a to z: a bookish survey

I stole this survey from Anna Reads.

Author you've read the most books from:
There are a few: Alan Bradley, Charlaine Harris, M.C. Beaton, J.K. Rowling, & honestly that's all that comes to mind. Although I'm sure there are more. (I couldn't pick just one!)

Best Sequel Ever:
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

Currently Reading:
The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross & The Lady Elizabeth by Alison Weir.

Drink of Choice While Reading:
A grande White Chocolate Mocha Espresso from Starbucks, or a really strong, good cup of black tea.

E-reader or Physical Book?
This is always such a difficult question for me to answer. I love my Kindle & the iPad reading apps, but I also really love physical books. I would say that I'm slightly more partial to physical.

Fictional Character You Probably Would Have Actually Dated in High School:Will Herondale from the Infernal Devices Trilogy by Cassandra Clare.

Glad You Gave This Book A Chance:

The Girl in the Steel Corset. The cover threw me off (the saying is true - don't judge until you've read), but so far it's an excellent read! 

Hidden Gem Book:
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley. (The first book in the Flavia De Luce series)

Important Moment in your Reading Life:
I think a big defining moment for me was when I read Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights for the first time when I was about 12. Starting this blog and reviewing books has been a pretty big defining moment also.

Just Finished:
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness. It was an alright read.

Kinds of Books You Won’t Read:
I don't enjoy romances or hardcore scifi. I wouldn't really read those two genres.

Longest Book You’ve Read:
Probably The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson. It's 832 pages long. 

Major book hangover because of:
Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare. Oh my god I can't wait to read Clockwork Princess. 

Number of Bookcases You Own:

Two, and I desperately need more.

One Book You Have Read Multiple Times:
Wuthering Heights.

Preferred Place To Read:

Bed, outside on the deck, in a hot bubble bath, curled up on the couch, Starbucks, at the park...practically any place. 

Quote that inspires you/gives you all the feels from a book you’ve read:
“She burned too bright for this world.” Emily Bronte - Wuthering Heights

Reading Regret:
I regret reading some books that were really terribly written. I also regret not reading a few books before watching the movie. 

Series You Started and Need to Finish (all books are out in series): 
The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan and the Crown of Stars series by Kate Elliot.

Three of your All-Time Favorite Books:
Oh wow this is unbelievably hard for me. In no particular order I'm going to say: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (because it was the first book in a series that I just completely fell in love with), The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (phenomenal), and Wuthering Heights (sorry for all of the Wuthering Heights references, lol).

Unapologetic Fangirl For:
Cassandra Clare, Douglas Adams, & JK Rowling.

Very Excited for This Release More Than All the Others:
Dead Ever After (A Sookie Stackhouse novel) by Charlaine Harris.

Worst Bookish Habit:
Reading in a bubble bath & getting the pages spotty with water. Bending spines & pages. 

X Marks The Spot: Start at the top left of your shelf and pick the 27th book:
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath.

Your latest book purchase:
Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare, Bloodlines by Richelle Mead, & Nightshade by Andrea Cremer.

ZZZ-snatcher book (last book that kept you up WAY late):
All Cassandra Clare books that I've read. 

clockwork prince review

Taken from Goodreads: 

In magical Victorian London, orphan Tessa found safety with the Shadowhunters, until traitors betray her to the Magister. He wants to marry her, but so do self-destructive Will and fiercely devoted Jem. Mage Magnus Bane returns to help them. Secrets to her parentage lie with the mist-shrouded Yorkshire Institute's aged manager Alyosius Starkweather.

This book, this trilogy is amazing!

I seriously have little to no issues with any of it. I think that it was superbly written. The setting of a slightly altered Victorian England is interesting and magnificent. The characters feel very real and you develop a relationship with them based on either love or hate.
I found myself completely zoned out while reading it. Zoned out like I didn't realize anyone else was in the room with me. It's truly that captivating. 
I don't want to give any spoilers away, but I will say that I have a new found appreciation for Will. I believe that the first book was written so that we would misjudge him, and Clockwork Prince clarifies some of the reasons why Will is who he is.
We see the relationships between several of the characters tested in different ways. Some prove themselves more worthy than previously thought, and others less.
I can't wait to read Clockwork Princess!

I rated this book 5 out of 5 stars on Goodreads.

book haul

(& a cute photo)

Picked up three new books today! Always exciting. 

First off I have American Gods by Neil Gaiman. Seriously, you can never ever go wrong with Neil Gaiman. He's pretty much up there with Pratchett. He has written fantastic books like Good Omens, The Graveyard Book, and Coraline. I've read reviews for American Gods, and it had sat on my 'to-read' shelf on Goodreads for quite some time. This is the one that I chose to read first.

The second book that I have is The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness. Honestly I don't really know very much about this book. I read a brief description in the jacket, and thought that it sounded really interesting. 

Lastly, I couldn't find Clockwork Princess (remedying that by purchasing it on Amazon for my Kindle), so I picked up the first book in the Mortal Instruments series called City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. This will be a later read, after I finish Clockwork Princess.

What books have you picked up recently?

saturday

Spending a relaxing, rainy Saturday afternoon reading Clockwork Prince.

It's fantastic! 

moya

I love, love, love this furry girl! :) 

Thought I would share a photo of her after our nap earlier. She's such a wonderful dog.

gathering blue review

About the book, taken from Goodreads: 

In her strongest work to date, Lois Lowry once again creates a mysterious but plausible future world. It is a society ruled by savagery and deceit that shuns and discards the weak. Left orphaned and physically flawed, young Kira faces a frightening, uncertain future. Blessed with an almost magical talent that keeps her alive, she struggles with ever broadening responsibilities in her quest for truth, discovering things that will change her life forever.
As she did in The Giver, Lowry challenges readers to imagine what our world could become, and what will be considered valuable. Every reader will be taken by Kira's plight and will long ponder her haunting world and the hope for the future.

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This novel is a companion to an earlier novel written by Lois Lowry called The Giver.

The story centers around Kira, who is left orphaned after her mother dies. Kira was born with a deformed, twisted leg. However, she has the gift of being able to use threads to create amazing and beautifully embroidered pieces.

After her mother's death Kira is called before the council, and charged by a woman in her village of being useless and worthless. If found guilty Kira would be left for dead.
The council, who have heard that Kira has a gift decides to spare her life if she will agree to sew the damaged robe used for her village's Gathering.
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Lois Lowry weaves a story that is beautiful and heartbreaking. The reader is drawn into Kira's world in such a way that it resonates with you for a while after you've read the last page.

I rated this book 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads.

my girl & i

My girl & I. Our faces look funny. Moya's licking her nose, lol.