Stacking the Shelves

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks! The meme is now hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality.


These days, I am seriously just trying to take it one day at a time. Still trying to find a new job, but it's so slow going and I've been looking for over a year. Why did they never tell you this in school how hard it would be to find a job even with an education? Probably because it would scare us off! Lol.

It was a very mellow week in terms of books. Which is weird. I felt like the summer was where all the releases were at! But I didn't come out totally empty handed!

I bought:

The Haunted by Danielle Vega

Scooby Apocalypse Volume 5 by Keith Giffen--awhile back I decided it would be less costly if I buy the compilation volumes instead of individual issues. A little late to that game since it seems the series is ending soon and there's only one more volume book left to wait for! Oh well! Lol.

Then I also bought a few more bookish pins because the addiction has gotten real folks!

I ordered one of the last extras from the Novelly Yours Candles Caraval Box! I didn't know about the box in time to buy it but I was happy to be able to snag this gorgeous pin! Plus I'm difficult with candles as I like to smell before I buy them and it's insanely hard for me to get a good idea of a scent by names alone.

Then I shopped the Owl Crate sale and surprisingly didn't go super crazy. I had been eyeing the cute little Owl Crate Jr HP inspired pin so I bought that. Then I also bought the cool little Skull Planter! I didn't get that box for whatever reasons of that month but I thought this one looked cool and would make a great bookstagram prop on top of it all!

And that was it! I did buy another item, but I'll share that one more after I get everything I need to put it all together. Vague, I know! ;)

What did you all get?

Book Blogger Hop

This meme is hosted by Billy at Ramblings of a Coffee Addict!

 

 

This week's question is: What's the oldest work (by publication date) you've read? (submitted by Nicki @ Nicki J. Markus/Asta Idonea)

 

 

MY ANSWER: Well, looking over what I have in my "classics" section, my fairy tales are the oldest! The Beauty and the Beast by Gabrielle Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve was published (according to Google) in 1740, another source told me 1753, so we're looking at the mid 1700s! Grimm wasn't until the early 1800s and The Count of Monte Cristo was 1844, so The Beauty and the Beast is the oldest among my collection!

 

 

Non-fairy tale wise that's to my best estimate, L.J. Smith's The Awakening, the first installment in The Vampire Diaries!

According to Goodreads it was published in 1991. I even have this very cover! I love the retro look the 90s covers had! I treasure these so much! All the other L.J. Smith books I read seem to have released after this series. So this is my oldest novel that I have!

Random Thursday

We've still a ways to go in the Words chapter in The Little Book of Answers by Doug Lennox. This chapter is proving to be rather fun too!

(image borrowed from Wikipedia)

Fires that are large and controlled are called bonfires. On June 24 aka St. John's Day, early Britons would light a chain of fires to support the diminishing sun. They used clean bones of dead animals in these fires and called them "bone fires" which eventually evolved into "bonfires." They had several types of fire; bone, wood, and a mixture of the two that was called a "St. John's fire." This particular fire was used to burn heretics at the stake.

Whoa.

(image borrowed from Youtube)

 In olden times, "talent" was a unit of weight that was used to value gold and silver. The modern version of the word comes from the Book of Matthew in which three servants are given equal amounts of "talent" aka money. Two of them invest wisely and profit from it while the third buries it and doesn't profit. The morale of the story is that we must use our talents wisely and not waste them.

That's an interesting story! I like it!

(image borrowed from Inky Fool)

 Hobnobbing is socializing and this word comes from the time when the Normans conquered England and introduced the open hearth for cooking and heating. Each corner of the hearth had a large container for hearing liquid and was called a "hob." Near the fire was a table where the hob was set out for serving people and the table was called a "nob." Therefore when people started to drink warm beer from the hob that sat on the nob, it was called "hobnobbing."

Whoa. I felt like I was reading a nursery rhyme almost! 

(image borrowed from UNC-CH Residence Hall Association)

Notes about a business meeting are called "minutes" because they are to be short and abbreviated so the minute-taker can get everything down. Minute (my-noot) meaning small, was used to describe this condensed writing. Since the spelling was the same (my-noots) became minutes.

A little confused as to how my-noots is the same spelling as minutes, but whatever!

 (image borrowed from Psychology Today)

Extortion money is called "blackmail" and it gets its name from the reign of James I. "Mail" is a Scottish word for rent or tax; during James I's reign taxes were paid in silver and because of its color, it was called "white mail." In the 16th and 17th centuries, bandits along the Scottish border made farmers pay them for "protection." Since black signifies evil, this extortion soon earned the name black tax, or "blackmail."

That's another interesting factoid!

