Book Review: It’s Not Summer Without You

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It's Not Summer Without You CoverBook: It’s Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han

Published April 2010 by Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers|288 Pages

Where I Got It: Nook store

Series: Summer #2

Genre: YA Contemporary

You can find It’s Not Summer Without You on goodreads & Jenny Han on Twitter, Facebook, tumblr and her website

Goodreads Summary: Can summer be truly summer without Cousins Beach?

It used to be that Belly counted the days until summer, until she was back at Cousins Beach with Conrad and Jeremiah. But not this year. Not after Susannah got sick again and Conrad stopped caring. Everything that was right and good has fallen apart, leaving Belly wishing summer would never come.

But when Jeremiah calls saying Conrad has disappeared, Belly knows what she must do to make things right again. And it can only happen back at the beach house, the three of them together, the way things used to be. If this summer really and truly is the last summer, it should end the way it started–at Cousins Beach.

I just LOVED It’s Not Summer Without You!  I knew it would be completely amazing when I started crying by, like, 10 pages in. Belly’s story continues a year after The Summer I Turned Pretty (henceforth known as TSITP), with another summer that is happening at home, and not at Cousins Beach.

I loved It’s Not Summer Without You (AKA INSWY) so much more than TSITP.  Belly has changed quite a bit since last summer, and with Susannah being sick and everything that happened with Conrad…you see everything that’s happened since the end of TSITP in flashbacks, and how it led to the events of INSWY, and I liked that we got those flashbacks of what happened.

What makes INSWY so different from TSITP is that we get a glimpse of what Belly’s life is like when she’s not at Cousins Beach, and especially what her summers could have been like if she didn’t spend her summers at Cousins Beach.  I have to admit that I’m not sure how I feel about Belly when she isn’t at the beach house, because it’s where she belongs.  Summer really isn’t the same when it’s not at Cousins Beach, but thankfully, things get straightened out, and she spends some time with Conrad and Jeremiah at Cousins Beach after all.

A big part of the book is the death of Susannah, and you REALLY feel it in INSWY.  You really do, and you see how all of the characters are dealing with it…and it’s why summer just feels so different.

Another reason why this book is different than the first is that part of the book is narrated by Jeremiah. I actually really liked it, and I liked having a different perspective on things and how/when he started to fall for Belly.  It’s so weird, though, because the first book, I wanted him and Belly to end up together but in this book, I wanted her to be with Conrad, so it’s quite the conundrum for Belly in terms of romance.  Jeremiah really is the better guy, but I also like the the glimpses of who Conrad really is.  You know, behind all the angst and stuff.  I have no clue who I want Belly to be with.  Jeremiah’s great, but I think she’ll always love Conrad, and I have the feeling she may end up with him.  But…it really could go either way, so we’ll have to wait and see in the next one for that.

I felt so nostalgic while reading It’s Not Summer Without You, which is another reason why I loved it so much.  I just kept thinking of my summer vacations, and for whatever reason, I feel like I read it at the right time.  Like, when I read it, I needed to read something like it, even though I didn’t know it was what I needed at the time.  Does that make sense?  Because I’m feeling like that doesn’t make a lot of sense.  Still, I love the nostalgia I felt when I read it.

Let’s Rate It:

It feels weird to start the year off with such a special book, but that’s exactly what It’s Not Summer Without You is!  I loved it even more than The Summer I Turned Pretty, and while I was so sad for a lot of the characters, I also loved seeing one last summer at Cousins Beach…even though I have the feeling we’ll be going there again in the next book.  It’s Not Summer Without You gets 5+ stars.  

Audio Book Review: Demonglass

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Demon Glass CoverBook: Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins, Narrated by Cris Dukeheart

Published July 2012 by Tantor Media|Length: 8 hours, 23 minutes

Where I Got It: Audible.com

Series: Hex Hall #2

Genre: YA Paranormal

You can find Demonglass on goodreads & Rachel Hawkins on Twitter

Goodreads Summary: Sophie Mercer thought she was a witch. That was the whole reason she was sent to Hex Hall, a reform school for delinquent Prodigium (a.k.a. witches, shape-shifters, and faeries).  But then she discovered the family secret, and the fact that her hot crush, Archer Cross, is an agent for The Eye, a group bent on wiping Prodigium off the face of the earth.

Turns out, Sophie’s a demon, one of only two in the world-the other being her father.  What’s worse, she has powers that threaten the lives of everyone she loves.  Which is precisely why Sophie decides she must go to London for the Removal, a dangerous procedure that will either destroy her powers for good-or kill her.

