Some Local Library Love: Orem Public Library

12:40 PM mixagrip

Well, as some of you may know (I haven't mentioned it in, like two days) I moved recently.  I grew up in Utah and I couldn't leave my home town without giving a shout out, with my Libraries Around the World feature, to my childhood library.  This is the place where I grew up on words.  These are the stacks where I checked out every Nancy Drew, Sweet Valley Twins, Boxcar Children, and Babysitters Club book religiously.  My love for libraries was born and raised in the walls of this place.  It fed the fires of my book-lust and also, in later years, the fires in my pockets when I got a job there as a page.  But enough...


Posted in ,

June Reflections

8:03 AM Nikki

June was a very exciting month! I read some great mysteries. I read a little Rex Stout, a little Dorothy Sayers, a little Agatha Christie, a little Lilian Jackson Braun. I also read some middle grade and young adult books! I haven't been reading as many of those in recent months, so it was nice to get back to that. I had some reading lows (books that I had to keep forcing myself to read) and some reading highs (books that I didn't want to put down at all). There were times I was super-excited to be reading, and a few times where I didn't want to read ANYTHING at all. As far as challenges go, I was able to read at least one book for each of these...


Posted in

Book Review: Jane Austen: A Life Revealed by Catherine Reef

11:32 AM mixagrip

Jane Austen: A Life Revealed by Catherine ReefPublisher: Clarion BooksPublication date: June 2011ISBN: 978-0547370217Source: e-ARC provided by NetGalleyJane Austen has remained a household name for hundreds of years, an author many readers love to love.  But how much do we actually know about this historical figure?  Catherine Reef creates a biography of this mysterious woman, whose feelings and thoughts come to us only in bits and snatches.  Things I Liked: Yeah, I know that description was pretty crappy.  I'm not much good at non-fiction descriptions.  I enjoyed reading this biography.  Despite my being such a...


Posted in , , , , ,

Boy At The End of the World (MG)

9:51 AM Nikki

The Boy at the End of the World. Greg van Eekhout. 2011. Bloomsbury. 224 pages.This is what he knew:His name was Fisher.The world was dangerous.He was alone.And that was all.I definitely enjoyed Greg van Eekhout's The Boy At The End of the World. If you like survival stories or action-adventure stories or post-apocalyptic stories, then this one may be for you. Fisher, our hero, is truly the boy at the end of the world. There's a good possibility that he's the only human left on earth. At least the only human awakened from his pod. And if the other arks on earth look like Fisher's, well, the world could be in trouble.But he's not completely alone...


Posted in , , , , , , , ,

City of Ruins

7:00 AM Nikki

Back in 2009 we read Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s DIVING INTO THE WRECK. With its incredible accessibility to all sorts of readers and its awesome idea of wreck diving in space, it instantly became one of our favorites that year. We waited patiently for the sequel, and it finally came out.CITY OF RUINS follows up a bit after DIVING. Boss is back, and this time she’s made a company that investigates the stealth tech discovered in the first novel. On a hunch she heads to city of Vaycehn to investigate the possibility of stealth tech on the planet. With her are a slew of historians, archeologists and the other six people who can safely navigate...


Posted in , ,

To Dream in The City of Sorrows

2:32 PM Nikki

To Dream in the City of Sorrows. (Babylon 5: Book #9). Kathryn M. Drennan. Based on the series by J. Michael Straczynski. 1997. Random House. 352 pages. From the prologue: Marcus Cole walked with a limp, a fact that did not go unnoticed by the young Minbari acolyte as Marcus entered the small temple. Marcus didn't recognize the rather chubby Minbari and briefly wondered where Sech Turval was, but as he was not in the mood for conversation, he simply made a note to seek out the venerable Minbari teacher at a later time.From chapter one: "Alpha 7 to Alpha Leader, I'm hit!" I almost don't know where to start with this review. I could start...


Posted in , , ,

Book Review: Kat, Incorrigible by Stephanie Burgis

9:16 AM mixagrip

Posted as part of Tween Tuesday, hosted by GreenBeanTeenQueen. Kat, Incorrigible by Stephanie BurgisPublisher: AtheneumPublication date: April 2011ISBN: 9781416994473Source: ARC sent by publisher Ever since their mother died, people have been hoping Elissa, Angeline, and Kat, will not take after her.  Especially their stepmama, who nearly faints at the word magic.  But, when Kat discovers she might just have taken after the mother she never knew, she is determined to use her abilities for good.  Like saving her sister from marrying a potential wife-killer and finding a way for both her older sisters to marry who they...


