According to Urban Dictionary, you're "Pinterested" when you're "too distracted by Pinterest to be bothered to do anything else." I find I have this problem quite a bit. I also find that I get too distracted by books to be bothered to do anything besides read. So I thought, why not share some book-related finds from Pinterest on my blog? Today's pin is a photo of a dreamy library in Ireland. Can I go there now, please?
You can check out my Pinterest, where I've got bookish boards as well as lots of other assorted collections. Feel free to share links to your own bookish pins and boards in the comments!
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Saturday, January 11, 2014
Pinterested in Books #2
According to Urban Dictionary, you're "Pinterested" when you're "too distracted by Pinterest to be bothered to do anything else." I find I have this problem quite a bit. I also find that I get too distracted by books to be bothered to do anything besides read. So I thought, why not share some book-related finds from Pinterest on my blog? Today's pin is an adorable DIY mitten bookmark!
You can check out my Pinterest, where I've got bookish boards as well as lots of other assorted collections. Feel free to share links to your own bookish pins and boards in the comments!
You can check out my Pinterest, where I've got bookish boards as well as lots of other assorted collections. Feel free to share links to your own bookish pins and boards in the comments!
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Review: Aire by Lena Goldfinch
Aire
by Lena Goldfinch
Available as: paperback, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 350
Publisher: Indigo Road
Publication date: April 22, 2013
Suggested tags: young adult, fantasy, romance
From Goodreads:
"Annalisia is a seer, a princess with a courageous spirit—and a soft spot for Legends.
Jovanni is a Legend, a commoner with no patience for pampered royals.
Principessa Annalisia is stunned and conscience-stricken when an unknown enemy mistakenly abducts her maidservant. Determined to find the girl, Annalisia disguises herself as plain Anna and slips away from the palace. She tracks down Jovanni, her maidservant's daring older brother, and they soon begin to search together. As they uncover clues, Anna also discovers a kindred spirit in Jovanni. But would he be so free with her if he knew who she really was? Doubtful. Even so, she reveals her secret gift of visions to him, and in so doing disobeys the orders of her beloved grandmother, the queen.
With Jovanni, Anna can almost imagine she’s like any other seventeen year old girl, free to pursue the longings of her heart. When she learns that he also has a secret—he's a sentinel, an ancient shapeshifter who can take the form of a falcon—it seems as if they were destined to be together, as in the legends of il Sentiro. Though Anna is tempted to wish otherwise, she can’t forget that she’s a princess and it's her duty to marry another. Meanwhile, their hunt leads Anna ever closer to danger, for she herself is being hunted.
A princess and a commoner.
They never should have fallen in love...but they did."
{ I was kindly provided an ebook ARC by the author in exchange for an honest review. }
Aire is a wonderful story set in a beautiful, richly detailed fantasy world. This world is similar to ours, but it's full of magic and myth - or rather, Legends. In the kingdom of Isalla, Annalisa is a princess who is expected to do her duty by accepting an arranged marriage and hiding the fact that she is a seer. But Annalisa finds it difficult to adhere to either one of those responsibilities. When her friend and cloth maiden Mira is kidnapped, Annalisa takes it upon herself to find her, and in the process finds mystery, danger, and romance.
I can't say enough about how beautiful this book is. The world, the culture, the language - it's all blended wonderfully to make a truly lovely story. Isalla seems to be inspired by Italy; for example, the words they use seem quite similar to Italian words, and some of their customs and clothing seem like they may have been drawn from Renaissance Italy. I love all things Italian so I really loved reading about a place that was sort of Italian-but-not, familiar yet with its own unique feel.
The magic and mythology of the world Goldfinch has created is fantastic. It's talked about as something far in the past, something that doesn't exist anymore, and perhaps it was all only a legend... but some believe there are still sentinels and seers. I liked seeing Anna and Jovanni slowly reveal their secrets to each other as their relationship progresses, and I especially liked the scenes where we got to see Jovanni shapeshift into a falcon.