But once Sophie arrives, she makes a shocking discovery. Her new housemates?  They’re demons too. Meaning, someone is raising demons in secret, with creepy plans to use their powers, and probably not for good.  Meanwhile, The Eye is set on hunting Sophie down, and they’re using Archer to do it. But it’s not like she has feelings for him anymore.  Does she?

Demonglass!  I really liked it, and this series is super-interesting!  Things got REALLY interesting in this book, and it’ll be interesting to see how they play out in the last book.

Sophie certainly has an adventure in London with her friends, and she definitely LEARNS THINGS about her family and the council. The ending of Demonglass?  Not what I was expecting!  Which is why I really want to read the next (and last) book in the series, because Sophie has to go to a very unexpected place to get her mother.  And because of certain things that happened.

So…Archer.  I found that I didn’t really care about Archer, who seems all over the place.  I just really want him to go away, but I’m pretty sure that’s not going to happen.  I did, however, find that I have a soft spot for Cal, who surprised me at the end of the book. Although…I’m actually fine with no romance in this one, because I really don’t like Sophie and Archer together.  But I also don’t like her with Cal, even though I really like him as a character.  Sophie does have a lot on her mind in Demonglass, so romance wasn’t a big thing in this one.

And what about Sophie?  I liked that she made progress with her powers, and we learn why hers so strong.  (hint: it’s because she’s a demon).  I love how snarky Sophie is, but other than that, I don’t have any other thoughts on her as a character.  Which is weird, because I should have more thoughts about her, but at the moment I don’t, so there you go.

Oh, the two demons that Sophie meets!  Nick is certainly interesting, but the other one (you know, whatshername) isn’t coming to mind at all.

Overall, Demonglass had quite a few humorous moments, but it did get a bit more serious towards the end of the book.  It would seem that things are going to go down in the next one, and I was really was surprised by certain things that happened.  I know I’ve been really vague, but it’s certainly plot-twisty enough for me to not want to spoil it.

Rating Time!

I really liked Demonglass (which didn’t make too much of an appearance in the book) but I don’t think I liked it nearly as much as Hex Hall.  Demonglass gets 4 stars.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Goals/Resolutions For 2014

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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely folks over at The Broke And The Bookish. Every week, bloggers from all over are invited to share their own Top Ten List based on the topic of the week.  You can find all Top Ten Tuesdays here.

Top Ten Goals/Resolutions For 2014

I can’t believe we’re a week into the new year already!  We could do bookish or non-bookish, and it somehow seems appropriate to do a combination of the two, since there’s a lot I want to do this year!

The Bookish:

  1. Re-read more.  I had this as a goal for 2013, and was good about re-reading books I’ve read since I started blogging back in 2011. But I didn’t re-read any of the print books I have, which was my original goal.  Still, I do want to re-read more this year, because it’s so easy to get caught up in catching up on the new releases.
  2. Read what I have.  With my Nook, it’s super-easy to buy books, and then never read them, so I really want to read the books I have.  At least some of them.  And as a side note, I would like to be a little pickier with the ARC’s I request from netgalley, because it’s super-easy to request books, which leads to requesting too many, and that leads to me feeling overwhelmed by ARC’s.  Basically, I need to pay attention to what I have, and actually reading them.
  3. Listen to more audiobooks.  I’m not the best at actually listening to the books I get through audible, and while I did get a little better with it last year, I really need to go on an audiobook binge this year.  Because they are pretty awesome, and they keep me from going slightly insane during the day.
  4. There are quite a few book-related things that I feel self-conscious about, and I really want to work on that, because I don’t like it, and it makes reading not-so-fun.  I’m hoping to actually talk about some of them this year, so hopefully, that’ll help a little.

The Book Blog-ish:

  1. Stay on top of behind-the-scenes blogging stuff.  Because being behind on stuff is not fun, and it makes my life easier when I stay on top of things.
  2. Writing reviews as soon as I can after finishing the book.  There were points where I got behind on reviews because I didn’t write them right away, and that made reviewing a little more difficult because certain things weren’t fresh in my mind. Writing shorter reviews every once in a while helps…and the possibility of not writing a review every once in a while could be an option this year.
  3. Comment more on posts/be a part of the book blogging community.  I really want to comment more and be a little more involved in the book blogging community, so I will do this!
  4. I want to do add in some personal stuff.  Like, I do book reviews (obviously) and the Top Top Tuesdays and the Gilmore Girls recaps, but I also want to add in some here’s what I’m up to/currently obsessed with-type posts.  Because I used to them, and now I can’t remember the last time I did one, and since I miss doing them, I think it’s time to start doing that again.  At least every once in a while.

