Reading is Breathing

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Cover of the Week - Steel

Steel by Carrie Vaughn
Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication Date: March 15, 2011
Page Count: 304

Description from Goodreads:

It was a slender length of rusted steel, tapered to a point at one end and jagged at the other, as if it had broken. A thousand people would step over it and think it trash, but not her.

This was the tip of a rapier.

Sixteen-year-old Jill has fought in dozens of fencing tournaments, but she has never held a sharpened blade. When she finds a corroded sword piece on a Caribbean beach, she is instantly intrigued and pockets it as her own personal treasure.

The broken tip holds secrets, though, and it transports Jill through time to the deck of a pirate ship. Stranded in the past and surrounded by strangers, she is forced to sign on as crew. But a pirate's life is bloody and brief, and as Jill learns about the dark magic that brought her there, she forms a desperate scheme to get home—one that risks everything in a duel to the death with a villainous pirate captain.

Time travel, swordplay, and romance combine in an original high-seas adventure from New York Times bestseller Carrie Vaughn.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Angelfire

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton
Publisher: Harper Collins / Katherine Tegen Books
Publication Date: February 15, 2011
Page Count: 464

Description from Goodreads:

This debut, the first novel in a trilogy, is achingly romantic, terrifying, and filled with blistering action.

When seventeen-year-old Ellie starts seeing reapers - monstrous creatures who devour humans and send their souls to Hell - she finds herself on the front lines of a supernatural war between archangels and the Fallen and faced with the possible destruction of her soul.

A mysterious boy named Will reveals she is the reincarnation of an ancient warrior, the only one capable of wielding swords of angelfire to fight the reapers, and he is an immortal sworn to protect her in battle. Now that Ellie's powers have been awakened, a powerful reaper called Bastian has come forward to challenge her. He has employed a fierce assassin to eliminate her - an assassin who has already killed her once.

While balancing her dwindling social life and reaper-hunting duties, she and Will discover Bastian is searching for a dormant creature believed to be a true soul reaper. Bastian plans to use this weapon to ignite the End of Days and to destroy Ellie's soul, ending her rebirth cycle forever. Now, she must face an army of Bastian's most frightening reapers, prevent the soul reaper from consuming her soul, and uncover the secrets of her past lives - including truths that may be too frightening to remember.

I finished reading Angerfire last night and have been trying ever since to think of something to write that would explain the AWESOMENESS that is this book! I'll start by saying that before I was even half way through I was on goodreads.com seeing if there would be another book after this one...and I'm SO happy to say that yes, this will be a trilogy!! The only bad part is having to wait til 2012 to read it!!

Don't walk, run to the nearest store to get your hands on this book!

Friday, March 11, 2011

StoryBook Fridays

To all the parents out there, who like myself, enjoy reading to their little ones,

this list is for you!

Every Friday I will post 5 children's books that I enjoy reading to my daughter.

I hope you discover some new and interesting books from my suggestions. Remember to read to your little ones every night!

1-1.5 The Gruffalo & The Gruffalo's Child

2. The Tin Forest

3.Leonardo, the Terrible Monster

4.The Lorax

5.Ooey Gooey

The Vespertine

The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell
Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books
Publication Date: March 7, 2011
Page Count: 293

Description from Goodreads:
It’s the summer of 1889, and Amelia van den Broek is new to Baltimore and eager to take in all the pleasures the city has to offer. But her gaiety is interrupted by disturbing, dreamlike visions she has only at sunset—visions that offer glimpses of the future. Soon, friends and strangers alike call on Amelia to hear her prophecies. However, a forbidden romance with Nathaniel, an artist, threatens the new life Amelia is building in Baltimore. This enigmatic young man is keeping secrets of his own—still, Amelia finds herself irrepressibly drawn to him.
When one of her darkest visions comes to pass, Amelia’s world is thrown into chaos. And those around her begin to wonder if she’s not the seer of dark portents, but the cause.

I'm finding it hard to write a review for this book. Was it fantastic? No. Did I like it and would I recommend it to others? Yes. After reading this book I felt that high you get when you finish a book with a good ending and thought "wow that was good." but the more I thought about it the more parts of the story where a little confusing or I wish that the author had gone into more detail. The Vespertine was well written and had somewhat poetic prose. Make sure you pay attention to the dates when a new section starts otherwise you'll be a little confused.

