Teaser Tuesday!!

Hey guys! :D

Since I have like 30 minutes left until tuesday ends in my time zone I thought I might throw in some teasers I spotted on the web:

1. Aprilynne Pike posted the first chapter of her new book Destined on her blog and promised that she will post teasers daily now. So if you're a fan of her Wings series you should definitely head over here and check it out! Destined is the fourth and final book in her series which started with Wings. Here is the official description taken from Goodreads, but beware it contains spoiler for those, who haven't read the series yet! For more information on the first book visit this link!
Destined will be published in three weeks!

>>Laurel now knows the truth: Yuki is a rare Winter faerie, the most powerful—and deadly—of all, and she is working with Klea to conquer and destroy Avalon. With Tamani, David, and Chelsea by her side, Laurel prepares for a fight she never thought she would have to face.

Filled with heart-pounding action, sweeping romance, and higher stakes at every turn, Destined is the series conclusion that readers have been clamoring for—with a twist that will leave them breathless.

"Tamani looked at her gravely, and reached up to touch her hair behind her ear. He hesitated for an instant, then his hands found the sides of her face, pulling her to him. He didn't kiss her, just held her face to his, their foreheads resting together, their noses almost touching.

She hated how much it felt like good-bye."<<

2. In others news PenguinTeen released the first teaser trailer for the Golden Lily, book two in Richelle Meads Bloodlines series. Bloodlines is a spin off series, which means it takes place in the same world and features same characters as the original series, of her bestselling Vampire Academy series and revolves around the character Sydney. Sydney is an alchemist who's aim it is to protect the secret of vampires. For more information on Richelle Mead and her books click this link or read all postes tagged with her name :)

Watch the Trailer!

That's it for today, see you soon

Love and words

KJ

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I had a bet with a friend going on that I would be able to finish this book within two days. I did. And I could finish this review within two seconds: AWESOME!

I have to say I had huge expectations about it, since there is such a huge buzz going on about the movie. Luckily it did not disappoint me.

I love the world Suzanne Collins has created. It is rich on detail and I can imgaine it perfectly, though there are not too much details.

I would describe her style as average, readable and very easy to follow. Perfect for a dystopian book like this.

The Plot takes place in Panem, a dystopian society where North America used to be. The Protagonist Katniss finds herself in the Hunger Games, a fight to the death. Only one can win and der chances are not that good. She is a well developed and strong female character. I liked her a lot.

Many different characters with different motivations and character traits perticipate in the Hunger

Games and everyone was well developed and unterstandeable.

I just loved the names Suzanne Collins gave everyone, especially does related to flowers. Everything fit perfectly and it showed how well worked the whole thing was

Wenn I read the plot for the first time, I immediately thought of ancient rome and the gladiators. The roman names supported that picture and I loved it.
I have to admitt I had High expectations for Peeta and Gale, since there was such a buzz about them and the whole the team thing started again. After the first part I thought Peeta was an asshole and Gale just a minor character, but after finishing this book I understand both a lot better and I'm sure there is a lot more coming for them.

Don't ask me on which team I'm on. I don't like this whole "Team Peeta" vs. "Team Gale" thing, since I think all the fans should stand behind the novel as a whole and not bicker each other. And because I cannot decide. There are both awesome. But even the Antagonists in this book are awesome. I can emphathize with everyone and I shared the thrill with all of them.
There were a few brutal scence within the book but they surely needed to be there, because of the whole setting and because it would have felt unreal without them. I'd really like to now how they're doing it in the movie so I'm heading to the theaters like right now :D
I recommend the book to everyone and I'm definitely going to read the rest of the series :)

Love and words
KJ
View all my reviews

A Jorney through Fantasy II

Hey there :)
Through the past months I've been reading a lot books which you can count to Urban Fantasy or Paranormal Romance. But lately I'm getting back to the genre that got me into reading in the first place: Fantasy. And right now I'm making now difference between High Fantasy, Sword&Sorcery, and who-knows-what-else-is-out-there.
So to celebrate my kind of going back to the roots I went on a journey through Fantasy and I'm inviting you to come with me, introducing you to book series on my To-read-shelf.

 In the last JtF post we visited the mystical Host in Dawn Cook's Truth series. Who knows where the winds will take our little ship next?

