In My Mailbox #8

Hosted by The Story Siren

Firstly, I must say that I have not been posting as much as I would like so far this month. I've got other things going on and I just haven't the time. But I figured since I did actually receive some books in the mail this week, I would let you guys know what I got!

Amazon had some good books on 4-for-3 sale so I broke down and bought them:

Chalice by Robin McKinley

Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston

The Devouring by Simon Holt

Waterfall by Lisa T. Bergren

Goddess of Yesterday by Caroline Cooney

Spin by Robert Charles Wilson

Also, probably my last request of books from Goodreads Bookswap (is anyone else extremely mad that they are shutting that down?):

Tantalize by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Spray by Harry Edge

My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent

So there you have it. I don't foresee purchasing any more books any time soon, but I do look forward to some special packages in the mail of books that I won. YAY! Look for a post on those forthcoming.

Soulless by Gail Carriger

Soulless
Gail Carriger
Published October 1st 2009 by Orbit

Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette.

Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire -- and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate.

With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart? - Book Jacket

This is perhaps one of the most witty and charming books I have read in a long time. It has a toe in so many genres it is quite impossible to say precisely what category it falls into. I would lean towards calling it a paranormal historical romance with a trifling of steampunk, a genre which I have no familiarity whatsoever. I have been extremely disappointed by the vampire and werewolf books I've read so far, and this one is truly something else. Wonderful prose, butt-kicking (in a most ladylike fashion) heroine, and a very entertaining romance.

All of the characters in this book are amusing to say the least. There is a large array of distinct personalities that just jump off the page. Alexia Tarabotti is a woman like no other. She is stubborn and never has a qualm about speaking her mind, and in the nineteenth century, that isn't very proper. Of course, the brooding werewolf love interest, Lord Conall Maccon, is dark, mysterious, gruff, and most definitely hunky (or at least I assume he is) . I am not really a fan of romance as it usually borders on the ridiculously unbelievable in terms of compatibility and context, however I find the relationship between Alexia and Lord Maccon to be absolutely delightful.

I have to admit, that I wasn't a big fan of the main storyline. It follows Alexia as she attempts to investigate the disappearances of rove vampires and werewolves. Basically, she sticks her nose where it doesn't belong and gets in lots of trouble for it. I felt that in between all the wittiness and the many clever jokes and innuendos strewn across the pages, the main story got muddled, at least through the first 3/4 of the book. When the mystery did come to a head, with Alexia and her preternatural powers at the center of things, it was extremely exciting. I felt there should have been more of that element through the book than there was. I do think that the budding romance between Alexia and Conall did interfere with the mystery aspect and it made it feel like reading two stories squished together. Perhaps I wasn't prepared for this book, because it was such a new style. I will most CERTAINLY be continuing this series and I am really hoping that the adventures take center stage next time.

Iron House by John Hart

Iron House
John Hart
Published July 12th, 2011 by St. Martin's Press
Source: Won

HE WOULD GO TO HELL
At the Iron Mountain Home for Boys, there was nothing but time. Time to burn and time to kill, time for two young orphans to learn that life isn’t won without a fight. Julian survives only because his older brother, Michael, is fearless and fiercely protective. When tensions boil over and a boy is brutally killed, there is only one sacrifice left for Michael to make: He flees the orphanage and takes the blame with him.


TO KEEP HER SAFE
For two decades, Michael has been an enforcer in New York’s world of organized crime, a prince of the streets so widely feared he rarely has to kill anymore. But the life he’s fought to build unravels when he meets Elena, a beautiful innocent who teaches him the meaning and power of love. He wants a fresh start with her, the chance to start a family like the one he and Julian never had. But someone else is holding the strings. And escape is not that easy. . . .


