In My Mailbox #42

Good almost-afternoon! Apologies for the general naffness of the blog recently I know I am still massively behind on reviews, heck we're two thirds of the way through the month and I've not caught up on February reviews yet! :( This makes me sad. But I shall have to sort that out another day.

In My Mailbox is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Kristi of The Story Siren and inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie



Books Mentioned in Vlog
Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Philips
Where She Went by Gayle Forman (THANKS JESS for lending it to me!)
The Scorch Trials by James Dashner (Ditto!)


Muchos thanks to the Lovely Jess for being so awesome as to let me borrow her books *huggles*


Alrighty then, I'd best get moving since I did  this entire post whilst lying down and that is prodigiously lazy of me! So hope everyone has a fabulous day and What did you get in Your Mailboxes?
LadyV

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Covers So Lovely We'd Lick Them #11

So after last week's little break from Covers Jess and I are happy to be back with two fabulously new and sparkly covers to drool over.

Covers So Lovely We'd Lick Them!

The new feature co-created and co-hosted by LadyViolet and Jess hearts books where we show off a book cover which we find so damn scrumptious that we'd actually be willing to lick it!

Every week we each pick a different cover so be sure to check both blogs!

I know that there's nary a person who isn't in love with Etienne St Clair and with the reveal of the spangly new cover for Stephanie Perkins' sophomore novel - Lola and the Boy Next Door I would bet large amounts of money that all those folk are *vair* anxious to meet Cricket Bell, the titled "Boy Next Door".

This cover is just as fun as the cover of Anna but this time we actually get to see the boy which is very much appreciated :P I am also in love with Lola's hair - I WANT PURPLE HAIR!! Not only that but her outfit is totally squiffy and cool! This whole cover looks so darn cute I reckon it'd be like nibbling on cotton candy (or candy floss if you're Britishly inclined).

Looking past the cover I gotta say that this description from Goodreads has got me dancing with impatience to read the book already!

In this companion novel to Anna and the French Kiss, two teens discover that true love may be closer than they think.
For budding costume designer Lola Nolan, the more outrageous, the outfit—more sparkly, more fun, more wild—the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins move back into the house next door.
When the family returns and Cricket—a gifted inventor and engineer—steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

Are we not in agreement? Is this the book that we will all be *dying* for all summer? Erm I do indeed believe so! Stephanie Perkins I doff my beret to you for being generally awesome and for creating the most frustratingly lovable Frenglican boy to ever grace the pages of YA. Etienne St Clair - you know where to find me :P

So that's What I'm licking this week, dash on over to Jess's Blog to see what lump of fabulosity she's getting all excited about this week.

LadyV

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It's Monday What are you Reading (33)

Afternoon my lovelies! I was gonna say how gloriously sunny it is today but alas the clouds have suddenly appeared and it makes me sad :( I had a fab walk yesterday in the sun with my iPod to jazz up the countryside and I would have gone again today but now... *huffs* Maybe I'll have another chance later this week.

It's Monday What are you Reading? Is a weekly bookish meme where we get together to share what books we've read in the past week, what books we're currently reading and what new books we're planning on reading in the coming week along with any reviews or interesting posts. It's hosted by Sheila @Book Journey

Books I read Last week

The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks (Really good High Fantasy chunkster)

Tortall and Other Lands by Tamora Pierce (Interesting collection of short stories)

Perfect You by Elizabeth Scott (Cute, fun read- Review coming soon)

**Re-Read**Anna and the French by Stephanie Perkins (Freakily even more relatable)

Books I reviewed last week

Forest Born by Shannon Hale - Review

Bloodhound by Tamora Pierce - Review

Books I'm Currently Reading

The Woman in White - I've not made any progress with this but I want to pick it up again this week.

Books I want to Read this week

Matched by Ally Condie - I can't believe I've not read this yet but with the cover for Crossed being revealed recently I wanna pick this up since it's been ages since I had a dose of dystopia.

Temeraire by Naomi Novik - I know I only bought this the other day but I have a craving to read some historical-esque fiction and it's really short so it shouldn't take me long to devour.