 

Waiting on Wednesday

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine. 

A supernatural force on the loose in San Francisco and a family reunion keeps witch and vintage storeowner Lily Ivory on her toes as she prepares to walk down the aisle...

When Lily Ivory stumbles on the uniform of a former prisoner from Alcatraz and SFPD inspector Carlos Romero’s cousin is kidnapped, Lily suspects something dangerous has been unleashed on the ghost-ridden island of Alcatraz. She'll have to sleuth out the culprit—when she’s not busy entertaining her visiting relatives and resolving romantic conflicts as her wedding date approaches. Could recent omens be pointing to the magical threat in her adopted city? If so, she'll have to line up her allies to change the fate of the Bay Area. Because no matter what, Lily's determined to celebrate her marriage with her friends by her side—even if it means battling a demonic foe before she can make it to the altar.  

I am SO behind in this series but I am thrilled that a new installment came out! I thought perhaps last year was the finale, but there's still more adventures! Now I really need to pick it back up again!

TITLE: Bewitched and Betrothed

AUTHOR: Juliet Blackwell

PUBLISHER: Berkley Books
GENRE: Paranormal Mystery

RELEASE DATE: June 25, 2019

Survivors of a deadly planetary outbreak take on a new, sinister adversary in the white-knuckle sequel to Contagion, which New York Times bestselling author Amie Kaufman called “gripping, thrilling and terrifying in equal measures.”

They thought their nightmare was over, but Thea, Coen, and Nova’s rescue was only the beginning. After being imprisoned on a ship they thought was their ticket to safety, it’s clear that the threat they left behind isn’t as distant as they’d hoped—and this time the entire galaxy is at risk.

Now that threat is about to be unleashed as an act of political warfare. To prevent an interstellar catastrophe, the survivors must harness the evil they faced on the planet Achlys and learn to wield the only weapon they have left: themselves.

The first installment in Erin Bowman’s duology earned a starred review from Publishers Weekly, who called the plot “intricate and action-packed,” and fans of Jonathan Maberry, Rick Yancey, and Madeline Roux will relish in Bowman’s tense, high-stakes conclusion to the events of Contagion.

So excited that this one is coming out! I waited to read Contagion so I could binge these back to back! From what I heard it was pretty creepy and has potential to be a Spootacular Giveaway pick! We shall have to wait and see!


TITLE: Immunity
AUTHOR: Erin Bowman
PUBLISHER: HarperTeen
GENRE: YA Sci-Fi
RELEASE DATE: July 2, 2019

Teaser & Top Ten Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by Purple Princess of The Purple Booker.

Here are the rules:

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a page
3. Pick out 2 lines that are SPOILER FREE
4. Name the title, author, etc.

So what with the changes in my job, my reading time has gone down and I'm a slow reader as it is, so it's taking longer to get through books. This one is pretty interesting so far, it's not quite the Little Red Riding Hood retelling I was expecting, but still pretty awesome in this post-apocalyptic world! Hence the teaser...

"'I can't believe so many people have died and a whole truckload of motherfuckers like that live,' Red said, unable to keep the fury out of her voice. 'Why is it that assholes just go on and on, even when the world would be a better place if they just dropped dead?'" p 106

TITLE: The Girl in Red
AUTHOR: Christina Henry
PUBLISHER: Berkley
GENRE: Dystopian
RELEASE DATE: June 18, 2019

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

This week's topic is: Books From My Favorite Genre: VAMPIRE BOOKS!!

*in no particular order

10. THE VAMPIRE DIARIES: THE AWAKENING by L.J. Smith--I was THRILLED when I stumbled upon this series in my early days of vampire reading! It was a dream come true! Total trip that they were older books even back then! That's why when I was reading the "comeback" trilogy when one of the characters pulled out their cell phone, I was imaging the BIG honker of a phone like on Saved by the Bell since the books took place in the 90s! Lol.

9. HALFWAY TO THE GRAVE by Jeaniene Frost--I will forever love Jeaniene's vampires!

8. COMPANIONS OF THE NIGHT by Vivian Vande Velde--another early days find! I am kicking myself for donating my copy some years ago. It was during my "I must read adult books because I am an adult now" phase. Glad I got over that. But I cry over all the titles I gave up during that time!

7. NIGHTWALKER by Jocelynn Drake--I loooved this series by Jocelynn! This was actually in the early days of Urban Fantasy! Right when I knew that was what I wanted to write. Really need to get back to that book of mine that's been collecting dust.

6. BLACK CITY by Elizabeth Richards--another amazing YA vampire story! It has that old timey feel, I can't remember if was a futuristic setting that went back to the past or if it was an alternative past. I'm thinking it was the former.

