Book Expo America 2012: Recap

June 10, 2012 by Alyssa

I have struggled for a few days now on how to begin this post because there are so many thoughts jumbled into my head that I can barely keep them straight! Let me start by saying that Book Expo America was an overall amazing experience and I am thrilled that I was able to attend this year.

So here it is, BEA for me, in a nutshell:

Now we are REAL LIFE FRIENDS!

The Bloggers: I was aware that this was a type of networking event and being that I am still an extremely new blogger I was excited to take the opportunity to meet as many blog friends as I could. Looking back now it seems so silly that I was more anxious to meet my fellow bloggers than I was to meet some of my favorite authors! I met some absolutely LOVELY ladies whose reviews & opinions I really value and I came home feeling better knowing I can put a face to some names. I do have to fangirl for a quick sec and just mention that on day 3 I was lucky enough to meet both Ana and Thea from The Book Smugglers. Their blog is one of the only blogs I read before I started blogging, they were part of the reason I got into blogging in the first place and I may have fangirled over Ana a tiny bit – sorry lady, you’re both just as awesome in person as I had hoped! Finally, I might get a bit sappy here and say that one of the major highlights of my entire trip was meeting Heidi at Bunbury in the Stacks. Heidi and I had multiple classes together while in graduate school but as it was all online we had never met in person! We knew we were book soulmates for a while but once we met it was like we had known each other for years and I am grateful to call her a real life dear friend of mine at last!

Erin Morgenstern!

The Authors: I’ll be honest; I was extremely overwhelmed when I thought about how I would be meeting authors who I have loved for years. I was so surprised and elated to see how genuine and thrilled they seemed to meet me too! We stood in line for Daniel Handler, who I have loved for many years now and he chatted with me for a few minutes and told me he married a girl from CT and that he might have to stop by my library to see the new expansion! I DIED! I love you Lemony! We waited in line to meet Melissa Marr and to obtain a signed copy of her new book, Carnival of Souls and as people walked by they were appalled at how long the line was but you know what? It was so worth it. Melissa Marr was so gracious SHE thanked US for waiting AND then SHE HUGGED ME! It was so nice it nearly killed me. The third author highlight for me was definitely Erin Morgenstern. Erin was giving away and signing paperback copies of her 2011 debut novel, The Night Circus. Those of you who follow my blog know how much I adore this novel AND Erin so it was no question that I would be standing in line to meet her. She was courteous enough to get a picture with me and I tried not to pass out. There were of course many other great authors that we met. Jackson Pearce kept apologizing for making us wait in her line and I had to reassure her that it was my pleasure and I really couldn’t wait to read her book! Even Sarah Maas was apologetic and so kind that she told me how overwhelming it was to be there and she kept assuming no one would show up. Let me tell you something, Sarah, after leaving your line I had QUITE a few people eyeing my book and insisting I tell them WHERE I obtained it. Needless to say this was one I kept in the backpack lest some biting blogger steal it from my suitcase downstairs.

The Books: Ahh, the books. How can I try to explain just how amazing BEA was without focusing on the books? The books fall into a few categories. Some that I set out to obtain knowing that I would love them, and some that I had never heard of but now am elated to read because oh my god they sound awesome.

Obviously my signed copies are a majority of those I set out to obtain:

Signed copies!

Then there are some I had never heard of but sound extremely amazing, to name a few:

Seed by Ania Ahlborn

Summer and Bird by Katherine Catmull

Iron Hearted Violet by Kelly Barnhill

Overall the “book” part of the BEA was a HUGE success and really I’m not disappointed at all. Okay, I have to mention this because I obsessed over it during BEA and I am pretty sure Heidi will call me out if I don’t, I WAS disappointed I didn’t obtain a copy of In a Glass Grimmly by Adam Gidwitz. So, if you are reading this and you obtained a copy I would love you forever if you let me borrow and read it once you’re finished (I’m lookin’ at YOU, Amy!) That being said if any of you see something I managed to grab that you want to read just let me know!

BEA was a complete success for me, it was everything I had hoped it would be. The 4am wake up, train rides, bus rides, and extremely scary taxi rides were all part of the NYC charm. Next year my aunt (who I thought I had dragged along but really ended up more excited and with more books than I did) and I decided we might do one day next year and include one of the author breakfasts. I heard Stephen Colbert was hilarious as always and Lois Lowry made people cry. Additionally, I want to add in some of the lectures next year because I think they would be beneficial, this year I had too much fangirling going on to make any of the lectures so that is one thing I have to make time for!

My final book pile and some very nosy cats!

Farewell, BEA, until next year!

