Top Ten Books I Loved But Never Wrote a Review for…

This top ten is actually perfect for me because I am a tad bit behind on my reviews for one, and two, I sometimes have a hard time writing a review for some books. I don’t know what it is, it could be a book I just thought was meh, ok and don’t have much to say about OR it could be a book I LOVED and just can’t find those perfect words to express my feelings.

So on that note…here are the ones I LOVED but maybe didn’t get the blog love they deserve.

(IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER.)

Please let me know if you would like more indepth reviews to these books!

1. Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

Yes, I have read the series and I LOVE IT!  I have reread all of the books, some several times over, all except Book #7.  I have seen all the movies and I recently went to Harry Potter WORLD, which was AWESOME! I keep meaning to post my pics from there, but haven’t gotten around to it for some reason! I have the HP scrapbook paper, the list goes on and on!  I love the world building in these books, the descriptions of the castle alone make me want to pack up and find platform 9 3/4.

2. Across the Universe by Beth Revis

A love out of time. A spaceship built of secrets and murder.

I read this one back in January and loved it.  Even for those like me who aren’t sci-fi freaks will love Amy and Elder.  Elder has lived on the spaceship Godspeed his entire life, with planet earth a mere fleeting thought.  When he discovers his uncle has not been completely honest with him about the future of the ship and the people that serve him, Elder must act quickly.  Will he save Amy before it’s too late and who is setting out to destroy these innocent lives? There is a lot of world building and set up, which is to be expected in the first book of a new series and I am already anticipating book #2 – A Million Suns coming out early next year.

3. The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen

Welcome to Walls of Water, North Carolina, where the secrets are thicker than the fog from the town’s famous waterfalls, and the stuff of superstition is just as real as you want it to be.

I am a HUGE fan of SAA! Rarely am I ever caught up on a series or all of any author’s list of books, but I have read and loved all of Sarah’s. I love the mix of southern charm, a little romance, history, and a bit of magic thrown in.

SAA’s Other Books: Garden Spells, The Sugar Queen, The Girl Who Chased the Moon

4. Tiger’s Curse by Colleen Houck

Passion. Fate. Loyalty. Would you risk it all to change your destiny?

Again, another first in a YA series.  If you love adventure and romance, you are sure to love Tiger’s Curse.  Kelsey has just graduated high school and is eager to find a job so that her adoptive family won’t have to support her anymore.  Unsure about her future, Kelsey finds a temp job working the local circus that has just come to town.  Among the acts is a beautiful white tiger that Kelsey often goes to spend her down time.  Little does she know that this caged tiger is Ren, a young Indian prince who was cursed to the life of a tiger 300 years ago.  Before she knows it, Kelsey is whisked away to India to help Ren break the curse.  I loved the setting of this book – the jungles, the castles, the caves, the waterfalls – it is so lush! I already have book #2 – Tiger’s Quest and book #3 is slated to come out this fall.

5. Iron Fey Books 1, 1.5, 2 by Julie Kagawa

These books include: The Iron King, Winter’s Passage, and The Iron Daughter

Overall, I am really enjoying this series and CANNOT wait to get to book #4, The Iron Prince, which is told from Ash’s point of view.  He is definitely one of my favorite characters so far in this series.  Of course, I also love the cat saith, because there has to be one and Grimalkin is awesome.  There is still a lot of beautiful world building going on and I really do like the descriptiveness of it, however I do find myself often bogged down in the prose.

6. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder – much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons.

So I listened to this one (14.5 hours unabridged) and overall really enjoyed it.  I did not enjoy the narrator, so perhaps I will try actually reading book #2. Clary, like Meghann in the Iron Fey series, can be just a tad annoying at times (teenagers!), but I was hooked once she was hooked up with Jace and the other Shadowhunters.  I am really interested in reading the Infernal Devices series because I think I will really enjoy the historical aspect of it.

7. Graceling by Kristin Cashore

In a world where people born with an extreme skill – called a Grace – are feared and exploited, Katsa carries the burden of a skill even she despises: the Grace of killing.

Katsa has a special skill, or Grace, and has allowed herself to be used by her uncle, the King, all her life.  But lately, she has secretly defied him by going on missions to help the innocent or get rid of those hungry with power.  She had never met anyone capable of matching her Grace, until she met Po.  If you enjoy high fantasy and adventure, I think you will love this one.  Katsa and Po soon find themselves on an adventure of a lifetime. I am eager to read the companion book, Fire, and WHEN is BITTERBLUE going to be RELEASED??

8. Eldest and Brisingr by Christopher Paolini

Darkness falls…Swords clash…Evil reigns. 