We're anchoring at the coast of Attolia, a land which has been created by Megan Whalen Turner. Here the series The Queen's Thief takes place. The first book in this series is called The Thief:

"I can steal anything."
After Gen's bragging lands him in the king's prison, the chances of escape look slim. Then the king's scholar, the magus, needs the thief's skill for a seemingly impossible task - to steal a hidden treasure from another land.
To the magus, Gen is just a tool. But Gen is a trickster and a survivor with a plan of his own. (taken from Goodreads)

This sounds like the right book for me. From what I've read so far, I'd say it's somewhere between High Fantasy and Sword&Sorcery. The cover is really nice and the rest of the series sounds interesting, too.
Unfortunaltey I did not have enough time to read it until now, but the begining sounded like I'm going to like the writing style. But more of that later.
The only bad thing is that there is no map. I just love books wich cotain the map of the land they're taking place in. But if that stays the only negative point I'm glad :)

Love and Words
KJ

The Heroine's Bookshelf by Erin Blakemore

The Heroine's Bookshelf: Life Lessons from Jane Austen to Laura Ingalls Wilder by Erin Blakemore
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is going to be a very private review for this is about a very private book. Erin Blakemore shares with us some of her precious memories and the precious memories of many remarkable women writers.
The Heroine's Bookshelf shows which character trades a modern heroine should have in times like these, explaining that there is a heroine in every women. Each character trade is described with the help of a fictional heroine who portrays the feature. Erin Blakemore does not just outline why the heroine she picked is a heroine, she also allows us a deep glimpse into the struggles the authors behind the books had to overcome. Therefore she shows us, what we can learn from women like Scarlett O'Hara, Scout Finch or Alice Walker.
The book is not just well written but also well researched.
The chapters of this book work like mirrors, because they capture so many nuances and different states of life.
This is a book EVERY women should read, and every man who wants to understand us or who doesn't acknowledge the women in his life.
Sometimes it is hard to read the stories of women, no matter ficitonal or not, who had less than I have today and made so much more out of it than I do. On the other hand I have a feeling that I can draw strenght from the stories and memories lying in front me.
This book feels like a journey to myself and to the person I want to become one day, a true heroine, no matter if I ever "safe the world". It's enough, if I save my own day. Erin Blakemore shows that amazingly.
Right now I'm at a state of my life where I fear the next move, or the next mistake can shape my entire future.
It's a hard time for me, for growing up is always hard. But this book reminded me of the people in my life that are here to help me, the real and the unreal persons surrounding me in every day-life and in the books I read.
And I can only conclude with the words Erin Blakemore used to start her novel: "In times of struggle, there are as many reasons not to read as there are to breathe."

A must read, a "I'm going to read it over and over again", and of course a recomendation to everyone!
Love and words
KJ
View all my reviews

Just for Fins teaser and new author website

There are two new things for you:

Tera Lynn Childs blogged a teaser for her new book Just for Fins over at her website. To read it just follow the link, because it's all hers and I won't reblog it :)

Just for Fins is the third book in her series about mermaids. For those of you who don't know the series here's the first one Forgive my Fins:

Half-mermaid princess Lily Sanderson has been living on land for the past three years, crushing on Seaview swim-god Brody Bennett, dealing with annoying biker boy neighbor Quince Fletcher, and just generally trying to figure out this whole human thing. But everything changes when she accidentally bestows her magical first kiss on the wrong boy and they wind up swimming into an adventure they never expected. (taken from Tera Lynn Child's website)

This series is definitely on my Cover-Chrush list. I just love these covers! The second book is called Fins are Forever.

The second news is that Maggie Stiefvater, author of the Faerie series, Shiver, and many more, has a new website. You can visit it here. You can find there information about all her books as well as prequel and postquel stories. And many, many more!

What do you want to read?

Hey there lovely readers :)

I'm thinking about changing the concept of this blog a little. I just don't know where I want to go with it.
Right now I'm blogging some book reviews and a lot of news about authors.
So since you are the ones who read this blog I thought I just ask you:
What shall I blog about? What exactly do you want to read? More news, more reviews, more recommendations?
Or should everything stay as it is now?
I'd love to have some feedback from you, after all this started as a site where we could talk about books. Really, who wants to listen to me alone all the time?
And the guest post slot is still open. Do you have something you want to get out here? As long as it is about books you can be the next guest blogger!
Please help me out and answer this question in the comments (or vote on the left of the site in the new poll).
Love and words

A Journey through Fantasy Part 1

Hey guys :)
I'm back from my bookshopping tour and (besides my monthly dose on mangas) I have the beginings of two new series in my backpack waiting to be showed to you.

Yeah, I know I should finish the series I already started before begining with something new, but can you resist the atmosphere of your favorite bookstore? Besides, I'm currently waiting on Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare to come out in paperback, here in my home country. So I can continue with the series. The nice woman at the book store told me that it will be published somewhere around the end of the year. So to fill the long waiting gap I'm setting sales and leaving home, for a journey into distant countries full with magic, fantasy, and a lot of words. Will you come with me? Than just go ahead...

