Review for Two for the Dough

Two for the Dough

Author: Janet Evanovich

Audio Book: 9 hours

Source: Library

Summery from GoodReads...

Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum is still learning the ropes at her cousin Vinnie's bail bond office, so when she sets out on the trail of Kenny Mancuso - a suspiciously wealthy, working class Trenton boy who has just shot his best friend - the stakes are higher than ever. That Mancuso is distantly related to vice cop Joe Morelli - who is trying to beat Stephani to the punch - only makes the hunt more thrilling...

Taking pointers from her bounty hunter pal, Ranger, and using her pistol packing Grandma Mazur as a decoy, Stephanie is soon closing in on her mark. But Morelli and his libido are worthy foes. And a more sinister kind of enemy has made his first move... and his next move might be Stephanie's last.

Top Ten Tuesday: My Fictional Crushes

Top Ten Tuesdays is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week features a different "top 10" topic, which you make a list for. This week's subject is a freebie. 

Top Ten Fictional Crushes 

 (These aren't in any order cause, really, that's impossible.)

Review for Wicked Appetite

Wicked Appetite

Author: Janet Evanovich

Genre: Adult Mystery/Paranormal

Pages: 313

Source: Library

Summery from GoodReads…

Life in Marblehead has had a pleasant predictability, until Diesel arrives. Rumor has it that a collection of priceless ancient relics representing the Seven Deadly Sins have made their way to Boston’s North Shore. Partnered with pastry chef Lizzie Tucker, Diesel bullies and charms his way through historic Salem to track them down—and his criminal mastermind cousin Gerewulf Grimorie. The black-haired, black-hearted Wulf is on the hunt for the relic representing gluttony. Caught in a race against time, Diesel and Lizzie soon find out that more isn’t always better, as they battle Wulf and the first of the deadly sins.

Review for Lament

Lament

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Genre: YA Paranormal Romance (faerie)

Pages: 325

Source: Library

Summery from GoodReads…

Sixteen-year-old Deirdre Monaghan is a painfully shy but prodigiously gifted musician. She's about to find out she's also a cloverhand—one who can see faeries. Deirdre finds herself infatuated with a mysterious boy who enters her ordinary suburban life, seemingly out of thin air. Trouble is, the enigmatic and gorgeous Luke turns out to be a gallowglass—a soulless faerie assassin. An equally hunky—and equally dangerous—dark faerie soldier named Aodhan is also stalking Deirdre. Sworn enemies, Luke and Aodhan each have a deadly assignment from the Faerie Queen. Namely, kill Deirdre before her music captures the attention of the Fae and threatens the Queen's sovereignty. Caught in the crossfire with Deirdre is James, her wisecracking but loyal best friend. Deirdre had been wishing her life weren't so dull, but getting trapped in the middle of a centuries-old faerie war isn't exactly what she had in mind . . .

Review for The Maltese Falcon

The Maltese Falcon

Author: Dashiell Hammett

Genre: Detective Fiction
Pages: 217

Source: Library

Summery from GoodReads...

A treasure worth killing for. Sam Spade, a slightly shopworn private eye with his own solitary code of ethics. A perfumed grafter named Joel Cairo, a fat man name Gutman, and Brigid O’Shaughnessy, a beautiful and treacherous woman whose loyalties shift at the drop of a dime. These are the ingredients of Dashiell Hammett’s coolly glittering gem of detective fiction, a novel that has haunted three generations of readers.

Hey, It's Friday: Following Friday & TGIF

Parajunkee's question this week was: Q: Many readers/bloggers are also big music fans. Tell us about a few of your favorite bands/singers that we should listen to in 2012.

Well, I definitely listen to a ton of music. Sometimes it's so random that one of my one-the-go playlists held a Disney song from Aladdin, a song from Lady Gaga, POD, Zoegirl, Papa Roach, Nickleback, KJ-52, Plus One and Within Temptation. Yeah, I'm a random person. But I do have a few favorites. Skillet and Superchick. I've seen both these guys in concert and they ROCK! 

Skillet: Hero

Superchick: Cross The Line

Question: 

2012 Must Reads: Which books are at the top of your list 

to be read this year (new or old releases)?