Oaths sworn . . . loyalties tested . . . forces collide.

HUGE fan of this series and have already pre-ordered my copy of Inheritance.  I also listened to the audio versions of these books, and have read Eragon twice now.  The narrator, Gerard Doyle, really does an excellent job with all the voices…except Saphira, IMHO, she sounds like Yoda or Grover, which I found a bit distracting (and funny) at times.  In Eldest, Eragon has been staying at the Beor Mountains (with the dwarves), but must now spend his alotted time at Ellesmera (with the elves) to learn more about the dragon riders and enhancing his fighting and dragon skills.  I loved the lushness of the elven lands and was sad to see him have to leave.  In Brisingr, Eragon uses more magic, reunites with his cousin Roran, joins the Varden and starts to fight Galbatorix and his SPOILER ALERT!! half-brother Murtagh.  Favorite characters are still Solembum and Angela.

9. Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It’s gotten her into a few scrapes.

This was a cute, quick read that includes a lot of paranormal beings.  There’s witches, vamps, ghosts, faeries, shape shifters, warlocks, etc etc.  ANOTHER first in a series, but I loved Sophie’s personality.  She’s not your typical whiny teenaged girl, she’s got sass and spunk!  There is a great mystery aspect to this book and Rachel really keeps you guessing until the very end.  Can’t wait for book #2 – Demonglass.

10. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

Bilbo Baggins was a hobbit who wanted to be left alone in quiet comfort. But the wizard Gandalf came along with a band of homeless dwarves. Soon Bilbo was drawn into their quest, facing evil orcs, savage wolves, giant spiders, and worse unknown dangers. Finally, it was Bilbo-alone and unaided-who had to confront the great dragon Smaug, the terror of an entire countryside . . .

A classic that I had never read and I finally read it in early 2010.  My favorite main character is Bilbo, of course! He’s quite humorous.  I love adventure books WITH MAPS!! I just can’t get enough! I often flip back to see where we are on the journey and Bilbo makes quite the journey for a hobbit.  I should really read TLOTR trilogy…

WOW, I feel relieved, like a burden has been lifted! 10 very much loved books…10 reviews…DONE! This makes me happy!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We’d love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Read Full Post »

Review: The Girl Who Chased the Moon

The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen

Fiction, Published 2010

Challenges: Once Upon a Time IV

Shelf Life: 3 mos – Purchased 2-9-10

Read May 2010

5/5

To find your path, sometimes you must chase the moon.

Book Blurb:

Emily Benedict came to Mullaby, North Carolina, hoping to solve at least some of the riddles surrounding her mother’s life. Such as, why did Dulcie Shelby leave her hometown so suddenly? And why did she vow never to return? But the moment Emily enters the house where her mother grew up and meets the grandfather she never knew—a reclusive, real-life gentle giant—she realizes that mysteries aren’t solved in Mullaby, they’re a way of life: Here are rooms where the wallpaper changes to suit your mood. Unexplained lights skip across the yard at midnight. And a neighbor bakes hope in the form of cakes.

Everyone in Mullaby adores Julia Winterson’s cakes—which is a good thing, because Julia can’t seem to stop baking them. She offers them to satisfy the town’s sweet tooth but also in the hope of rekindling the love she fears might be lost forever. Flour, eggs, milk, and sugar . . . Baking is the only language the proud but vulnerable Julia has to communicate what is truly in her heart. But is it enough to call back to her those she’s hurt in the past?

Can a hummingbird cake really bring back a lost love? Is there really a ghost dancing in Emily’s backyard? The answers are never what you expect. But in this town of lovable misfits, the unexpected fits right in.

My Thoughts:

When Emily Benedict arrives in the small North Carolina town of Mullaby from the big city of Boston, she knows nothing of her mother’s hidden past.  As with all small towns, rumors abound and quickly spread.  The whole town seems to know more about her mother than she does.

This book follows many threads within the small town of Mullaby.  Yet, they are all linked to the town’s barbecue joint, owned by Julia’s late father, the main facet of North Carolina life.  My favorite characters were Julia and Sawyer, yet everyone seems to have a past to contend with and Emily’s arrival allows everyone in town to face what they had been avoiding for so long.  Emily grandfather, Vance, is a magnificent giant of a man, has contained himself within his lonely house, except for his morning ritual of eating breakfast at J’s Barbecue.  The Shelby house has its own mysteries – there is the magical wallpaper in Emily’s mother’s, Dulcie, room.  There are the lights that seem to be watching Emily and then there is the constant slamming of the dryer door.  What could Vance possibly be looking for in the dryer?

