Sunday, August 26, 2012

Books in Colour (4): Showing my 3-month Haul


MBiC is a fortnightly post book haul feature, and is inspired by Kristi (The Story Siren) and Alea (Pop Culture Junkie). I love looking at book covers, and especially their colours, and that is where my idea came from.

~~~~~

26th of August 2012 ~ Notes

It has been 3 months since I last did one of these.This might not be all the books I've received, but I tried.



I'm pretty happy with this rainbow. :P I'm really tired, so I'm heading to bed.
Click the images to embiggen.


Note: All release dates are in the format (dd/mm/yyyy), click on images to zoom in, all book links go to Goodreads.

* = Up for swap


For Review:

Thanks to...

Allen & Unwin, Bloomsbury, Hachette, HarlequinTeen, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin and Simon & Schuster


  • Stormdancer (#1) by Jay Kristoff (01/09/2012) - requested
  • Survive by Alex Morel (01/07/2012)  - requested 
  • Throne of Glass (#1) by Sarah J. Maas (02/08/2012) - requested
  • Losing Lila (#2) by Sarah Alderson (02/08/2012) - requested
I've read Pushing the Limits. I could not stop reading; it's a kind of gritty book to read, but there's so much in there that I loved. I highly recommend it, review to come.

Also have read Between the Lines. A fun and magical read, beautiful in its execution of the notion that storybook characters are real. Read my review here!

Survive was pretty good - it was intense and thrilling. Read my review here!

The Girl in the Clockwork Collar review. Lots of fun, guys!

Lastly, there's Throne of Glass. LOOOOOVE! Review to come. That is all you need to know right now. Go and read the novellas.

I'll be reading Speechless, Losing Lila, and The Keepers #2 soon. I'm currently reading Stormdancer, which is slow-going at the start, but I'm getting hooked!

Bought:

  • Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
    I snagged this at Fishpond for $15.70 or so. Not exactly cheap, ay. Oh well, I haven't bought too many books over the three months... This one I was desperate for. And it looks beautiful.
  • Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
    I received a copy the same week my preorder of this US pb arrived. How fair is that? Oh well. I love both covers, but this one's pretty cool because it has french flaps.
  • The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder
    I love this cover. It actually reminds me of The Fault In Our Stars. I read the first chapter, and I'll say in one word this book is going to be interesting.
  • Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers
    This book is really up my alley. Hopefully I won't be disappointed!
  • I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
    My first Vintage Classics title. This one has such a lovely cover. Cannot wait to read this. It reminds me a bit of Jo from
    Little Women.

I've already read Daughter of Smoke and Bone - a phenomenal read that any paranormal fan should read without fear of disappointment. I'd even recommend tentative readers of paranormal to give this a try. It is so unique and beautifully written. I'll get to writing the review eventually. =P

I'm still trying to be very selective with what I choose to buy. I tend to buy ones that have been well-received in the community, so don't let me down, you guys! I'm still thinking about Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. Cover-wise.

Won:

This is from Hachette's Date a Book giveaway that was held in June/July (?). Thanks so much! I'll definitely be reading Anna Dressed in Blood sometime in the future and it's fortunate that I was sent A Witch in Winter, since I was sent a review copy of the sequel. Does anyone want Embrace (I've already read it) or Twisted Heart? Let me know in the comments!




Happy reading everybody! Comment below.
Share with me what books you got! :)


Q: It's John Green's birthday! Okay, that's not a question... but yay, he's older than ever before! :D

... Yeah, that's it. Comment!!

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday (41): The Dolls are Dying...

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.




City of a Thousand Dolls ~ Miriam Forster
February 2013!! ~ Harper Childrens

The pitch
The girl with no past, and no future, may be the only one who can save their lives.

Goodreads

Why am I waiting on this?

Look at the cover!!! That sound was just my jaw hitting the floor. Guys, this looks so so so so so so so so good! Read the synopsis, add it on your GR and do a you-better-not-disappoint-me-you-hunky-book dance!



-------------------------------------------

Thanks for visiting. :D

Comment with your picks and share the excitement!



Wednesday, August 22, 2012

[Review] Holier Than Thou by Laura Buzo

Author: Laura Buzo
Publication (dd/mm/yyyy): 01/05/2012
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Pages: 290
Source: For review

Violence Sexual ContentProfanity

My Rating:
Amazing!

My thoughts:

My, oh my, was this review difficult to write! Holier Than Thou is a new adult title and written by Aussie author Laura Buzo, and for that alone I should have breezed through this novel without a problem. However, the topics explored in Holier Than Thou felt even more substantial than those in Good Oil (debut). Which made it sometimes difficult to read, and even harder to organise my thoughts. It actually took weeks for me to finally solidify exactly how I feel for this book – I read this book in May! – but I can firmly say that I deeply recommend this book.

Monday, August 20, 2012

[Review] Pandemonium (#2) by Lauren Oliver


(#2, Delirium trilogy)
Delirium | Pandemonium

Author: Lauren Oliver
Publication (dd/mm/yyyy): 28/02/2012
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Pages: 375
Source: For review

Violence | Sexual ContentProfanity

My Rating:
Amazing!

