Take Part – Star Wars Reading Day II!

Could my local library be any more awesome?? Sorry to everyone that is Pacific Northwest only.

Here’s all the info:

“Star Wars© Reads Day is officially October 5, but we wanted to celebrate reading and a certain galaxy far, far away longer. Come for special events at our libraries, including an opportunity to have your photo taken with Star Wars© characters, a show with Charlie Williams (The Noiseguy) and Lego© building stations with Bricks 4 Kidz. All events are free! Join costumed members of Alpha Base, a chapter of the Rebel Legion and Garrison Titan of the 501st Legion for photos during the first hour of each event. Please bring your own camera. Lego 4 Kidz will have Lego© stations for building your own creations. During the second hour, Charlie Williams, The Noiseguy, presents a storytelling parody of the Star Wars© movies with special props and toys. See (and hear) reenactments of classic scenes. You will even learn to make some cool sounds to tell your own stories.
Please bring non-perishable food donations for our support of local food banks.
Alpha Base is a chapter of the Rebel Legion and Garrison Titan of the 501st Legion are volunteer members of world-wide Star Wars © costuming clubs and help others through charity work and community service.”

Where they’ll be at:

Bellevue Library
Saturday, September 21
11am–1pm

Snoqualmie Library
Saturday, September 21
2:30–4:30pm
Held at the Snoqualmie Valley YMCA, 35018 SE Ridge Street, Snoqualmie.

Algona-Pacific Library
Saturday, October 5
11am–1pm
Held at Pacific-Algona Community Center,
305 Milwaukee Avenue, Pacific

Newport Way Library
Saturday, October 5
2:30– 4:30pm
Sammamish Library
Saturday, October 19
11am–1pm

Bothell Library
Saturday, October 19
2:30–4:30pm
Free tickets for the Charlie Williams show at 3:30pm will be distributed at the Information Desk, while supplies last, beginning Saturday, October 12.

What’s your local library up to? You never know what’s awaiting you at the library!

Book Review: Demonic Dora by Claire Chilton

Sep3

Dora is born to heavily religious parents but is unfortunately stuck with quite the personality. Cursed by her love of black and desire to summon a demon from Hell, Dora’s parents attempt to burn her at the stake outside their house.

For once Dora is saved by a successfully summoned Demon Lord. As he whisks her away from her crazy parents and neighbours, Dora has only one choice to follow the demon back where he came from.

But it can be difficult to survive in a world where a fresh soul like Dora’s is the national currency. There’s treachery afoot. Even her demon lord might not be able to save her. Everything comes down to one final battle in the bowels of Hell between whom else? Dora and her demon lord….

The Good: All the interesting bits were about the citizens and structure of Hell. I really loved how Chilton went for the story and took me as a reader on a hilarious ride. Her writing is funny and it’s refreshing to have a book make me laugh out loud. Pooey is definitely my favorite character and I loved how Dora is a strong willed. And she still loves her parents even they try endlessly to kill her!

The Not So Good: For a story that held a lot of promise I’m a bit disappointed with how…rushed everything was. The characters are fun, the personalities of Hell’s occupants are witty, but everything breezes through where I wished the author had lingered. I also wished that the characteristics of Hell had more differences than the modern world. It’s pretty 50/50, and it bugged me that Hell could be so like current day life. There were plenty of other really creative bits, and using something obvious was a bit of a letdown.

I am curious to see where the series goes. It’s different, short and unusual.

I was provided this book in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the publisher Ragz Books and the author Claire Chilton for allowing me to review the book! Best of luck with the series and I look forward to reading the second book.

White as Snow

Sep2

Harrods campaigns Disney. London, England 2012

August Purchases

Aug31

I’ve had a busy month and that’s just not in buying books! I also got a lovely new bookshelf! (really sorry about the photo quality, still working on getting a decent camera)

This month I purchased:

Labyrinth by Kat Richardson

Vanished by Kat Richardson

Underground by Kat Richardson

Poltergeist by Kat Richardson

Hallowe’en Party by Agatha Christie

Special Mention:

Last month I bought the Royal Baby collection from Mills & Boon, but it arrived this month. Doesn’t it look fabulous?

How sad I am that summer is coming to a close! But a new month means more books!

Until next time,

Ashleyisee

Freshly Published: August

Aug29

Just a taste of the many YA books that have been freshly published this month! Images/summaries from Goodreads.

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

(Between #1)

by April Genevieve Tucholke

You stop fearing the devil when you’re holding his hand…

Nothing much exciting rolls through Violet White’s sleepy, seaside town…until River West comes along. River rents the guesthouse behind Violet’s crumbling estate, and as eerie, grim things start to happen, Violet begins to wonder about the boy living in her backyard. Is River just a crooked-smiling liar with pretty eyes and a mysterious past? Or could he be something more? Violet’s grandmother always warned her about the Devil, but she never said he could be a dark-haired boy who takes naps in the sun, who likes coffee, who kisses you in a cemetery…who makes you want to kiss back. Violet’s already so knee-deep in love, she can’t see straight. And that’s just how River likes it.

