So Many Books, So Little Time

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.   It's a great way to share books I have purchased, borrowed to the library or downloaded to my nook in the last week. I finally went to the library yesterday and picked up all of my books and here is what I got (sorry for the bad picture): Dark Lover by J.R. Ward Christine by Stephen King Push by Sapphire Delirium by Lauren Oliver The Black Tower by Louis Bayard What's in your mailbox?

From Goodreads:  The year is 2032, sixteen years after a deadly virus—and the vaccine intended to protect against it—wiped out most of the earth’s population. The night before eighteen-year-old Eve’s graduation from her all-girls school she discovers what really happens to new graduates, and the horrifying fate that awaits her. Fleeing the only home she’s ever known, Eve sets off on a long, treacherous journey, searching for a place she can survive. Along the way she encounters Caleb, a rough, rebellious boy living in the wild. Separated from men her whole life, Eve has been taught to fear them, but Caleb slowly wins her trust...and her heart. He promises to protect her, but when soldiers begin hunting them, Eve must choose between true love and her life. My Thoughts:  I know that some people are getting tired of all of the dystopian books out there but I must say that Eve is a great read.  I kind of felt like it could have been a YA sequel to Stephen King...

The Book Blogger Hop is a weekly meme hosted by Jen at Crazy for Books .  It's a way to meet other bloggers and check out some cool new blogs. This week's question is:  "Highlight one book you have received this week that you can't wait to dig into!" Okay, I have a confession to make.  I have been so busy this week that I have not had time to get any new books.  I have several waiting for me at the library but I won't be able to pick them up until this weekend.  : ( Did you all get any exciting new books this week?  

From Goodreads:  From the Giller Prize-nominated author of Stanley Park comes a novel about the clash of art and advertising, the cultish grip of celebrity, and the intense connections that form in times of crisis.An unidentified man storms a television studio where KiddieFame, a controversial youth talent show, is being filmed. He is armed with an explosive device, and issues only a single demand, an interview with Thom Pegg, a disgraced former investigative journalist, down on his luck and working for a tabloid. The demand surprises everyone, Pegg most of all. So it is that Pegg finds himself inside the studio, in a position to uncover the truth.Outside, as the hostage taking heads into its third day, enthralled and horrified onlookers watch the drama unfold through a constant stream of media and rumours. In the throes of this crisis two characters — one running from former glory and the other from corporate burnout — meet and instinctively connect. Eve is an Olympic ...

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish . This week's top 10 list is:  Top Ten Books that Tackle Tough Issues 1.) Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson 2.) Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson 3.) My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult (Even though I didn't like the ending, I thought it tackled some really difficult issues) 4.) Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay 5.) Columbine by Dave Cullen 6.) We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families by Philip Gourevitch 7.) These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf 8.) Room by Emma Donoghue 9.) Stolen Innocence by Elissa Wall 10.) Generation Kill by Evan Wright What's on your list?

Ten years in the making and a masterpiece of reportage, "Columbine" is an award-winning journalist's definitive account of one of the most shocking massacres in American history. It is driven by two questions: what drove these killers, and what did they do to this town? ***** "On April 20, 1999, two boys left an indelible sta ...more From Goodreads:  Anna is not sick, but she might as well be. By age thirteen, she has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions, and shots so that her older sister, Kate, can somehow fight the leukemia that has plagued her since childhood. The product of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, Anna was conceived as a bone marrow match for Kate -- a life and a role that she has never challenged...until now. Like most teenagers, Anna is beginning to question who she truly is. But unlike most teenagers, she has always been defined in terms of her sister -- and so Anna makes a decision that for most would be unthinkable, a decision that will...

From Goodreads:  Ten years in the making and a masterpiece of reportage, "Columbine" is an award-winning journalist's definitive account of one of the most shocking massacres in American history. It is driven by two questions: what drove these killers, and what did they do to this town? ***** "On April 20, 1999, two boys left an indelible sta ...more Ten years in the making and a masterpiece of reportage, "Columbine" is an award-winning journalist's definitive account of one of the most shocking massacres in American history. It is driven by two questions: what drove these killers, and what did they do to this town?    "On April 20, 1999, two boys left an indelible stamp on the American psyche. Their goal was simple: to blow up their school, Oklahoma City-style, and to leave 'a lasting impression on the world.' Their bombs failed, but the ensuing shooting defined a new era of school violence--irrevocably branding every subsequent shooti...

