Shannon Hale

Top 5 Wednesday: August 23, 2017

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Books from Before You Joined ________

These are some of your favorite books from before you joined the online book community, whether that be booktube, goodreads, blogs, bookstagram, twitter, tumblr, etc.
To participate in Top 5 Wednesday, just head over to their Goodreads Group and join the fun!

  1. Tree by Leaf by Cynthia Voigt
  2. Homecoming (The Tillerman Cycle, book 1) by Cynthia Voigt
  3. Elske (Tales of the Kingdom, book 4) by Cynthia Voigt
  4. It Was on Fire When I Lay Down on It by Robert Fulghum
  5. The Goose Girl (The Books of Bayern, book 1) by Shannon Hale

Gee… I guess I sort of like Cynthia Voigt, huh?

What were your favorite books from before you joined the online reader community? Comment here or make your own post and leave me a link so I can check the books out!

February 2017 Wrap-Up

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Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink
(Prophecy of the Sisters, book 1)
Rating:  ★★☆☆☆
Reading Dates:  January 28 – February 5
Read Count:  1
Favorite Thing:  The mad reverence for books that the entire family seems to have.
Least Favorite Thing:  Info Dump Tea Parties and a main character who didn’t seem interesting enough to be a main character…

I hate to say it, but I can’t really recommend this book to anyone. I’d have given it a lower rating than 2 stars, but I’m basing this on Goodreads ratings, which says 2 stars means “it was ok” and that’s basically what this book was. It was “ok” and nothing more.

My Posts About Prophecy of the Sisters

Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale
Rating:  ★★★★☆
Reading Dates:  February 6 – 7
Read Count:  3
Favorite Thing:  The healing songs and the little illustrations included throughout.
Least Favorite Thing:  Okay, I’ve been sitting for an hour now trying to think of a thing I didn’t like (that wasn’t just a character I wasn’t even supposed to like) and I genuinely can’t think of anything! I’ll try again later.

I would recommend this book to fans of fairy tale retellings and middle grade fantasy. I’ve read it three separate times, which should give you an idea of how enjoyable it is. I chose it this time as a palate cleanser after the disappointment of Prophecy of the Sisters.

My Posts About Book of a Thousand Days

The Tale of Oriel by Cynthia Voigt
(Tales of the Kingdom, book 3)
Rating:  ★★★★★
Reading Dates:  December 7, 2016 – February 10, 2017
Read Count:  2
Favorite Thing:  The way Oriel thinks about things. Especially his likening himself to a river.
Least Favorite Thing:  Fucking Tintage….

This one took me a little while longer than usual because I hit a slump while I was reading it and even once I pulled myself out of it, I didn’t immediately go back to this one.

My Posts About The Tale of Oriel

The Tale of Elske by Cynthia Voigt
(Tales of the Kingdom, book 4)
Rating:  ★★★★★
Reading Dates:  February 11 – 19
Read Count:  3
Favorite Thing:  The fearless, matter-of-fact way Elske approaches each new experience.
Least Favorite Thing:  As Oriel would have said, Beriel used her friend (Elske) ill. (And not even just once, like damn….)

My Posts About The Tale of Elske

Psych Major Syndrome by Alicia Thompson
Rating:  ★☆☆☆☆
Reading Dates:  February 22 – 23
Read Count:  1
Favorite Thing:  The usage of psychology terms and definitions for chapter headings was interesting.
Least Favorite Thing:  The characterization was crappy. All of the characters felt forced. Blech!

***ABANDONED***

I abandoned this book after trying for two days to read a novel that would normally take me only half a day and only making it to page 28. I give more details in my review.

My Posts About Psych Major Syndrome

Teaser Tuesday: February 7, 2017

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Today I keep thinking of all the people who have left and never returned — my brothers, Khan Tegus, our guards, this entire city. What a strange, dark world that swallows people whole.

– Shannon Hale, Book of a Thousand Days, page 118-119

Version:
Hardcover, 306 pages
Published September 1st 2007 by Bloomsbury Children’s Books

Welcome to Teaser Tuesday, hosted by Ambrosia at The Purple Booker, the weekly Meme that wants you to add books to your TBR, or just share what you are currently reading. It is very easy to play along:

  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! Everyone loves Teaser Tuesday.

Some quotes from Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale…

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Sometimes while I’m reading I come across quotes I love so much I want to post them on their own, or maybe add them to my weekly book posts. Others, I like them enough to want to mention them, but don’t feel they are powerful enough to command their own post. These are two of that second type:

I know muckers are the simplest of commoners and becoming a lady’s maid is a right honor, but I couldn’t give up the wild steppes forever, couldn’t turn my back on Mama and all she taught. I feel like a mucker from the ends of my hair to the mud of my bones.

