In Pursuit of My Own Library

The fabulous website Netgalley has me seeking outside my "standard" reading list. With the never ending supply of reading at my fingers tips, I don't feel the pressure to choose a novel for worth of the purchase. I can expand my reading palette. I enjoy a good dystopian novel that throws the philosophical issues at you. The Giver, 1984, Brave New World in the history of stellar literature out there are just a few of my favorites. When I read the blurb for 1984 meets Brave New World with a streak of thriller, it was kismet that I relax from the fantasy genre for awhile. Except I ended up coming back to I really do not like thriller authors. They try too hard. Glass House 51 by John Hampel Let me start this review with... this is not a bad story. I would recommend it to the die hard thriller fans (you know the ones who will read anything in the genre because it is their go-to read) and those who want some philosophical provocation. I have certainly read much worse th

While searching for the proper etiquette  to  submit critiques for the galleys I was receiving  (and gaging the respect and legitimacy of the website), I stumbled across a great article in an author's blog. She laid out quite nicely how it works on her side of the field and what authors are really looking for when they relinquish their yet unpublished works to book lovers. I decided to look her up on Amazon and see what she had offered to the world of literature. The first book in her series was being offered as a free Kindle read, so of course loving the deal, I downloaded a copy. I was quite pleasantly surprised. Branded by Keary Taylor It is the first installment in the Fall of Angels series. A close friend of mine created her own genre to fit a growing part of the fiction market that doesn't quite fit into the teenie bopper category (nor do they want their characters associated as such). She named it  "Young Adult for Actual Young Adults and not Teenagers" g

In a small guilty pleasure break from my Netgalley readings (I ended up being approved by several outstanding publishers and want to give each it's due), I have taken a detour with Sookie Stackhouse. I read the first book roughly at the time the TV show came out as a recommendation from a friend who absolutely loved the show. Many of the series were already published so I was able to pour through them rather quickly. They are not in depth reads so I place them on my guilty pleasure list for both the romance and entertainment factor. The arc of the story had started to get a little off course for me around the seventh book; so I wasn't even sure I was going to continue until I heard that it was the end. I would at least like to know how it ended. Dead Ever After by Charlaine Harris Ending the series at 13 books seems very poetic for a other-world murder and mayhem series. There is always a superstitious feel to the novels for me. While I had become bored with the town of B

Netgalley is every bookworm's dream. It is a website dedicated to connecting publishers with dedicated readers who have an interest in progressing the written word. Bloggers, bookstore owners, librarians, etc. are given advanced reading copies (ARC) of new authors or new series in exchange for an honest review and hopefully some marketing expansion of the product. Netgalley readers aren't paid, but give their time generously to help spread the word about great literature. I am new to the whole social networking, blog world. This blog, in fact, started as more of a checklist/time keeping device for my goal to read 75 books this year. It does not reach wide areas of the globe (yet I don't think) nor have I spent much time trying to make it so. Still working on how to be that brilliant juggler. I am growing for sure. Netgalley has easily made achieving my book goal easier indeed. I wanted to be able to read one of my favorite authors: Naomi Novik. She has a new Temeraire no

After receiving an advanced reading copy of Blood of Tyrants , I rushed out to get a copy of Crucible of Gold so I could properly be updated with the great Temeraire saga. I also stopped by www.temeraire.org to get a quick synopsis of the previous novels to make me thoroughly immersed in the Novik dragonverse again. Crucible of Gold by Naomi Novik As always another great installment from one of my favorite authors. Temeraire continues to grow and introduce us to new worlds and new characters. The leading protagonists we have grown to love have further developed in character and history. With a very deserved reinstatement, Captain Laurence and Temeraire are able to reunite with the original formation. We meet some intriguing new dragons and reunite with some uncouth figures. The losses were felt, but seemed somewhat confusing. (How did that even happen? I demand the why! Mutiny from the readership at the lack of clarity) However, I have thoroughly lost track of the casualties of

I am not sure how I want to review my latest read. It left me feeling pulled several different ways as a reader. So I guess I will start with... I did not enjoy nor despise this novel. I am Switzerland and stand neutral to its success and fame; a little leery as to why it has been so critically acclaimed. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini The story will definitely tug your heart strings. It will certainly remind you that you are a fragile human susceptible to so many pitfalls. But, does it invoke the craving to read it again? For me, not really. When I feel that way about such a high-praised novel, I almost feel something has gone wrong with me; until I step back from the glitz and glamour and realize it is just another novel in the millions published that just happened to catch someone powerful's eye. While a compelling story plot, the writing was chunky to me. Obviously, he is covering a vast expanse of time in a limited manuscript. There are better ways to smooth out th