Laini Taylor

Musing Monday: October 2, 2017

LeeLeave a comment

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme, hosted by Ambrosia at The Purple Booker, that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

I’m currently reading…
Up next I think I’ll read…
I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
I can’t wait to get a copy of…
I wish I could read ____, but…
I blogged about ____ this past week…

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: What do you do with your non-keeper hard copy books?

I blogged about ____ this past week…

What do you do with your non-keeper hard copy books?
Well, I know a lot of the online book community members are major e-reader people, but I am not. I don’t actually have anything against them, I’m not one of those people. I actually like them, I love how available they’ve made books to everybody and I have noticed I read faster on e-readers (or it feels that way because I can’t mark my progress the same as with a physical copy), but I have a little trouble with reading on screens and let’s face it, there is nothing like holding a book in your hands. The weight, the smell, the texture, everything about physical books appeals to me.

All of this is to say:  I have lots of hard copy books. Not as many as some people, but considering I have so little money, I think 600 books is quite a stash.

I try to stick to the rule of only buying copies of books I already know I like. If it’s a book I haven’t read I like to just get it from the public library, and if I like it I’ll put it on my list of books to buy. That way I don’t spend my extremely limited book buying money on books I don’t like.

However, I am pretty terrible at following my own rule… I go to my favorite bookstore, Recycled Books, and I start off looking for books from my list and next thing I know it’s been 3 hours and my my husband (or mother) is standing over me where I’ve sat down on the floor with at least 2 stacks of books, probably more, and lost myself in some book or other. (Tip: If you tell yourself you’ll just read a page or two to see if you want to buy a book, don’t believe yourself. If you are anything like me you will read several chapters before you even realize it.)

AND NOW THAT I’VE TALKED ABOUT A TON OF STUFF LET ME ANSWER THE ACTUAL QUESTION:  When I do wind up with physical books I don’t want to keep, either because I got distracted from my list or because I hit up some garage sale where they had books for a quarter and I couldn’t stop myself, what do I do with them?

I take them back to the aforementioned favorite used bookstore and trade them in for store credit! And then I get to go shopping for more books!! Hurray!

(I’m so sorry, I really didn’t stay on topic even a little bit today…)

September 2017 Wrap-Up (Part 1)

LeeLeave a comment

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
(Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, book 1)
Rating:  ★★★★☆
Review:  No
Reading Dates:  September 1
Read Count:  1
Favorite Thing:  “Look would it save you a lot of time if I just gave up and went mad now?”
Least Favorite Thing:  Vogon poetry 😦

I can’t believe how long it took me to get around to reading this. I think it’s because it is one of those things everyone talks about reading (or they’ve seen the movie), so I just sort of tuned it out. But I had seen examples of Douglas Adams’ writing and I knew I would enjoy it if I just did it, and I was right! I definitely recommend this book.

My Posts About The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Dicey’s Song by Cynthia Voigt
(The Tillerman Cycle, book 2)
Rating:  ★★★★☆
Review:  No
Reading Dates:  September 1 – 2
Read Count:  3  (Pretty sure I’ve read it more than that, but only 3 that I can be sure of.)
Favorite Thing:  That scene where Jeff and Mina both visited the farm for the first time and met all the other Tillermans and everybody sat around singing songs and it was cheesy and cozy and perfect!
Least Favorite Thing:  Dicey’s English teacher…blech.

My Posts About Dicey’s Song

When the Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore
Rating:  ★★★★★
Review:  Yes
Reading Dates:  September 2 – 7
Read Count:  1
Favorite Thing:  The colors of the story.
Least Favorite Thing:  That freakin’ Reese douche.

I normally don’t enjoy books that are as romance-centric as When the Moon Was Ours, but everything about this story was beautiful and I’m so glad it got recommended to me.

My Posts About When the Moon Was Ours

A Solitary Blue by Cynthia Voigt
(The Tillerman Cycle, book 3)
Rating: ★★★★☆
Review:  No
Reading Dates:  September 7 – 8
Read Count:  3  (Pretty sure I’ve read it more than that, but only 3 that I can be sure of.)
Favorite Thing:  The relationship between Jeff and his dad in Part Two.
Least Favorite Thing:  Fucking Melody. Ugh. Double ugh. I had forgotten just how manipulative and emotionally abusive Melody was to Jeff and his father!

My Posts About A Solitary Blue

Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan
(The Lynburn Legacy, book 1)
Rating: ★★★★☆
Review:  Yes
Reading Dates:  September 8 – 11
Read Count:  1
Favorite Thing:  Angela’s rudeness.
Least Favorite Thing:  THE FUCKING ENDING WTF???????? IT BETTER BE SOME KIND OF FUCKING TRICK I SWEAR TO GOD!

I was hesitant about this book at first, but I’m very glad I read it (even if I’m also very mad). There were many moments where it had me literally laughing out loud.