Aire truly has a little of everything. The synopsis focuses on Anna and Jovanni's romance (which is a big part of the story and is very sweet), but there is also the mystery of Mira's kidnapping (which becomes more involved as they go along), suspicion of who is after Anna (which includes suspicion of some in the palace's employ), and the adventures and dangers Anna finds herself in with both Jovanni and her friend Ilan, the falconer's apprentice. (SPOILER - highlight to read: And am I the only one who secretly wanted perhaps an alternate universe where Anna and Ilan end up together? I like Anna and Jovanni and the idea of them coming together as kind of a fulfillment of the legends, but I think I would have liked Anna and Ilan just as much.)
I really enjoyed spending time in Anna's world and the creative magic and mythology that Goldfinch added to it. I would definitely read another book by Goldfinch. I can sometimes be a bit picky with fantasies, but I'd read another of hers without question.
Final verdict: I loved it! I thought this book was great! I might buy it for myself and I would definitely recommend it to others.
{ More about Lena Goldfinch }
Lena Goldfinch's website
Lena Goldfinch's Goodreads profile
Follow Lena Goldfinch on Twitter
Saturday, January 4, 2014
Pinterested in Books #1
According to Urban Dictionary, you're "Pinterested" when you're "too distracted by Pinterest to be bothered to do anything else." I find I have this problem quite a bit. I also find that I get too distracted by books to be bothered to do anything besides read. So I thought, why not share some book-related finds from Pinterest on my blog? Quotes, art, photos, DIYs, whatever - if it caught my eye and it has to do with books, I'm sharing it here. You can also check out my Pinterest - I've got some bookish boards as well as lots of other assorted collections. Feel free to share links to your own bookish pins and boards in the comments!
Friday, January 3, 2014
Friday Finds #43
Friday Finds is hosted by Should Be Reading. Each Friday, you share the great books you heard about or discovered over the past week: "books you were told about, books you discovered while browsing blogs/bookstores online, or books that you actually purchased."
A Cool Moonlight
by Angela Johnson
Available as: hardcover, paperback
Pages: 144
Publisher: Dial
Publication date: September 29, 2003
Suggested tags: middle grade, fantasy
From Goodreads:
"With breathtaking lyricism, Angela Johnson shares the thoughts and dreams of an extraordinary girl named Lila. Born with an unusual and dangerous allergy to the sun, nine-year-old Lila can only be outside at night. She plays by the light of the moon, and her playmates are two mysterious girls who wear tutus and costume wings, and often show up when Lila is alone. Lila longs to feel the warmth of the sun on her skin, and with the help of her friends she is making a plan to do so.
Uniquely touching, A Cool Moonlight is that rare novel that wraps tightly around you and leaves you forever changed. A novel about courage and hope and the healing power of love."
Immortal Belovedby Cate Tiernan
Available as: hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, ebook, audiobook
Pages: 407
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date: September 7, 2010
Suggested tags: young adult, paranormal, romance
First in the Immortal Beloved series. From Goodreads:
"Nastasya has spent the last century living as a spoiled, drugged-out party girl. She feels nothing and cares for no one. But when she witnesses her best friend, a Dark Immortal, torture a human, she realizes something's got to change. She seeks refuge at a rehab for wayward immortals, where she meets the gorgeous, undeniably sexy Reyn, who seems inexplicably linked to her past.
Nastasya finally begins to deal with life, and even feels safe--until the night she learns that someone wants her dead.
Cate Tiernan, author of the popular Sweep series, returns with an engaging story of a timeless struggle and inescapable romance, the first book in a stunning new fantasy trilogy."
Mister Mondayby Garth Nix
Available as: hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, ebook, audiobook
Pages: 361
Publisher: Scholastic
Publication date: July 1, 2003
Suggested tags: middle grade, fantasy
First in the The Keys to the Kingdom series. From Goodreads:
"On the first day, there was mystery.
