Quick Note

9:03 AM mixagrip

Just wanted to mention (rather later than I should have) that I was featured on Carina of Reading Through Life's Reading Roots.  It was posted on Tuesday, but for some reason I was thinking it was supposed to be today.  Stop by to learn more about my mysterious reading pa...


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Challenging Reads

7:42 AM mixagrip

As a continued celebration of Banned Books Week, I thought that I'd give a short review of a challenged book I just reread and as a bonus, I've linked to reviews of other challenged books I've reviewed here previously.  It turns out that I've read many more challenged and banned books before the blog than I have since starting it.  I plan to work on that.  The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare Publisher: Houghton MifflinPublication date: December 1958ISBN: 9780440995777 (mass market paperback) Source: personal copy Kit Tyler is leaving the only home she's known in Barbados for the unknown New England coast,...


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Elitist Classics: Citizen of the Galaxy

7:00 AM Nikki

Robert A. Heinlein is a god in the science fiction world, and for good reason: he brought literary quality and high scientific standards to a growing genre, as well as attention-grabbing controversy. I'm sure you all know about his classics including STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND, THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS, and STARSHIP TROOPERS. But did you know he also wrote juvenile fiction?Written in 1957, CITIZEN OF THE GALAXY is about the boy Thorby who's taken to a strange planet as a slave and is purchased by an old beggar for a pittance. But Baslim the Cripple isn't everything he appears, and treats Thorby as a son, teaching him not only how to beg,...


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Book Review: Nothing But Ghosts by Beth Kephart

8:21 AM mixagrip

Nothing but Ghosts by Beth KephartPublisher: HarperCollinsPublication date: July 2009ISBN: 006166796X Source: Library  Katie is still trying to deal with the loss of her mother and help her father deal with it as well.  Working for the summer for the rich and elusive Miss Martine, digging a hole for a new gazebo, she stumbles upon a mystery.  Why did Miss Martine disappear 50 years ago and why hasn't anyone seen her since?  What is the real reason for the hole they've been digging?  And most of all, if she finds Miss Martine, will she also be able to fill the hole her mother left in her life?Things I Liked: This is a...


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The Bird of the River

7:00 AM Nikki

When a job goes fatally wrong for their mother, teenage Eliss and her younger half-brother Alder find themselves orphaned and marooned on the barge Bird of the River. The crew takes pity and lets them stay on and the pair hope to have finally found a 'home' that welcomes them. They've lived a rough and itinerant life as a result of their irresponsible mother: Alder is half Yendari, and Eliss has had to make up the difference when their mother was wasted from smoking yellow weed.Eliss takes to sailing on the Bird as though born to it, and quickly distinguishes herself as a look-out, calling out the lay of the water as they travel upriver. One...


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A Winner and Banned Books Week

9:34 AM mixagrip

Well, in case you missed it, I had my inaugural Name that Book post yesterday and it was a lot of fun!  Apparently, most of you thought it was too easy (and judging by the number of correct guesses, I'm assuming you were right).  So, I'll be adjusting some things to make some trickier ones in the future.  But, the winner of that first game was:KT! (who apparently just happened to be watching my feed at the exact second I pushed publish)Thanks everyone who played along and I hope to see you back here in two weeks for another episode! [Oops. I forgot to tell you the answers!  Book 1 was 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff...


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Book Review: Ivy's Ever After by Dawn Lairamore

9:25 AM mixagrip

Ivy's Ever After by Dawn LairamorePublisher: Holiday HousePublication date: May 2010ISBN: 9780823422616 Source: review copy provided by publicist Princess Ivy faces an unfortunate future locked in a tower, guarded by a dragon, until a prince can rescue her and become king.  But, when the arrogant and vicious Prince Romil shows up before she enters the tower, Ivy decides that she must take matters into her own hands.  She makes an unlikely friendship with Elridge, the dragon who's supposed to guard her and who appears to be more friendly than fierce.  The two of them set off to find Ivy's fairy godmother Drusilla, who they...


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Interview with Larry Correia

7:00 AM Nikki

We've had the privilege of chatting with Larry Correia a number of times. As an author, he is fantastic. As a person, he is even more awesome...and we promise that Larry doesn't have any heavy weaponry pointed at us as we type this introduction. So, kick back and enjoy the interview.Elitist Book Reviews: Larry, welcome to Elitist Book Reviews. Tradition here at EBR states that you have to introduce yourself to the readers by explaining why you and your novels are awesome. And don’t start with that “I’m not the guy to do that,” because we know you.Larry Correia: Well, I’m a novelist with Baen Books. I’m currently writing the third book in...


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Name That Book, Episode 1

8:16 AM mixagrip

Welcome to the first edition of my new book blog game.  As you may have figured out from the title, I'll post clues that will help you guess the title of a book.  My inspiration was a local book event at my library that had a trivia game.  Some of the puzzles involved guessing a book title from a group of photos, and I really wanted to guess more of them!  So, I decided I'd start it on my blog.  I wish I had prizes to give out to winners every time, but I will probably only do that once in a while (what with being poor and all).  But, I hope you'll want to play anyway, even if some of them will be quite easy. ...