The Cliche/Non-Bookish:

  1. Exercise!  I had a bit of a reality check a couple months ago, when I had a physical for work and…and weighed more than I ever expected.  I’m so out of shape that I can only handle 5 or 10 minutes at a time, so baby steps for now! Also: if anyone feels the need to ask me how exercising is going…that’s okay, because I might need someone annoying me with questions about how it’s going.
  2. Try new things with crochet.  I’ve moved past the scarves and coasters part of crochet, but sometimes, patterns scare me. When I try them anyway, they aren’t as hard as they originally seem, and limiting myself because patterns look scary is stupid.

ARC Book Review: Where You’ll Find Me

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Where You'll Find Me CoverBook: Where You’ll Find Me by Erin Fletcher

Expected Publication is January 7, 2014 by Entangled Teen|Expected Number Of Pages: 190

Where I Got It: from Entangled Teen, which hasn’t influenced my review.  Promise!

Series: None

Genre: YA Contemporary

You can find Where You’ll Find Me on goodreads & Erin Fletcher on Twitter

Goodreads Summary: When Hanley Helton discovers a boy living in her garage, she knows she should kick him out. But Nate is too charming to be dangerous. He just needs a place to get away, which Hanley understands. Her own escape methods (vodka, black hair dye, and pretending the past didn’t happen) are more traditional, but who is she to judge?

Nate doesn’t tell her why he’s in her garage, and she doesn’t tell him what she’s running from. Soon, Hanley’s trading her late-night escapades for all-night conversations and stolen kisses. But when Nate’s recognized as the missing teen from the news, Hanley isn’t sure which is worse: that she’s harboring a fugitive, or that she’s in love with one.

Where You’ll Find Me is such an interesting book!  I liked it, and I liked Hanley’s story.  By the way, I love the name Hanley- it really seems to fit her!

Initially, I wasn’t sure about Where You’ll Find Me.  It was very obvious that something big was the reason why Hanley acted the way she did, and in the end, we learn why she’s acted the way she did. Including acting like things were fine, even though they weren’t fine.  And Nate’s story!  It wasn’t what I was expecting at all, but I liked that they found a friend in each other- someone who understands what the other was going through.  I felt for both Hanley and Nate, but it was Nate who I really felt for.

I think a big reason why I wasn’t sure about Where You’ll Find Me is that the beginning is a bit on the cliché side.  But it was how the story unraveled that made me really like this book, especially the last few chapters.  Once you learn more about Hanley, you understand why she’s doing what she’s doing.

I would have liked to see more of Hanley’s relationship with her sister and her parents.  I did like how her relationship with her sister changed by the end of the book, and how her parents came through for her at the end of the book, but I think I would have liked to see a few glimpses of what her relationship with them was like before everything happened.  Seeing what her life was like before everything happened would have been a nice contrast to how things are for now.  At least for me.

Final Thoughts:

I did like Where You’ll Find Me, and I’m looking forward to reading more books by Erin Fletcher!  I liked that Hanley came to accept that things weren’t fine and that she started to accept what happened.  I liked that she and Nate have this really strong bond, and that they had someone they could talk to. Where You’ll Find Me gets 3 stars.

2013 Resolutions: How Did I Do?

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2013 was a pretty good year,  and I thought I’d talk about how I did with the bookish goals I set for myself way back in January.  I feel like I’m a bit late to the year-end wrap-up party, but now seems as good a time as any to do it!  Like I said, I set these goals a year ago, and though I’d re-visit them to see how I did.

Goal #1: Re-read books on my physical bookshelf

I didn’t really do this, and Goblet Of Fire and Speak are the only books I remember re-reading.  So re-reading the print books I have didn’t really happen…but I did do a bit more re-reading of some of the books I have on my Nook, so re-reading wasn’t a total loss.

Goal #2: Vary my reading a little more

I actually did really well with this!  Netgalley helped a lot, because I found some really interesting non-YA books through them.  I definitely plan on balancing my reading material, but…I did get a little away from YA this year, and I miss it.  So now I just need to balance the two!

Goal #3: Plan what I’m reading a little more

I pretty much ignore this goal, except for ARC’s I was reviewing, so I could have them read in a reasonable amount of time, so the review could come out at a good time (like, around it’s publication date).  I really need to start following through on the Top Ten Tuesday seasonal reading lists.  If nothing else, I should follow through on those.

Goal #4: Actually Finish Series/Get Caught Up On Them

I did okay on finishing, and it wasn’t until later in the year that I started re-reading series to catch up on them.  I definitely need to work on this, because I’m horrible about finishing them…or even keep up on them.  I did start to re-read a few series towards the end of 2013, so I’m hoping I’ll keep up that momentum!