The first coast we're landing on today gives us a wonderful view of dangerously high mountains. The captain of our little ship tells us that in this mountains the Host is said to be. A place where magic still exists and people called the Keepers learn to use it.  I'm talking about First Truth by Dawn Cook, who you might know as Kim Harrison. It's the first book in the Truth series and from what I read so far it's really good. I really like the two main characters Alissa and Strell and how they're fighting all the time :)

Here is the official synopsis taken from Goodreads:

Alissa doesn't believe in magic. Her father's stories about the Hold, a legendary fortress where human Keepers learn magic from the enigmatic Maters, are just that―stories. But her mother insists that Alissa has inherited her father's magical ability, and so she must go to the Hold―the only place her talents can be trained.

On her way, she crosses paths with Stree, a wandering musician from the plains. And though Alissa is not sure she can trust a plainsman, Strell has something she needs―one of her father's old maps. Travelling together, they can reach the Hold before the snow sets in.

But they don't know that the Hold is nearly empty. Something is very wrong and someone believes that Alissa and Strell know about a book called First Truth

I think it's time for a little cover comparing. We haven't done that in a long time and this books gives us not just two but three covers to compare. But remember you cannot judge a book by it's cover. Which cover do you like the best, the old English one (top right corner) or the first German one (bottom left corner) or the newer one(middle) ? Do you know this series? Tell me in the coments :)

I especially like the German cover with the hoddie. It looks so mysterious :) To find out more about the series, wich will be published into French soon, visit Dawn Cook's official site.
All in all I'm pretty hooked with this book and plan to finish the whole series before school starts again in a few weeks. You should definitely check them out and I'm surely going to post my review :D

"A Journey through fantasy" will be continued, with the next series I have waiting on my shelf. In the mean time just enjoy the wonderful view from the tower of the Host.

I also found a bunch of other books I desperately want to read so I guess we're in for a "Can't wait for..." next week :)

Love and words

KJ

News and Updates

Since I'm not blogging a lot lately I thought it was time for another round on "five news you can use". Well actually it won't be another round since I just made that title up five seconds ago. But something like this was done by me before so I guess it counts.

Now let's get to the news:

1. Mari Mancusi, author of the Blood Coven Series recently posted the cover of the final Blood Coven book Blood Forever. I loved the other BC books and I'm really excited for this one. Not to mention that the cover is gorgeous! But i just don't know what to think of the title... The book will be told from the point of view of Sunny and Rainy.

2.  Tera Lynn Childs, author of Sweet Venom, gave us a quick update on what she is working on lately. She started a new YA project, but there are no news what exactly this project is. She will be starting to write the third Sweet Venom books soon and she also has another project going on, writin a novella. That's what I call a busy writer. She definitely has my respect.

3. The third House of Night novella by PC and Kristen Cast is expected to be published  July 17th 2012 and it will be called Neferet's Curse. There is a synopsis over on Goodreads, but I couldn't find any informations on the official site of PC Cast. I'll keep you updated.

As always it has a pretty cover. To find out more about the House of Night series just follow this link. Currently the mother-daughter duo is working on the next HoN book called Hidden, which will come out in October. And the rights of the series have been sold to some movie-makers.

4. Aimee Carter, author of the Goddess Series announced that a paperback book called The Goddess Legacy will hit shelfs on July 31, 2012! It is a book containing five novellas, each told from a perspective of one of her characters. To find more informations visit her blog. Aimee Carter says it's her favorite book in the whole series and the cover is just gorgeous. I definitely can't wait to get my hands on this one. In bad news the publishing date for the third book in the series has been moved backwards from December 2012 to March 2013.

5. Sarah Dessen author of What happened to goodbye signed a new book deal with Viking Young Readers. The YA book will  be about an 18-year-old girl and her last summer before college. Prepare for a lovestory! For more information go and visit Sarah Dessen's blog.

That's it from me today. Now I go back to reading and later today I'm going on a book shopping trip with my friends. Maybe I have some new books to check out for you tomorrow :D

To get more information on these topics you can as always visit the official pages of the authors. Don't forget to support your favorite author!

Love and words

KJ

City of Glass

City of Glass by Cassandra Clare

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I expected the best from this book, since the other two were just plain awesome. And I'm not disappointed!

It's really hard to write this comment, just minutes after finishing the book, because I want to talk about the end so desperately it hurts! But I can't tell you the end, can I?

Cassandra Clare wrote a fulminate third book to a wonderful series. If I remember right The Mortal Instruments was planned as a trilogy and this book would have been a perfect ending. But anyway I'm just really glad the series continues. The twists and turns are unbelievable! During the middle I had a feeling, like in the first book, that I already knew the deep dark secret and the protagonists Clary and Jace were just not able to see, what I saw. Despite that feeling the twists that followed just got me hooked even more.

Cassandra Clare creates a wonderful world that lives through its details. The world of the shadowhunters is rich with myths, beliefs and traditions. But the little details got me even more. The fact that a raven is named after Hugin, the messanger of the norse god Odin, or that one character reads Angel Sanctuary by Kaori Yuki, in my opinion the best angel story ever written, make the characters and the world they live in become a lot realer. Cassandra Clare put a lot of work, research and thinking into this novel, which makes every chapter even better.

