Books of Amber's Debut-a-thon update post

Sunday: Continuing to read The Ruining. Will not make my goal of reading 4 books over the time period but I've still finished more than I normally would. Going to dinner with my BFF and that's way more important that reading a book any day. 

Saturday: Finished OCD, the Dude and Me. Started The Ruining.


Friday:

Challenge - Laura at Music Plus Books challenged us to pair our current read with the song it reminds us of. 

I am reading Uses for Boys and it reminds me of I'll Make Love to You by Boys 2 Men. Good grief. Plus I've aged myself once again with that song choice. *shrugs* I.am.old.



Thursday:

Challenge - Unscramble Titles (highlight below to see my answers)

Titles:

1. IIDFEOFYUNM (4 words)

2. TAREDEL (1 word)

3. TPNPOOITIV (2 words)

4. HCITAGRL (1 word)

5. NPOSIO (1 word)

6. TSIPDENLER (1 word)

7. ITSEHTELE (2 words)

1. If You Find Me

2.  Altered

3. Pivot Point

4. Arclight

5. Poison

6. Splintered

7. The Elites

I read 136 of 227 pages of Uses for Boys by Erica Lorraine Scheidt.

Introduction Post:The ever amazing Amber from Books of Amber is hosting a Debut-a-Thon this weekend. Thursday, June 27th to Sunday, June 30th.  

Get complete details and sign up here. My goal is to read one book a day. I am hoping to have all of these to choose from:

Books of Amber's Debut-a-thon update post

Sunday: Continuing to read The Ruining. Will not make my goal of reading 4 books over the time period but I've still finished more than I normally would. Going to dinner with my BFF and that's way more important that reading a book any day. 

Saturday: Finished OCD, the Dude and Me. Started The Ruining.


Friday:

Challenge - Laura at Music Plus Books challenged us to pair our current read with the song it reminds us of. 

I am reading Uses for Boys and it reminds me of I'll Make Love to You by Boys 2 Men. Good grief. Plus I've aged myself once again with that song choice. *shrugs* I.am.old.



Thursday:

Challenge - Unscramble Titles (highlight below to see my answers)

Titles:

1. IIDFEOFYUNM (4 words)

2. TAREDEL (1 word)

3. TPNPOOITIV (2 words)

4. HCITAGRL (1 word)

5. NPOSIO (1 word)

6. TSIPDENLER (1 word)

7. ITSEHTELE (2 words)

1. If You Find Me

2.  Altered

3. Pivot Point

4. Arclight

5. Poison

6. Splintered

7. The Elites

I read 136 of 227 pages of Uses for Boys by Erica Lorraine Scheidt.

Introduction Post:The ever amazing Amber from Books of Amber is hosting a Debut-a-Thon this weekend. Thursday, June 27th to Sunday, June 30th.  

Get complete details and sign up here. My goal is to read one book a day. I am hoping to have all of these to choose from:

Clear Winter Nights by Trevin Wax

Title: Clear Winter Nights
Author: Trevin Wax
Genre: Christian, Theology, Fiction
Pages: 147
Publisher: Multomah Books
Expected Publication Date: September 17, 2013
Rating: Just OK

Chris Walker is fresh out of a college. He has a pretty finance and is on track to be a part of a new church plant. All seems to be going well when he receives news about a loved one at his grandmother's funeral. This news shakes his faith to the point that he doesn't think he even believes anymore. He offers to help take care of his ailing grandfather for a weekend and in spending time with his (former) preacher grandfather, he's hoping to have some of his questions answered.

For such a short book, this one took me quite a while to read. It wasn't a terrible book but at only 147 pages, it still seemed to drag. I'm honestly not sure I would have finished it had it not been a review book. The writing was quite simple and I prefer pretty complex sentences. The dialogue seemed both stilted and unbelievable. Chris was overly respectful to his grandfather and then equally too open. I found that both odd and annoying. 

I enjoyed how being in his grandfather's house helped him deal with some of his doubting. He remembered why he had chosen the Christian life style to begin with to a certain extent. I have no problem with his doubting - that was refreshing. The problem I had was the way the ending was summed up so quickly. 

It seemed that the important part of the story was told over and over and then it just ended. What was told as a 147 page book was basically just a one off conversation....Granddad why do you believe? What do I do if I'm doubting?

I think that someone who enjoys strict theology and theological debate with enjoy this one immensely and I loved the point of the story. I just didn't quite enjoy how the story was told. The family dynamics between Chris and his grandfather was heart warming but it wasn't quite enough to make me really enjoy the story as a whole.