5. DEAD UNTIL DARK by Charlaine Harris--another of my first adult books! I was ecstatic to have found an adult mystery series that involved vampires! For I stared this series when it was called The Southern Vampire Mystery Series vs the Sookie Stackhouse Novels. Doesn't have the same ring to it though, does it?

4. VAMPIRE ACADEMY by Richelle Mead--the book that brought me back to YA! That VAMPIRES had returned to YA! It was a long hiatus...nowhere near long as I've been waiting these days. I probably quit in the early 2000s because there just wasn't enough YA vampires and then in 2009 or 2010 some friends directed me to this book and my life changed!

3. SOME GIRLS BITE by Chloe Neill--I remember stumbling upon this one on one of my many jaunts to BORDERS and I thought whoa! It's about vampires and the heroine is actually wearing JEANS and a regular old tank top instead of the scantily clad leather pants and tube top! So naturally it caught my eye from that alone! And yes, Merit does eventually don the leather pants and halter tops on the covers eventually, but I enjoyed the first covers evolution to that phase! Lol.

2. THE IMMORTAL RULES by Julie Kagawa--I will always remember Julie saying she'd never write a vampire book. I can't remember the exact why. Perhaps she just wasn't sure she could truly add to the genre or she just wasn't liking the vamps. Then she wrote this series and OMG! It was freaking awesome!

1. DEMON IN MY VIEW by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes--bet you were wondering when I'd get to this one! Lol! Naturally, while I say these are in no particular order, they aren't. But #1 usually is #1 regardless! Lol! And my first vampire book definitely deserves the place of honor in the #1 slot!

BONUS PICK!!

THE BEAUTIFUL by Renee Ahdieh--I mean obviously!! I've been waiting EONS for this book! I mean when was the last YA vampire book published anyway? I know most people got over them, but I never did and never will either! ;)

 

ARC Review--Storm and Fury by Jennifer L. Armentrout

From the #1 New York Times, USA TODAY and internationally bestselling author of the fantastical Dark Elements and the Lux series comes a new novel set in a world of gargoyle protectors, rising demons and one girl with an explosive secret.

Eighteen-year-old Trinity Marrow may be going blind, but she can see and communicate with ghosts and spirits. Her unique gift is part of a secret so dangerous that she’s been in hiding for years in an isolated compound fiercely guarded by Wardens—gargoyle shape-shifters who protect humankind from demons. If the demons discover the truth about Trinity, they’ll devour her, flesh and bone, to enhance their own powers.

When Wardens from another clan arrive with disturbing reports that something out there is killing both demons and Wardens, Trinity’s safe world implodes. Not the least because one of the outsiders is the most annoying and fascinating person she’s ever met. Zayne has secrets of his own that will upend her world yet again—but working together becomes imperative once demons breach the compound and Trinity’s secret comes to light. To save her family and maybe the world, she’ll have to put her trust in Zayne. But all bets are off as a supernatural war is unleashed…

I received this ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. I was in no way compensated for this review.

I was beyond elated to receive an advance copy of Jennifer L. Armentrout’s Storm and Fury! Not only was it a JLA novel, but it was the start to a spinoff series from one of my favorite series from her, The Dark Elements trilogy! In this one we meet a new character, Trinity, who will play a very big role in the events to come. Alongside her is a very familiar face too, one that about half of us were rooting for when it came to Layla’s “big decision” and of course I am referring to Zayne!

While the story is told through Trinity’s point of view, I couldn’t help but want more of Zayne’s perspective when it came to certain scenes! But that’s a minor thing to wish from an already amazing novel! Trinity isn’t your average girl; she’s not like Layla, she’s something entirely different. I won’t go into details as to what she is because I felt like it came on as a surprise when it was revealed, but it was something I was starting to suspect to be perfectly honest! Nothing wrong with that either, because Jennifer only ever gave just the slightest hints and then BAM! We get confirmation!

Trinity has always been protected by her Warden family after her mother passed, waiting for the day when her father would had need of her. Then one day a trio of Wardens come to visit her family/clan and among them is Zayne. They have a problems involving some big bad that is killing demons and Wardens alike. They need reinforcements. It’s not long before horror strikes the compound and Misha, Trinity’s best friend and Protector is kidnapped and she is more determined than ever to find him and bring him back home.

I have to be honest, when it came to The Dark Elements trilogy, I was totally TEAM ROTH! That didn’t mean I didn’t like Zayne though! I did, though there were times I hated the things that he did, but I would’ve liked to see him find happiness at some point! And this is finally his chance at happiness, though Zayne is still a little broken from everything that happened in that first series. You don’t really have to have read that one to enjoy this one. You will miss out on little tiny moments and references, but nothing that would confuse you to the story on the pages here.

