LadyViolet's back reading like mad for 2011 (Part 1)

Hey there! Welcome to the first thread of LadyViolet for 2011!
Books listed in this post won't be touchstoned and the dates are written (dd/mm/year) cos I'm British like that :P The post below will be used to keep a list of really awesome books I read this year and I'll link from that post to the reviews I write of them.

I'm trying much harder this year to review more of the books I read properly so I can post them up on my book blog (link below) so you guys will get those reviews as well :)

For the Interested
Past threads - 2009, 2010 Pt1, 2010 Pt2 & 2010 Pt3
Blog link- This is my book blog where I post reviews and whatnot with varying degrees of regularity. Check it out if you wish!
In the Library of LadyViolet

Reading List for 2011
January
1. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins (5/1/2011 AM)
2. Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen (6/1/2011 PM)
3. Once Dead, Twice Shy by Kim Harrison (9/1/2011 AM)
4. The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson (10/1/2011 PM)
5. The Radleys by Matt Haig (11/1/2011 AM)
6. Stolen by Lucy Christopher (12/1/2011 AM)
7. The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner (13/1/2011 AM)
8. Across the Universe by Beth Revis (15/1/2011 AM)
9. Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready (16/1/2011 PM)
10. Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins (17/1/2011 AM)
11. Some Girls Bite by Chloe Neill (19/1/2011 AM)
12. Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld (19/1/2011 PM)
13. The Will of the Empress by Tamora Pierce (20/1/2011 PM)
14. Never Suck a Dead Man's Hand by Dana Kollman (22/1/2011 PM)
15. Firespell by Chloe Neill (24/1/2011 PM)
16. Soulless by Gail Carriger (25/1/2011 AM)
17. Other Words for Love by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal (27/1/2011 AM)
18. Going too Far by Jennifer Echols (27/1/2011 PM)
19. Friday Night Bites by Chloe Neill (28/1/2011 AM)
20. Street Magic by Tamora Pierce (30/1/2011 PM)
21. Shatterglass by Tamora Pierce (31/1/2011 PM)

February
22. The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney (1/2/2011 AM)
23. Fallen Grace by Mary Hooper (4/2/2011 AM)
24. The Pain Merchants by Janice Hardy (4/2/2011 PM)
25. Ghost of a Chance by Rhiannon Lassiter (7/2/2011 AM)
26. The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting (8/2/2011 PM)
27. Forest Born by Shannon Hale (13/2/2011 PM)
28. Bloodhound by Tamora Pierce (17/2/2011 PM)
29. Forget You by Jennifer Echols (18/2/2011 PM)
30. A Lost Lady by Willa Cather (19/2/2011 PM)
31. Return to Paradise by Simone Elkeles (20/2/2011 PM)
32. Alpha by Rachel Vincent (22/2/2011 AM)
33. Prom and Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg (24/2/2011 AM)
34. Sing Me to Sleep by Angela Morrison (27/2/2011 AM)
35. Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers (28/2/2011 PM)

March
36. Rosebush by Michele Jaffe (2/3/2011 AM)
37. Jinx by Meg Cabot (5/3/2011 AM)
38. The Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting (5/3/2011 PM)
39. The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks (8/3/2011 PM)
40. Tortall and Other Lands by Tamora Pierce (9/3/2011 AM)
41. Perfect You by Elizabeth Scott (11/3/2011 PM)
42. Where She Went by Gayle Forman (17/3/2011 PM)
43. Temeraire by Naomi Novik (21/3/2011 PM)
44. Lament by Maggie Stiefvater (22/3/2011 PM)
45. Nothing like You by Lauren Strasnick (22/3/2011 PM)
46. Matched by Ally Condie (23/3/2011 AM)
47. The Lady in the Tower by Marie-Louise Jensen (25/3/2011 AM)
48. Take Me There by Susane Colasanti (25/3/2011 PM)
49. Girl v. Boy by Yvonne Collins & Sandy Rideout (27/3/2011 PM)
50. The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks (30/3/2011 PM)

April
51. City of Glass by Cassandra Clare (1/4/2011 PM)
52. Mostly Good Girls by Leila Sales (3/4/2011 PM)
53. City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare (9/4/2011 AM)
54. Princess for Hire by Lindsey Leavitt (10/4/2011 AM)
55. Alanna: the First Adventure by Tamora Pierce (10/4/2011 PM)
56. In the Hand of the Goddess by Tamora Pierce (11/4/2011 AM)
57. Pretty Bad Things by C.J. Skuse (11/4/2011 PM)
58. Rockoholic by C.J. Skuse (13/4/2011 PM)
59. A Storm of Swords: Steel and Snow by George R.R. Martin (15/4/2011 PM)
60. Wood Angel by Erin Bow (17/4/2011 PM)
61. Changeless by Gail Carriger (18/4/2011 PM)
62. The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong (20/4/2011 AM)
63. Prisoner of the Inquisition by Theresa Breslin (23/4/2011 PM)
64. Don't Judge a Girl by her Cover by Ally Carter (24/4/2011 PM)
65. The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller (27/4/2011 PM)
66. Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty (28/4/2011 AM)