Clear Winter Nights by Trevin Wax

Title: Clear Winter Nights
Author: Trevin Wax
Genre: Christian, Theology, Fiction
Pages: 147
Publisher: Multomah Books
Expected Publication Date: September 17, 2013
Rating: Just OK

Chris Walker is fresh out of a college. He has a pretty finance and is on track to be a part of a new church plant. All seems to be going well when he receives news about a loved one at his grandmother's funeral. This news shakes his faith to the point that he doesn't think he even believes anymore. He offers to help take care of his ailing grandfather for a weekend and in spending time with his (former) preacher grandfather, he's hoping to have some of his questions answered.

For such a short book, this one took me quite a while to read. It wasn't a terrible book but at only 147 pages, it still seemed to drag. I'm honestly not sure I would have finished it had it not been a review book. The writing was quite simple and I prefer pretty complex sentences. The dialogue seemed both stilted and unbelievable. Chris was overly respectful to his grandfather and then equally too open. I found that both odd and annoying. 

I enjoyed how being in his grandfather's house helped him deal with some of his doubting. He remembered why he had chosen the Christian life style to begin with to a certain extent. I have no problem with his doubting - that was refreshing. The problem I had was the way the ending was summed up so quickly. 

It seemed that the important part of the story was told over and over and then it just ended. What was told as a 147 page book was basically just a one off conversation....Granddad why do you believe? What do I do if I'm doubting?

I think that someone who enjoys strict theology and theological debate with enjoy this one immensely and I loved the point of the story. I just didn't quite enjoy how the story was told. The family dynamics between Chris and his grandfather was heart warming but it wasn't quite enough to make me really enjoy the story as a whole.

Worth the Read 1st book chosen

Introducing Worth the Read, a new feature here at Little Lovely Books. 

I sometimes have trouble deciding what to read next. I tend to read the same types of books without trying anything new. Worth the Read, is my way of asking my blog readers to suggest their favorite titles for me to read and review. 

I am open to most types of books but do reserve the right not to read a suggested book if it contains a topic or is a genre that I hate. I also need to be able to get a copy through my library unless I already wanted to purchase a copy.

If you have a book that you think is Worth the Read, please suggest it in the form below. I will randomly choose the first book to read and will post each time I read another suggestion. This might be weekly or less often, depending on number of titles suggested. 

UPDATED: I've finally gotten my hands on the first book suggested. Thanks to Krista for the suggestion!

I'll be reading...

Huge thanks to Renae at Respiring Thoughts and Christina at A Reader of Fictions for allowing me to borrow the idea. 

Worth the Read 1st book chosen

Introducing Worth the Read, a new feature here at Little Lovely Books. 

I sometimes have trouble deciding what to read next. I tend to read the same types of books without trying anything new. Worth the Read, is my way of asking my blog readers to suggest their favorite titles for me to read and review. 

I am open to most types of books but do reserve the right not to read a suggested book if it contains a topic or is a genre that I hate. I also need to be able to get a copy through my library unless I already wanted to purchase a copy.

If you have a book that you think is Worth the Read, please suggest it in the form below. I will randomly choose the first book to read and will post each time I read another suggestion. This might be weekly or less often, depending on number of titles suggested. 

UPDATED: I've finally gotten my hands on the first book suggested. Thanks to Krista for the suggestion!

I'll be reading...

Huge thanks to Renae at Respiring Thoughts and Christina at A Reader of Fictions for allowing me to borrow the idea. 

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Title: Siege and Storm (The Grisha #2)
Author: Leigh Bardugo (website)(Twitter)
Genre: YA, fantasy, action/adventure
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Publication Date: June 4, 2013
Rating: I really liked it

Shadow and Bone (The Grisha #1) - my review

***This is the second in the series and as such might contain spoilers for the first. If you haven't read Shadow and Bone you might want to skip this one***

Ya'll know I fangirled all over Shadow and Bone. I was so excited to read Siege and Storm but was a bit worried too. Afraid that the second one wouldn't be as good as the first one. I need not worry since Siege and Storm  was every bit as good.

This one picks up where the first left off. Mal and Alina have escaped from the Darkling (hence forth referred to as my second husband - kidding...sort of). But like the tag line says, Darkness Never Dies. He finds them and has a cool extremely terrifying new trick. 