My Posts About Unspoken

Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor
(Daughter of Smoke & Bone, book 1)
Rating: ★★★★☆
Review:  No
Reading Dates:  September 12 – 14
Read Count:  2
Favorite Thing:  That masqued ball scene.
Least Favorite Thing:  When Laini turns her spectacular powers of descriptive language against us and describes things like Razgut and Bain… I needed 10 showers after that whole beard thing.

To my mind, DoSaB isn’t as good as Strange the Dreamer, but it’s still really good and really hard to put down!

Also I’m still filled with jealousy every time it’s mentioned that Karou just wishes knowledge of new languages into her collection. No fair, no share!

My Posts About Daughter of Smoke & Bone

Part 2

September 2017 Wrap-Up (Part 2)

LeeLeave a comment

Untold by Sarah Rees Brennan
(The Lynburn Legacy, book 2)
Rating:  ★★★★☆
Review:  Yes
Reading Dates:  September 15 – 17
Read Count:  1
Favorite Thing:  Rusty. Perfect Rusty.
Least Favorite Thing:  Rob Lynburn is so skeezy I need 10 showers every time he talks…

Welp, I’m not mad about the thing I was mad about at the end of the first book anymore because it was explained and resolved in a very satisfying manner. However! I am frustrated because I have made several connections based on information Kami has already that she has not made and I have no way of climbing into the book to tell her!

My Posts About Untold

Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor
(Daughter of Smoke & Bone, book 2)
Rating:  ★★★★☆
Review:  No
Reading Dates:  September 17 – 20
Read Count:  2
Favorite Thing:  That fucking fruit basket/note thing!
Least Favorite Thing:  Thiago. Obviously.

The close second for favorite thing was the trio of Akiva, Liraz, and Hazael. Sweet murder siblings.

But it was deeply infuriating waiting for Karou to figure out that Thiago and Ten were playing her! It seemed so damn obvious!

One thing that bugged me about the book though, there was a mention when explaining the whole “Angel-lover” insult where it says “in all Karou’s human languages, there was no insult so loaded with disgust and contempt, no single word that cast such a pall of filth” and I actually had to stop for a minute because I was annoyed. I mean… It’s really obvious what real life insult it resembles and yet it’s supposedly worse than anything in any human language. Ok Laini. Sure. (To clarify, I by no means think this was some intentional slight intended by the author, it’s just something that really bothered me personally.)

My Posts About Days of Blood & Starlight

The Runner by Cynthia Voigt
(The Tillerman Cycle, book 4)
Rating:  ★★★★☆
Review:  No
Reading Dates:  September 20 – 21
Read Count:  3  (Pretty sure I’ve read it more than that, but only 3 that I can be sure of.)
Favorite Thing:  Reading him running, of course.
Least Favorite Thing:  The Phone Call. I’m still crying even though I always know it’s coming.

I want to warn potential readers, for a good half of this book Bullet is a racist. Not a “death to all black people” kind of racist, you won’t have to read depictions of him committing violence against black people, but an “I don’t mix with them” sort of racist, and you will see his thoughts about it several times. Part of his journey in this book is him learning that he’s wrong to just arbitrarily dislike people who are black. I didn’t want anyone getting blindsided by that in the beginning of the book.

My Posts About The Runner

Dreams of Gods & Monsters by Laini Taylor
(Daughter of Smoke & Bone, book 3)
Rating:  ★★★★★
Review:  No
Reading Dates:  September 23 – 27
Read Count:  2
Favorite Thing:  We Haven’t Been Introduced
Seriously this is easily my favorite part of the whole book. I grin like an idiot and squeal internally just thinking about it. Like just now, I briefly recalled parts of the book I enjoyed to evaluate them for a favorite and when I came to this one I actually hid my face and giggled so I feel like it’s really no contest.
Least Favorite Thing:  Morgan Toth’s pillowy lips…

I actually raised my rating of this book from 4 stars (from back in 2014) to 5 because it’s definitely the best of the trilogy for me.

My Posts About Dreams of Gods & Monsters

Come A Stranger by Cynthia Voigt
(The Tillerman Cycle, book 5)
Rating:  ★★★★☆
Review:  No
Reading Dates:  September 28 – 29
Read Count:  3  (Pretty sure I’ve read it more than that, but only 3 that I can be sure of.)
Favorite Thing:  Mina’s laughter.
Least Favorite Thing:  Racist teachers, blech.

I learned so much from Mina back in middle school when I first read this book. So much was changing for me and reading a book where that was happening to a character who was dynamic and strong was so helpful at that time.

My Posts About Come A Stranger

In Progress

Thursday Quotables: September 28, 2017

LeeLeave a comment

This weekly feature is the place to highlight a great quote, line, or passage discovered during your reading each week; whether it’s something funny, startling, gut-wrenching, or just really beautifully written.

The despair was entire, complete as a possession, but fleeting. It released her, and was gone, but it left Karou gutted, guttered, feeling for all the world like…
…a candle flame extinguished by a scream.

Summary:

Two worlds are poised on the brink of a vicious war. By way of a staggering deception, Karou has taken control of the chimaera’s rebellion and is intent on steering its course away from dead-end vengeance. The future rests on her.