Review: On The Day I Died by Candace Fleming

June 1, 2012 by Alyssa

Title: One the Day I Died

Author: Candace Fleming

Publishing Information: July 10th 2012 by Schwartz & Wade

Genre: Middle Grade, Short Stories, Parnormal, Ghost Stories

Series information: Standalone

Format: Hardcover, 208 pages

Source: Received an ARC from the publisher

Recommended For: Any lover of not so scary ghost stories

The phenomenally versatile, award-winning author, Candace Fleming, gives teen and older tween readers ten ghost stories sure to send chills up their spines. Set in White Cemetery, an actual graveyard outside Chicago, each story takes place during a different time period from the 1860’s to the present, and ends with the narrator’s death. Some teens die heroically, others ironically, but all due to supernatural causes. Readers will meet walking corpses and witness demonic posession, all against the backdrop of Chicago’s rich history—the Great Depression, the World’s Fair, Al Capone and his fellow gangsters.

I am not a huge fan of short stories but I am definitely a huge fan of GHOST STORIES! I was so excited to receive this advance copy from Netgalley because it looked and sounded extremely creepy and I was not disappointed!

The story opens with a boy named Mike who is racing to get home by curfew. As he is coming to the bridge he sees a mysterious looking girl standing in the middle of the road (sound familiar, anyone?) he becomes intrigued and decides to give her a ride home. Suddenly, she disappears, leaving nothing behind but her shoes. Being that she has just told him exactly where she lives he decides to drive her shoes home to make sure she got in okay. An old woman opens the girl’s front door and explains to Mike that her daughter has been dead for almost fifty years and every year on the anniversary of her death she obtains a ride from someone driving over the bridge and requests that her shoes be placed on her grave in White Cemetary, a cemetery dedicated solely to teens who have died before their time. Mike ventures to the cemetery and finds the girl, along with many others who wish to tell their tale. Each story is intriguing and many are oozing with supernatural elements that really raise the hair on the back of your neck.

At the end of the book, the author provides some background evidence for each story and the real life inspirations for the characters and their untimely deaths. Though this book was showcased as a middle grade novel and I can’t say that I was ever actually scared while reading it, I was definitely freaked out in the best possible way. The author caters to different needs for the reader. For example, some readers will appreciate the “back from the dead” stereotype where I ADORED Scott’s story. His story was set in a mental hospital and I am slightly obsessed with anything supernatural relating to mental asylums. For some reason it just creeps me out in this magnificent way that has me craving more. Another fun story was based on the legendary “Monkey’s Paw.” There are few people who haven’t heard one version of this fable (or who haven’t seen The Simpsons Halloween Special) and Candace Fleming provided a really interesting new twist. When explaining where she obtained her inspiration she stated that she always wondered what happened to the monkey’s paw at the end of the story and she always imagined it ended up in a garage sale somewhere, which is exactly where her story picks up.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book, the stories were just the right amount of creepy to keep me wanting more and I think that any lover of ghost stories will appreciate the different worlds that Candace Fleming creates.

Review: The Black Swan by Mercedes Lackey

May 24, 2012 by Alyssa

Title: The Black Swan

Author: Mercedes Lackey

Publishing Information: May 1st 2000 by DAW (First published in 1999)

Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Fairy Tales, Retellings

Series information: Standalone but part of a series of fairy tales

Format: Hardcover, 416 pages

Source: Bought for my own collection

Recommended For: Fans of deeply layered fantasy books that pluck the heart strings

After his wife’s untimely death, a powerful sorcerer dedicates his life to seeking revenge against all womankind. He turns his captives into beautiful swans–who briefly regain human form by the fleeting light of the moon. Only Odette, noblest of the enchanted flock, has the courage to confront her captor. But can she gain the allies she needs to free herself and the other swan-maidens from their magical slavery? A monumental tale of loyalty and betrayal, of magic good and evil, of love both carnal and pure, and of the duality of human nature, The Black Swan is a rich tapestry, which is sure to become an all-time masterpiece of fantasy.

The Black Swan is part of Mercedes Lackey’s Fairy Tales series and it is a loose retelling of the story of Swan Lake. Like the original story, the princess Odette is turned into a swan by a sorcerer who vows that she will be turned back into her original form if her lover, Prince Siegfriend remains faithful to her. The sorcerer, Baron Von Rothbart, uses his daughter to trick the prince into betraying Odette so that she will be forced to remain in her swan form.

I am not extremely familiar with the original story (Okay, so I’ve only seen the Barbie version) but like most retellings, Mercedes Lackey molded this story into her own. The characters gain more depth and the reader is able to understand their motives. Even the Baron becomes a more solid character, as his motives are made clear though still rather unjust. I was extremely impressed with Lackey’s addition of another villain in the form of Queen Clothilde. She was the epitome of evil and made The Baron look almost innocent in his wicked ways. Prince Siegfried is a rather hard hero to fall in love with as he is represented as a womanizer and to be quite honest, I hated him for most of the story. Furthermore, though the reader thinks this story to be centered around the swan maiden, Odette, it is really Odile who takes center stage in the tale. Odette plays her part as the pure maiden seamlessly but it is Odile’s inner turmoil and growth that really draws the reader and helps one become invested in her tale.