GO TO HELL, AND COME BACK BURNING
The mob boss who gave Michael his blessing to begin anew is dying, and his son is intent on making Michael pay for his betrayal. Determined to protect the ones he loves, Michael spirits Elena—who knows nothing of his past crimes, or the peril he’s laid at her door— back to North Carolina, to the place he was born and the brother he lost so long ago. There, he will encounter a whole new level of danger, a thicket of deceit and violence that leads inexorably to the one place he’s been running from his whole life: Iron House. -Goodreads

Iron House by John Hart is an extroidinary thriller. If you plan on reading this book, make sure all your chores are taken care of because you aren't going to want to take a break from reading. Be prepared to remind yourself to eat and sleep because you will likely forget such trivial things while you are so utterly engrossed in this book.

So what did I enjoy most about Iron House? Where do I even begin? The characters are great. Even though their circumstances are abnormal, they still felt relatable and complete (except I felt like I did want to know more about Jessup and maybe Steven). The landscape and scenery described by Hart was detailed without being overly stylized. His description of the locales in the N. Carolina mountains felt like they were isolated from everything which gave the story an even heavier, eerie feeling. No where to run to.

Michael and Julian were brothers abandoned when they were small babies, and were raised in Iron Mountain Home for Boys. They had a rough time of it, Julian always being picked on for being frail, until one day he broke completely and killed another boy that was hurting him. Michael took the blame and the murder weapon and fled from the home. That is where their lives split until twenty-three years later, when Michael, once again, fears for Julian's safety.

The mob, crooked politicians, murder, schizophrenia; this book has all that and more. Of course there are twists and turns that make these books all the more gut wrenching, so you have to read it to find out.

The First Days by Rhiannon Frater

The First Days
Rhiannon Frater
Published July 5th, 2011 by Tor
Source: Swapped

The morning that the world ends, Katie is getting ready for court and housewife Jenni is taking care of her family. Less than two hours later, they are fleeing for their lives from a zombie horde.

Thrown together by circumstance, Jenni and Katie become a powerful zombie-killing partnership, mowing down zombies as they rescue Jenni's stepson, Jason, from an infected campground.

They find sanctuary in a tiny, roughly fortified Texas town. There Jenni and Katie find they are both attracted to Travis, leader of the survivors; and the refugees must slaughter people they know, who have returned in zombie form.

The First Days is like an awesome zombie movie times ten. I was originally worried that the zombie genre wouldn't translate well into book form for me as I am a huge fan of pretty much all zombie movies. However, this book was all that I was expecting and then some.

It's not really a new idea for a zombie book, as it is pretty straight-forward zombie killing and surviving, but I feel that Rhiannon Frater really made it her own. One of the greatest aspects of this book is that the protagonists are two women. It is a wonderful thing to read about two strong women doing what they must to survive and battling back zombie hordes on their own. These two ladies, Jenni and Katie, are lucky to make it through the first wave of the zombocolypse. After living under the thumb of a domineering and abusive husband, Jenni has difficulty standing on her own two feet. She clings to the safety and strength that Katie provides for her as they travel across Texas looking for a safe haven away from the big cities. While Jenni is determined to rescue her stepson, Jason, to make up for the loss of her other two sons (which she witnessed being eaten by her former husband), Katie is dealing with the regret that she harbors over losing her beloved wife Lydia that same morning. These two women quickly form a bond that is insurmountable by anything going on around them. They are their new family now and will take care of each other no matter the cost.

Once they get to the refugee town of Ashley Oaks, the reader is introduced to a whole new cast of characters. Every one of them is so distinct in their personality. The group tries to form a new life as best they can in the fortified town, but as time goes on, there is a distinct personality shift in both Jenni and Katie. While Jenni turns into female Rambo, wanting to kill everything in sight and ask questions later, Katie becomes extremely depressed once she actually has time to breather and realize that she has lost her one true love.

The First Days is an action-packed, no frills, zombie novel. I think that if you are a fan of zombie movies, than you will most certainly love this book. It is disturbing and gory at times, but what can I say, that's what I love about it. It isn't afraid to be real, and I can't help but feel that when the zombocolypse does come, this is how its going to go down. I am happy to have this book right next to Zombie Survival Guide on my shelf, and I absolutely cannot wait until the next in the series comes out to find out what happens to the people I feel like I've been through this entire ordeal with. I applaud Ms. Frater for never giving up and her original fans for getting the word out on this amazing internet sensation.

The Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis Klause

The Silver Kiss
Annette Curtis Klause
This edition published July 28th, 2009 by Delacorte for Young Readers
Source: Swapped

Zoe is wary when, in the dead of night, the beautiful yet frightening Simon comes to her house. Simon seems to understand the pain of loneliness and death and Zoe's brooding thoughts of her dying mother. Simon is one of the undead, a vampire, seeking revenge for the gruesome death of his mother three hundred years before. Does Simon dare ask Zoe to help free him from this lifeless chase and its insufferable loneliness?-Goodreads

The edition I read also contained two short stories entitled Summer Love and The Christmas Cat, however I will only be commenting on the main story, The Silver Kiss.

This book is written with the dual narratives of Simon and Zoe. Zoe is constantly alone because her father is always visiting her terminally ill mother in the hospital. Not only is Zoe frightened to see her mother in such a state, it seems that both her mother and father has shut her out during this difficult time. She feels ashamed that she is complaining about not having anyone around her while her mother is wasting away in the hospital. Simon is also very much alone. He is a 300 year old vampire who is desperate to make a connection with someone or something in this life. His only reason for living is tracking down the evil vampire who made him and getting his revenge. On a dark night when Zoe feels stifled by her loneliness inside her house, she goes for a walk and meets Simon for the first time. Without a word, their eyes lock and curiosity stirs inside each of them. But can their love endure what lies ahead for both Simon and Zoe?

Since this story was originally published in 1999, I feel that it must have been a major influence and precursor to the YA vampire/werewolf books of today. Even though I like Simon's back story and character when he is by himself, where Zoe is concerned, he is just another stalker-ish, love sick puppy. I didn't feel like it suited him very well. What is even more weird is that when Zoe finds out that this boy she first saw sparkling in the moonlight (sounds oddly familiar) has been stalking her outside her window, she invites him in her house with barely a question! She doesn't seem frightened at all by him or his tale of vampires. She was quick to accept Simon's story and to even let him drink from her because she was so mesmerized by him. Because of this, I felt there was a real disconnect between their characters and they didn't gel well together. Aside from the fact that they were both extremely lonely and faced with death, I didn't get a real sense of who they were together.

The story is extremely fast, almost too much so at some points. That is too be expected, I suppose, since the actual story is less than 200 pages. There was just no time to get to know the characters because of this. I did feel that the plot where Christopher was involved was really interesting and I wanted more of that. This just wasn't my taste at all, but I am betting fans of Twilight and Shiver would enjoy it.

October Scare-fest

I absolutely love the month of October. Not only is the weather beginning to change around here, but it is that great time of year where I happily indulge in all things scary. I adore scary movies so I thought I would share a list of the 31 movies I intend to watch this month. Hopefully I will get to them all. I'm not really a classic scary movie lover. I tend to like the more modern and gory straight-forward stuff than the psychological ones.

1. Dawn of the Dead
2. Constantine
3. The Hills Have Eyes
4. Blade
5. Saw
6. Evil Dead II
7. Army of Darkness
8. House of 1000 Corpses
9. The Devils' Rejects
10. Silent Hill
11. 28 Days Later
12. 28 Weeks Later
13. Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
14. Cabin Fever
15. Freddy vs Jason
16. Cloverfield
17. Halloween (2007 Rob Zombie remake)
18. Hocus Pocus (my favorite Halloween movie)
19. Corpse Bride
20. Doom
21. Vacancy
22. Shaun of the Dead
23. Scream 4
24. 30 Days of Night
25. Let Me In
26. Quarantine
27. Resident Evil
28. Young Frankenstein
29. Rocky Horror Picture Show
30. Jennifer's Body
31. Hostel

Zombies FTW! So do you have a favorite scary or Halloween themed movie you like to watch this time of year? Let me know in the comments!

Friday Blog Hops #6

It's Friday so that means it is time for Feature and Follow Friday hosted by Alison Can Read and Parajunkee. I absolutely love this week's question: What book that hasn't been turned into a movie (yet) would you most like to see make it to the big screen, and who would you like cast as your favorite character?