 

I'm really looking forward to Scarlet and Rebel Heart (the sequel to Blood Red Road). Blood Red Road was one of my favorite books of 2011 so I just can't wait til the next one comes out but I have to wait until the fall...AGH!!!! 

Review for Stardust

 Woot! I FINALLY read this book! I got it almost 4 years ago for a si-fi/fantasy class but never got around to reading it. I've been telling myself for years that I would and I finally have! Okay, enough self cheering now.lol It was really hard for me to start this review because, even though it's been over a year, the movie version is still so vivid in my mind that it's hard to separate the two even though they are so different. I almost want to say I like the movie better but they are so different that I'll just say I really like them both. Oh, I'm now also on Facebook and Twitter! Come check me out. Now onto the review.

Stardust

Author: Neil Gaiman

Genre: Adult Fairy-Tale

Pages: 333

Source: My dusty bookshelf (bought)

Review for Uglies (Uglies #1)

So I finished this book a few days ago but never got around to writing the review until now. School starts again in a week so I might do one more review after this then I'll try to to a review at least once a week... or something... I don't know, we'll see how that goes later. Okay, on to UGLIES!

 Uglies (Uglies #1)

Author: Scott Westerfeld

Pages: 425

Source: the library

(Summery by GoodReads)

Everybody gets to be supermodel gorgeous. What could be wrong with that? Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait. Not for her license -- for turning pretty. In Tally's world, your sixteenth birthday brings an operation that turns you from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks Tally will be there.

But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to be pretty. She'd rather risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. The choice Tally makes changes her world forever.

Hey, It's Firday: Follow Friday & TGIF

Feature & Follow Friday is hosted by: Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. This week's question:

Q: Go count the number of unread books sitting on your shelf. How many? 

Hmm, just counting fiction I would say probably around 80 or so. But the majority of them are classics so I've never really went on a reading binge with them. I like classics and I eventually want to read some of them but it's so hard to just sit down with them sometimes. 

 

 

 This Friday's Question:

Reading Resolutions: What are some of your reading goals for the new year?

 

I made the goal at GoodReads to read at least 50 books this year but I'm hoping to read more. I really didn't have any other resolutions but I'll probably try to read some books that are outside of my comfort zone as well.

Review for Divergent

Divergent

Author: Veronica Roth

Pages: 487

Source: Library

(Summery from Goodreads)

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.
During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves… or it might destroy her.

Busting the Newbie Blues!

This is an even hosted by Small Review! To learn more click here.

When did you start your blog?
I started it in December the day of my last final. About 2-3 weeks ago.

Why did you start your blog?
I love books and my friend had one so I thought it would be a great way to talk more about the books I love with great people.

What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far?
Um, probably trying to find a way to format my reviews. I’m looking at other blogs and thinking up new things I can do to make the reviews more fun and more me.

What do you find most discouraging about being a new blogger?
Joining the blogosphere is like being the new kid on the block. Everyone seems to know each other and it’s a little intimidating stepping in.

What do you find most encouraging?
How friendly and encouraging everyone is! I’ve done a few blog hops and people are just great on here!

What do you like best about the blogs you read? Have you tried to replicate this in your blog?
I love how personal and down-to-earth people’s blogs are; how they show what their currently reading, favorite books, favorite quotes, and stuff like that. I’ve tried to do that on mine using a ton of widgets.

What do you dislike about blogs you’ve read? Do you try to avoid this?
I haven’t really seen anything I dislike.

Any advice for other new bloggers?
Get yourself out there right away and make posts on others blogs and join some blog hops. That’s the only way to make friends and get followers.

Any questions you'd like to ask newbie or established bloggers?
How do you start conversations/discussions with people? Do you use your posts like a message board and just keep commenting back and forth? It seems hard to meet people when you just make a comment on the other person’s blog without a lot of discussion.

Is there anything you’d like to tell us about your blog? Feel free to link a few of your favorite posts or posts you wish had more comments.
I really didn’t have much of an idea going into this (and I’m just making thing’s up as I go) but one thing I did know is that I wanted things to be fun on here; a little krazyness/randomness and I’m hoping the review’s will reflect that.

Thanks Small Review! This was really cool! (and thanks Mindful Musings for telling me about it!)