Zayne and Trinity…what a complicated love match they are going to be! Trinity is a force to be reckoned with! While she may be half human, she half other too and isn’t a delicate flower to say the least. She happens to have retinitis pigmentosa, which means she’s slowly losing her eyesight. It was a bit refreshing to have a heroine who wasn’t all perfect and powerful. That she has this problem made her very relatable in some ways. While I don’t share her condition, I do have my own health issues but sight isn’t really one of them. I guess it was just that Jennifer gave her heroine a condition that she herself has, just made things seem more realistic in this paranormal-fantasy read. That even your supernatural heroes can have their health issues too.

And let me also just say kudos to Jennifer for the Supernatural references! I have always enjoyed the modern day references she throws into the story, most of which I totally get because I know which fandom she refers to! Lol!

The pacing to this was pretty amazing! It does have somewhat of a slow opening as about half the time is spent at the compound getting things set for the events to come. It might be a tad slow for some, but since I love Jennifer’s books I knew there were uber good things to come! Plus there’s a great deal of flirting and swoony moments between Trinity and Zayne in these early moments there were just adorable!

Jennifer excels at romance, no matter which age range she’s writing for! This is YA, so things are PG compared to her adult books, but it’s still rather intense and hot! I love the slowly developing romance between Trinity and Zayne. He has his issues to work through, as we all (might) know and yet, there’s definitely a spark happening between them!

One last added bonus that I was ecstatic to see were the cameo appearances of Roth and Layla! Even though this isn’t their story, I’m happy to see them again! Roth hasn’t changed a bit! Lol!!

If you’re a fan of good old fashion paranormal reads or gargoyles this is a series you’re going to want to read! Storm and Fury was mesmerizing from start to finish and the ending leaves you just a touch satisfied, yet craving ravenously for more!!


Overall Rating 5/5 stars


Storm and Fury releases June 11, 2019

 

It's Monday! What are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. It's a fun meme where we gather to share what we've read last week and our reading plans for this week.

Last Week I Read:

The Burning Shadow by Jennifer L. Armentrout (ARC)--Review to come at a later date

Review That Was Posted:

The Beyond by Chloe Neill (ARC) (4.5 stars)

Currently Reading:

The Girl in Red by Christina Henry (Early Copy)

What I Plan to Read Next:

72 Hours by Bella Jewel

Other Posts of Interest:

Teaser & Top Ten Tuesdays 

The Pancake Book Tag 

Waiting on Wednesday 

Random Thursday 

Book Blogger Hop 

Stacking the Shelves 

 

Stacking the Shelves

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks! The meme is now hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality.


Well, I survived another week. *shudders* Now with our hockey team in the run for the Stanley Cup I'm worried what my evening traffic will be like as I am at the same exit as our arena. *shudders* Not much else to report from the week. I'm ready for a vacation. I just need to find one.


Here's what I bought this week:

Finale by Stephanie Garber--the UK Waterstones SIGNED editions! I now have all FOUR covers and I am as happy as a clam about that!

Then for review from the publishers I received:

 

The Girl in Red by Christina Henry (Early Copy)

Into the Crooked Place by Alexandra Christo (ARC)

A Dream So Dark by L.L. McKinney (ARC)--I still haven't read the first book and am still hesitant about it after the reviews I read, but I have high hopes still and when I saw Edelweiss had this one as a download, I might have jumped the gun and clicked it. 

THANK YOU Berkley, Feiwel and Friends, and Imprint!

 

 

Then I ended up only buying one extra t-shirt from the bookish shirt sale from my favorite website. They've gotten pricier over the years and I could only condone buying one more! So here it is...

Compared to pretty much every other reader I know out here in the blogosphere, I'm not so much a speed reader. LOL. So the sloth calling himself that felt right! I like to think I'm a fast reader, but I'm really not! Lol.

 

 

And the creme de la creme of the non-book items was...

 

Target had a Memorial Weekend sale going on online and my bookcases were among them! Not only was this one on sale, but there was an extra savings! I got a steal on this one!! I can't wait to fill it!

 

 

AND THEN I received two gift cards this week! One was from Mastercard for spending too much and the other came from Sandy at Somewhere Only We Know for the 2019 Series Enders Reading Challenge for April!

THANK YOU Sandy!

And that was it for me this week! I did a bit more of online shopping over the weekend. Damn sales...but though I bought from a few shops, I didn't go crazy! I can't wait until everything arrives and I can show it off! :D What did you all get?