I love movies very much. About as much as I love books, so for the most part, I love seeing books turned into something great on the silver screen. I have thought about what would make a good movie quite often actually.

Darkfever (The Fever Series) by Karen Marie Moning: I may have only read the first in this series so far, but I know it would make a great movie. As far as who to cast, I'm not too sure for Mac because I am not familiar with teen actors these days, but as far as Jericho Barrons is concerned, I've had a few potential players flash through my mind. Either Julian McMahon or Oded Fehr (now that I think of it they were both on Charmed . Truly a coincidence there). Now you can't deny these are some seriously sexy mysterious men, perfect to play Jericho.

P.S. It seems that this might be a movie in the making. Darkfever does have an IMDB page that says it is in development for 2013, so I will keep my fingers crossed!

Check out this week's feature blogs The Bookaholic and Starcrossed.

Over at Crazy for Books, there is another good question for the Book Blogger hop: “In honor of Banned Books Week, what is your favorite “banned or frequently challenged book”?”

Aside from Hunger Games, which is awesome and really one of my favorite books, I would like to mention Brave New World. I think this book was amazing. It was one of the originally dystopian books and I think even though the ideas in Brave New World are absolutely crazy, some of Huxley's predictions of society are oddly similar to how things are today. I suppose you have to be a pessimist like me to see it this way, though.

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

Sharp Objects
Gillian Flynn
Published September 26th, 2006 by Shaye Areheart Books
Source: Swapped

"My sweater was new, stinging red and ugly." An edgy first line, and it provides the perfect opening for this gritty debut novel by journalist Flynn. Her protagonist, Camille Preaker, is a reporter for a second-rate Chicago newspaper. A solitary woman with a cynical bent, she appears to have carved out a workable life for herself despite a painful past and an estranged family. But when a second young girl turns up missing in Camille's hometown -- shortly after another local girl was found murdered -- Camille's editor sends her home to Missouri to cover the story. The question is, can Camille get to the bottom of the story before her demons get the best of her?

A classic whodunit, Sharp Objects is an gripping page-turner. Readers follow Camille to the field as she examines crime scenes, interviews the friends and family of the victims, and probes reticent investigators for information. After all, the world of investigative reporting is tantalizing. Take, for example, the provocative flirting between Camille and a Kansas City detective assigned to the cases. Is it sex they're after, or simply information? And the gradual unfolding of Camille's alarming past will keep readers riveted until the very last page. - Goodreads

Sharp Objects is a thriller unlike any other that I have read. The characters and surroundings are so vividly described, it is almost as if I am reading the book while simultaneously watching the movie behind my mind's eye. Disgruntled and reticent reporter, Camille Preaker, goes back to her small Missouri hometown of Wind Gap to write about a potential serial killer preying on little girls. As if the premise isn't disturbing enough, it doesn't take too long before things take an unimaginably darker turn.

It is no wonder that going back to Wind Gap turns Camille's stomach. The cast of characters are just so mean and nasty, that it is on the verge of unbelievable. Her mother, Adora, is a harsh and unloving woman not willing to show any real love for her eldest daughter. It doesn't help that Camille's younger sister, Marian, died when they were children. Adora never lets Camille forget that she wishes it were her that died instead. But now Adora has a new daughter to baby in her suffocating and almost wicked way. Amma, Camille's stepsister, is a needy, willful child when she is at home with her mother. But out among other people, she is the most hateful and spiteful child in town and everyone knows it. Her behavior is extremely disturbing and some of the things Amma does really made my jaw drop. All the other woman and girls of Wind Gap are no better. Everyone there is hiding a secret behind their perfect bleach blond coifs and gleaming smiles. They are the type of people that will serve you sweet tea with a side of cyanide.

Warning!: This book is definitely not for the faint-hearted. It is often graphic with talk and descriptions about grisly murders, self mutilation, and multiple sexual situations. However, most startling of all is the psychologically traumatizing events of Camille's past and the truth behind her sister's death that slowly surface throughout the book. Sharp Objects is a quick read but definitely unforgettable.