Julia grew up a very tormented girl, with a one night respite with Sawyer in high school, where she thought someone finally truly understood her, and that one night and the decisions she made following it have haunted her everyday as she continually tries to raise her late father’s barbecue joint from debt so she can start her own bakery.   It is her sweet confections that have always drawn Sawyer to her and he has painfully known his entire life that he married the wrong girl, merely because he was afraid of taking a chance.

The town patriarch – the mysterious Coffey family – have only one major quirk, other than despising Dulcie Shelby: they cannot come out at night.  But young Win Coffey cannot contain himself inside the Coffey mansion, he shows his true self to Emily by the light of the moon, knowing it will change their lives forever.

Everyone has their own story and their own regrets, and they all want to help Emily understand the impact of her mother’s life in Mullaby and Emily shows them a different Dulcie as she is a direct reflection of the person her mother later became.

Sarah Addison Allen has quickly become one of my favorite authors.  There’s nothing like sweet southern charm, delectable foods, and just a hint of magic.

Check out Sarah Addison Allen’s website for all the Extra Moon Goodies!  I especially like the “Book Cover Saga” and of course all the great recipes she always includes in her books!

Quotes:

I WENT HOG WILD AT THE MULLABY BARBECUE FESTIVAL.  -p. 165

There was a mood of magic and frenzy to the room.  Crystalline swirls of sugar and flour still lingered in the air like kite tails.  And then there was the smell – the smell of hope, the kind of smell that brought people home.  -p. 40

The window in the room was wide open, because that was the way Julia always baked.  Bottling up the smell made no sense.  The message needed some way out.  -p. 40

The ending of one story.  The beginning of another.  -p. 265

My Moon Chasing Teaser Tuesday Post and Book Trailer Post.

Also by Sarah Addison Allen: Check out Garden Spells and The Sugar Queen!

Read Full Post »

Teaser Tuesday: The Girl Who Chased the Moon

The one night they’d had together, they’d lain side by side on the high school football field, staring up at a starry night she’d never seen the likes of before or since, and he’d told her a story of how his mother used to bake cakes on summer afternoons and, no matter where he’d been, it had sent him to her, a beacon of powdered sugar like pollen in the wind.  He’s sensed it, he’s said.  He’d seen it.

Cakes had the power to call.  She’d learned that from him.

-from pages 47-48 of The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen

************************************************************************************************************

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

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!

Read Full Post »

Sarah Addison Allen’s The Girl Who Chased the Moon Previews!

I’m so excited for this book to come out on March 16th! I’ve already pre-ordered it!

Check out the author’s website for all the Extra Moon Goodies!  I especially like the “Book Cover Saga” and of course all the great recipes she always includes in her books!

Amazon.com has just posted the book trailer.

(Sorry, I couldn’t find it on youtube yet to embed into the post.)

Check out my reviews for Sarah Addison Allen’s other great books:

The Sugar Queen and Garden Spells

About the book:

Emily Benedict came to Mullaby, North Carolina, hoping to solve at least some of the riddles surrounding her mother’s life. But the moment Emily enters the house where her mother grew up and meets the grandfather she never knew, she realizes that mysteries aren’t solved in Mullaby, they’re a way of life: Here are rooms where the wallpaper changes to suit your mood. Unexplained lights skip across the yard at midnight.

And a neighbor, Julia Winterson, bakes hope in the form of cakes, offering them to satisfy the town’s sweet tooth—but also in the hope of rekindling a love she fears might be lost forever.

Can a hummingbird cake really bring back a lost love? Is there really a ghost dancing in Emily’s backyard? The answers are never what you expect. But in this town of lovable misfits, the unexpected fits right in.

To find your path, sometimes you must chase the moon.

emmegail’sbookshelf is not affiliated with amazon.com…she just shops there…

Read Full Post »

The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen – Review

The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen

Southern Reading Challenge Three #1

Fiction, Published 2008

Read June 2009

4/5

From the Cover:

Twenty-seven-year-old Josey Cirrini is sure of three things: winter in her North Carolina hometown is her favorite season, she’s a sorry excuse for a southern belle, and sweets are best eaten in the privacy of her hidden closet.

Review:

Once again Sarah Addison Allen impresses with her yummy confections.  Josie’s predictable and somewhat reclusive lifestyle is turned upside down when Della Lee Baker, a girl known for being strange, shows up in Josie’s closet.  Della Lee will not only not leave Josie’s closet, but she discovers Josie’s secret stash of sweets and romance novels.  Josie agrees to let Della Lee stay for a few days so she won’t tell anyone about her stash.  Not only does Josie have to run her mother around town for all her social gatherings, but Della Lee soon sends her on a few errands of her own.

