Monday 30 December 2013

22:30 - 1 comment

Top Ten Tuesdays: The Best Books That I Read in 2013


This week on "Top Ten Tuesdays" (hosted by The Broke and the Bookish) the topic is Best Books That I Read in 2013



There is my list for this week!  What were some of the best books that you read this year?

Come back tomorrow for this weeks edition of "Waiting on Wednesday"!

Stay nerdy,
Julia

21:07 - 22 comments

2014 Reading Challenge

This year I am going to push myself and try something new and exciting...a reading challenge! I have previously completed the Goodreads reading challenge where one sets a goal as to how many books he/she wants to read that year and tries to reach it.  I plan on doing that again this year, however, with the addition of another challenge...


The idea of this challenge is to help read and review the books I've requested on either NetGalley or Edelweiss.  I also believe this will help me get to that ever desired 80% feedback ratio on NetGalley! The challenge starts on January 1st, 2014 and goes until December 31st, 2014.  I'm really looking forward to finding some new reads and getting more practice at writing reviews through this challenge.  Are you doing any challenges this new year?  Any goals or resolutions?

Thanks to Falling For YA for starting this awesome challenge!

I'll be posting this weeks Top Ten Tuesdays and my new review this coming week.

Stay nerdy,
Julia

Friday 27 December 2013

15:56 - 5 comments

Stacking the Shelves (Week 8)

STSmall

I hope everyone is having a great holiday week and an end to this year! I have been enjoying this break and have been using the time to catch up on some reviews, writing, reading, homework and shows.  Nothing better than that!  One of the highlights (and lowlights) of this week was watching the regeneration Doctor Who special this Christmas day. I absolutely loved it and was left crying my eyes out at the end, it was amazing and incredibly sad. Bittersweet that's for sure! :) Did anyone else watch it too? If so, what did you think? Was anyone as sad to see Matt Smith leave as I was?  I will say though, I am definitely looking forward to seeing Peter Capaldi as the next Doctor!

I can't believe its almost 2014! I was saying the other day that the months in early 2013 waiting for the release of Clockwork Princess were incredibly slow then it was released and read and the rest of the year seemed to fly by much too quickly.  At least I have many more releases to slow down 2014 for me! ;)

Anyways, onward to...

"Stacking the Shelves" is a weekly event hosted by Tynga's Reviews that highlights which books are new on ones bookshelf for that week.  Here is what this week has brought to mine!

Project CainDaughter of Smoke & Bone (Daughter of Smoke & Bone, #1)
Rags & Bones: New Twists on Timeless TalesPawn (The Blackcoat Rebellion, #1)

Project Cain by Geoffrey Girard (was gifted to me for Christmas)

 Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor (was gifted to me for Christmas) 

Rags and Bones edited by Melissa Mar and Tim Pratt (was gifted to me for Christmas

Pawn by Aimee Carter (was gifted to me for Christmas)

What's new on your shelf this week?


Again, hope everyone is having a great holiday week!

Come back next week for my review on Impostor by Susanne Winnacker on Monday.

Stay nerdy,
Julia

Wednesday 25 December 2013

01:32 - 1 comment

Waiting on Wednesday: Prince of Shadows by Rachel Caine

“Waiting on Wednesday” is weekly event, hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine, that highlights books that people can't wait to get their hands on. Here is mine for this week!

This week, the book that I am counting down the days for is Prince of Shadows by Rachel Caine 

Prince of Shadows

Synopsis from Goodreads:

A standalone built around the character of Benvolio, from Romeo and Juliet. The novel will be told from the point of view of Benvolio, who is Romeo’s cousin and, in Shakespeare’s play, attempts to get the lovelorn Montague interested in other girls after it’s discovered that Juliet is a member of the clan his family despises: the Capulets. Caine’s novel, her agent said, explores a scenario in which Romeo and Juliet are not the only couple to fall into dire romantic straits and is “a tale of intrigue, betrayal, hatred, and tragedy,” about “lovers lost, and lovers found.” (From Publisher's Weekly)

Expected Publication: February 4th, 2014 from NAL

Is anyone else excited for Prince of Shadows?

Come back on Saturday for "Stacking the Shelves"!

Hope everyone is having a happy holiday week! 

Stay nerdy,
Julia

Monday 23 December 2013

22:30 - 5 comments

Top Ten Tuesdays: Books I Wouldn't Mind Santa Bringing Me


This week on "Top Ten Tuesdays" (hosted by The Broke and the Bookish) the topic is Books I Wouldn't Mind Santa Bringing Me.



Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Daughter of Smoke & Bone, #1)




Rags & Bones: New Twists on Timeless Tales



The Collector (Dante Walker, #1)

Sapphire Blue (The Ruby Red, #2)


Confessions: The Private School Murders (Confessions, #2)



There is my list for this week!  Which books would you like to receive this holiday season?

Come back tomorrow for this weeks edition of "Waiting on Wednesday"!

Happy holidays everyone! I can't believe its that time of year again.  Did that time go by fast or what?!  Hope you all have an amazing holiday!

Stay nerdy,
Julia

Friday 20 December 2013

Tuesday 17 December 2013

23:27 - 3 comments

Waiting on Wednesday: Control by Lydia Kang

“Waiting on Wednesday” is weekly event, hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine, that highlights books that people can't wait to get their hands on. Here is mine for this week!

This week, the book that I am counting down the days for is Control by Lydia Kang 

Control (Control, #1)

Synopsis from Goodreads:

An un-putdownable thriller for fans of Uglies

When a crash kills their father and leaves them orphaned, Zel knows she needs to protect her sister, Dyl. But before Zel has a plan, Dyl is taken by strangers using bizarre sensory weapons, and Zel finds herself in a safe house for teens who aren’t like any she’s ever seen before—teens who shouldn't even exist. Using broken-down technology, her new friends’ peculiar gifts, and her own grit, Zel must find a way to get her sister back from the kidnappers who think a powerful secret is encoded in Dyl’s DNA.