Goal #5: Hoard less books and read them more.

Yeah…having a Nook has turned me into a book hoarder, and while I still need to work on actually reading the books I get, I feel like I have gotten better with this.

Goal #6: Buy less books and use the library more

This one totally didn’t happen.  I did use the library a bit, but not as much as I was hoping.  Still, I have plenty of books to read, so it’s not like I have a shortage of reading material.

Goal #7: Comment more!

I was totally going to comment more on blogs.  I feel like I started off pretty well, but at some point, I just kind of stopped commenting on other blogs.  I really need to do that this year.

Goal #8: Listen to more audiobooks

I did better than I was expecting on this one!  I still have plenty of audiobooks to listen to, but I have been on an audiobook kick lately, and that’s helped!

Goal #9: Use more cookbooks

This one didn’t really happen…can I blame it on pinterest?  Because that seems like a really good idea right now…

Goal #10: Read more classics

I read only one classic- The Outsiders.  And honestly?  I don’t particularly care if I read any this year.  I did attempt to read a few, but I had to DNF them.  It would be nice to read a few, but it’s also not one of my goals for this year.

To Sum Up…

I did better on some than on others, which kind of surprised me for some reason.  I have a post coming about my goals for this year, some of which are bookish, and others…are not.  I have a couple that I may or may not talk about throughout the year, but for now, it seems pretty likely I will be talking about them.

2014 Already?

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I don’t know about anyone else, but I can’t believe it’s 2014 already!  It really does feel like 2013 went by really fast.

I feel like 2013 was a pretty good year, and all sorts of stuff happened.  I went to a few book signings, which was totally awesome, especially because they were the first book signings I have ever gone to! I’ll definitely be going to more, because they were totally fun to go to.

Speaking of books, I read an astounding 183 books!  I had a goal of 150, so clearly I exceeded expectations there.  According to goodreads, that amounts to 50,596 pages, which is a lot of pages. Overall, I really liked what I read, to the point that remembering what I don’t like is easier.  I really feel like I’ve gotten better at picking books I’m going to like, and that if I really strongly dislike something or am very not into something, I’m probably going to put it down and not finish it.  I’ve decided to aim for 160 books this year, and if the last couple years are any indication, then I’ll have no problem meeting that goal!  I don’t have much to add in terms of books, especially because I covered it pretty well in the bookish survey I did.  And my top books of 2013.  Oh, and this post I did my favorite new-to-me authors.

Writing this post is a little weird.  I’m so used to top ten lists and book reviews and Gilmore Girls recaps that writing something that isn’t one of those is really weird.  I definitely want to do more posts where I’m just talking about whatever, because I kind of miss those.  I’m not sure how often they’ll be, but at least one or two a month.

I get the Julep Maven box now!  I love nail polish, so a monthly box that contains nail polish is perfect for me.  There’s a really good chance I’ll be sharing them.  Like now!

January Maven Box

Left To Right: Mona, an add-on, and this months selection, Farrah, Annemarie, and Hope, plus, 2 unidentified orange squares

So, my box had Farrah, Annemarie, and Hope, and I decided that I like Mona (a nail polish included in a different box) enough to add that on to my box.  They also randomly include things sometimes, and I think the orange squares may be nail buffers, but I’m not quite sure…still, it’s always fun to get some mail that’s nice and fun.

Speaking of sharing, I think I’m going to share my crochet projects.  It wasn’t until last month that I actually started taking pictures of what I crochet (well, on a regular basis) because I was doing a few gifts for people and wanted to have pictures of what I made, so I might feature that too.  Even though I’ve been crocheting for a couple years, I still get intimidated, but I’d also like to get over that, so I’ll be trying new things as far as that goes.

Actually, I have a few ideas in mind for some fun posts, so when I hammer out the details, I’ll be sure to share!  There’s so much I want to do this year, both for my blog and in general, so I’ll do a post about resolutions sometime in the next week.  Once I narrow things down and such.  I’m definitely planning on taking a look back on the resolutions I did last year, so I think I want to take a look at that to figure out what to focus on this year.

I’m pretty sure I’m done rambling for today, so I hope everyone has a great 2014!

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I Read In 2013

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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely folks over at The Broke And The Bookish. Every week, bloggers from all over are invited to share their own Top Ten List based on the topic of the week. You can find all Top Ten Tuesdays here.