It seems everyone at Bald Slope has secrets.  Della Lee sends Josie around town in order to get her out of her room and away from her mother as well as put Josie in the path of learning the truth about her father, the town’s founder. Josie eventually closes in on the mysteries of the town and its people, especially what led Della Lee to her closet in the first place.

Each chapter of The Sugar Queen is cleverly themed with a different candy to reveal a new plot twist with Lemon Drops, SweeTarts, Sugar Daddy, Life Savers to name a few.   All the book lovers will love Chloe, the sandwich shop owner.

If you’ve got a sweet tooth, you can’t go wrong with this one!

Book Quotes:

It was embarrassing enough being such a sorry excuse for a Southern belle.  Her weight, her unfortunate hair, her secret dreams of leaving her mother who needed her, of leaving and never looking back.  Respectable daughters took care of their mothers.  Respectable daughters did not hide enormous amounts of candy in their closets. -p. 6

She’d found the door between the two closets by accident, when she would sit in her closet and eat candy she hid in her pockets when she was young.  Back then she used to hide from her mother in the secret space just to worry her, but now she stocked it with magazines, paperback romances and sweets.  Lots and lots of sweets.  Moonpies and pecan rolls, Chick-O-Sticks and Cow Tales, Caramel Creams and Squirrel Nut Zippers, Red Hots and Bit-O-Honey, boxes upon boxes of Little Debbie snack cakes.  The space had a comforting smell to it, like Halloween, like sugar and chocolate and crisp plastic wrappers. -p. 9-10

She [Chloe] could remember very clearly the first time it happened to her.  Being an only child on the farm miles from town, she was bored a lot.  When she ran out of books to read, it only got worse…She’d find them on her bed, in her closet, in her favorite hideouts around the property.  And they were always books she needed.  Books on games or novels of adventure when she was bored.  Books about growing up as she got older…Books liked her.  Books wanted to look after her. p.35-36

Also Recommended: Sarah Addison Allen’s Garden Spells

Read Full Post »

Garden Spells Charms

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

Fiction, Published 2006

Read June 2008

4/5

From the Cover:

In a garden surrounded by a tall fence, tucked away behind a small, quiet house in the smallest of towns, is an apple tree that is rumored to bear a very special sort of fruit…

Review:

Set in North Carolina, the Waverley family is known for their peculiar ways with flowers and herbs grown from the garden in their backyard. Claire is no exception and she has created a profitable catering business from it. Claire lives alone in her grandmother’s house, pretty much apart from the outside world except for her customers and her crazy eighty-year-old distant cousin Evanelle. Claire uses flowers from her garden in all of her recipes to enhance or change the mood of the person eating.

“…all the locals knew that dishes made from the flowers that grew around the apple tree in the Waverley garden could affect the eater in curious ways. The biscuits with lilac jelly, the lavender tea cookies, and the tea cakes made with nasturtium mayonnaise the Ladies Aid ordered for their meetings once a month gave them the ability to keep secrets. The fried dandelion buds over marigold-petal rice, stuffed pumpkin blossoms, and rose-hip soup ensured that your company would notice only the beauty of your home and never the flaws. Anise hyssop honey butter on toast, angelica candy, and cupcakes with crystallized pansies made children thoughtful. Honeysuckle wine served on the Fourth of July gave you the ability to see in the dark…”

And if you eat an apple from the apple tree, that is if Claire allowed you anywhere near it, you would see the most significant event that would happen to you in your life, good or bad. The tree was a life force all its own and if it wanted you to see the future, it would throw apples until you got the hint.

I really enjoyed Evanelle’s character. She’s very eccentric and always knows what to give people before they ever actually need it. But fate is on her side and the random items she gives people always help them in
some unforeseen circumstance.

Claire has become set in her ways and only leaves the house for business. Then suddenly the fates turn the tides and upset Claire’s stable, yet isolated, world. First it’s her new next door neighbor, Tyler. He is very interested in getting to know Claire, but she doesn’t want anything to do with him. Then, her long-lost sister, Sydney, shows up with a daughter and upsets the entire town. Claire is constantly afraid of being left again by Sydney and her new love interest Tyler. But Claire has to learn to open her heart and let them in if she ever wants to find what the apple tree has in store for her.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was a fairly quick read and the “magical realism” aspect of the novel was really enchanting. The different recipes Claire describes sound purely scrumptious. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a charming, uplifting read.

Read Full Post »