Crank by Ellen Hopkins

Crank

Ellen Hopkins

Published October 5th 2004 by Simon Pulse

Source: Swapped

Kristina Georgia Snow is the perfect daughter: gifted high school junior, quiet, never any trouble. But on a trip to visit her absentee father, Kristina disappears and Bree takes her place. Bree is the exact opposite of Kristina -- she's fearless.
Through a boy, Bree meets the monster: crank. And what begins as a wild, ecstatic ride turns into a struggle through hell for her mind, her soul -- her life.- Goodreads

I will admit, I did not read a single review of what this book was like before getting it. I saw it was on swap and I thought to myself, "Oh I think I've heard people say this one is good, so I will go ahead and get it." I was pretty much just expecting a drug related teen drama a la Go Ask Alice (the covers are even similar...well as much as white text on a black cover can be similar). However, as soon as I open the book, I see it is all poems. Each and every page is formatted like a teenager would do in her notebook; some scattered and free form verse, writing diagonally and upside down on the page. Yes, it is written from a teenager perspective, but I will admit that I was not looking forward to reading 530 pages of poems. I wanted to dislike it immediately. I read it (in one sitting) wanting to hate it and just get it over with. But I didn't. However, I can't, in all honesty, say that I liked it either.

I will say that the use of the poems allowed a lot of the extraneous fluff to be taken out and what you are left with is very succinct tale of the downward spiral of a teenage girl into the world of drugs. The story itself is assuredly  engrossing. The reality of sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll turns out isn't all Kristina thought it would be. What makes this book special (and also hard to say anything bad about) is the fact that the story is actually a semi-biographical account of the author's daughter. I don't really feel that makes her an expert necessarily on her daughter's emotions as she goes through her harrowing, drug-crazed journey, but it does make it that much more heart-breaking.

In the end, I decided that the use of the poetry format really did make sense. Quick thoughts and short phrases really leaves the reader wanting to know more, which in turn keeps the interest high and the pages flying by.

(P.S. I'm not totally against trying out another Ellen Hopkins book, but I don't think I particularly care for the Crank series. I'm thinking Tricks might be more relatable. Let me know what you think if you've read this one!)

Top Ten Tuesday #5

Hosted at The Broke and the Bookish

This week is on the topic of rereading. It isn't something that I do very often, there are many books out there that I've read, and would gladly read again.....one day.

Top Ten Books I Want To Reread

1. The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins - This whole trilogy was amazing and, even though I don't reread too often, I know for a fact this one is a keeper and I will probably read them again before I watch the movie.

2. Hyperion by Dan Simmons - A classic scifi that just blew me away. I haven't read it since high school, so when I have the time, it's at the top of the list.

3. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote - The writing is so amazing that some people forget this is actually a nonfiction book. The only nonfiction that I would never question keeping around in case I get the urge to read it again.

4. Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman - Just downright funny and entertaining. Much as one would expect when combining the incredible imaginations of these two gentlemen.

5. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman - The fact that it is a standalone fantasy makes it an easier choice to want to read it again. Not to mention the fact that everything Gaiman touches is fantastic. See number 4.

6. The Catcher in The Rye by J.D. Salinger - I read this in high school and I know I missed out on a lot of the subtle nuance of this novel. I am pretty sure I enjoyed it, but my long term memory for entire novels is not so good.

7. Across the Universe by Beth Revis - I gave away my copy and regret it everyday. Eventually I will have to buy a new one.

8.. Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk - If you're a fan of this guy and haven't checked out Survivor yet. Do it!

9. Mythology by Edith Hamilton - Taking a mythology class in college was one of the best decisions I've ever made. I read through this collection and have been mildly obsessed with myths ever since. It's also a good reference book.

10. The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King - I didn't realize that he wrote fantasy, and at first I was skeptical but it was great. Another undaunting standalone fantasy book.

Post a comment with a link to your Top Ten Books You Want to Reread. I'd love to check out what you think is good enough to keep on your shelves!