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren .  It is a great way to showcase books I have purchased, borrowed from the library and downloaded to my nook.  It is also a great way to meet other bloggers.  Here is what I received this week. From the Library: My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult The Likeness by Tana French From Net Galley: Accidents of Providence by Stacia Brown Eve by Anna Carey What's in your mailbox this week?

The Book Blogger Hop is a weekly meme hosted by Jen at Crazy for Books and is a great way to meet other book bloggers and check out some really neat blogs. This week's question is:  What's the one genre you wish you could get into but just can't?   I wish that I was more interested in science fiction.  I have friends who really love this genre but every time I try to read a science fiction book, I get really bored or the story will seem really lame and I just give up. What do you all think?

From Goodreads:  The thrilling conclusion to #1 bestselling Shiver trilogy from Maggie Stievater In Maggie Stiefvater's SHIVER, Grace and Sam found each other. In LINGER, they fought to be together. Now, in FOREVER, the stakes are even higher than before. Wolves are being hunted. Lives are being threatened. And love is harder and harder to hold on to as death comes closing in. My Thoughts:  I was so looking forward to this book but unfortunately I was pretty disappointed.  The story was great and I felt like this was the best book of the three...until the last chapter.  It felt like Stiefvater wanted the book to be a certain length and just ended the book.  There was no resolution to anything and the loose ends were not tied up!  I still want to know what happens to Grace, Cole and Isabel!!  I feel like Sam is going to be fine but I am not sure what will happen to the other three.  I really loved these characters and am kind of mad that the read...

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish .  This week's theme is the "Top Ten Books that should be required reading for Teens".  Here is my list: 1.)  Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury 2.) One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn 3.) Sunrise over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers 4.) Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson 5.) Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson 6.) We by Yevgeny Zamyatin- 7.) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee 8.) The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins 9.) The Book Thief by Markus Zusak 10.) Cry the Beloved Country by Alan Paton What are your top ten books for teens?

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren  and is a way to showcase books I have purchased, borrowed from the library or downloaded to my nook.  I have been trying to read books I already own so I have a small mailbox this week. From the Library:  Columbine by Dave Cullen                             To Serve a King  by Donna Russo Morin What's in your mailbox?

From Goodreads:  In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself. During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a gr...

From Goodreads:  I was ten years old when I discovered I might be a witch... The sixteenth century: the era of queens. Catherine de Medici is an impressionable, mystical girl. She is orphaned and taken hostage by her enemies, and manipulated by her advisors; yet she is to become France's most powerful regent. History will make her name synonymous with evil, but she is all too human. Humiliated at the hands of her husband and his mistress, and haunted by her gift of second sight, she must rise above her troubles and fight to save her dynasty and adopted country from the brutal Wars of Religion... In THE CONFESSIONS OF CATHERINE DE MEDICI, C W Gortner vividly depicts the turbulent life of one of history's most notorious yet misunderstood women. My Thoughts:  I have a soft spot for historical females who have been completely villainized and Catherine de Medici falls into this category perfectly.  I have read some biographies of her life and have always felt that history...

The Book Blogger Hop is a weekly meme hosted by Jen at Crazy for Books and is a great way to connect with other bloggers and find some really cool new blogs. This week's question is:  How/where do you get your books?  Do you buy them or go to the library?  Is there a certain website you use like paperbackswap? I get a lot of books from the library.  I am very picky about books that I purchase for my collection and I don't have a huge budget for book buying so the library is a great resource for me.  Also, the library in my town is amazing and has a fantastic collection so it makes sense that I would go there. When I do buy books, I usually go to amazon.com or Half-Price books.  I used to be a frequent Border's shopper but the local Border's closed a few months ago. Where do you get your books?

From Goodreads:  "Douglas Preston fulfilled a lifelong dream when he moveed his family to a villa in Florence. Upon meeting celebrated journalist Mario Spezi, Preston was stunned to learn that the olive grove next to his home had been the scene of a horrific double-murder committed by one of the most infamous figures in Italian history. A serial killer who ritually murdered fourteen young lovers, he was never caught. He is known as the Monster of Florence." Fascinated by the tale, Preston began to work with Spezi on the case. Here is the true story of their search to uncover and confront the man they believe is the Monster. In an ironic twist of fate that echoes the dark traditions of the city's bloody history, Preston and Spezi themselves become targets of a bizarre police investigation. My Thoughts:  I like true crime books and this book was no exception.  It is told from two different points of view:  from the point of view of Mario Spezi, a journalist, who wr...