I can only imagine how much time she spend just on finding the right quotes for the begining of every section. Quotes, that capture the moment perfectly.

The characters, which I learned to love in the first two books, return to a dangerous world facing not just their enemies but their own feelings as well. Those feelings are portraited in a wonderful way and captured understandable. I, as the reader, can empathize with the characters, with the ones I love and with the ones I hate. Throughout the whole story I was desperate to find out how it ended and though I did not read the entire book in one session the story followed me everywhere.

Well, I honestly don't know what else I can say except: Read the series!

I recommend it for people that like romance stories and paranormal fantasy, where the world is in danger.

Love and words to all of you
KJ

View all my reviews

Before I Fall Movie

Seems like they're making a lot of books into movies lately. Not that I'm complaining :)
Lauren Oliver just announced that the movie based on her book Before I Fall has finally a director. Gina Prince-Bythewood fills that part.
 For more information visit Lauren Oliver's blog
From what I read on her blog the script seems to be finished, but they haven't started casting yet.

For those of you who don't know the book here is a quick synopsis from Goodreads so you can (as I will) read the book before you watch the movie:

What if you only had one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?

Samantha Kingston has it all: looks, popularity, the perfect boyfriend. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it turns out to be her last.

The catch: Samantha still wakes up the next morning. Living the last day of her life seven times during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death--and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing.

But remember, movie projects that got a lot further have been cancelled in the end, so we can't be sure the movie will really come. All we can do is support all the wonderful authors and books out there, so movie-makers see how great those books are :) 

Have you read the book? Are you excited about the movie? And if we're at it: Who should they cast?
Love and words
KJ

Heathcliff helps me through my boy diet

Here comes another post inspired by the wonderful Sparklife site. Strangely I visited the site in the first place to learn for my exams and now it’s keeping me from learning at all J

Well if you visit this link you’ll find all the posts tagged “Boy Diet”. It’s a series of posts by the talented Tallie, who is having a boy diet.

That inspired me to do the same. And to blog about it, too. And now you are thinking “Wait! This is a blog about books not about life! I’m not interested in any diet!” Yeah, here comes the scoop: Since I’m always (like ALWAYS!) crushing on boys I can’t get I just stop thinking about them and start thinking about books instead.

I am an emancipated girl and I do not need boys to be happy. Well, at least that’s what I’m telling myself since the other girls in my class started having boyfriends in fifth grade (Great, now I sound totally pathetic ;) ). So here comes the first book that deserves my attention a lot more than stupid boys:

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

So to get you informed about this book, here is the official synopsis from Goodreads:

Like the house itself, Wuthering Heights is set on the bleak Pennine moors, a fitting backdrop to this story of love, torment and revenge, and a landscape familiar to Emily Brontë.
Heathcliff is a foundling, adopted and raised as one of the Earnshaw children. With this act of charity, the seeds of ardent love and jealousy are planted. Catherine Earnshaw becomes devoted to Heathcliff, while her brother brother Hindley always views him as a rival for Wuthering Heights.
The passions grow to involve their neighbours the Lintons-spilling over to afflect the next generation, until Catherine and Heathcliff are reunited for eternity

Who’s my favourite character? The brooding and evil Heathcliff, who is still able to confess his love to Catherine in so many beautiful ways. He cannot live without his love but on the other hand they cannot be together. What a tragic lovestory… Oh wait, I’m not crushing on a literary character again, am I? Back to the book:

I think it is a beautiful book and wonderful written. Emily Brontë is able to show you the deepest parts of her characters and she created a dark and twisted tale about love and desire. The perfect book to read at stormy winter nights or star-filled summer evenings.

Author information: Emily Jane Brontë was born in 1818. She and her sisters Charlotte and Anne are known as the Bronë-sisters. They started to write at an early age and published their stories under pseudonyms. Wuthering Heights was Emily’s first and only book but she wrote a lot of poems, too.

The night is darkening round me,

The wild winds coldly blow;

But a tyrant spell has bound me,

And I cannot, cannot go.

The giant trees are bending

Their bare boughts weighed with snow,

The storm is fast descending,

And yet I cannot go.

Clouds beyond clouds above me,

Wastes beyond wastes below;

But nothing drear can move me:

I will not, cannot go.

This is my favourite poem by Emily Brontë and you can see that her writing is really dark, which is in my opinion the most fascinating thing about her.

Have you read this all time classic by Emily Brontë? What where your thoughts on it?

So whenever I’m lovesick (which I won’t be for a long time since I’m on a diet now!) I grab the book and loose myself between the pages. The love life of those tourmented souls is a lot worse than mine ;)

Greetings and again a lot of words

KJ