So that's What I'm Reading this Monday - What are you reading?

LadyV

 

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In My Mailbox #41

It's rather alarming how fast Sunday keeps coming around, does anyone else worry that it's gonna be June before we know it? This week has been a blur of ridiculously early mornings and copious amounts of caffeine but thankfully I got some time this weekend to chill out and go bookshop trawling :P

In My Mailbox is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Kristi @The Story Siren and was inspired by Alea @Pop Culture Junkie



Books Mentioned in Vlog
Tortall and Other Lands by Tamora Pierce
Temeraire by Naomi Novik
The Leopard Unleashed by Elizabeth Chadwick


That's what I got in My Mailbox this week, What did you get in yours?
LadyV

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Book Review - Bloodhound

Hey folks! Sorry for the rather meagre posting this week and for the lack of Covers So Lovely - Jess and I were both pretty busy with RL stuff and our poor frazzled noggins couldn't come up with a decent cover to choose for you to drool over so it'll be back next week when we've got a bit less on our plates! I've spent this past week helping out my mum with work and I've been getting up at the ungodly hour of 6am O_o so I am *extremely* glad for the lie-ins I'll get this weekend!

But anyway this will hopefully be a mini-review although since it's for a Tammy book there's always a chance I'll spill over into gushing territory :P

Title: Bloodhound
Author: Tamora Pierce
Date: 17/2/2011 PM
Source: Bought
Description: Beka Cooper, the heroine of Terrier, is no longer a Puppy.
She's a Dog now—a full-fledged member of the Provost's Guard, dedicated to keeping peace in Tortall. But there's unrest throughout the land. Counterfeit coins are turning up in shops all over the capital city of Corus, and the nation's economy is on the brink of collapse.
The Dogs discover that the counterfeit money seems to originate in Port Caynn. So Beka heads upriver to investigate, traveling with her mentor, Goodwin; Achoo, a hound whose nose is as sharp as her claws; and the pigeon Slapper, who carries the voices of the dead.
In Port Caynn, Beka delves deep into the gambling world, where she meets a charming banking clerk named Dale Rowan. Beka thinks she may be falling for Rowan, but she won't let anything—or anyone—jeopardize her mission. From the Silversmith's Guild to the Provost's House to the city sewers, it won't be enough for Beka to be her usual Terrier self. She'll have to learn from Achoo how to sniff out the criminals—to be a Bloodhound. . . . (Description taken from Amazon.com)

My Review

Just in case you didn't know by now- I am a *massive* Tamora Pierce fangirl - no really have you not noticed? :P But anyway I had a random urge to re-read this second volume of the Beka Cooper trilogy last month and with the final book Mastiff finally coming out this October *squee* it felt appropriate to refresh my memory with how fabulous Beka and Co. are in this book.

I adore the journal format of this trilogy and Beka's voice is no nonsense, witty and interesting while still being easy to relate to as a teenager - I'm talking insecurities and conflicting emotions making life complicated ;-). Beka has matured since the events of Terrier and I really like that she loosens up enough to enjoy more of a personal life although I will admit that I'm a bit of a Rosto fan so while Dale is charming and handsome I'm rooting for the Piper :P

The whole money counterfeiting plot was really fascinating and made you think how quickly a country's economy can be destabilised by a deluge of fakes in a medieval-era type world like Tortall. We also got to see how corruption in law enforcement really creates more problems than it solves (if it solves any in the first place!).  But in a country where they're still figuring out the logistics of a police force I suppose it's to be expected that corruption occurs since the lines between right and wrong and not yet set in stone.

Overall the book zipped along something lovely and I think Achoo is my favourite literary dog ever she's so adorable and still hard-working and I can't wait to see more of her, Beka and Tunstall in Mastiff (due to two broken legs he's sadly absent for most of Bloodhound). At the end of this second book I really don't know how the trilogy might end and I'm going to be waiting very impatiently for October 25th so I can find out.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Wow I'm actually impressed with myself for keeping the mini-review within the restricted length! I honestly thought that I might ramble on in my ardour for this awesome series - if you've never read a Tamora Pierce book then the Beka Cooper trilogy is a great place to start since you don't have to read the other Tortall books to fall in love with the characters and the world. So go pick up Terrier and I promise that if you like your heroines kick-ass then you'll love Beka.

