Emily's Review: Lament

Lament: by Maggie Stiefvater..  I had picked this book up at a used book store as a second thought.  The cover of the book wasn't very appealing, but I like books about faeries and decided to give this a try.  It was late at night and I couldn't sleep, so I cracked this book open and began to read.  I was instantly taken in by this book.  The night kept creeping in, and I kept reading.  By three thirty in the morning I closed the book and was done.  And it was the first time in a long while, that I didn't want a story to end. I wanted this author to keep writing about the main characters, Deirdre and her mysterious love, Luke.  I wanted to know where their story would end up.  I wasn't nearly satisfied with the ending.  Although it was fabulous and I understood why it ended the way it had..I just wanted more!  

The basis of this book?  Deirdre is a musical prodigy and while practicing for a concert, she meets a strange and handsome boy named Luke.  He introduces her to a strange world that has always been around her, but that she has been unaware of until now.  He is also a faerie assassin  and he has a secret.  Will this secret keep Deirdre from the boy she has grown to love?  Or bring them together?  

I loved this book. And would recommend it to anyone who liked Wondrous Strange or the Iron King.  Enjoy.
 (From my understanding, there is a second book, but the author chose a secondary character as the main character in that book.  I can't say if I'm happy about that or not. We shall see, we shall see.) 
Emily

WAITING ON WEDNESDAY:A HEART DECEIVED 
"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Book: A Heart Deceived

Author: Michelle Griep

Release date: June 20, 2013

From Amazon:

Miri Brayden teeters on a razor's edge between placating and enraging her brother, whom she depends upon for support. Yet if his anger is unleashed, so is his madness. Miri must keep his descent into lunacy a secret, or he'll be committed to an asylum—and she'll be sent to the poorhouse. 

Ethan Goodwin has been on the run all of his life—from family, from the law ... from God. After a heart-changing encounter with the gritty Reverand John Newton, Ethan would like nothing more than to become a man of integrity—an impossible feat for an opium addict charged with murder. 

When Ethan shows up on Miri's doorstep, her balancing act falls to pieces. Both Ethan and Miri are caught in a web of lies and deceit—fallacies that land Ethan in prison and Miri in the asylum with her brother. Only the truth will set them free.

brought to you by: the broke and the bookish

Top Ten Tuesday: Top of your Summer To Be Read List

brought to you by: the broke and the bookish

Jeni's Picks

1. Siege and Storm  by Leigh Bardugo: I loved Shadow and Bone, and I'm usually not a fantasy lover.  I hate having to wait for the next book in a series. Lately I've been buying books that are part of trilogies but I'm waiting to read them until all the books are out. This is one book I will break my rule for.

2. Glimmer of Hope by Sarah M. Eden: I absolutely love every book by this author and this summer she is coming out with two books. This one and Longing for Home. I can't wait to read them. Her last book Drops of Gold was fantastic. 

3. The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton: I've only read one other Kate Morton book which was The Forgotten Garden. I liked that book but everyone tells me this one is better. Hopefully it won't disappoint. 

4. The Princess Academy by Shannon Hale: I read this book when it first came out so I think it is time for a reread.  Also my girls are old enough now that I will get to read it to them. Plus I want to read the second book that just came out  Princess Academy: Palace of Stone. 

5. Janitors by Tyler Whitesides: I host a bookblub for girls ages 8-11 and they have all begged me to read this book.  I've added it to my summer TBR list so they'll be happy. I've actually met him in person twice and he seems like a really nice guy. 

Emily's Picks

6. Hourglass by Myra McEntire. This book has been on my to read list for a while, and thanks to Jeni, I can finally read it. It's waiting on my night stand right now.

7. The Selection by Kiera Cass.  I have been reluctant to read this one, but have decided to give it a try.  Mainly, I have been an aspiring writer since the age of 12 (aren't we all?) and actually wrote a story that sounds very similar to this years ago, like in my early 20s so...you know.  Not the same, no.  But similar idea. more fairy tale-ish.  But I am willing to give this a go. After my ego has healed a  little. HA!

8. Insurgent (Divergent #2) by Veronica Roth. I had a hard time with the first half of Divergent. And then ended up loving the book.  So, sometimes you can't judge a book by the first couple of chapters. I have the book, it's waiting for me.  I have a lot of reading to do this summer.

9. Darklight (Wondrous Strange #2) by Lesley Livingston. I really liked the first book in this series, so I'm willing to give the second book a chance.

10. In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan. I read a lot of nutrition books and this is by far the one I end up going back to time and time again.  I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in why we eat, what we should eat, and why it's important.  Plus, I find it informative and entertaining.  You should also try Eat to Live, which is also great.  But tends to be a little preachy. I read Mr. Pollan's book every couple of months to refresh my memory and because I like too. Enough said. :)

Thumbing Through the Past Thursday: First Test

Thumbing Through the Past: First Test.
By Tamora Pierce

Camille's Skinny:
This is a wonderful book for girls. It is about a girl named Keladry, who is 10 year old and her journey of becoming a knight. You go on a adventure with her as she fights bullies and mystical creatures. This book was definitely for a younger age but it was still a fun quick read.
Foxy Rating would be 3.5 out of 5 foxes.

WAITING ON WEDNESDAY: INFINITYGLASS

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

Book: Infinityglass (Hourglass, #3)

Author: Myra McEntire

Release date: August 6, 2013

From Goodreads:

      The stakes have risen even higher in this third book in the Hourglass series.  The Hourglass is a secret organization focused on the study of manipulating time, and its members — many of them teenagers -­have uncanny abilities to make time work for them in mysterious ways. Inherent in these powers is a responsibility to take great care, because altering one small moment can have devastating consequences for the past, present, and future. But some time trav­elers are not exactly honorable, and sometimes unsavory deals must be struck to maintain order.  

