The Stand: Graphic Novel Vol. 1

This post is fitting with Free Comic Day approaching. I have had this graphic novel on my bookcase for a while now. Today I finally sat down and read it. I enjoyed readying the first installment of this story. I enjoyed it so much I went onto Amazon and ordered the next two books. I don't think I could read this as a book, but as a graphic novel I found it very interesting.
I am just starting to read more graphic novels. So I took a couple down off my shelf to read them. I liked the art and they way the story is told. I do really like that the comic book companies are doing novels into these visual stunning versions. I will be looking for more novels like this in the future.

Written in Red and the Murder of Crows

I recently finished one of my new favorite books. I got Written in Red by Anne Bishop at my local library. In February my library was doing an awesome display. They had wrapped books in brown paper with single lines on them. They were setting up "Blind Dates" with books. So I got this one. It took me a little bit to get into the book. I wasn't reading it fast enough, so I decided to return it and buy the book. I tried it again once I bought it and once I got about a quarter of the way through I was hooked. I sometimes have trouble getting into Fantasy books. I tend to have better luck with the Urban Fantasy, so I am always on the lookout for those.

I really liked how vivid and easy to remember her world building is. Bishop bases her world on an alternate version of ours, which for me made it easier to follow. I also really liked her characters. They are well developed and likable. Her main character, Meg, is spunky and intelligent. This makes her journey engrossing.

It is not very often that I finish a book and feel completely obsessed with it. Which is why once I was finished I downloaded the second one, which had just been released! I also put this book as my Secret Santa category in the 25 book challenge. 

The Murder of Crows is the second book in The Others series. Anne Bishop does a great job with this one too! It starts up shortly where we left off in the first book. We continue with her world building and get more character development. This book builds towards what was started in the first one. They almost felt the one book. How it progresses and carries on a lot of the issues and questions from the first book. You have to read these in order. Sometimes you can skip around in a series, and this is not one of them.

I fell even more in love with the characters and we got a lot more info on the secondary characters and they nicely fit into the ensemble she is creating. The third book, unfortunately , is not being released until next March. I don't know how I am going to wait a whole year for this! I am not sure how many books the author is planning on writing for this series, but I hope there are a few more books coming in the future. I put this book as my Fantasy book in my 25 book challenge. 

Judging a Book by Its Lover

                                    

This post is about the book Judging a Book by Its Lover by Lauren Leto. I received this book in the Book Riot second Quarterly box. While I do recommend that service, it is amazing. I was not thrilled with this selection. It is something I would not have picked up on my own, so I was happy for the chance to get a chance to try something different. I really wanted to love this book. But I didn't like it as much as I thought I would. I didn't find it very humorous. I am usually not a huge fan of humor books, which may have also been why I had some problem with it. But it was about books so I hoped that would balance it out. I was happy to have a book to check off my humor box in the 25 book challenge.

I got another book in the Quarterly box and am excited to check that one out. I loved my box and can't wait until June to get the third one. You should go to bookriot.com and check out their Quarterly box.

A Rogue by Any Other Name and Oyster

I have finish quite a few book since my last post, so I will be posting reviews and pictures over the next couple weeks. I am going to start back by telling you about the last book I finished. I read A Rogue by Any Other Name by Sarah MacLean. This is actually the first book I have read by this author and was absolutely delighted. I loved how she created characters I cared about very quickly. It was a fast paced read and I was so hooked I finished it in two days. The story is believable and you can't help but fall in love with all the characters. This is the first book in a series of four books. What first grabbed my attention was the loevly cover of this book.

The story revolves around a Lord who has lost everything. He earns his riches back by being one of the owners of gaming hell. But he still wants the land he lost to a trusted guardian in a card game. When a childhood friend has the land added to her dowry he decides to take action. I highly recommend this book.

I also just subscribed to Oyster Books. It is fantastic. I had been hearing about it on the Book Riot podcast for a few months and last week finally decided to check it out. It is amazing. There are a lot of different types of books. It has award winners and past New York Times Bestsellers. I was very excited about all the different romance novels and fiction that was available. It is only $9.95 a month and you can read as many books as you want.

Relaxing and reading

Today's purchase

I went to Barnes and Nible tonight to look around and am very excited about the books I was able to buy!!!

New books

So I bought Goldfinch by Donna Tartt, 12 Years a Slave, and The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion on my Nook yesterday. I found out the Barnes and Noble had lowered the prices on their prices on these e-books. I had been thinking of picking up Goldfinch but I figured I would wait till it was out in paperback, but for 7.99 I was thrilled! So I thought I would pass on that news! 

reading tonight and Dear Book Nerd

So tonight as I snuggle up against the cold and drink a glass of wine I am reading Celebrity in Death by J.D. Robb. I really love this series. it is one of my favorite series. And that is not very hard to believe since I am reading the 34th book in the series. I love the way she describes her characters and how they interact with each other. This series is just really fun and entertaining. So that is what I will be reading to make me feel better after a very long day at work.

As I was listening to the latest podcast from Book Riot they announced another book podcast. It is called Dear Book Nerd. I listened to the first show and it was delightful. I subscribed to it already. It will be released every other week right now. So I was super excited about that. The show is an advice column revolving around books...which is very cool!

I also caved and put in an order for the book box that Book Riot does. This is the second book box that they will be releasing. So I will be getting that in March. So I am pretty excited about that.

Jim Henson and book riot

So I got my copy of Jim Henson The Biography by Brian Jay Jones in the mail today. I am very excited to read this book. I need to finish the book I am reading now first, but I am glad I got it. It wasn't one I could find easily and so I decided to buy it while I was thinking about it. I am a very large Jim Henson fan. I love the Muppets, Sesame Street, and Fraggle Rock, just to mention his shows. I have read some things about him and find his life very interesting. We had an exhibit come to the Museum of Natural History about Jim Hanson and we got to see some real Muppets and drawings. So I am excited to learn more about this amazing man.

I also have to add that I am loving the Book Riot podcasts. I have been listening to them and they are full of really interesting book information and discussion. If you are interested in learning more about what is going on in the world of books this podcast is amazing. There is an app for it and you can get it on itunes.

choosing books

I have been giving a lot of thought to how I go about choosing what books to read next. Why do we select some books and pass on others? This year I am completing that 25 category challenge I wrote about in a previous post, so expand what I am reading. I have done that throughout the last few years and each year I try or add something to my reading that enhances how I read. By branching out and exploring different genres I am getting a better handle of what I enjoy as a reader. Now I have always been open to trying different books and as I get older i do read a variety. But I find that there are still some areas I have either moved away from or just don't read as much. For example this year I am going to try and read more new releases. This means I need to be more careful what books I spend money on and budget for that. I am also planning on using my public library more. Some books won't be to hard because I can catch up on my series then read them as they come out. So as I look at what I have read so far and see what changes need to be done or if how I am approaching my reading this year is working well  I also need to consider how to go about selecting books I will enjoy.