving too much away. Sometimes I struggle with that--there are things I want to talk about, but refrain from since I don't want to ruin the book for future readers.; July 25, 2012 at 10:11 AM
Christina said...: That's PRECISELY what i do. If it's a book I'm definitely planning to read, I just read the first and last paragraphs, since they tend to be summations. I always try to follow that in my posts too, because I know how convenient that is. I totally read things because of the covers. I will buy them based on a cover but only used or on crazy discount like from Book Closeouts. I try not to purchase (at full price) any book I haven't already read and loved or that isn't by an author I always love.

That's so nice to hear! Well, you have your reviews nicely divided up into little sections. Sometimes I jump from section to section depending on what I'm interested in and which seem safe. Sometimes, too, like if I want to read the book, I'll just scroll through your bolded comments. Note: Please don't bold a spoiler. LOL.; July 25, 2012 at 10:26 AM
Lilian said...: Haha. I try to keep spoilers in a section at the end where I let myself go on full-on rant mode. I also exclude that section when I post it onto in Amazon/Goodreads. Now that I think of it, I should probably change the text of that section to white so people can't see it unless they highlighted the text.

I bold because I know a skim book reviews, so I bold my main ideas (or parts that I find funny--yes, I often think I'm funny. I have a big ego) for skimming purposes (and because I know half of the stuff I write doesn't "matter."); July 25, 2012 at 11:53 AM
Jenni said...: Bahaha my UPS guy is always back in the truck once I get to the door too! Too funny. I am like the soul person who was not a fan of The Immortal Rules, I'm definitely the black sheep there.

I can't wait to read Dualed!! I got it from Netgalley, I didn't know there was issues with it. I joined the Valkyrie tour too, I can't wait for that one and speaking of creepy covers, PALE! THAT'S a creepy cover. Great haul! Enjoy!; July 25, 2012 at 12:13 PM
Christina said...: Sometimes I wish I had a full on rant section. Maybe I'll see what I can do to make one, like changing my font to make it difficult to read. Or, sometimes, I just put that on Goodreads, because they have the hide spoiler code. Of course, very occasionally, with a book I loathe, I decide I don't care about spoilers and just warn people not to read.

I enjoy the bolded parts, although every so often I am confused as to why something is bolded. But that's part of the mystery. Haha. If half of what you write 'matters,' I think you're doing better than I am!; July 25, 2012 at 2:05 PM
Christina said...: Hmmm. I definitely do not remember what that is. I should look it up when I get home...; July 25, 2012 at 2:09 PM
Christina said...: Glad to know everyone's UPS folks run from them like they are possessed of the plague. Maybe it's the bookish odors that emanate from our homes. Or the frustration at how often they have to stop there.

No judgment from me for not liking The Immortal Rules. I loathed The Iron Fey, and I'd say 90-95% of readers thought that was just the best.

Oh, there weren't normally. A contact tried to give me a link so I could be approved, but it didn't work. The normal system was fine.

Pale really is one of the creepiest covers I've seen. It looks like Starters' younger brother.; July 25, 2012 at 2:12 PM
Lilian said...: I tend to like reading negative reviews, they are much more entertaining (apparently I like to read snark) and filled with personality. I hear people rave about books all the time, I wanna hear crazy people! WHOO!

Many times stuff is bolded because I think it's funny (or special), which might actually not be funny and I just need to boost my self esteem.

OR maybe I'm secretly trying to piece together a secret message...*dun dun dunnn*
Still a better puzzle than The Maze Runner.; July 25, 2012 at 7:23 PM
Christina said...: I LOVE reading negative reviews. Haha. I saw today on Goodreads that Kat Kennedy is currently reading the sequel to a book I thought was a steamy pile of poo and I'm really hoping to see a snarktastic review. All of my favorite blogs post HARSH reviews from time to time. Those are also the easiest and most fun to write.

I feel like you could make some sort of crazy hard awesome giveaway out of that coding a secret message stuff.; July 25, 2012 at 7:53 PM
Lilian said...: Yes I totally could! Ready Player One style.
Prepare to study all my life's interests, memorize movie lines, and dig up obscure references! That was why I didn't like James Halliday, whom I imagined was a stuck-up guy who wanted people to like whatever he liked to make sure the winner would be a no-life geek.

I like to see negative reviews to make sure the blogger actually has personal tastes and not just spewing endless streams of compliments for the heck of it. Or maybe they are lucky enough to love whatever the read...in which case I am super jealous.; July 25, 2012 at 8:25 PM
Christina said...: Haha, yeah! Bring it on!

Definitely. There are so many bloggers that rarely post ratings below a 4. Odds of them actually loving everything they read? Low. Either they are really good at guessing what they'll like or they're lying. Whatever their reasons for it, it's just not helpful. It gives me 0 idea what that rating means. Sigh. Those people piss me off more than anything, especially because they ALWAYS get 25 books every week.; July 26, 2012 at 7:56 AM
Lilian said...: I wonder how they find time to read all their ARCS..signed books...But I am just being a jealous prick right now. I die with envy when I see their book hauls. While I tell myself "Oh gosh, Lilian. You already have way too many books, more than you can read for a year--especially since you're such a slow reader. Even if you had those ARCs, you probably wouldn't get to them until a century later."; July 26, 2012 at 4:16 PM
Christina said...: Haha, me too. I'm like WHY CAN I NOT HAVE ALL OF THESE? Desperately sad to be denied, but then, I also have review mountain. So it's FINE. Whatevs. I'm doing better, mostly because I really would like to be able to read books not for review again, though I love my review books.; July 26, 2012 at 9:57 PM

A Reader of Fictions

Book Reviews for Just About Every Kind of Book

: Name: Christina; Location: Norcross, GA, United States

I am a librarian in my twenties. I got my MLIS at the University of Pittsburgh in 2010, and, through the vagaries of the job market, ended up working at a software company, rather than a librarian. I still very much consider myself to be a librarian, though.

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Sunday, July 22, 2012

On My New Arrivals Shelf (13)

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