Overall though I did enjoy this, it makes a quick read at only 293 pages. I say go ahead and give it a chance! Here's a quote from the book that might snag your interest.

"The stars could have burned out around us, the moon could have fallen from the sky, and I wouldn't have known it. Not when he leaned indecently close and pressed his cheek against mine to murmur, "Tell me a secret." I wanted him to tell me how he stopped time like that. How he read my mind. I wanted to admit I wondered if thoughts of me troubled him when he lay awake at night. But I could make none of that come to my lips.... Instead... I whispered back, "I've seen the future." He didn't laugh. He didn't mock, not like he had done at Privalovna's performance. In the middle of our waltz, he stopped, nose to nose with me. He uncovered me with a look that somehow bared him, too. And his question told me everything - that he stopped time because he needed me, that he read my mind because we were one. That I troubled his nights, indeed, because what he asked revealed it all. "Am I with you there?"
~Amelia and Nathaniel, The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell

I was able to review this book, courtesy of Netgalley.com.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Lost in the River of Grass

Lost in the River of Grass by Ginny Rorby

Publisher: Carolrhoda Books

Publication Date: March 1, 2011

Page Count: 264

Description from Goodreads:

"I don't realize I'm crying until he glances at me. For a moment, I see the look of anguish in his eyes, then he blinks it away and slips off into the water. I immediately think of the gator. It's still down there somewhere..."

A science-class field trip to the Everglades is supposed to be fun, but Sarah's new at Glades Academy, and her fellow freshmen aren't exactly making her feel welcome. When an opportunity for an unauthorized side trip on an air boat presents itself, it seems like a perfect escape—an afternoon without feeling like a sore thumb. But one simple oversight turns a joyride into a race for survival across the river of grass. Sarah will have to count on her instincts—and a guy she barely knows—if they have any hope of making it back alive.

Lost in the River of Grass takes on the classic survival genre using one of the country's most unique wild places as a backdrop. In this tense, character-driven thriller, Sarah must overcome prejudice and the unforgiving wilderness in a struggle to survive.

Lost in the River of Grass was not something I would usually read, but I’m glad I did. This book was based on a true story, as Ginny Rorby states on her website. “Lost in the River of Grass is based on the true story of my husband’s ill-fated trip to the Everglades with his then girlfriend in his airboat. While they were ‘visiting’ one of the hunting camps in the Everglades, the airboat sank. It took them three days to walk out. I wrote the original story of that ordeal for Fort Lauderdale’s Gulf Coast magazine, published in the late 1990s.” Check out her website here. This book reminds me of Hatchet in some ways. It’s a story about survival with a little humor and romance thrown in.

At first I wasn’t really that into this book but it gets better page after page. The characters of Sarah and Andy are so believable. Everything about them is so true to a almost fourteen, and fifteen year old, the way they act and how they handle situations; but not in an annoying “gosh you’re so immature and childish way.” Although I have to say I’m 24 and would probably freak out too if I was in that situation! As the story progressed I really started to like Sarah and Andy! There were so many times that I felt like I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what the next moment would bring. I would definitely recommend this book to someone looking for a quick read!

I was able to review this book, courtesy of Netgalley.com. Thanks Netgalley!

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Cover of the Week - Watched

Watched by Sharde Richardson
Publisher: Jolt
Publication Date: May 30, 2011
Page Count: Unknown

Description from Goodreads:

Mikayla doesn’t want much: just to rock out to her favorite band, become the next Kwiki Stop video gaming champion, and keep her Q-tip habit under control. What she does want is the sight of the sudden inexplicable dark auras around everyone to stop. Problem is, those auras are demons and Mikayla is the last trait holder with the power to ban them. Which is a total buzz kill.

To make matters worse, the town folk of Sulphur Springs don’t look the same, and her classmates are a little dark in the eyes. There are murders, suicides, reckless skinny-dipping, gratuitous use of Q-tips, and newfound powers that Mikayla must learn to control.

Her past becomes present when a shape-shifter tells her what her true identity is, and how to keep the demons of Hell from nipping at her Converse. Through him she’ll discover who to trust, who to kiss, and how valuable her abilities are to the right beings. Because the evils of Hell aren’t staying down without a fight.

Or without her soul.

I love everything about this cover. The colors, the explosion of light, the movement, everything about this cover makes you want to grab it and take it home with you! I can't wait to read it!