Posted in , , , ,

Listless Monday, Dress Up Edition

11:52 AM mixagrip

Listless Monday was inspired by both Amanda at A Bookshelf Monstrosity's feature Books by Theme and Court at Once Upon a Bookshelf's Listed feature.  Be sure to check out their lists!Well, I've been having a hard time coming up with good ideas for lists recently, and this idea isn't exactly an original one, but I figured I may as well throw it out there.  I've noticed that a lot of covers recently have gorgeous dresses on them, so, here are a just few I find fantastic:Dress Up Edition (Suggested by Inside a Book)Any additions?If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small perc...


Posted in , ,

The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club

8:30 AM Nikki

The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club. Dorothy L. Sayers. 1928/1995. HarperCollins. 256 pages."What in the world, Wimsey, are you doing in this Morgue?" demanded Captain Fentiman, flinging aside the "Evening Banner" with the air of a man released from an irksome duty.Lord Peter Wimsey's skills will be tested in The Unpleasantness at The Bellona Club. For a great deal of money depends on his preciseness, his thoroughness. General Fentiman, a ninety-year-old man, died at his club (and Peter's club). No one thought anything of it at all.Until they learned that the General's sister, Lady Dormer, had also died that morning. Until they learned that...


Posted in , , , , , , ,

The Mage In Black

7:00 AM Nikki

She's a "shoot first and ask questions later" half-vampire with assassin skills, trust issues, and who must learn the magic inherited from her mage father in order to unite the dark races./yawnIf you've read your share of chick urban fantasy, THE MAGE IN BLACK is more of the same. Unfortunately, it's not even average more of the same. Perhaps I should start with what it has going for it: straightforward storytelling and fast-paced action. What it doesn't have going for it? Everything else.It starts off with Sabina, our kick-butt heroine, arriving in New York after leaving the good graces of her vampire queen grandmother in RED-HEADED STEPCHILD....


Posted in , ,

The Classics Circuit: John Steinbeck Tour In August!!!

5:07 PM Nikki

John Steinbeck is one of my *favorite* authors, and he's the featured author on tour this August. You can sign up now at The Classics Circuit.  The Steinbeck I've reviewed:Cannery Row, Sweet Thursday, Tortilla Flat, Travels with Charley, The Moon is Down,  The Wayward Bus, Burning Bright, Winter of Our Discontent, To A God Unknown,Of Mice and Men© 2011 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Revi...


Joining the Agatha Christie Reading Challenge

4:45 PM Nikki

I knew that Kerrie was trying to read Agatha Christie's novels in the order of publication, but I didn't know it was an official-official reading challenge where readers could read at their own pace and in whatever order they liked. So I am happy to join this one--a little late, perhaps. But I've been reading Christie for all of 2011, so I'm going to "count" those too. I am relatively sure the challenge was open at that point. And there's a monthly Agatha Christie book carnival too! (When I think of all the reviews I could have been submitting...oh well, what's done is done!)The Mysterious Affair At Styles.  Murder on the Orient Express....


Posted in

Sunday Salon: Week in Review #26

11:55 AM Nikki

What I Reviewed at Becky's Book ReviewsThe Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic. Jennifer Trafton. With illustrations by Brett Helquist. 2010. Penguin. 352 pages.The Rumpelstiltskin Problem. Vivian Vande Velde. 2000. Houghton Mifflin. 116 pages. William's Midsummer Dreams. Zilpha Keatley Snyder. 2011. Simon & Schuster. 224 pages.Small Acts of Amazing Courage. Gloria Whelan. 2011. Simon & Schuster. 224 pages.  Nemesis. Agatha Christie. 1971/2011. HarperCollins. 304 pages.Front and Center. Catherine Gilbert Murdock. 2009. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 256 pages. Miles from Ordinary. Carol Lynch Williams. 2011. St. Martin's Press. 208 pages.What...