Top Ten Tuesday Header

Top Ten Books I Read In 2013

I can’t believe 2013 is almost over!  I’ve read so many good books this year, and these are the ten that stood out as the best of 2013.

  1. If I Stay/Where She Went by Gayle Forman.  I find it so hard to see these books as individual books, but they go so well-together!  The stories are completely amazing and heart-breaking and unforgettable.
  2. Lovely, Dark and Deep by Amy McNamara.  I loved this book so much!  I was still crying a few minutes after finishing it, and there’s some very quiet and reflective and beautiful about this book.
  3. Out Of Breath by Rebecca Donovan.  I was so glad when Out Of Breath came out, because I really wanted to know what was going on in Emma’s life and if she got her happy ending.  I got so invested in her story, and I’m glad she started to make peace with everything that happened in her life.
  4. This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales.  I related to Elise a lot, and I loved seeing Elise find a place where she belonged.
  5. Boundless by Cynthia Hand.  I am such a fan of the Unearthly series, and Boundless was such an amazing end to the series. There was some crying involved and a bit of “oh my god, what just happened, that better be resolved” and said things were resolved to my satisfaction…and this is why I shouldn’t read in public…but Boundless is still one of the best books I’ve read all year.
  6. Mouse Guard: Fall 1152.  This is such an adorable graphic novel, and I love the idea of sword-wielding mice in medieval Europe.
  7. This Much Is True by Katherine Owen.  There was so much angst in this book I wasn’t sure if I was emotionally stable enough to handle it, and it’s quite the emotional roller-coaster, but it was so worth it, because I wanted things to go right for Tally and Lincoln.
  8. A World Away by Nancy Grossman.  This is definitely one of my favorites from this year!  I liked Eliza’s story, but what really made A World Away great was Jessica Lawshe, who narrated the audio book, and was completely amazing!  I liked seeing Eliza in the non-Amish world, and Jessica Lawshe really brought her to life.
  9. Allegiant by Veronica Roth.  I thought Allegiant was a really good ending to the series, and it’s one of my favorite books of the year.  Mostly because of the last few chapters, which I thought were heart-breaking.
  10. Between Shades Of Gray by Ruta Sepetys.  I can’t believe it took me so long to read this one, but I’m glad I finally did!  It was such a great book, and definitely one of the best I’ve read!

And, of course, the books that came so close to making the top ten: Paranormalcy by Kiersten White, Scarlet by Marissa Meyer, With All My Soul by Rachel Vincent, Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson, and Ten Tiny Breaths by K.A. Tucker.

Gilmore Girls 3×12: Lorelei Out Of Water

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Lorelei Out Of Water originally aired January 28, 2003.  This episode was written by Janet Leahy and was directed by Jamie Babbit.

We start this episode with Lorelei and Rory looking at the garage, which needs to be cleaned if Lane’s band is going to be practicing there.

From there, Luke is annoyed by all of the noise the construction going on next door is making, and Luke just needs Taylor to bring by the lease agreement.  However, Taylor’s lawyer stops by with the paperwork and just needs to witness Luke’s signature.  He tells her she doesn’t need to pay, but later worries that she’ll get into trouble for having Taylor pay for it.  He asks her out on a date, and she agrees.

Lane’s band is ready to practice in the garage, and Lorelei has some basic rules for them to follow.  Later on, Lane is excited that she might go to prom, and she and Rory pick up some make-up for a wedding.  Lane’s cousin is getting married, and there have been 46 weddings at the Kim’s house, and it’s going to be the last one for a while.  Lane has a plan in place so Dave can take her to prom, but Mrs. Kim has a different guy in mind for Lane.  Dave is out of the question, since he isn’t Korean.

Rory and Paris still aren’t getting along- Paris tried to impeach Rory from student council, and when the advisor says it’s not possible, she wants something in place to make it possible.  Things are so tense that they get called to the Headmaster’s office, where they have yet another fight.  Rory says she’ll quit, because she never wanted it in the first place.  She only did it because Paris wasn’t going to win without Rory.  Headmaster Charleston goes through a list of possible reasons why they’re fighting, but he finally tells Rory that she is not going to resign because she needs to honor her commitment, and Paris that she’s worked too hard to get where she is to throw it away because of a vendetta.  If they can’t resolve their conflict in a sheltered (possibly pampered) environment, then they may not survive college.  And he will send a letter correcting his previous letters of recommendations if he has to.

Lorelei agrees to go fishing with Alex, because she wasn’t sure what to say when he said he liked fishing and camping.  Rory checks out some books from the library, but Luke offers to teach her the basics when he learns that Lorelei is learning how to fish from a book.