This was one of the first fantasy books I picked up as a young adult, I read it so many times that my paperback fell apart and my mother bought me a hardcover as a replacement. I hadn’t picked this up in years but once I started reading it again I was immediately drawn in as I was so many years ago. I love the relationship between Odile and her father and I love the strength she gains as the story progresses. Each character grows in a different way and the relationships between everyone progressed in relatable and interesting ways. I also adored the land that Lackey creates. At one point Odile is using magic to carve out a “home” out of a treen for herself and the swan maidens and for some reason it is a part that stuck with me for years, the image is forever etched in my mind.

I still have yet to read anything else by Mercedes Lackey but I hope to read the rest of her Fairy Tales as well as her Elemental Masters series because I have heard wonderful things about both. This novel comes highly recommended to lovers of fantasy, strong female characters and those who love their fairy tale retellings as much as I do.

Book Hoarders Anonymous

May 20, 2012 by Alyssa

As some of you may know I went on a tiny vacation to Ithaca this weekend. I had planned on seeing some gorges, waterfalls and quirky downtown shops. What I did not anticipate was the absolute jackpot that Ithaca is in relation to bookstores! I could hardly fathom the amount of used book stores in the area and I just happened to show up on the last weekend of the HUGE Friends of the Library book sale. It was fate, I tell ya! Let’s check out my finds from the weekend…Please excuse the quality of these pictures. The bed & breakfast where we are staying is a legit log cabin and totes reminds me of:“I have to go! There’s a deer just outside, eating fruit from the orchard!” – Ross Gellar

It’s GORGEOUS here, but the lighting is not the best!

Many of you know that I collect Wizard of Oz books so I was almost hyperventilating when I saw this bundle at The Friends of the Library Booksale!! With the exception of The Scarecrow of Oz which I found from another used bookstore these were all purchased for 10 cents EACH!!! AHHH!!

The Shakespeare’s Daughter and Shakespeare in the Movies were a dollar each and I thought they would go nicely with my ever growing collection of Shakespearean literature. Fairest number 1 and 2 by Bill Willingham came from the most well stocked and organized comic book store I have ever seen! No Go the Boogeyman was an awesome find, a hardcover for just $2.00 is not too shabby! Finally, I picked up Outlander by Diana Gabaldon for just 25 cents. Just in time for the read-a-long!

I am hoping that upon returning home my copy of Wintercraft: Legacy will be in my mailbox but there is no telling as Amazon UK stated Wednesday as the delivery date and ALAS! Still no sign!

What fun books did you grab this week?

Outlander Read-a-long

May 19, 2012 by Alyssa

Outlander Read-a-long

June 11 – July 23

The year is 1945. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon–when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient stone circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach–an “outlander”–in a Scotland torn by war and raiding Highland clans in the year of Our Lord…1743.

Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire is catapulted into intrigues and dangers that may threaten her life…and shatter her heart. For here she meets James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, and becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire…and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

I’m sure half of you are rolling your eyes at me thinking about how drastically I do NOT need to add another challenge to my list and the other half is just happy that I am finally taking the plunge and reading a book that they have been pushing on me since I was a youngin’ first blurring the lines between YA and Adult Lit. Outlander is a book that I have been wanting to read for a LONG time, in fact, it was featured on my Top Ten Tuesday list last week as one of the books I can’t believe I’ve never read. I was overjoyed when this read-a-long was brought to my attention and I am very excited to participate!!

Here’s the deal…

The read-a-long is going to go from June 11th to July 23rd on Mondays and the schedule and hosting blogs are as follows:

Monday, June 11th:

Questions for chapters 1-7 announced at Gone with the Words

Monday, June 18th:

Questions for chapters 1-7 answered & questions announced for chapters 8-14 at Stalking the Bookshelves

Monday, June 25th:

Questions for chapters 8-14 answered & questions announced for chapters 15-21 on Tangled up in Blue

Monday, July 2nd:

Questions for chapters 15-21 answered & questions announced for chapters 22-28 on Into the Hall of Books

Monday, July 9th:

Questions for chapters 22-28 answered & questions announced for chapters 29-35 on Logan E. Turner

Monday, July 16th:

Questions for chapters 29-35 answered & questions announced for chapters 36-41 on The Reading Housewives

Monday, July 23rd:

Questions for chapters 36-41 answered on Gone with the Words. The end.

Special thanks to the participating blogs for hosting this awesome read-a-long and getting my butt in gear to read a series I am convinced I will LOVE!!