      With the Infinityglass (central to understanding and harnessing the time gene) at large, the hunt is on to find it before someone else does. 

      But the Hourglass has an advantage. Lily, who has the ability to locate anything lost, has determined that the Infinityglass isn't an object. It's a person. And the Hourglass must find him or her first. But where do you start searching for the very key to time when every second could be the last?

brought to you by: the broke and the bookish

TOP TEN TUESDAY: TOP TEN BEACH READS

brought to you by: the broke and the bookish

Jeni's Picks:

1. Loves Music, Love to Dance by Mary Higgins Clark: I definitely need a good mystery when  I go to the beach and I love Mary Higgins Clark books. This one and All Around Town are my favorites. 
2. The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman: I just read this book and it was so good. I could picture myself  reading this while lying by the ocean. The ending isn't super happy but it was an excellent read.
3. Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta: I love a book that makes me laugh and this book did just that. I read this while on vacation in Lake Havasu last year and it was a perfect beach read.
4. Of Poseidon by Anna Banks: Mermaid books work great for beach reads.  Another great mermaid book is The Forbidden Sea by Sheila A. Nielson, which has a little mystery mixed in too. 
5. Snow in April by Rosamunde Pilcher: You have to have a romance beach read too. I love Rosamunde Pilcher. I reread her books every summer.  This one is my favorite but Shell Seekers and September are close behind. 

Emily's Picks

6. Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson. This was a quick read, which is what I think of as a beach read. This book was a cute romance novel, with a good love story.  It's perfect summer read.

7.  The Pelican Brief by John Grisham. I like reading action adventure mystery books.  This book I dig out every summer, this is one of them.  I like Darcy's character and how smart she is. Plus she is being chased, who doesn't like a girl being chased? 

8. Loose Ends (Mary O'Reilly #1) by Terri Reid these books are offered on kindle. I found Loose Ends as a kindle deal and thought i would give it a try and pleasantly surprised.  Mary O'Reilly died and came back with the ability to see ghosts.  She is also a private investigator.There are eight books in this series.

9. Weather Too Young by Marcia Lynn McClure. Lark Lawrence is in need of some help and asks to be hired by the Evan brothers to be house keeper and cook on their ranch. She keeps a secret from the brothers, and gives her heart away to one.

10. Cry Wolf (Alpha and Omega) by Patricia Briggs. if you like Mercy Thompson, you'll like this series. This has more romance, but is still action packed. I liked this book and the characters

Top Ten Tuesday: Books Featuring Travel in Some Way

TOP TEN TUESDAY: BOOKS FEATURING TRAVEL IN SOME WAY

brought to you by: the broke and the bookish

Jeni's Picks

1. In Honor by Jessi Kirby

2. East by Edith Patton: My niece begged me to read this book because she loved it. I have to say I agree. I didn't like how it switched narrators but I loved the story. I also liked Jessica Day George's version Sun, Moon, Ice and Snow. I have favorite parts in each. Before I read this I had never heard of this tale before. Jessica Day George recommended I read Ice by ? another version of this tale. 

3. The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley: This book surprised me. This was the first book I read from Kearsley and I loved the way she wrote that I ordered all her books and read them all. I'm a sucker for time travel novels and this one didn't dissapoint. It does have some adult content so younger readers shouldn't read it. 

4. Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George: One of my favorite authors. I have loved every book she has written. I read this one to my daughters and they loved it too. They both wanted to learn to sew after reading this. Great story that I highly recommend to moms with middle grade aged girls. 

5. In the Hall of the Dragon King by Stephen R. Lawhead: My dad recommended this to me. It took me a little while to get into this book but once I did I couldn't put it down. I really enjoyed this book. I have bought some other books from this author but I haven't read them yet. I wish I had more time to read. 

Emily's Pick's

6. The Blue Sword by Robin Mckinley. After reading Beauty, I wanted more of Ms. McKinley's lyrical writing and dove right into the Blue Sword.  I loved this book. This another book that I brush the dust off of and join Harry Crewe on an unforeseen adventure into a strange land where love, mystery and magic awaits.

7. Sleeping Tiger by Rosamunde Pilcher.  I know I've featured this book before on my list.  But I love this book, and it's got traveling all over it.  Selina wants to find her father, and travels to a small spanish island, thinking she has found him, only to discover that the man she thought was not her father.  This book was funny, and cute, and a really good summer read.

8. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. This has a theme of traveling in a few ways if you want to get really deep.  One, the sisters travel to several places.  Not only are they forced to move from their beloved home and live in a small cottage, but they travel to London.  Marianne also likes to walk, which seems to get her into trouble, a lot.  But also, the characters make several transitions, from Marianne, the romantic, and Elinor, the responsible one. Each who change in the book.

9. The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare.  Kit Tyler has spent her formable years in the shimmering sands of the Caribbean and then is forced to come to the cold and stark land of Connecticut. She is wild and free and is viewed as a threat to those in the closed off Puritan community.  I read this book when I was 12, and loved it.  I read it again later, and still loved it.  I would recommend this book to any one, ages 10-100.

10. Don't Fear the Reaper by Michelle Muto this book was on the creepier side, but I like creepy. It's about redemption, and what we would do if given the chance for revenge.  Would we take it?  I found the themes in this book to be disturbing, but in a good way.  I thought this was a new twist in the YA genre.