My thoughts:

SPOILERS AHEAD - ONLY READ IF YOU'VE READ DELIRIUM. ;)

Preface

My 'review' for Delirium (linked above) was written straight after I read that cliffhanger/tearjerker of an ending, and so therefore I let my emotions run rampant along the screen. As a result . . . well, I didn't reflect my thoughts on the book in full; much of it was just the shock-wowza factor, and for that I gave the book a 5/5. I recently re-read it and I'd give it a 3.5/5 now because, overall, it's a snoozer (for me). I liked everything all right; it's just that nothing really got to me, until I got to the end. 

Bursting with action, the second book in Oliver’s dystopian trilogy where love is seen as a disease (Deliria Nervosa) kept my attention from abrupt beginning to fist-clenching end. I may be in the minority with this, but I actually liked Pandemonium more than Delirium! There was just so much more going on. In Delirium, there were bouts of panic and action, but much of the book I’ll admit left me bored. Not the case in Pandemonium. I couldn’t peel my eyes away!

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Tune in Tuesday (1): Throne of Glass & Pushing the Limits


Tune in Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted over at GReads. It's pretty self-explanatory as to what this feature is about. I'll be linking a song/s to each book I am currently reading, or one I have recently finished, or what ever.

Music and books are so alike, in that they not only tell a story; they also have heaps of room for interpretation and the experience of either is really up to the consumer. That's the true beauty in both; they can spark inspiration and at its best . . . they're the closest things to magic. I love discovering new (and good) music as much as I love discovering new books. Join in every week! And please, please, comment with any new songs you find!


(click on cover images for Goodreads page)


Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry.

It's one of those good-girl-meets-bad-boy stories, which I have a 50/50 chance of reacting by loathing all the characters--especially the bad boy, or getting swept up in the beauty of the unlikely romance and feeling for the poor guy who has a sorrowful past. I'm glad to say PTL is in the latter category.

I think that McGarry has done a good job of creating believable characters that inspire empathy from the reader.


Buy:



(^ NeedtoBreathe - Something Beautiful)


This is among my most-anticipated releases of the year! I implore you to read the four prequel novellas before tackling this book.

I'm just loving it so far, and I knew I was going to. Read for the snarky, badass assassin-heroine. Read for the high fantasy elements and awesome fighting scenes. Read for the finely executed writing. Above it all, read it because Sarah J. Maas has worked 10 years towards her publication. 10 years! And she's cute as a button, hehe.


Buy:



(^ Within Temptation - Stand My Ground)
Avril Lavigne - Wish You Were Here (#0.4, Celaena > Sam)

[The "official" playlist - in abundance :)]

I'm going to stop with Throne of Glass. It's hard because it's a fantasy book so I just feel like contemporary music doesn't fit quite right. Suggestions?

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Bloomsbury's Throne of Glass kick-off giveaway!


One lucky AU/NZ resident will be the lucky lucky person to win BIG!

Bloomsbury has got this contest going on on Facebook (CLICK) - just answer the question and fill in your details, and you've got the chance to win a $150 ASOS GC and a free Bloomsbury title each month for a year.

I swear if the giveaway was just for the ASOS GC I'd bite, but since there are books up for grabs, as a blogger I feel obligated to just get the word out there. So enter up, share with your friends . . . there are also a couple other giveaways. You'll have to like the Throne of Glass page, but why wouldn't you want to? It is simply spectacular.

And I am so excited for this book. I'm currently on the third book of the prequel novellas and will get right to the beautiful novel shortly after I've gotten through the fourth.

Sarah J. Maas books

The Assassin and the Pirate Lord (#0.1) || goodreads ~ review
The Assassin and the Desert (#0.2) || goodreads ~ review
The Assassin and the Underworld (#0.3) || goodreads ~ review
The Assassin and the Empire (#0.4) || goodreads ~ review

Throne of Glass (#1) || goodreads ~ review




Friday, August 3, 2012

[Review] Survive by Alex Morel

Author: Alex Morel
Publication (dd/mm/yyyy): 01/08/2012
Publisher: Hardie Grant Egmont
Pages: 260
Source: For review

Violence | Sexual Content | Profanity

My Rating:
Good read
Summary:
Jane is running away from everything. From the facility she’s been living in, from her pain, from her guilt, from life. She boards a plane to Montclair, New Jersey, though her destination isn’t important – she doesn’t plan to be alive when the plane lands.

Jane has devised the perfect suicide. She’ll fall asleep on the plane and never wake up. But as she’s reaching for her pills in the tiny bathroom, the plane hits turbulence and everything goes black.

Jane wakes amid the charred wreckage of a plane crash on a snowy mountaintop, and discovers just one other survivor – a boy named Paul. Lost in a perilous, icy landscape, with little food and water, their chance of survival seems small. But as the pair unite against the vast wilderness, Jane discovers a reason to fight for her life.

My thoughts:

US HC cover

This book is a celebration. Of life, of love, of luck and hope and fortune and courage and determination. It embraces the very essence of the human experience; the animalistic instinct for survival and just how far dire circumstances can turn around a person's perspective on the world.

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