Lorelei does go fishing, and when Lorelei goes outside, Alex asks Rory if Lorelei’s been fishing, and if she’d like lunch at a lodge close to the place where they’re going fishing.

Rory come home to Lorelei watching a fish swim in the bathtub.

Thoughts:

So…Lorelei fishing.  At first, I was wondering why they didn’t google it, but then I realized that this episode took place long before you would Google it.  And they know Luke likes to go fishing, so why wouldn’t they ask him?  I get why Lorelei doesn’t want to ask- she admits to feeling stupid about pretending to like something because of a guy, and while I know researching is Rory’s thing, you’d think that would occur to Rory.  It also seemed like Alex knew Lorelei didn’t fish, but maybe I’m reading too much into it.  I don’t know how/why I know this, but it just seemed like he knew.

As for Paris and Rory…Charleston does have a point about how they need to resolve this conflict.  I’m glad he told Rory she wasn’t going to quit student council, because she really needs to stick with it.  And to think about why she’s doing something, and do it because she truly wants to and not because Paris wants her to.  Sadly, I’m not surprised that Rory wants to quit, and not just because I’ve seen this episode before.  And Paris having a vendetta is also not a surprise.

I am surprised that Charleston says that some would say that Chilton is a pampered environment.  However, I do agree with his assessment, because some of the things that Chilton allows…it is a pretty privileged school, what with letting students reserve classrooms on a Saturday so that students can work on a group assignment, and classes like obscure Russian poetry, or whatever was offered as a summer school class back in season one…or was it season two?  Anyway, there is the sense that a little of the students are very privileged, and for some reason, it just is surprising that Charleston would actually say that.

I have no thoughts for Lane’s prom…yet.  But that comes up later, so I may have thoughts then.  And Rory and Lorelei’s garage is one scary place.  Like, it’s Hoarder’s scary.  Seriously.

Favorite Lines/Scenes:

And once again, nothing really jumped out at me at being particularly amusing or funny or interesting

Pop Culture:

Sanford & Sons, Smashing Pumpkins

Episode Rating:

This is another episode that is kind of forgettable.  We see some of the Rory/Paris tension, and while I know that gets resolved at some point, I can’t remember when that is.  And a few things in this episode are set-up for future episodes, but…I kind of forgot about a lot of the goings on in this episode.  So, this episode gets 2.5 mugs of coffee.

Audio Book Review: Timeless

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Timeless CoverBook: Timeless by Gail Carriger, Narrated by Emily Gray

Published March 2012 by Hachette Audio|Run Time: 11 hours, 29 minutes

Where I Got It: Audible.com

Series: Parasol Protectorate #5

Genre: Adult Paranormal/Steampunk/Fantasy

You can find Timeless on goodreads & you can find Gail Carriger on Twitter, Facebook and her website

Goodreads Summary: Alexia Tarabotti, Lady Maccon, has settled into domestic bliss. Of course, being Alexia, such bliss involves integrating werewolves into London High society, living in a vampire’s second best closet, and coping with a precocious toddler who is prone to turning supernatural willy-nilly. Even Ivy Tunstell’s acting troupe’s latest play, disastrous to say the least, cannot put a damper on Alexia’s enjoyment of her new London lifestyle.

Until, that is, she receives a summons from Alexandria that cannot be ignored. With husband, child, and Tunstells in tow, Alexia boards a steamer to cross the Mediterranean. But Egypt may hold more mysteries than even the indomitable Lady Maccon can handle. What does the vampire Queen of the Alexandria Hive really want from her? Why is the God-Breaker Plague suddenly expanding? And how has Ivy Tunstell suddenly become the most popular actress in all the British Empire?

I’m feeling a little sad that I’m finished with the Parasol Protectorate series!  At least there’s her Finishing School series…

I think Timeless is my favorite book in the series!  It takes place 2 years after Heartless, and we learn more about a lot of things. Like Alexia’s father, and his role in the God-Breaker Plague, and what Floote really knows…which is a lot of things.  And we learn a little bit more about Alexia’s abilities and the abilities of her daughter Prudence, who won me over!

Seriously, Prudence is one hysterically funny child, who really has her own personality.  She definitely takes after her parents, who are entertaining as always.  There’s a lot going on, and I wasn’t bored at all.  In fact, I was thoroughly entertained, what with Ivy’s play, and the vampire Queen Of Alexandria…who needs something from Alexia and Prudence that was totally unexpected.  Still, it was one of the really interesting parts of the book, and I liked that it connected to some things in Heartless.