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren .  It's a way to highlight books I have purchased, received or borrowed from the library. Purchased: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare Nook downloads: Pale Rose of England by Sandra Worth Forever by Maggie Stiefvater (pre-order) What's in your mailbox this week?

From Goodreads:  ‘England: firelight and fireblush; wine-dark, winking gemstones and a frost of pearls. Wool as soft as silk, in leaf-green and moss; satins glossy like a midsummer night or opalescent like winter sunrise…Little did we know it but that night we were already ghosts in our own lives…’ When twelve-year-old Katherine Howard comes to live in the Duchess of Norfolk's household, poor relation Cat Tilney is deeply suspicious of her. The two girls couldn't be more different: Cat, watchful and ambitious; Katherine, interested only in clothes and boys. Their companions are in thrall to Katherine, but it's Cat in whom Katherine confides and, despite herself, Cat is drawn to her. Summoned to court at seventeen, Katherine leaves Cat in the company of her ex-lover, Francis, and the two begin their own, much more serious, love affair. Within months, the king has set aside his Dutch wife Anne for Katherine. The future seems assured for the new queen and her maid-in-waitin...

From Goodreads:  At the beginning of Amy Tan's fourth novel, two packets of papers written in Chinese calligraphy fall into the hands of Ruth Young. One bundle is titled Things I Know Are True and the other, Things I Must Not Forget . The author? That would be the protagonist's mother, LuLing, who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. In these documents the elderly matriarch, born in China in 1916, has set down a record of her birth and family history, determined to keep the facts from vanishing as her mind deteriorates. A San Francisco career woman who makes her living by ghostwriting self-help books, Ruth has little idea of her mother's past or true identity. What's more, their relationship has tended to be an angry one. Still, Ruth recognizes the onset of LuLing's decline--along with her own remorse over past rancor--and hires a translator to decipher the packets. She also resolves to "ask her mother to tell her about her life. For once, she w...

The book blog hop is hosted by Jen at Crazy for Books and is a great way to meet other bloggers and find cool new blogs. This week the challenge is to promote a giveaway on another blog.  One of my favorite historical fiction blogs is Passages to the Past and Amy is giving away 2 copies of Catherine Delors novel "For the King".  You can view the giveaway information here .  The book takes place in Napoleonic France and looks really interesting.  So head on over to the site and sign up for the giveaway.  While you're there, you should take a look at some of the great books Amy has been reading!

From Goodreads:  Isaac's Storm, The Devil in the White City, and Thunderstruck have all proven Erik Larson's ability to adroitly craft multilayered nonfiction. In his new In The Garden of Beasts, he demonstrates that gift again as he unfolds the often startling story of William E. Dodd, the first American ambassador to Nazi Germany, and his family. History professor Dodd was an unlikely choice to represent the United States in Hitler's Berlin; indeed, he was FDR's fifth choice for the post. His on-the-job education in the barbarities of the "New Germany" sometimes contrasted with that of his romantic, impressionable, party-loving daughter Martha. Larson places these very personal stories within the context of the ever-worsening events. My Thoughts:  I hate to say this but I was so glad to be done with this book.  It took me well over a week to finish simply because I could not get into it.  The story has an interesting premise; the idea of seeing how an Am...

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.   It's a way to highlight books I have purchased, borrowed from the library or downloaded to my nook.  It is also a great way to meet other bloggers! From the Library: The Confession of Katherine Howard by Suzannah Dunn Received through a book exchange: Divergent by Veronica Roth Purchased for my nook: The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance by Elna Baker Free nook downloads: Snake Skin by CJ Lyons Surrender the Wind by Rita Gerlach Outsider by Ann H. Gabhart The Blue Light Project by Timothy Taylor Fools Rush In by Janice Thompson Hope you all have a happy 4th of July!  What's in your mailbox this week?

The Book Blog Hop is a weekly meme hosted by Jen at Crazy for Books and is a way for book bloggers to meet new people and view awesome blogs. This week's question is:  What keeps you reading beyond the first few pages of a book, and what makes you want to stop reading a book and put it back on the shelf? If I am not sucked in to the story in the first few pages, I will stop reading.  I very rarely stop reading a book in the middle and put it back on the shelf.  I always feel like if I can make that far into a book, then I should just finish it.  The times that I have stopped and not finished a book have occurred when the book is so bad that I just don't want to read it and will find anything to do besides reading (which is normally not how I roll).  Currently there are two books on my shelf that I plan to finish but that I couldn't get through the first time. What do you all think?