Check out this wonderful Reading Challenge for 2016! I just had a friend share this great list with me. Concise and still challenging! Here is the link: http://modernmrsdarcy.com/2016-reading-challenge/.
The website offers a printable sheet to track your reading progress and even a printable journal for those who love to write the old fashioned way! Great website Modern Mrs. Darcy!
The Grimm Legacy Series by Polly Shulman is lighthearted fun! Each book is based off of a different genre of classics. The Grimm Legacy uses Grimm’s Fairy Tales to build upon, The Wells Bequest uses science fiction stories and The Poe Estate uses supernatural reads. Each book is fun on its own merits and contains author’s notes, which lists titles used for inspiration.
This series is for young adults, but can easily be interesting for middle schoolers and younger, as well as any adults who like to read fantasy! I am hoping that Polly Shulman continues with this series because I enjoy stories that use classics for a base to build upon. Highly recommended, fun reads!
These two books have a little of the Bronte life in them, but each in a completely different way. The Bronte Plot by Katherine Reay takes a literary tour of the Bronte landscape and Worlds of Ink and Shadow by Lena Coakley gets into the minds and fantasy world of the Bronte siblings.
Both books are enjoyable reads. The Bronte Plot is realistic fiction geared more toward adult readers. Worlds of Ink and Shadow is fantasy geared towards young adult readers. Both of these books are an introduction to the Bronte family and may lead readers to find out more about them. Enjoy!
Wake of Vultures by Lila Bowen is a unique and diverse story with dynamic characters that keep the reader guessing! I enjoyed the world and the setting, as well as our brave, unsure heroine!
I am impressed with Lila Bowen (pseudonym for Delilah S. Dawson) and her bravery to venture into controversial territory and bring readers a wonderful, fictional story full of adventure.
Wake of Vultures is an amazing book covering several diverse topics and still manages to tell a magnificent story! Well done, Lila Bowen! I am impatiently awaiting the sequel!
Thanks to Macmillan Publishers and Goodreads for the giveaway, The Killing Lessons by Saul Black (audiobook cd)! I have never listened to an audio book before, but I can see that I will be “reading” books more through this option. I enjoyed being able to have my eyes and hands free to work on craft projects, so I was able to get twice the work done!
I began listening to the cd’s on the evening that I received them-November 3rd. I now realize that audio books take much more time for me to “read” than a regular book or ebook. I had to be alone in the room to listen, with other editions I can read while other people are in the room with me or while they are watching television, such as my husband watching a football game.
The first chapter dove right into the story and reminded me instantly of the elegance, creativity and realism of the writing of Stephen King. Two criminals break into a home of a single mother who has two children. The story revolves around the narrative of thoughts of these criminals, the mother and daughter and several other characters. Descriptive writing brings the reader into each character’s mind and world. The murderers don’t seem to feel emotion or pain unless it is their own, which is scary and completely horrible, but probably par for the course with these situations. The Killing Lessons is intense to the very end.
I also enjoyed the author interview at the end of the audio book. Saul Black shared the beginnings of his story and what he related to while writing. Very interesting and it sounds as though we will hear more about Valerie, the detective, in the future!
Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Teen for the arc of Firstlife by Gena Showalter! The story begins in a detention center, somewhat like a prison, for obstinate people who are unwilling to choose sides – Myriad or Troika. The world building is somewhat confusing and the dialogue, through letters, is difficult to follow. I think the difficulty is due to the arc and I am assuming these problems will be taken care of before publishing. Religious fanatics who go to tremendous lengths to make their children decide on either Troika or Myriad, including torture (even cutting out the tongue isn’t beyond what they will allow), are in charge of this world. The more I read, the more I enjoyed the book. Also, the book cover is beautiful and creative. Gena Showalter is a great author and this series has potential! I am definitely planning on reading book #2!
The Spellcaster Series by Claudia Gray just gets better with each book addition. A supernatural story of the struggle between good and evil ensues and builds a team of loyal and brave characters for the fight against all things wicked.
Verlaine and Asa are my favorite characters because they feel the most realistic and I enjoyed their love story. I would definitely read this series again!
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, an adult read, brings a strange and wonderful circus to life. The drawback – the circus performers are trapped! A suspenseful and imaginative story that is colorfully written and entirely creative.
Servants of the Storm by Delilah S. Dawson, a young adult supernatural read, adds a bit of the psychological thriller mode into a city devastated by Hurricane Josephine. An enjoyable read for anyone who likes the supernatural with a twist!
The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall by Katie Alender is another young adult supernatural story with an evil darkness that adds to the creepiness factor! An old, decrepit building, a history of asylum patients and mysterious deaths all lead to a suspenseful story!
I recommend these books to all readers of the weird and spooky!
The Extraction Series by Stephanie Diaz has reminded me of Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Shadow Series. Clementine has extreme intelligence and small stature, just as Bean does. The Divergent Series by Veronica Roth also comes to mind because of the competitive nature of the societies.
In the first book, Extraction, a depressing world is brought to life where civilians are treated like slaves and livestock! In Rebellion, the second book, Clementine worries that she might be unstable, but she is still intent on stopping Charlie and his senseless treatment of their people. In the third and final book, Evolution, the world of Kiel comes full circle and I enjoyed this one most of all. The writing is more complex than the first two books in this series and Clementine gets to meet the Mardenites’ God!
The Extraction series blends a dystopian society with science fiction and creates an unusual world full of brave and interesting characters!
I absolutely love NetGalley because I have access to many publishers and am able to read wonderful books before they are published! I like reviewing books early, so I can plan purchases ahead of time and also let students and other readers know about books they might be interested in reading.
The Thought Spot 