I also liked that Carriger focused on Egypt and London.  Not only do we follow Alexia but we see what’s going on with Biffy and the rest of the pack in London, and how they’re dealing with things over there.  And that settles things for when Conall retires as alpha of his pack.

One thing I’ve loved about this series is the narration!  Emily Gray does such a great job narrating the series, and I love how she brings the characters to life.  I really can’t imagine anyone else narrating the series, and I highly recommend the audio books in particular!

Final Thoughts:

I have really enjoyed this series, and Timeless is a great end to the series.  I liked seeing what was going on in both London and in Egypt, and the narration was great.  Timeless gets 5 stars.

2013 End Of The Year Bookish Survey

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2013 End Of Year Survey

This survey is an annual survey hosted by Jamie over at The Perpetual Page-Turner, and it seems like a good way to wrap up my 2013 reading!  I have a couple other posts coming up next week taking care of a few other year-end things, but this one seemed like a good way to start the 2013 year-end stuff. As a warning…it’s going to be a long one!

2013 Survey Best In Books

1.  Best Book You Read In 2013? (If you have to cheat — you can break it down by genre if you want or 2013 release vs. backlist)

Best YA Contemporary: That Time I Joined The Circus by J.J. Howard

Best YA Paranormal: With All My Soul by Rachel Vincent

Best New Adult: Ten Tiny Breaths by K.A. Tucker

Best Adult Historical Fiction: The Trial Of Dr. Kate by Michael Glasscock

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

The Sea Of Tranquility by Katja Millay.  I just didn’t care about either character until the end of the book and by then, it was too late. Sadly, I think I over-hyped this book.

3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2013? 

I think I’m going to have to with Allegiant for this one.  I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started reading it, and there were tears, but I was surprised by some of the things we learned.

 4. Book you read in 2013 that you recommended to people most in 2013?

I don’t recommend a lot of books, but after finishing Between Shades Of Gray, I’m going to be recommending that one a lot!

5. Best series you discovered in 2013?

The Parasol Protectorate by Gail Carriger.  It was so fun to listen to, and I couldn’t help but giggle the entire time I was listening to it.

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2013?

I’m going to go with K.A. Tucker!  I’m really loving her 10 Tiny Breaths series.  I also want to read her Casual Enchantment series.

7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you?

I have to go with Mouse Guard, which is a graphic novel by David Peterson.  I don’t normally read graphic novels, but I’m really glad I read this one.  It’s really hard to not like medieval mice with swords.

 8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2013?

Unbroken by Rachel Caine.  I read it in a day, and I couldn’t for a better ending to her Outcast Season series.

9. Book You Read In 2013 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

I don’t re-read a lot, but I think I’m going to be reading Hex Hall again.  It was a fun read, and I can’t wait to finish the series!

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2013?

That Time I Joined The Circus Cover

11. Most memorable character in 2013? 

Eliza Miller from A World Away.  A lot of it is because of Jessica Lawshe’s narration in the audio book, but I loved seeing an Amish girl explore the non-Amish world and how she found family.

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2013?

Lovely, Dark And Deep by Amy McNamara.  Every word felt carefully chosen and well-thought out.  There was also something very poetic and lyrical about it.

13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2013? 

This is a good one!  I don’t think I can pick just one.  This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales is my first pick, because I love Elise, and her story.  And Between Shades Of Gray, which I’ve mentioned a few times.  But it’s mind-boggling that I didn’t really know the details of the events that inspired the book!

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2013 to finally read? 

Between Shades Of Gray by Ruta Sepetys.  I am kicking myself for taking so long to read it!

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2013?

Funniest, from Timeless by Gail Carriger:

“I suppose that saves us from having to determine what to do with a butler who goes around killing people.  It certainly reflects badly upon our domestic staff.  Still, I shall miss him.  There was a man who knew how to brew a good cup of tea.”

Unforgettably sad, from Out Of Breath by Rebecca Donovan:

“I was so tired of fighting. Tired of hurting. Tired of the guilt that never released me, and the regrets that could not be changed. I didn’t want this life. They’re were only so many times I could hear that I should never have been born, before I wished it to be true.”

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2013?

Here’s how I did this: I went to my 2013 shelf on goodreads, and sorted by page number!  Actually, this is one of those times when I’m glad I make yearly shelves on goodreads, because it was a lot easier than looking for the 2013 books on my read shelf.

Shortest: Broken Beauty, which is a novella that clocked in at 78 pages.

Longest: I’m pretty sure The Rise And The Fall Of The Third Reich by William Shirer is the longest book I read this year.  I’m not sure what the page count is, but it was 57 hours, so whatever the page equivalent of that is…

17. Book That Had A Scene In It That Had You Reeling And Dying To Talk To Somebody About It? (a WTF moment, an epic revelation, a steamy kiss, etc. etc.) Be careful of spoilers!