LadyV

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Book Review - Forest Born

Ok this will be just a mini-review since I have neither the energy nor inclination to spend ages pondering over a long review. So apologies if I'm a bit spare with my opinions, I promise that there will be gushy lengthy reviews somewhere in the not-too-distant future.

Title: Forest Born (Books of Bayern #4)
Author: Shannon Hale
Date: 13/2/2011 PM
Source: Bought
Description: Growing up in the Forest, Rin always tuned to the trees when she needed peace or reassurance, even direction, until the day they seem to reject her. Rin is sure something is wrong with her, something that is keeping her from feeling at home in the Forest, keeping her from trusting herself with anyone at all. 
When her brother Razo returns to the city after a visit home, Rin accompanies him to the palace in hopes of finding a new sense of herself. But a mysterious threat haunts Bayern, and Rin joins the magical girls she thinks of as the Fire Sisters—Isi, Enna, and Dasha—as they venture into the woods toward the kingdom of Kel... where someone wants them all dead. (Description taken from Goodreads)

My Review

This is the fourth book from the Bayern Series. Rin was a really unusual character compared to Isi, Enna and Dasha in the first three books. She's quiet and helps everyone while still remaining in the background and nobody really notices all the conflict that's going on inside her. You know she's keeping something from the reader but you don't find out what that is for a while and it's quite surprising how things turn out. Rin's magic is much more subtle than the Wind, Fire and Water magic that the other girl's wield which makes it very interesting to read about as she discovers new aspects to her power.  

During the story there's also some very shocking revelations which connect quite a few dots relating to the plots from the other books and I thought that all the threads of story were tied up very well. The whole book had quite a dreamy quality to it and you sort of float through the story which was a little strange but I still enjoyed the book and I love the characters in this series especially Razo and Enna - they seem to get all the best quips.

Overall this was a most enjoyable read although out of the four books in the series I still think that The Goose Girl is my favourite. But since I love Shannon Hale's writing and her characters just having another look into the world of Bayern is enough to keep me happy.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

So folks... what do y'all think of the mini-review format for when I'm pressed for time? I'm only planning to use this style so I can get caught up on my February reviews which will leave me free to write longer ones for my March reads but if I can't seem to gather enough thoughts about a book at another time I shall perhaps revert to the 3 paragraph format y'dig?

LadyV

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It's Monday What are you Reading (32)

Good evening chaps, I would have done this post last night and scheduled it for this morning but alas I was feeling lazy and I've been busy all day. So it's getting done now and bugger the fact that I'll be last on the linky.
Last week was a pretty decent week for reading and I actually got two reviews up so it's better than the previous fortnight.

It's Monday What are you Reading? Is a weekly bookish meme where we get together to share what books we've read in the past week, what books we're currently reading and what new books we're planning on reading in the coming week along with any reviews or interesting posts. It's hosted by Sheila @Book Journey

Books I read last Week

Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers (Fantastically horrifying Review coming soon)

Rosebush by Michele Jaffe (Amazing! Review coming Soon)

Jinx by Meg Cabot (Fun but rather short 3.5 Stars)

Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting (A really good read Review coming soon)

Books Reviewed Last Week

Ghost of a Chance by Rhiannon Lassiter - Review

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting - Review

Books I'm Currently Reading

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins - I'm not too far with this but I'm hoping to make progress this week

The Way of the Shadows by Brent Weeks - I started this once before but got side-tracked this time I'm determined to finish so I can move onto the next books

Books I'm Planning to Read this Week

Since this arrived today I *will* be munching through the various short stories it contains during this week. I am *insanely* happy to have this in my possession but I'm sure that once I've finished it I'll be slavering for Mastiff to be released already!

So What are you Reading this Monday?

LadyV

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