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Monster Hunter Vendetta

7:00 AM Nikki

We like our books with thought put into them. Characters in shades of gray. Plots that are epic, yet deeply personal. We like novels where the author challenges our minds, and makes us ponder humanity.And after we have read all that, we LOVE to read books that involve explosions. And zombies. And exploding zombies. And zombie elephants. Did we already mention explosions? How about heavy gunfire?Thank you, Larry Correia, for giving us another novel full of exploding monsters, and incredibly detailed gun-play: MONSTER HUNTER VENDETTA.You readers DO remember Larry Correia, right? It would be in your best interests to nod your head in agreement regardless...


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Hard at Work

3:06 PM mixagrip

A Bit of Me(Me) is hosted by Danielle of There's a Book.  For this week's topic, we get to talk about jobs we hated or were embarrassed by.  Well, it turns out I haven't had a lot of formal jobs in my short career.  Probably about seven total.  The one that I still get grumpy about wasn't exactly a formal job.  I worked for a friend of my father's who owns a small business.  He pretty much runs it himself with occasional help from some of my other siblings and then myself.  Essentially, I would fill orders and ship the product.  Sometimes I'd do mailings, which were a pain.  It may not sound that...


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Book Review: Wildwing by Emily Whitman

8:11 AM mixagrip

Wildwing by Emily WhitmanPublisher: Greenwillow BooksPublication date: October 2010ISBN: 9780061724527 Source: ARC provided by Traveling ARC Tours Addy is tired of the life she leads as a lower class maid.  She fights for a better life, but finds that some things just aren't possible.  Until she ends up in a time machine that takes her back to medieval times.  There, she is mistaken for a lady and ends up living the kind of life she always knew she wanted.  But, it isn't all she thought it would be.  Can she get back home to her mother and her old life or will she have to choose between her family and a boy she just...


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From Hell with Love

7:00 AM Nikki

James Bond meets Harry Dresden--except with a much bigger family--in Simon R. Green's newest urban fantasy mystery, FROM HELL WITH LOVE.Our hero, Eddie Drood, is devoted to the family cause: keeping humanity safe from the real horrors that threaten it. He's spent his entire life saving the world from one danger after another, and the needs of the Drood family has always come first. Now he has to protect Earth from Hell itself, even at the expense of the life of the woman he loves.Doctor Delirium, who usually isn't taken very seriously by the Drood family, has stolen the Apocalypse Door, and threatens to open it and let all Hell loose if his demands...


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A Little Cybils Cheer

4:36 PM mixagrip

I was so excited when I got the news that I'd get to be doing Cybils judging again!  I'm on the Round II panel for Elementary/MG Sci-fi and Fantasy.  I simply loved reading and talking about these kinds of books last year and I look forward to doing it again with these good people:Kate Coombs, Book AuntEmily Mitchell, emilyreadsNancy Tsai, KidsmomoTanya Zavestoski Turek, Books 4 Your KidsSo, be sure to get your nominations in starting October 1.  And for more detailed info to get yourself all ready, check out Natasha's post What You Need to Know about the 2010 Cybils Awards.  What books do you plan to nominate in this...


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Book Review: The Duff by Kody Keplinger

7:38 AM mixagrip

The DUFF: (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) by Kody KeplingerPublisher: Poppy (Hachette Book Group)Publication date: September 2010ISBN: 9780316084239 Source: ARC provided by Traveling ARC Tours Bianca is satisfied hanging out with her two gorgeous friends and playing the smart, if cynical one in their trio.  Until Wesley, the school's biggest womanizer and jerk, calls her the Duff - designated ugly fat friend.  That name sticks in her mind and starts wearing down her confidence.  When things start to get too difficult to think about - what with being the Duff, dealing with her parent's decaying relationship, and the boy who broke...


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A Long Neglected Loot Post

8:03 AM mixagrip

(hosted by Marg of Adventures of an Intrepid Reader and Claire of The Captive Reader) So, I've been putting this off every week for about a month now.  I don't know why, but it never seems like the right day for a library loot post.  But now!  Now I get to catch up on all that I checked out and got in the mail.  Brace yourselves:The Body at the Tower by Y.S. LeeGirl in the Arena by Lise HainesThe No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith (book club set!)Guardian of the Gate by Michelle ZinkThe Grimm Legacy by Polly ShulmanThe Kings of Clonmel by John Flanagan (reloot)And things have continued to be insane in...


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Mockingjay

7:00 AM Nikki

Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games series has created a buzz in the Young Adult world. Her version of a future American dystopia is grim and disturbing. And compelling. The final novel, MOCKINGJAY, was released in August with great anticipation...but was it worth getting all worked up about?The series begins with THE HUNGER GAMES, an exciting, brutal, and clever story. The setting is well done and artfully displays a society that's rotting from both ends. HUNGER GAMES explores the themes of an influential propaganda machine and an extravagant Capital at the expense of the people, then takes it the next frightening step.The second novel, CATCHING...


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Book Review: I So Don't Do Makeup by Barrie Summy

7:34 AM mixagrip

I So Don't Do Makeup by Barrie SummyPublisher: Delacorte Books for Young ReadersPublication date: May 2010ISBN: 9780385737883 Source: review copy provided by publicist Sherlock Holmes Baldwin (aka Sherry) is becoming an old hand at solving mysteries.  When she and her friends discover a plot to put their new favorite makeup store out of business, she decides to use her new skills to find the culprit.  She even enlists the help of her ghost mother, who works for a ghost detective agency.  But, things don't run quite as smoothly as she'd like and she just might end up making a bigger mess of things than before.  Things...


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