Arthur Penhaligon is not supposed to be a hero. He is, in fact, supposed to die an early death. But then his life is saved by a key shaped like the minute hand of a clock.
Arthur is safe - but his world is not. Along with the key comes a plague brought by bizarre creatures from another realm. A stranger named Mister Monday, his avenging messengers with bloodstained wings, and an army of dog-faced Fetchers will stop at nothing to get the key back - even if it means destroying Arthur and everything around him.
Desperate, Arthur ventures into a mysterious house - a house that only he can see. It is in this house that Arthur must unravel the secrets of the key - and discover his true fate."
The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Placeby E.L. Konigsburg
Available as: hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, ebook, audiobook
Pages: 304
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication date: February 1, 2004
Suggested tags: middle grade, realistic fiction
From Goodreads:
"I Prefer Not To....
That's Margaret Rose Kane's response to every activity she's asked to participate in at the summer camp to which she's been exiled while her parents are in Peru. So Margaret Rose is delighted when her beloved uncles rescue her from Camp Talequa, with its uptight camp director and cruel cabinmates, and bring her to stay with them at their wonderful house at 19 Schuyler Place.
But Margaret Rose soon discovers that something is terribly wrong at 19 Schuyler Place. People in their newly gentrified neighborhood want to get rid of the three magnificent towers the uncles have spent forty-five years lovingly constructing of scrap metal and shards of glass and porcelain. Margaret Rose is outraged, and determined to strike a blow for art, for history, and for individuality...and no one is more surprised than Margaret Rose at the allies she finds for her mission."
Thursday, January 2, 2014
{ bon voYAge! } January 2014
The destination for December 2013 was
{ Texas, USA }
And here are the YA & MG books we found...
The destination for January 2014 is...
{ Canada }
Some examples of YA & MG books set in Canada:
Please send me links to your posts and reviews by Thursday, January 30 so I can add them to the next { bon voYAge! } post!
Want to play? Here's how it works...
{ } At the beginning of each month, I'll post the name of a destination: a city, state, region, province, country, etc.
{ } Throughout the month, you can:
1. look for a YA or MG book (or books) set in that destination to share.
2. read a YA or MG book (or books) set in that destination and write a review.
{ } You can post the books you found or the reviews you wrote any time during that month. Just send me a link so I can link back to your post!
{ } At the beginning of the next month, I'll share everyone's books and reviews. Then I'll post another destination and we can start again! :)
Want to check out the books we've already discovered? Browse all the locations that we've explored on the { bon voYAge! } tab above!
Have a location you'd like to explore? Let me know in the comments here or on the { bon voYAge! } tab above, or email me at pidginpea (at) yahoo (dot) com!
Want to put a { bon voYAge! } button on your blog? I'd love that! I made it using deviantART stock resources from SneakyTomato and artist00 and fonts from kevinandamanda.com.
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Happy 2014!
I feel like even-numbered years are better than odd-numbered years for me. Don't ask me why. I don't even know if I have any evidence from previous years to back that up. But I get excited when an even-numbered year comes around on January 1 because I just have this feeling that it's going to be a good one. Not that 2013 wasn't good - I got married, which was good! :) - but there were some other things in 2013 that could have been better, and I feel like 2014 will be better. I've made some resolutions, in case you're curious:
- Lose weight. Because this is kind of standard, and also because I do need to. Maybe 10-15 lbs. Good start.
- Blog more. I keep saying this. But I do want to blog more, and blog more regularly.
- Blog differently. Because just repeatedly saying "I want to blog more" clearly hasn't fixed anything, since I only put up 3 posts in December. December is a busy month, but that's still shameful. I've realized that feeling like I need to post reviews often starts to weigh on me, because I'm one of those people that kind of shut down under a long to-do list. With a flawed reasoning along the lines of, "omg I have so much to do, if I just did something instead of sitting here thinking about how much I have to do, part of it would go away... but there is too much to do and I don't know where to start so I'm just going to do nothing." So maybe I won't try to do so many reviews. Maybe I'll post more news stories, or more discovery posts where I share new books I've found. Because I get as much happiness out of finding new books and drooling over covers and making collections of books with similar features as I do actually reading them and reviewing them.