Review: Blackwatch by Jenna Burtenshaw

May 17, 2012 by Alyssa

Title: Blackwatch

Author: Jenna Burtenshaw

Publishing Information: April 1st 2011 by Headline

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Magic, Paranormal

Series information: Book 2 in the Wintercraft series

Format: Hardcover, 288 pages

Source: Borrowed from my local library

Recommended For: Fans of layered characters and who appreciate a good friendship

Kate has escaped the clutches of the High Council and Silas has left Albion for the continent. But their lives are forever linked and as the veil weakens, causing Albion’s skilled to fear for everyone’s safety, Silas and Kate find themselves drawn together by the mysterious and corrupt Dalliah Grey.

Blackwatch begins with Kate on trial because she has been falsely accused of murdering one of the leaders of the Skilled. Kate learns who she truly can and cannot trust while on trial and she is disheartened to find that those she believed loyal to her, those she risked her life for, are really not as loyal to her as she believed. Kate and Edgar escape from the Skilled into the underground caverns only to be caught by the Blackwatch, the Continent’s most elite warriors. Across the sea, Silas is also being hunted by Blackwatch and it is through Silas and Kate’s blood tie that they are both captured and forced to try both Silas’s patience and Kate’s power.

This story delves deeper into the tie between Silas and Kate and the powers that Kate has inherited as one of the Skilled. One of the reasons I adored Shadowcry was because of how dark it was as a young adult novel, and Blackwatch was no different. Jenna Burtenshaw delves deeper into what the veil represents and how it affects both Kate and Silas as well as how Edgar’s role as Kate’s only confidant will affect her power over the veil. The novel also provides the reader with glimpses into past which assists the reader in understanding both how Wintercraft came to be and how easily one can be consumed by darkness.
A new character, Dalliah Grey was introduced in this novel and she was a nice addition after the absence of Da’ru, though it is still a little unclear if her motives are going to be detrimental to Kate or not. It is no question that she does not have Kate’s best interests at heart and only wants to use her to accomplish her own (less than godly) goals. The shift in POV between Kate and Silas also offers a nice addition so the reader is able to glimpse some of Silas’s inner turmoil as he starts to gain a conscience. That being said, the last few pages of the novel were probably my favorite as they really gave the reader a more solid view on the man that Silas is growing into, no word yet on the romance but one can only hope (okay, pine for.)

Like in Shadowcry, Jenna Burtenshaw uses impeccable descriptions to describe the world Silas and Kate travel through. As I was reading about the caverns underground and the city housed in them I was amazed at how vivid they were in my mind. The climax of the novel was also brilliant in my mind and I found myself feeling a range of emotions as Kate struggled with the situation she was thrown into. I am thrilled to say that my copy of the conclusion to this trilogy, Wintercraft: Legacy, just arrived yesterday and I can’t wait to find out the extent of Kate’s power and Silas’s strength.

This series comes highly recommended!

Top Ten Tuesday (18)

May 15, 2012 by Alyssa

Top Ten Books I Can’t Believe I’ve Never Read

which I adore and therefore chose to adopt into my weekly blog posts!

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday ‘s topic is actually “top ten authors I’d like to see on a reality show and which reality show,” but I don’t really watch reality tv and therefore thought my list would be rather boring. So instead I decided to go with one of the topics already done over at The Broke and the Bookish and one that will hopefully light a fire under my bottom to go and read these books ASAP.

ANYTHING by Neil Gaiman – Give me some recommendations, people. I know his awesomeness exceeds many but I have yet to witness it first hand!

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak – I see this on so many lists every week and have yet to read it!

Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll– Like some friends of mine, I have a problem reading books that I own. The bf actually bought me the annotated version for Christmas, I think he is trying to tell me something…

The Iliad by Homer – How this one has escaped me I’ll never know as I have written about the Odyssey more times than I can count.

The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon – Every single person who knows that I love Juliet Marillier tells me I need to read these authors. My mother bought me the first book YEARS ago and I still have yet to pick it up.

A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin – I am obsessed with the show and admittedly started book one and never finished. Not because it wasn’t awesome, because it was, but I had a hard time reading that one while reading others that needed to be reviewed and so forth. Summer break will be when I reinstate my love affair with Jon Snow.

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides – People are always appalled that I haven’t read this one but honestly it doesn’t really appeal to me. Someone change my mind?!

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss – Another book that those I trust tell me that I would absolutely adore!

Divergent by Veronica Roth – With all the hype this one is getting I can’t believe I was not one of those bloggers counting down to book two!

Shakespeare: The World as Stage by Bill Bryson – I am a little obsessed with Shakespeare so I can’t believe that I haven’t read this one yet!

What books are you surprised that you haven’t read yet?

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