I had a major WTF moment when I read Allegiant!

18. Favorite Relationship From A Book You Read In 2013 (be it romantic, friendship, etc).

Family: Charli and Alex in Saving Wishes.  Alex seems like an awesome relative.

Romantic: Ana and Sam in Asunder by Jodi Meadows.  They’re adorable together.

Friendship: All of the different friendships in the last couple Morganville Vampire books.  Because they are there for their friends.

19. Favorite Book You Read in 2013 From An Author You’ve Read Previously

I’m going with the obvious (to me) choices of Rachel Caine and Maria Snyder.  Because they are two of my favorites!

20. Best Book You Read In 2013 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else.

I have to go with Mouse Guard again!  It’s not even funny how adorable this book is, and I love that there mice who have their own little community and have guards.

21. Genre You Read The Most From in 2013?

I think YA paranormal and YA contemporary are pretty close.

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2013?

This is going to be a hard one but I’m going to have to go with Lord Maccon from the Parasol Protectorate.  It’s the first time I’ve liked werewolves on their own, and it’s because of him…

23. Best 2013 debut you read?

I don’t really pay attention to whether books are debuts or not, but I really liked The Darwin Elevator by Jason Hough.  Mostly because it’s the only debut I’m aware of…but also because it’s pretty awesome.

24. Most vivid world/imagery in a book you read in 2013?

Shadow And Bone by Leigh Bardugo.  There is no doubt about this one!  It’s so vivid and interesting and different, and it’s the first one that came to mind.

25. Book That Was The Most Fun To Read in 2013?

I read a lot of books that were fun to read, but Beauty Queens by Libba Bray is right up there.  I couldn’t stop laughing!

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2013?

I could do a whole post on books that made cry!  However, I am going to have to go with Out Of Breath by Rebecca Donovan, because I cried almost the entire time I was reading it!

27. Book You Read in 2013 That You Think Got Overlooked This Year Or When It Came Out?

This is a good one!  I’m going to go with A World Away by Nancy Grossman.  It’s such a great book, and I loved Eliza’s story.

2013 SurveyBook Blogging

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2013? 

I know I’ve followed a few new blogs, but one of my favorites is Book Riot.  They don’t post a lot of reviews, and they lean more towards interesting book-ish news, but it’s always fun to see what they’re posting.

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2013? 

My review for Beauty Queens is my favorite.  Mostly because I felt the urge to say Sparkle Ponies throughout the entire review.  And because I kept hearing the characters every single time I talked about a different character.

3. Best discussion you had on your blog?

I don’t really do discussion posts, but I’ve had some interesting conversations in the comments!

4. Most thought-provoking review or discussion you read on somebody else’s blog?

I know I’ve read a few interesting ones…but I don’t tend to keep of them.  However, I did like this one post on Book Riot about what it means to be well-read.

5. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?

This year was the first year I went to book signings!  I went to books signings for The Darwin Elevator and The Plague Forge, which was awesome, and I also went to an Abbi Glines/Colleen Hoover/Jamie McGuire book signing, which was just as awesome.

6. Best moment of book blogging/your book life in 2013?

When I bought my own domain!  I’ve been thinking about it for a while, and I finally did it!

7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?

My most popular post is a top ten tuesday post!  I wrote Top Ten Books For People Who Like The Iron Fey back in 2012, and it’s a post a lot of people search for.  I think it might be time to do a follow-up!

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?

Interestingly enough, there isn’t any particular post that I’m wishing more people would pay attention to.

9. Best bookish discover (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?

I love the Book Riot podcast.  I look forward to listening to it every week, and it has a lot of bookish news that I wouldn’t hear about otherwise.

2013 Survey Looking Ahead

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2013 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2014?

I have so many to pick from!  My Number One pick is The Book Thief, because I’ve heard so many good things that I want to know why people love it so much!

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2014 (non-debut)?

I’m looking forward to look of books next year, and the non-debut books I’m looking forward to reading just happen to be in this post.

3. 2014 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?

A Death-Struck Year by Makiia Lucier.  It’s set during the Spanish Infleunza epidemic, and I can’t wait to read it!

4. Series Ending You Are Most Anticipating in 2014?

I really excited about Sweet Reckoning by Wendy Higgins, because I have no clue how things are going to turn out.

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging In 2014?

I really want to participate more in the book blogging community.  I feel like we’re a pretty awesome group of people, and I really want to comment more.