It’s been a little while since we’ve done the villain topic, and this one will definitely be a recurring one in the group as there are always new villains to talk about.
The Formics (a.k.a. Buggers) // Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
Captain Hook // Peter Pan (J.M. Barrie)
Lia // Stranger with My Face (Lois Duncan)
Vollys // The Two Princesses of Bamarre (Gail Carsen Levine)
Queen Levana // The Lunar Chronicles (Marissa Meyer)
To participate in Top 5 Wednesday, just head over to their Goodreads Group and join the fun!
What Are You Reading Wednesdays #WAYRW is a weekly feature on It’s A Reading Thing. Everyone is welcome to participate.
Grab the book you are currently reading and answer three questions:
What’s the name of your current read?
Go to page 34 in your book or 34% in your eBook and share a couple of sentences.
Would you like to live in the world that exists within your book? Why or why not?
The Tale of Birle (Tales of the Kingdom book 2, previously published as ‘On Fortunes Wheel’)
What he was doing, creeping through the world like a thief – where he was going to, in secrecy – what he might be fleeing from – those questions also she didn’t know the answer to. But she did know that only the Lords went beardless.
Ha! I like the Kingdom, but I wouldn’t live in any of the places they travel to in this book, not on your life.
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 Birle by Cynthia Voigt This is the second book in the Tales of the Kingdom series and was previously published with the title ‘On Fortunes Wheel’. 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. One of the odd things for me is that I identify less with Birle than I did last time I read this series. I can only chalk it up to the fact that I was still a teenager then. It doesn’t make me like her any less though. Actually, it’s almost making this reread feel more like a first-time read, which I’m very pleased with.
Recently Finished:The Tale of Gwyn by Cynthia Voigt This is one of the Tales of the Kingdom books, previously published as ‘Jackaroo’. 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. I like Gwen so much! Ah! Also she and Burl are too precious at the end. I remember liking this book the other times I read this series, but it’s actually become one of my favorites in the series. And like all Voigt’s novels it left me with such a satisfied feeling. I just wanted to sit there holding the book and basking in it.
Reading Next:The Tale of Oriel by Cynthia Voigt This is the third Kingdom novel, previously published as ‘The Wings of a Falcon’. Oriel and Griff escape the cruelty of the island with a stolen treasure. But it’s not as easy to find a new safer life as they hoped. Their adventure leads them into unknown dangers, like armies and Wolfer raids. I remember so little about this one for some reason, so I’m very excited. I know I liked it and it was good, but for the most part this will be a fresh story for me. It’s also different from the other three Kingdom novels because the main characters are boys.
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!
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.
Though it seems like we are all constantly chasing the next upcoming release, let’s take a trip down memory lane and talk about some books that we’d like to re-visit.
What Are You Reading Wednesdays #WAYRW is a weekly feature on It’s A Reading Thing. Everyone is welcome to participate.
Grab the book you are currently reading and answer three questions:
What’s the name of your current read?
Go to page 34 in your book or 34% in your eBook and share a couple of sentences.
Would you like to live in the world that exists within your book? Why or why not?
The Tale of Gwyn (Tales of the Kingdom, book 1; previously published as ‘Jackaroo’)
Behind the mask Jackaroo wore, there could be a face of bone, its flesh long since eaten away. Jackaroo could fight as a trained soldier, with swords and shield; he could ride a horse like a Lord; and he had the knowledge of letters which only the Lords held.
Nah, I really like technology and indoor plumbing. Okay, but seriously, I might consider living in the Kingdom universe. It’s got pretty much the same problems as modern day America, but it the Kingdom I could disappear to a farm and be anyone, maybe stay out of all the awful crap.
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.
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:
Minutes after the shootings, everybody’s cell phone rang.
Interested? Scroll down for the cover and summary!
The shootings in Pleasant Valley were fifty miles away, but at Central High a grief and crisis counselor is hired, security is increased, and privileges are being taken away.
No one knows why.
If you break the new rules the punishment is severe. And the rules keep changing every day.
School feels like a prison.
It’s for their protection, yet fifteen year old Tom Bishop and his friends learn that things are far more sinister than they seem. Students and teachers begin disappearing.
There’s no way to stop it.
Nationally best-selling and acclaimed author Francine Prose has written a haunting novel about what happens when protection goes too far and what it means to have freedom extinguished in the name of safety.
Today’s book is one I’ve seen several times, but never had the chance to pick up. I recently checked it out at the local library and look forward to reading it soon. If any of you have read it, I’d love to hear what you thought!
I thought this topic would be a cool way to examine what we read and what publishers put out our favorite books. I encourage you to take a look at your shelf and figure out which books come from which publishers. I think you’d be surprised how many probably end up coming from the same publishing house! Plus, this is your chance to introduce us to some of your favorite small presses or imprints. We talk about the contents or the wrappings of books a lot in this group, but rarely do we talk about the people that bring them together.
Simon Pulse (25)
Scholastic Press (23)
Cartwheel (20)
Speak (16)
Simon & Schuster (15)
To participate in Top 5 Wednesday, just head over to their Goodreads Group and join the fun!
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.
Recently Finished: 
The shootings in Pleasant Valley were fifty miles away, but at Central High a grief and crisis counselor is hired, security is increased, and privileges are being taken away.
Darkestwings Reads