When the brutal angel emperor brings his army to the human world, Karou and Akiva are finally reunited – not in love, but in a tentative alliance against their common enemy. It is a twisted version of their long-ago dream, and they begin to hope that it might forge a way forward for their people. And, perhaps, for themselves.

But with even bigger threats on the horizon, are Karou and Akiva strong enough to stand among the gods and monsters?

The New York Times bestselling Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy comes to a stunning conclusion as – from the streets of Rome to the caves of the Kirin and beyond – humans, chimaera, and seraphim strive, love, and die in an epic theater that transcends good and evil, right and wrong, friend and enemy.

Thank you Bookshelf Fantasies for this fun book meme!

What Are You Reading Wednesdays: September 27, 2017

LeeLeave a comment

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:

  1. What’s the name of your current read?
  2. Go to page 34 in your book or 34% in your eBook and share a couple of sentences.
  3. Would you like to live in the world that exists within your book? Why or why not?

  1. Dreams of Gods & Monsters {Daughter of Smoke & Bone, book 3) by Laini Taylor
  2. Here it was, then, a restoration to the natural order: hostility.
  3. Oh… too late. Back during the first book I decided I wanted to live in that world, but as predicted, I died quickly and now cannot answer this question again.

WWW Wednesday: September 27, 2017

LeeLeave a comment

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:  Dreams of Gods & Monsters (Daughter of Smoke & Bone, book 3) by Laini Taylor
I’m halfway through this book and I have the worst feeling!

As I admitted previously, I don’t remember much of the goings-on in this book, just a few major plot points. So I can’t actually say that something bad is about to happen, but… I feel it! I feel the bad thing coming, y’all.

As it is, I’m mostly enjoying reading this one, even if I find the Stellians annoying and wish the narration wasn’t always so vague and mysterious!

I’m also, as always lately, working my way slowly through Persuasion by Jane Austen.

Recently Finished:  The Runner (The Tillerman Cycle, book 4) by Cynthia Voigt
Ah, man, it was nice to be in Bullet’s stubborn head again.

I’m still sad from the last chapter though. I’ll probably never get over the need to cry every time I read it. I’ll be rereading this book for the 57th time when I’m 80 and I’ll cry like a little baby over the Phone Call.

I will never understand how Bullet can draw me in so well. He’s not exactly a likeable person, and yet I love him. I’ll credit that to the magic of Cynthia Voigt’s writing. In fact, I give the magic of Cynthia’s writing credit for many things I care about.

Reading Next:  Unmade (The Lynburn Legacy, book 3) by Sarah Rees Brennan
Well, I managed to get this one on Interlibrary Loan, and faster than I expected, too.

I have no idea what to expect from the end of this trilogy… Goodreads promises the ending will be shocking, but that could just be hype to get people into reading it? (Yeah, even I don’t buy that.)

All I really hope for is an ending that makes sense, plenty of that banter I love, and for Jared to not stay where he was at the end of the last book because that would be awful!

I also plan to get to the next book in The Tillerman Cycle and then I’ve been thinking of rereading another series from back in high school. This one, The Gallagher Girls series, I actually can’t remember very well, but I do remember enjoying the two books I read of the series. Some posts on tumblr reminded me of it and I got it from the library in a fit of nostalgia. My only hesitation is wondering whether I will like it as well as I did when I was younger…

Teaser Tuesday: September 26, 2017

LeeLeave a comment

The two of them were stoic and stone-faced and ten feet apart, currently not even looking at each other, but Zuzana had the impression of a pair of magnets pretending not to be magnets.

– Laini Taylor, Dreams of Gods & Monsters (Daughter of Smoke & Bone, book 3), page 20

Version:
Hardcover, 613 pages
Published April 8th 2014 by Little, Brown & Company

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.

Musing Monday: September 25, 2017

LeeLeave a comment

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme, hosted by Ambrosia at The Purple Booker, that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

I’m currently reading…
Up next I think I’ll read…
I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
I can’t wait to get a copy of…
I wish I could read ____, but…
I blogged about ____ this past week…

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: Do you like book clubs or not?

I blogged about ____ this past week…

  • Monday, September 18 – Musing Monday, showing off a new book I got & talking about background noise, and a review of Untold by Sarah Rees Brennan.
  • Tuesday, September 19 – A progress update for Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor, then Teaser Tuesday (also using DoBaS).
  • Wednesday, September 20 – A rating post for Days of Blood & Starlight, a belated WWW Wednesday, WAYRW, then a bookstagram for The Runner by Cynthia Voigt.
  • Thursday, September 21 – Thursday Quotables, using The Runner, and then a rating post for the same novel.
  • Friday, September 22 – As usual, First Lines Friday & Friday 56 (the latter using Dreams of Gods & Monsters by Laini Taylor).
  • Saturday, September 23 – I managed two chapters of Persuasion this week, and I posted my usual progress update for that.

Do you like book clubs or not?
Uh… In theory?

I’ve never actually been in a book club, so I can’t say for sure. I like the idea of being in one, but I’ve never seen a book club of adults who read a ridiculous amount of YA novels!