Category: Uncategorized
That Lonely, Sinking Feeling is Free on Amazon!
Remember how I loved That Lonely, Sinking Feeling, the short memoir by Gabriella West? Well, now you can read it too! And it’s totally free on Amazon up until April 23. That leaves only a day and a half (depending on where you live) to go download it, so head on over right now!
If you still aren’t convinced, go read my review of it. Yes, it’s that awesome.
Look What Just Arrived! (#9)
As you guys know, I was travelling. As you also know, that means only one thing: new books. The only real question is: what did I buy? So here we go:
- Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence
- The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi
- The Singing Sword by Jack Whyte
- The Courtesan’s Lover by Gabrielle Kimm
- Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers
- Beyonders: Seeds of Rebellion by Brandon Mull
To be fair, I’ve already read and scheduled my review for The Singing Sword because I took it with me to read on the plane. So I’m not as far behind on buying, reading and reviewing as it seems like.
I picked up Prince of Thorns because Savindi from The Streetlight Reader has been raving about Prince of Thorns for a while now, so I decided to see what all the fuss was about. Grave Mercy both appealed to me when I read the blurb on Amazon a while back and because it was the talk of the YA blogosphere for a fair bit of time. We’ll see if it’s worth the hype.
I picked up Beyonders: Seeds of Rebellion by Brandon Mull because although I absolutely hated Fablehaven, I enjoyed the first book in his new Beyonders series. Also, I needed a new book at the airport in case I finished The Singing Sword on the way back. The Courtesan’s Lover had both an intriguing blurb and was on sale, so I picked that up as well at the bookstore. The Ghost Brigades is the second part of John Scalzi’s Old Man’s War series. I figure that since the first book was so funny I cried from laughing at some parts that if nothing else, the second book will be an entertaining read. Knowing John Scalzi, though, I’m pretty sure it will be far more than that.
So what books are you guys reading this month? See any books here that you loved/hated/need to read?
Look What Just Arrived! (#8)
It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these posts, but I’m still getting new books, so here are my latest books:
- Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
- 11/22/63 by Stephen King
- I Never Walked Alone by Shirley Verrett
- There Comes a Prophet by David Litwack
- Genome by Gary Alan Henson
- Arlo and Jake Enlist by Gary Alan Henson
I loved Cinder by Marissa Meyer so much that obviously I had to get Scarlet as soon as I could. I haven’t started it yet because of previous commitments (read: getting through my In Progress page), but it’s one I’m eager to start. 11/22/63 by Stephen King is a book I got ripped off at the airport for, but I suppose it was worth it. I’m nearly on page 300 and so far, so good.
I Never Walked Alone by Shirley Verrett is sentimentally and financially the most valuable book I own. Shirley Verrett was an incredibly talented woman in the opera scene who faced ridiculous amounts of discrimination in the 70s and 80s. She also is the best Tosca I’ve ever seen, which is saying a lot because Tosca is my second favourite opera. But the incredible thing about the copy I own is that it is signed with a personalized message to a man named Hal. I bought her autobiography used because it was $40 new, so I never, ever expected to get an autograph from my hero. Yet there it is, clear as day: signed and dated. There’s something incredible about holding something your hero once held that I just can’t explain.
There Comes a Prophet by David Litwack is a book I received from the author himself and so far, so good. It actually looks like a different take on fantasy, so there’s lots of promise. Both Genome and Arlo and Jake Enlist by Gary Henson are short, but look promising and I can’t wait to read them. I also received these from the author himself.
Do you guys have any books you’re really excited about? Discover any new authors? What do you consider to be your most valuable book (in terms of financial or sentimental value)?
Post-Vacation Round Up
Yes, I know I’ve been horribly off-topic lately what with the blog awards and such, but since my photo/vacation posts seem to be popular I’ll stay off-topic for another day. As you may or may not know, I was in Costa Rica for two weeks on the Pacific side of the country. And because Andy begged me, here is a picture of the first excursion I did: ziplining.
Yes, I had an awesome time. 11 lines through a beautiful rainforest…what more could you ask for in an excursion? In addition to that, I met my match when it came to certain female competition: Continue reading
No, Nothing Surprises me Anymore
I was reading Cracked the other day when I stumbled across the hilarious, depressing and informative article 5 Despicable Things People Do for Good Online Reviews. Seriously, you guys should check it out if you haven’t already. Just be aware that Cracked is an adult humour site and the language reflects it.
My Thoughts
Meh, nothing really that shocking when you think about it. Companies and authors alike can be highly unscrupulous when it comes to reviews and their online images. Honestly, I’ve encountered a lot of the things on the list already, other than the threat of being sued. I’m sure that will come too. (Knock on wood.)
Taking quotes out of context, creating fake reviews and paying for positive reviews, though? Even just a year as an admittedly minor book blogger has exposed me in some way to all three. I suppose you could say I’m a rather cynical human being, but really, nothing about reviews and the publishing industry surprises me anymore.
But what do you think about the article? Were you shocked/surprised?