Netflix for Books?

Okay. I'm a firm believer in real books. The ones you can touch, smell, and put on a physical shelf. But I also live in a place where the nearest bookstore is about, oh, an hour away, so e-books are pretty much necessary unless I use my free shipping via Amazon. 

I know. I'm not being a very good bibliophile, but I just want to read! And as a new mom, I simply don't have the time (or the gas money) to trek it to the bookstore all the time - then I have to hope they are carrying what I'm looking for. Besides, what does it matter in what format we read so much as that we do read. Right?

So, as a result, I'm probably a little too excited about this app by the name of Oyster. Who has Netflix? Oyster is supposedly like the Netflix for books. What a concept. Pay a monthly fee and get access to hundreds of thousands of books. Read unlimited. Two words that fit wonderfully together.

I really want to support local bookstores, but in my neck of the woods (literally - the woods), there simply aren't any. So, I'm not going to feel guilty. Not really. I'm just going to enjoy reading in whatever form I can get. 

But before I get off point, click here to check out Oyster. They have some fabulous titles, and I love the idea of being able to read a book before I buy it in hardcover. (I guess I can't feel too guilty - if I really love a book, I have this obsessive need to display it like the work of art that it is on my bookshelf.) 

Check it out! Enjoy!

Cheers!

Waiting On Wednesday

It's that time of week. Time to take a moment to share what books you are anxiously waiting to be released! Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine.

This week's WoW:

Annie grew up with a warped family who didn't shelter her from the horrors of the world. In fact, they threw it at her feet.

When she meets a boy who shows her affection she struggles with feelings she had never experienced before. But her family is not willing to let her go easily.

Even if Annie is able to escape their control, the damage done to her will haunt her for the rest of her life.

I've been following Teresa Mummert on Facebook, and I'm pretty excited to get my hands on this one on March 11th!

What are you waiting for?

Cheers!

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. Pretty simple really: just grab one of your current reads, crack it open, and pick a few lines in order to give other readers a glimpse into the book.

This week, I'm choosing Making Faces by Amy Harmon. This book is consuming me - sleep be damned. 

One of my favorite scenes so far is when Fern and Bailey are driving around their sleepy little town discussing the shit hand that Bailey's been handed in life. 

"'There are times like that, Bailey. Times you don't think you can take it anymore. But then you discover that you can. You always do. You're tough. You'll take a deep breath, swallow just a little bit more, endure just a little longer, and eventually you'll get your second wind.'"

"'Accept the truth in it. Own it, wallow in it, become one with the shit.'"

"Swearing could be very therapeutic."

There you have it. I've been in a reading slump lately, and this book is turning out to be my savior. Seriously. It's incredible so far, and even though I haven't finished it yet, I would take that leap and go so far as to highly recommend it.

OR

Download Making Faces via Amazon or B&N.

Happy Tuesday!!!
Cheers!

Review: Thorn Queen by Richelle Mead

Eugenie Markham is a shaman for hire, paid to bind and banish creatures from the Otherworld. But after her last battle, she's also become queen of the Thorn Land. It's hardly an envious life, not with her kingdom in tatters, her love life in chaos, and Eugenie eager to avoid the prophecy about her firstborn destroying mankind. And now young girls are disappearing from the Otherworld, and no one--except Eugenie--seems willing to find out why.

Eugenie has spilled plenty of fey blood in her time, but this enemy is shrewd, subtle, and nursing a very personal grudge. And the men in her life aren't making things any easier. Her boyfriend Kiyo is preoccupied with his pregnant ex, and sexy fey king Dorian always poses a dangerous distraction. With or without their help, Eugenie must venture deep into the Otherworld and trust in an unpredictable power she can barely control. Reluctant queen or not, Eugenie has sworn to do her duty--even if it means facing the darkest--and deadliest--side of her nature. . .

Let me start by saying that I wasn't sure how to rate this book. I really like the way Mead thinks, from her world-building to character development to the surprises she holds in store for Eugenie. But at the same time I'm just kinda like... eh...

Maybe it's because toward the middle of the story I found myself asking..."So what's really happened so far? Hmmm... Not much." It dragged a little, and while it picked up toward the end, getting to that point was a little monotonous. It's because of this monotony that I'm just getting kind of bored with the whole story. Relationships and characters have changed, but as for everything else that's going around them, I feel like Thorn Queen is one of those filler/stepping-stone novels.

I do have to say, though, that I love how Eugenie has evolved and transformed through her experiences. Comparing her to the way she was when we first met, the only thing that's remained unchanged is her strength and sass. Everything else has shifted, and Eugenie is anything but a stagnant and stuffy character.

Her relationship with Kiyo is - and here's that "word" again - eh. Honestly, the guy has never felt right for Eugenie and I could never sense that spark between them no matter how much she said she loved him. Sorry, Eugenie. I'm not convinced.

Dorian, on the other hand... The one guy that Eugenie thought she could never trust seems to be the only one who truly loves and understands her unconditionally. Go figure. You've made me a believer, Dorian, even if Eugenie is too pigheaded to see it herself.

In the way of evil-doers, Mead surprised me with her knack for creating a truly sick and twisted villain - you know the kind who don't even know they are evil? The ones that think they are good and right? I relished at the idea of him getting his ass beat - or worse.

To sum the rambling up, Mead's character development is amazing (even if the one relationship kinda flopped for me). You know these people - they are real within the pages - and you hurt and hope for them (even if you want to clobber them sometimes).

The writing style, as always, is fluid and easy. Eugenie keeps things light even with shit hits the fan and the descriptions do well to build this solid little world that you can see and almost touch with your own two hands.

So while there's a lot of good that I have to say about what gives this book readability, it's just that - "good." Not great or mind-blowing or any of those other adjectives that you'd use with a 4+ star review. I don't really feel that I'll remember much about this story a few months down the road. It's worth reading - don't get me wrong - but, for me, it wasn't anything to glow about.

So, would I recommend? Yeah, sure. If you're looking for some easy reading that'll keep you entertained until your next read. Richelle Mead has definite talent and potential - no argument - I just don't think I'm in a huge hurry to finish the series.

3/5 Stars. 

Cheers!

I'm Back!

Wow. Let's see if I remember how to do this. It's been about… oh, hell I don't know - it's been forever since I've immersed myself in the book world.

Lately, I've been up to my elbows in diapers, spit up, and bottles. Yup, that's right! I had my beautiful little boy, and he's already about to hit the two month mark. Needless to say, reading, blogging, and anything that has nothing to do with catching up on my sleep or sneaking a shower hasn't really been on my list of priorities. 

But I'm hoping to change that now that I've gotten the hang of being a new mom. 

I'm going to kick off 2014 as the year of all years. I had lots of goals for 2013, but when I found out I was pregnant (WOAH!), everything else came to a screeching halt and basically got put on the backburner behind the backburner. 

So, this is my do-over. I'm hoping to participate in some challenges, maybe a few tours, NanoWriMo, and get back into the reading and writing I used to do.

Cheers :)

-Keely-