After their capture, they are held aboard a ship. Here we are introduced to Sturmhond. Oh, Leigh, why did you introduce such a character to make me think of swaying from the Darkling? WHY?! Sturmhond is a wonderful addition to the characters. He's funny, mysterious, sarcastic and hot. He knows just the right thing to say to make you laugh so I was tickled that he was a central character. 

There were twists and turns and tons of action. I love reading a book that makes me feel as if I am right there and this does. The characters are so well developed that you think you really know them. The fight scenes are so intense that you felt like you fought them. I won't spoil the plot by adding anything else.

So why the "I really enjoyed it" instead of the "It was amazing!"? In a word...Alina. I found her to be highly annoying this go round. She was being worshiped as the Sun Summoner, she had men fighting over her and she could make a real difference in Ravka but she just whined about how hard her life was. Oh great day. Sometimes it seemed like she had a split personality.

That being said, I can't wait for the final book in the trilogy. Will be interesting to see how everything is wrapped up.

If you've read this who were you rooting for?

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Title: Siege and Storm (The Grisha #2)
Author: Leigh Bardugo (website)(Twitter)
Genre: YA, fantasy, action/adventure
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Publication Date: June 4, 2013
Rating: I really liked it

Shadow and Bone (The Grisha #1) - my review

***This is the second in the series and as such might contain spoilers for the first. If you haven't read Shadow and Bone you might want to skip this one***

Ya'll know I fangirled all over Shadow and Bone. I was so excited to read Siege and Storm but was a bit worried too. Afraid that the second one wouldn't be as good as the first one. I need not worry since Siege and Storm  was every bit as good.

This one picks up where the first left off. Mal and Alina have escaped from the Darkling (hence forth referred to as my second husband - kidding...sort of). But like the tag line says, Darkness Never Dies. He finds them and has a cool extremely terrifying new trick. 

After their capture, they are held aboard a ship. Here we are introduced to Sturmhond. Oh, Leigh, why did you introduce such a character to make me think of swaying from the Darkling? WHY?! Sturmhond is a wonderful addition to the characters. He's funny, mysterious, sarcastic and hot. He knows just the right thing to say to make you laugh so I was tickled that he was a central character. 

There were twists and turns and tons of action. I love reading a book that makes me feel as if I am right there and this does. The characters are so well developed that you think you really know them. The fight scenes are so intense that you felt like you fought them. I won't spoil the plot by adding anything else.

So why the "I really enjoyed it" instead of the "It was amazing!"? In a word...Alina. I found her to be highly annoying this go round. She was being worshiped as the Sun Summoner, she had men fighting over her and she could make a real difference in Ravka but she just whined about how hard her life was. Oh great day. Sometimes it seemed like she had a split personality.

That being said, I can't wait for the final book in the trilogy. Will be interesting to see how everything is wrapped up.

If you've read this who were you rooting for?

Books of Amber Debut-a-Thon

The ever amazing Amber from Books of Amber is hosting a Debut-a-Thon this weekend. Thursday, June 27th to Sunday, June 30th.  

Get complete details and sign up here. My goal is to read one book a day. I am hoping to have all of these to choose from:

Books of Amber Debut-a-Thon

The ever amazing Amber from Books of Amber is hosting a Debut-a-Thon this weekend. Thursday, June 27th to Sunday, June 30th.  

Get complete details and sign up here. My goal is to read one book a day. I am hoping to have all of these to choose from:

Stickability by Greg S. Reid

Title: Think and Grow Rich: Stickability 
Author: Greg S. Reid (website)(Twitter)
Pages: 190 ARC
Expected Publication Date: October 10, 2013
Publisher: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin 
Source: Publisher for Review
Rating: I really liked it

Stickability is a short book that is crammed full of information. While reading this, I found myself wishing that I had the ability to write in a book. I just can't make myself deface one but if I could, this would be full of highlighting and underlining. I marked at least 15 pages to refer to later. That's huge for me since I rarely take the time to make notes while reading.

I ended up reading this in one day because the stories told throughout and the tips contained were so interesting. As the book went along, I was less interested in the later stories because the "big names" were up front but overall I really enjoyed it.

In Stickability, author Reid takes the principles of Napoleon Hill's classic Think and Grow Rich and makes them stickable. Some of my favorite "tips" are to surround yourself with an outstanding team, to focus on the outcome instead of the struggle, to make a decision and stick with it and to leave negativity (both people and things) behind. Those are just a few of the gems contained though.