– page 13 (Day 13)

Mama used to say, you have to know someone a thousand days before you can glimpse her soul.

– page 25 (Day 27)

Top 5 Wednesday: January 25, 2017

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Favorite Underrated Books

Give some love to those books that aren’t as widely talked about. Those hidden gems. Those books that maybe used to be popular but people have forgotten about and they still deserve some love.
To participate in Top 5 Wednesday, just head over to their Goodreads Group and join the fun!

I wound up with a list of book series instead of individual books, but whatever!

  1. The Books of Bayern // Shannon Hale
  2. The Tillerman Cycle // Cynthia Voigt
  3. The Underland Chronicles // Suzanne Collins
  4. Princess Academy Series // Shannon Hale
  5. The Chanters of Tremaris Series // Kate Constable

What underrated books do you love? Comment or make your own Top 5 Wednesday post!

First Lines Fridays: November 25, 2016

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First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?

  • Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
  • Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
  • Finally… reveal the book!

First Line:

My lady and I are being shut up in a tower for seven years.

Interested? Scroll down for the cover and summary!

Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale

When Dashti, a maid, and Lady Saren, her mistress, are shut in a tower for seven years because of Saren’s refusal to marry a man she despises, the two prepare for a very long and dark imprisonment.

As food runs low and the days go from broiling hot to freezing cold, it is all Dashti can do to keep them fed and comfortable. With the arrival outside the tower of Saren’s two suitors – one welcome, the other decidedly less so – the girls are confronted with both hope and great danger, and Dashti must make the desperate choices of a girl whose life is worth more than she knows.

With Shannon Hale’s lyrical language, this little known classic fairy tale from the Brothers Grimm is reimagined and reset on the central Asian steppes; it is a completely unique retelling filled with adventure and romance, drama and disguise.

This Friday’s book is a reread, several times over. I love Shannon’s approach to fairy tales and magic through language! I’d love to hear your thoughts on this middle grade fantasy.

WWW Wednesday: November 23, 2016

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Welcome to WWW Wednesday! This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at Should be Reading and revived on Taking on a World of Words. Just answer the three W’s!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading: The Tale of Gwyn by Cynthia Voigt
This is one of the Tales of the Kingdom books, previously published as ‘Jackaroo’. I got this copy from the public library, because my own books are still boxed up and sad, so this is the first time I got to see the new covers/titles for myself. I had heard of the change back when it was just in the planning stage. They aren’t quite as interesting as the old titles, but at least now you can tell at a glance they are part of a series. As for the new cover… I’ll just say I miss the Vermeer painting covers. I’m pretty excited to reread the Kingdom books. It’s been several years since I picked up a Voigt novel, which is way too long!
Jackaroo is a sort of Robin Hood/Zorro type hero, and in the Kingdom, he’s just a legend. Gwyn is an innkeeper’s daughter and doesn’t believe in heroes like Jackaroo. But while taking cover in an abandoned home, Gwyn finds a mask and clothes, which leads her down a path fit for a legend.
For anyone curious about the Kingdom series, it is a loosely-connected, non-magical fantasy series.

Recently Finished: Forest Born by Shannon Hale
I love the Books of Bayern. I’m clearly on a Middle Grade roll here. This was actually my first time rereading Forest Born (the fourth Bayern novel), and I loved it way more than the first time I read it. I mean I liked it then too, but I was racing through it desperate to know what would happen, and this time I got to take my time and really enjoy Rin and her story.
This book focuses on Razo’s little sister, Rin, a forest girl who isn’t sure the forest wants her anymore. Her desire to find her place is a driving force in her life, sending her on an adventure through Bayern to the neighboring Kel. Rin and her new friends, the magical girls from the three previous novels, must find out who is attacking Bayern cities and prevent a war.
I think my favorite part of this story was the banter between Enna and Dasha, they’re honestly adorable. I also noticed, for the first time, a parallel between the way the various speaking gifts affect a person (when not balanced) and mental illness. I don’t know if it was intentional or not, but it’s fascinating.

Reading Next: The Tale of Birle by Cynthia Voigt
Another Tales of the Kingdom novel, this one was previously published as ‘On Fortunes Wheel’. Birle is a long-time favorite character.
Birle meets a mysterious stranger when he tries to steal from her father. She chooses to follow him on his travels and this takes her to places she never could have imagined.
For anyone curious about the Tales of the Kingdom books, this is a loosely-connected, non-magical fantasy series.