Showing posts with label Books/Library. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Books/Library. Show all posts

Thursday, July 24, 2014

The Reading Round Up...




































Are you a fellow book lover? I love the way it feels to curl up in front of the fire with an amazing book.
Staying up late because you can't possibly go to bed until you find out what happens next? I'm right there with you. On the off chance you want to take a peek into my library, Here's what I've read this month...

Don't forget to make your library your second home... Not only do they have free books, e-books, audio books, DVD's, but they also have downloadable magazines for your iPad, tablet, or even your computer! Read more about free digital magazines at your library here.



The One  (The Selection #3) by Kiera Cass
I love teen sci-fi and dystopian novels. I also have a secret love of all things Bachelor. Cass brought my loves together in one excellent series. After the fall of the United States, A young girl enters a bachelor type competition to win the heart of the Prince. It's a fun, easy read.






A Shadow of Light (Shade of Vampire, Book 4) By Bella Forrest
I'm the queen of free. I haven't paid for a book in a long time. I blame Facebook for the $10.00 that I've spent on amazon for this series so far. Facebook kept advertising it on my feed and I noticed how many 5 star reviews it had. I was intrigued and bought the first book for the introductory price of 99 cents. It was only a few chapters and completely hooked me. I probably would have paid $20 for each remaining book if I had to. It follows the story of a girl kidnapped and brought to an enchanted island over run by Vampires (not the nice ones... no glittering here). There's one vampire that stands above the rest and falls in love with her. He begins to change for her. I realize how insipid this sounds, but if you're into teen sci-fi and you don't mind spending a few dollars (this series isn't in most libraries), you should give it a shot. Then you can blame me when you don't do laundry and dishes for a week because you can't put your kindle down.



A Castle of Sand (A Shade of Vampire, Book 3) By Bella Forrest
See above.


A Shade of Blood (A Shade of Vampire, Book 2) By Bella Forrest
See above.



A Shade of Vampire by Bella Forrest
See above.


The 100 by Kass Morgan

This is a teen sci-fi dystopian again. It was a great read, and it was a bonus to find out it's also a TV show that's already released 12 episodes. Sweet! After a nuclear war, the few survivors fled to a spaceship that hovers above earth until the radiation dissipates enough for earth to become habitable. 100 juvenile delinquents are sent down to earth to "test" the atmosphere and have to survive on their own. 





Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella
If you've ever read a Sophie Kinsella novel, you know if you love her. I've adored her since I discovered Confessions of a Shopoholic. Like all of her novels, this was a fun, easy, light hearted read that had me smiling at the quirky characters and groaning at the predicaments they found themselves in. 




The Undomesticated Goddess by Sophie Kinsella
This was a re-read. Probably my fourth or fifth re-read, but it's one of my favorites and really speaks to my life right now. Samantha and I both went from a high stress all consuming job to a domestic nightmare. I can relate. Reading this made me appreciate what I have and remember where I came from. I ended up baking 4 loaves of French bread while reading this because I couldn't stand reading the sensual way she approached baking without getting the urge to join in. 


Spark (Sky Chasers #2) by Amy Kathleen Ryan
This is the second of a series that is fast paced, thought provoking and intense. Refugees from a destroyed earth are heading to new earth in two spaceships. After a generation of traveling, one of the spaceships attacks the other and kills or kidnaps all of the adults on board. Leaving children and teenagers to run the ship, continue the mission and attempt to rescue the remaining adults. What I loved best about this book is how you never really know who the good guys are and the bad guys. Everyone is a shade of gray working under extreme pressure.


Fire Study (Poison Study #3) by Maria Snyder
This series was a total surprise for me. Poison Study won me over with Valek (who next to Dimitri from Vampire Academy is my favorite literary boyfriend ever), but the series carried on with Valek as a minor roll. He would only appear in a few chapters. Snyder's writing is so compelling that I didn't even care. She draws you into a world of magic and crime and politics and you really don't have time to worry about what your literary boyfriend is doing. 




Curious as to how I managed to only read books that I love this month? I use good reads, a free website and app that takes books that you review and offers recommendations based on your prior reviews. It's ah-mazing. Seriously, I'm on my third or fourth month with four stars being the lowest rating I've given a book. Usually I have to read 4 bad/mediocre books for every great book when I use the hunt and judge by the cover method at the library. Check them out here... (And follow me while you're there!)


Wednesday, January 22, 2014

What's Checked Out in January?




We love the library. I can save a fortune by never needing to buy books. I save space by not needing the room to store them all. I even save time by requesting my wish list online and having the library pull the books for me so I can just go in and grab them. Here's a quick peek at what we checked out this month:


Movies:

I check out Movies.com to watch trailers and figure out what I want to see.

Despicable Me 2: Adorable kids movie.

Man of Steel: I loved it. Jon wasn't a fan since he preferred the older movies.



Music:

I use Shazam when I listen to the radio to tag songs I love. I can then search the albums and reserve them.

Of Monsters and Men: "Little Talks" got added to my running playlist.

Pitch Perfect Soundtrack: "Cups" also got added to my running playlist.





Books:

I went back to classics this month and re-read my favorites. Mostly because I've had a lot of changes this month and my brain can only take so many new things at once.

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer: The theme for this whole list is outstanding teen sci-fi.

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead (Movie comes out this February!)

Divergent by Veronica Roth (Movie comes out this March!)





Life Skills Books:

The Spark Solution: A weight loss book from the guys that brought you sparkpeople.

Your Best Body Ever by Anita Goa : A power yoga book that incorporates strength training and cardio into your yoga routines.

$5.00 Dinner Mom by Erin Chase: I just returned this because I received my very own copy at Christmas. As far as I'm concerned this is the best cookbook in the world. It's been my favorite for almost 3 years.





Kids Books:

Peace Baby! by Linda Ashman

The Thingamabob by Sung Na

Signing in My World: Sign Language for Kids by Kathryn Clay

The Berenstain Bears Home Sweet Tree by Stan Berenstain





We also took out puzzles! Most libraries stock wooden puzzles for kids. Ours even has Melissa and Doug puzzles!


Head out to your local library and take a look to see what you're into!