Posted in

Library Loot: Fifth Trip in June

12:47 PM Nikki

New Loot:Hooray for Amanda & Her Alligator by Mo WillemsBetsy-Tacy by Maud Hart LovelaceBetsy-Tacy and Tib by Maud Hart LovelaceBetsy-Tacy Go Over the Big Hill by Maud Hart LovelaceCity of Tranquil Light by Bo CaldwellSo Big by Edna FerberThe Eyre Affair by Jasper FfordeWinesburg, Ohio by Sherwood AndersonLeftover Loot:Joy in the Morning by Betty SmithSleeping Murder: A Miss Marple mystery by Agatha ChristieA Pocket Full of Rye: A Miss Marple mystery by Agatha ChristieThey Do it With Mirrors a Miss Marple mystery by Agatha ChristieThe Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side: A Miss Marple mystery by Agatha Christie Elephants Can Remember by Agatha...


Posted in

Nemesis

8:38 AM Nikki

Nemesis. Agatha Christie. 1971/2011. HarperCollins. 304 pages.In the afternoons it was the custom of Miss Jane Marple to unfold her second newspaper. I wouldn't say that it's essential that you read A Caribbean Mystery before reading Nemesis. But. If you have read it, you might appreciate Nemesis more.Nemesis opens with Miss Marple reading about the death of Mr. Rafiel in the newspaper. She met him in the Caribbean, and he was her greatest ally there when she was busy solving that mystery. She liked him a good deal, even though they never reconnected in England afterward. And Mr. Rafiel had great respect for Miss Marple!One day Miss Marple is...


Posted in , , , , , , ,

The Silent Land

7:00 AM Nikki

When is a fantasy novel not a fantasy novel? Well, I’d say when it’s this novel, but there might be others that would beg to differ. This one feels more like a literary novel to me. Anyone visiting this site interested in reading a literary novel? I don’t know if there will be, but here I go, nonetheless.THE SILENT LAND is a Graham Joyce novel, an author with quite a few works already under his feet. It’s a quick, focused read revolving around the relationship of a single couple, Zoe and Jake. Zoe is the main PoV character, though Jake’s thoughts are peppered infrequently throughout the book.Zoe and Jake are on vacation, skiing in the Pyrenees...


Posted in , ,

Retro Friday Review: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

6:13 AM mixagrip

Retro Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Angie of Angieville and "focuses on reviewing books from the past. This can be an old favorite, an under-the-radar book you think deserves more attention, something woefully out of print, etc." The Book Thief by Markus Zusak Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young ReadersPublication date: 2005ISBN: 9780375842207Source: personal copy (reread for book club)Guys, I really struggled with a summary of this book.  I just don't think it's possible for me to write it well enough.  But here's what I will say: story of a young girl growing up in World War II Germany. ...


Posted in , , , , , , ,

Small Acts of Amazing Courage (MG/YA)

9:25 AM Nikki

Small Acts of Amazing Courage. Gloria Whelan. 2011. Simon & Schuster. 224 pages. How can kindness get you into so much trouble? It started when Mother dropped into sickness and I was left on my own. No, before that, when the war came and Father, a major in the British Indian Army who led a battalion of Gurkha Rifles, went off to the war. The battalion was sent to fight in countries I had never heard of and whose names I couldn't spell.Set in India immediately following World War I, Small Acts of Amazing Courage is the coming-of-age story of our heroine, Rosalind, who grew up with a little too much freedom to be a 'proper' lady. Or at least...


Posted in , , , ,

Book Review: Blood Red Road by Moira Young

8:05 AM mixagrip

Blood Red Road by Moira YoungPublisher: Margaret K. McElderry (Simon & Schuster)Publication date: June 2011ISBN: 9781442429987Source: e-ARC provided by Galley GrabWhen Saba's brother Lugh is kidnapped and her father killed, Saba is willing to do anything she can to get him back.  She's determined to cross the wasteland she's always lived in and find him, so things can return to normal.  But things become complicated when she is forced into an unwilling daily battle for her life.  Can she escape from this new tortured existence, with the help of a mysterious group called the Free Hawks, and possibly the intriguing Jack? ...


Posted in , , , , ,
Pages 381234 »
Twitter Delicious Facebook Digg Favorites More
RSS FeedSubscribe to our RSS feed!
Follow me on Twitter!Follow me on Twitter!