It's one that can be read again and you'll get something new each time. It's well written with a great progression. My only complaint is as mentioned before...the stories towards the end just were not as interesting to me. One told the story of a man and woman who weren't allowed to marry so they married at the top of Mount Everest because both of their religions believed it to be God. But when the story is fully told I wondered why they went to all that trouble. This is a small complaint in the grand scheme of things. I really did enjoy this book and I love that there was such actionable ideas.

Overall I think that this is a well written, highly motivating book. I'd recommend it to any Napoleon Hill and success lovers. Interesting and a fast read.

Stickability by Greg S. Reid

Title: Think and Grow Rich: Stickability 
Author: Greg S. Reid (website)(Twitter)
Pages: 190 ARC
Expected Publication Date: October 10, 2013
Publisher: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin 
Source: Publisher for Review
Rating: I really liked it

Stickability is a short book that is crammed full of information. While reading this, I found myself wishing that I had the ability to write in a book. I just can't make myself deface one but if I could, this would be full of highlighting and underlining. I marked at least 15 pages to refer to later. That's huge for me since I rarely take the time to make notes while reading.

I ended up reading this in one day because the stories told throughout and the tips contained were so interesting. As the book went along, I was less interested in the later stories because the "big names" were up front but overall I really enjoyed it.

In Stickability, author Reid takes the principles of Napoleon Hill's classic Think and Grow Rich and makes them stickable. Some of my favorite "tips" are to surround yourself with an outstanding team, to focus on the outcome instead of the struggle, to make a decision and stick with it and to leave negativity (both people and things) behind. Those are just a few of the gems contained though.

It's one that can be read again and you'll get something new each time. It's well written with a great progression. My only complaint is as mentioned before...the stories towards the end just were not as interesting to me. One told the story of a man and woman who weren't allowed to marry so they married at the top of Mount Everest because both of their religions believed it to be God. But when the story is fully told I wondered why they went to all that trouble. This is a small complaint in the grand scheme of things. I really did enjoy this book and I love that there was such actionable ideas.

Overall I think that this is a well written, highly motivating book. I'd recommend it to any Napoleon Hill and success lovers. Interesting and a fast read.

ARC Envy (3)

Every week several of my favorite bloggers post vlogs or posts of all the great book hauls they've received for the week. Since I'm a tiny little fish in the huge book blogging pond, my mailbox isn't stuffed with all the great ARCs that they get. Dana's ARC Envy is my way of highlighting an ARC that I *wish* had been sent to me too. 

Title: Fangirl
Author: Rainbow Rowell (website)(Twitter)
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Expected Publication Date: September 10, 2013

Judging a book by its cover:  I'm not a huge fan of cartoony looking covers but this cover is pretty cute.

Know anything about the author?  She is also the author of Eleanor and Park

Why do I want it? It wasn't until I became a book blogger that I heard the term "fangirl". Since then I have used the term "fangirl" to describe myself quite a few times. It seems like a fun concept for a book. It also sounds like a coming of age story and I generally enjoy those.


Summary from Goodreads:

Cath is a Simon Snow fan. 

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan . . . 

But for Cath, being a fan is her life — and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving. 

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere. 

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to. 

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone. 

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? 

Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories? 

And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

What ARC are you envying this week?

ARC Envy (3)

Every week several of my favorite bloggers post vlogs or posts of all the great book hauls they've received for the week. Since I'm a tiny little fish in the huge book blogging pond, my mailbox isn't stuffed with all the great ARCs that they get. Dana's ARC Envy is my way of highlighting an ARC that I *wish* had been sent to me too. 

Title: Fangirl
Author: Rainbow Rowell (website)(Twitter)
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Expected Publication Date: September 10, 2013

Judging a book by its cover:  I'm not a huge fan of cartoony looking covers but this cover is pretty cute.

Know anything about the author?  She is also the author of Eleanor and Park

Why do I want it? It wasn't until I became a book blogger that I heard the term "fangirl". Since then I have used the term "fangirl" to describe myself quite a few times. It seems like a fun concept for a book. It also sounds like a coming of age story and I generally enjoy those.


Summary from Goodreads:

Cath is a Simon Snow fan. 

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan . . . 

But for Cath, being a fan is her life — and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving. 

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere. 

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to. 

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone. 

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? 

Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories? 

And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

What ARC are you envying this week?