- Choose books differently. Because my NetGalley habits have gotten a little out of control. I started requesting every new book that popped up that I was vaguely interested in, because I wanted to keep up with all the new stuff coming out. I did the NetGalley Wellness Challenge because I fully intended to read and review all the books I request, and I wanted to shape up my profile to get approvals from some of those big publishers that haven't let me into their club yet. However, as much as I hate to say it, I don't just read. I have a full-time job, among other obligations that suck time away from reading. So I found that keeping up with all my requests was not easy. And, looking at my To Read list which is still a mile long, clearly I did not do a very good job. And some of those books on that list... I hate to admit this, but I'm not even that excited to read them. So I need to start choosing differently. From now on, I'm only requesting books that I'm freaking dying to read. If I don't dance in my chair when I see a book pop up on NetGalley, I'm not requesting it - I'll wait till I can buy it or get it from the library to read it. And on that note, I'm going to do more buying/librarying. Because there are a lot of books that are already out (and have been out for a while - like, in some cases, years) that I am freaking dying to read! And I feel like I can't read them because I need to get through all these other books (that I'm not necessarily freaking dying to read) first. Which is frustrating. And I feel like I'm missing out on good books. Which is really frustrating. So. Change of strategy.
I guess that about sums it up. So I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotes ever and a wish that you have a happy and wonderful new year!
“May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, and don't forget to make some art ― write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself.”
― Neil Gaiman
- Lose weight. Because this is kind of standard, and also because I do need to. Maybe 10-15 lbs. Good start.
- Blog more. I keep saying this. But I do want to blog more, and blog more regularly.
- Blog differently. Because just repeatedly saying "I want to blog more" clearly hasn't fixed anything, since I only put up 3 posts in December. December is a busy month, but that's still shameful. I've realized that feeling like I need to post reviews often starts to weigh on me, because I'm one of those people that kind of shut down under a long to-do list. With a flawed reasoning along the lines of, "omg I have so much to do, if I just did something instead of sitting here thinking about how much I have to do, part of it would go away... but there is too much to do and I don't know where to start so I'm just going to do nothing." So maybe I won't try to do so many reviews. Maybe I'll post more news stories, or more discovery posts where I share new books I've found. Because I get as much happiness out of finding new books and drooling over covers and making collections of books with similar features as I do actually reading them and reviewing them.
- Choose books differently. Because my NetGalley habits have gotten a little out of control. I started requesting every new book that popped up that I was vaguely interested in, because I wanted to keep up with all the new stuff coming out. I did the NetGalley Wellness Challenge because I fully intended to read and review all the books I request, and I wanted to shape up my profile to get approvals from some of those big publishers that haven't let me into their club yet. However, as much as I hate to say it, I don't just read. I have a full-time job, among other obligations that suck time away from reading. So I found that keeping up with all my requests was not easy. And, looking at my To Read list which is still a mile long, clearly I did not do a very good job. And some of those books on that list... I hate to admit this, but I'm not even that excited to read them. So I need to start choosing differently. From now on, I'm only requesting books that I'm freaking dying to read. If I don't dance in my chair when I see a book pop up on NetGalley, I'm not requesting it - I'll wait till I can buy it or get it from the library to read it. And on that note, I'm going to do more buying/librarying. Because there are a lot of books that are already out (and have been out for a while - like, in some cases, years) that I am freaking dying to read! And I feel like I can't read them because I need to get through all these other books (that I'm not necessarily freaking dying to read) first. Which is frustrating. And I feel like I'm missing out on good books. Which is really frustrating. So. Change of strategy.
I guess that about sums it up. So I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotes ever and a wish that you have a happy and wonderful new year!
“May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, and don't forget to make some art ― write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself.”
― Neil Gaiman
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