Blending faded decadence and the thrilling dread of gothic horror, April Genevieve Tucholke weaves a dreamy, twisting contemporary romance, as gorgeously told as it is terrifying—a debut to watch.

The Beginning of Everything

by Robyn Schneider

Golden boy Ezra Faulkner believes everyone has a tragedy waiting for them—a single encounter after which everything that really matters will happen. His particular tragedy waited until he was primed to lose it all: in one spectacular night, a reckless driver shatters Ezra’s knee, his athletic career, and his social life.

No longer a front-runner for Homecoming King, Ezra finds himself at the table of misfits, where he encounters new girl Cassidy Thorpe. Cassidy is unlike anyone Ezra’s ever met, achingly effortless, fiercely intelligent, and determined to bring Ezra along on her endless adventures.

But as Ezra dives into his new studies, new friendships, and new love, he learns that some people, like books, are easy to misread. And now he must consider: if one’s singular tragedy has already hit and everything after it has mattered quite a bit, what happens when more misfortune strikes?

Robyn Schneider’s The Beginning of Everything is a lyrical, witty, and heart-wrenching novel about how difficult it is to play the part that people expect, and how new beginnings can stem from abrupt and tragic endings.

Out of Play

by Jolene Perry and Nyrae Dawn

Rock star drummer Bishop Riley doesn’t have a drug problem. Celebrities—especially ones suffering from anxiety—just need a little help taking the edge off sometimes. After downing a few too many pills, Bishop wakes up in the hospital facing an intervention. If he wants to stay in the band, he’ll have to detox while under house arrest in Seldon, Alaska.　

Hockey player Penny Jones can’t imagine a life outside of Seldon. Though she has tons of scholarship offers to all the best schools, the last thing she wants is to leave. Who’ll take care of her absentminded gramps? Not her mother, who can’t even be bothered to come home from work, let alone deal with their new tenants next door.

Penny’s not interested in dealing with Bishop’s crappy attitude, and Bishop’s too busy sneaking pills to care. Until he starts hanging out with Gramps and begins to see what he’s been missing. If Bishop wants a chance with the fiery girl next door, he’ll have to admit he has a problem and kick it. Too bad addiction is hard to kick…and Bishop’s about to run out of time.

The Sound

by Sarah Alderson

When aspiring music journalist Ren Kingston takes a job nannying for a wealthy family on the exclusive island of Nantucket, playground for Boston’s elite, she’s hoping for a low-key summer reading books and blogging about bands. Boys are firmly off the agenda.

What she doesn’t count on is falling in with a bunch of party-loving private school kids who are hiding some dark secrets, falling (possibly) in love with the local bad boy, and falling out with a dangerous serial killer…

The gripping new stand-alone novel from the author of Hunting Lila.

Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock

by Matthew Quick

In addition to the P-38, there are four gifts, one for each of my friends. I want to say good-bye to them properly. I want to give them each something to remember me by. To let them know I really cared about them and I’m sorry I couldn’t be more than I was—that I couldn’t stick around—and that what’s going to happen today isn’t their fault.

Today is Leonard Peacock’s birthday. It is also the day he hides a gun in his backpack. Because today is the day he will kill his former best friend, and then himself, with his grandfather’s P-38 pistol.

But first he must say good-bye to the four people who matter most to him: his Humphrey Bogart-obsessed next-door neighbor, Walt; his classmate Baback, a violin virtuoso; Lauren, the Christian homeschooler he has a crush on; and Herr Silverman, who teaches the high school’s class on the Holocaust. Speaking to each in turn, Leonard slowly reveals his secrets as the hours tick by and the moment of truth approaches.

In this riveting book, acclaimed author Matthew Quick unflinchingly examines the impossible choices that must be made—and the light in us all that never goes out.

Remember, this is just a taste of what’s out there this month! Pick up something new and give it a try!

Ashleyisee

Book Review: Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor

Aug27

Please note: This is the second book in the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series and does contain spoilers.

Check out my review for Daughter of Smoke and Bone (1).

Karou has found a way home, but there is nothing left.

Akiva has returned to his flock. Hiding his distraught over losing Karou again, he puts his efforts toward finishing what their love started.

Two sides battle against the other in a different world. Yet Karou is now mixed, she is part of her own world, but she is also of Earth now. The small fact brings new opportunities and worse dangers to her fight.

As each side fights for what they believe is right, how can survival prevail?

I have been hording this book for a while. I knew it wouldn’t disappoint and man, it was just as miraculous as the first book. The blending of fantasy with reality is spectacular, as is the hardship and the grief. Taylor doesn’t hold back and she ploughs full force into this next exciting chapter in her well-crafted series.

If you have read the first book but not this one, DO SO IMMEDIATELY.

I can’t wait for the final book, although I’m sad to say it’s scheduled for publication in 2014, called Dreams of Gods & Monsters.