Aberrant by Ruth Silver

Title: Aberrant 
Author: Ruth Silver
Publication date: April 28th 2013 (paperback)
Genre: YA Dystopian

Synopsis from Goodreads:

In the future Dystopian society of Cabal, the government instills equality for all and offers its citizens the perfect system. There is food, shelter and jobs for everyone. The one requirement is to follow the rules without question, including the government's match in marriage and "The Day of the Chosen", a lottery that randomly selects families to conceive children as natural means hasn't existed in generations. Following her eighteenth birthday, Olivia Parker accepts her requirement to marry her childhood best friend, Joshua Warren, and is eager to start her work assignment and new life when it all comes abruptly to an end as she's arrested and thrown in prison. The only crime committed, her existence. Olivia is unlike the rest of the world born not from "The Day of the Chosen." The truth haunts the government and puts her life in grave danger as one simple fact would destroy the perfect system.

With Joshua's help, Olivia breaks free of prison and is forced on the run. Together they set out to find the promised rebel town in search of a new home and new life together. Their situation seems less than promising as they reach the town of Haven. New rules and customs must be adhered to in order to stay. Leaving would mean most certain death in the large expanse of the Gravelands. Time is running out as the government mounts an attack to destroy Olivia and bury her secret with her. Thrown into a world unlike their own, they must quickly adapt to survive.

One of my favorite genres is dystopian so I was thrilled when Ruth sent me a copy of Aberrant to read and review. Aberrant is the first in a trilogy. 

The government matches up couples in the graduating class. Olivia is thrilled to be matched with her friend Joshua. She is looking forward to her new life when she is arrested. She is arrested because she was born the old fashioned way instead of in a lab. Joshua helps her escape jail. 

Cabal is a pretty scary place. I cannot imagine being required to marry a person that the government chooses for me and having to follow a bunch of rules. Of course, if you follow the rules, life is ok. But if you don't, the punishment is fast.

Without giving away anymore of the plot, I thought that Aberrant was a well developed novel but not terribly original. The pacing was good and there was quite a bit of action. A few twists that weren't expected.

Olivia was a bit annoying at points but generally was well developed, as was Joshua. I'm looking forward to reading more about them in book #2. 

3/5 solid book with lots of potential in upcoming books

Aberrant by Ruth Silver

Title: Aberrant 
Author: Ruth Silver
Publication date: April 28th 2013 (paperback)
Genre: YA Dystopian

Synopsis from Goodreads:

In the future Dystopian society of Cabal, the government instills equality for all and offers its citizens the perfect system. There is food, shelter and jobs for everyone. The one requirement is to follow the rules without question, including the government's match in marriage and "The Day of the Chosen", a lottery that randomly selects families to conceive children as natural means hasn't existed in generations. Following her eighteenth birthday, Olivia Parker accepts her requirement to marry her childhood best friend, Joshua Warren, and is eager to start her work assignment and new life when it all comes abruptly to an end as she's arrested and thrown in prison. The only crime committed, her existence. Olivia is unlike the rest of the world born not from "The Day of the Chosen." The truth haunts the government and puts her life in grave danger as one simple fact would destroy the perfect system.

With Joshua's help, Olivia breaks free of prison and is forced on the run. Together they set out to find the promised rebel town in search of a new home and new life together. Their situation seems less than promising as they reach the town of Haven. New rules and customs must be adhered to in order to stay. Leaving would mean most certain death in the large expanse of the Gravelands. Time is running out as the government mounts an attack to destroy Olivia and bury her secret with her. Thrown into a world unlike their own, they must quickly adapt to survive.

One of my favorite genres is dystopian so I was thrilled when Ruth sent me a copy of Aberrant to read and review. Aberrant is the first in a trilogy. 

The government matches up couples in the graduating class. Olivia is thrilled to be matched with her friend Joshua. She is looking forward to her new life when she is arrested. She is arrested because she was born the old fashioned way instead of in a lab. Joshua helps her escape jail. 

Cabal is a pretty scary place. I cannot imagine being required to marry a person that the government chooses for me and having to follow a bunch of rules. Of course, if you follow the rules, life is ok. But if you don't, the punishment is fast.

Without giving away anymore of the plot, I thought that Aberrant was a well developed novel but not terribly original. The pacing was good and there was quite a bit of action. A few twists that weren't expected.

Olivia was a bit annoying at points but generally was well developed, as was Joshua. I'm looking forward to reading more about them in book #2. 

3/5 solid book with lots of potential in upcoming books