A spiraling, intense, romantic story set in 2150—in a world of automatic cars, nightclubs with auditory ecstasy drugs, and guys with four arms—this is about the human genetic “mistakes” that society wants to forget, and the way that outcasts can turn out to be heroes.

Expected Publication: December 26th, 2013 from Dial Books for Young Readers

Is anyone else excited for Control?

Come back on Saturday for "Stacking the Shelves"!

Stay nerdy,
Julia

Monday 16 December 2013

17:01 - 13 comments

Top Ten Tuesdays: New-To-Me Authors that I Read in 2013


This week on "Top Ten Tuesdays" (hosted by The Broke and the Bookish) the topic is New to Me Authors that I Read in 2013.

1. Melina Marchetta

Finnikin of the Rock (Lumatere Chronicles, #1)Froi of the Exiles (Lumatere Chronicles, #2)Quintana of Charyn (Lumatere Chronicles, #3)

(Lumatere Chronicles)

2. Brandon Sanderson

Steelheart (Reckoners, #1)

(Reckoners Series)

3. Rainbow Rowell

FangirlEleanor & Park

(Fangirl; Eleanor & Park)

4. Alex London

Proxy (Proxy, #1)

(Proxy Series)

5. Barry Lyga

I Hunt Killers (Jasper Dent, #1)

(Jasper Dent Series)

6. Jeyn Roberts

Dark Inside (Dark Inside, #1)Rage Within (Dark Inside, #2)

(Dark Inside Series)

7. Robin LaFevers

Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin, #1)

(His Fair Assassin Series)

8. Stephanie Perkins

Anna and the French Kiss (Anna and the French Kiss, #1)Lola and the Boy Next Door (Anna and the French Kiss, #2)

(Anna and the French Kiss; Lola and the Boy Next Door)

9. Kristin Gier

Ruby Red (The Ruby Red Trilogy, #1)

(The Ruby Red Trilogy)

10. Melissa de la Cruz

Blue Bloods (Blue Bloods, #1)

(Blue Bloods Series)

There is my list for this week!  Which authors were new to you this year?

Come back tomorrow for "Waiting on Wednesday"!

Stay nerdy,
Julia

12:56 - No comments

Review: The Dark Lady by Irene Adler

The Dark Lady (Sherlock, Lupin, and Me #1)

Synopsis from Goodreads:

While on summer vacation, little Irene Adler meets a young William Sherlock Holmes. The two share stories of pirates and have battles of wit while running wild on the sunny streets and rooftops. When Sherlock’s friend, Lupin, joins in on the fun, they all become fast friends. But the good times end abruptly when a dead body floats ashore on the nearby beach. The young detective trio will have to put all three of their heads together to solve this mystery.

Expected Publication: February 1st, 2014

My Review:

(I received an advance copy from Capstone Young Readers through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

The Dark Lady follows the story of a young Sherlock Holmes and his friend, Lupin, as they try to catch a thief and solve a murder. They find themselves entangled in these adventures alongside the fantastic narrator of the novel, Irene Adler.

I have been a Sherlock fan ever since I read an abridged version of The Speckled Band when I was still learning to read.  Sometime later I graduated on to the real version of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's stories and continue to be captivated by them to this day, whether on paper or on screen.  So naturally, I was immediately drawn to this book because it focuses on a young Sherlock Holmes and is told from Irene Adler's perspective, my favourite character.


I love how the young heroine is portrayed in this book. She is smart, witty, independent, lovable and caring all at the same time. These traits make her narrative that much more joyfully fun.  Because she is a young girl in the novel, the story touches on some typical middle grade problems such as what it means to act "ladylike", or what it feels like to be pushed to fit into society.  These plot lines enhance the relationship with her new found friends, Sherlock and Lupin and help the reader to identify with Irene Adler's humble role.  I really admire how she handles herself in certain situations and I think that she was written with the original characterization of Irene Adler in mind.

Her companions, Sherlock and Lupin, are just as entertaining as she is and the three of them complement each other nicely. When Irene is brave, Lupin is doubtful. When Sherlock is smart, Irene is witty. When Lupin is imaginative, Sherlock is realistic. The friends seem to fit together and enhance each other perfectly.    I was somewhat skeptical of Lupin's role at first because he seems to replace Dr. Watson who I am so accustomed to and I would have liked to have read this author's take on a younger version of the classic Sherlock partner. Nevertheless, as the story progressed I found myself really enjoying Lupin and was happy that his story was there.  

The continuous, friendly and animated banter between the characters makes this book very entertaining.  One of my favourite parts of the novel is when Sherlock and Irene are leaving Sherlock's house and a young Mycroft, his brother, yells at him out the window. Soon after, Irene comments on how good looking Mycroft is. I absolutely loved the little witticisms that the author entwines with the characters, giving them a flair of uniqueness while remaining true to the original story. It is really genius and very well done.

As far as how the mystery resolves, I think the solution falls a little flat. It is a little straight forward and somewhat anticlimactic. In spite of this, I really, really enjoyed this novel. It is an incredibly fun and lighthearted read and I had a very difficult time putting it down once I started reading. I would definitely recommend this book to any young reader who is looking for a good mystery story.  Fans of Sherlock Holmes are sure to love it.


I give The Dark Lady by Irene Adler 5 out of 5 stars.

Is The Dark Lady on your to-read list this winter?

Come back tomorrow for this weeks edition of "Top Ten Tuesdays"!

Stay nerdy,
Julia