May
67. Beastly by Alex Flinn (4/5/2011 AM)
68. Random Magic by Sasha Soren (9/5/2011 PM)
69. Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Philips (10/5/2011 PM)
70. When it Happens by Susane Colasanti (12/5/2011 AM)
71. The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell (14/5/2011 PM)
72. Dead Beautiful by Yvonne Woon (17/5/2011 PM)
73. Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen (22/5/2011 PM)
74. Die for Me by Amy Plum (29/5/2011 PM)

June
75. Ultraviolet by R.J. Anderson (2/6/2011 AM)
76. Words by Ginny L. Yttrup (7/6/2011 PM)
77. The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell (11/6/2011 AM)
78. What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen (12/6/2011 AM)
79. A Map of the Known World by Lisa Ann Sandell (13/6/2011 AM)
80. Last Chance by Sarah Dessen (14/6/2011 AM)
81. Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (15/6/2011 AM)
82. The Scorch Trials by James Dashner (19/6/2011 AM)
83. The Truth about Forever by Sarah Dessen (19/6/2011 PM)
84. Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway (25/6/2011 PM)

July
85. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling (1/7/2011 AM)

If you have any Recommendations for me then please leave a comment! Biscuits and Tea for all! *Waves teapot wildly*

Favourite Books of 2011
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins (add link to review later)

Welcome back!

Howdy chickpea! Ooooh, aren't you just so excited about starting the 75 (in my case)/2 million (in your case) afresh for the new year? *hops up and down and promises to write REALLY neatly in her best handwriting on the shiny new thread*

Hehe 2million is a tad exaggerated dontcha think? I'm not *that* fast lol
Well I can't guarantee that things won't get a bit messy around here so scrawl away!
Oh and you do take your time replying to emails no? ;)

You have been found and starred :-)

LadyVi...hmmm...seems like I should know that name...hmmm

*smooch* Glad to see you!

Hello Rachel!

Glad to see you back with us for another year, Rachel!

Hi Rachel, got you starred once again.

Hi I just dropped by to star you, I remember how many great book suggestions I got from you when I was doing the Alphabet Challenge in 2009!

Hi there, this is my first year in the 75 book group, but it looks like we have some similar tastes. I'll be interested to see what you read this year.

Rach - have you not got my reply yet? I emailed back! And Jess too! *sighs* Though I had to go back and send Jess's again because it said it had sent but it wasn't in my outbox so I had to try again. Yours said it had gone though... :-(

Stupid Hotmail. I can copy it into a new email and try again if needs be...

Yes I did get your email never fear, I was just a tad delayed in my own reply, I will rectify that later after mother dearest has set me upon various chores about the house.

Hey, wasn't there supposed to be another Deadly Trio meet-up sometime soon? Oh dear, the horror! I want pictures. :)

Well with all the general craziness of snow, christmas etc. it's not been possible, we will probably organise it for sometime in the New Year perhaps?

Wah!? How am I supposed to wait that long? :(

Rach! *plonks a star on top of the christmas tree erh I mean thread!*

Ape man it is my 21st birthday on Jan 23rd so maybe we'll have a meet up around then? Who knows? ;)

Rachel! I actually found you early instead of 2 months later ;)
*starred*

Jess! so glad you finally found me! *hugs*

Kate :P good to have you here, 2mths late is better than not at all no?

Gah I can't believe how close to New Year we are!

Jess: *Hops excitedly* Most certainly! Although that is still and awfully long time for me to wait. It's simply torture!

...what? I can't help it, I love LT meetups! :) Especially when the Deadly Trio get together!

I'm game for some time around then. You'll have to talk nicely to those two *points at Rach and Ellie* ;)

^but only when you're not there, right Stephen?

Katie: Actually in this instance I'd be quite happy to be there.

If only I had a teleportation device to avoid the air ports...

lol, one of those would be so useful. If I ever see a blue police box I'll be all over that ;P

Indeed. I think I'd be safe in this kind of environment because Ellie would protecte me from The Other Two. :P

Ape what happened to this tunnel you were on about digging? Have you even started it yet?! We have a perfectly good solution you just need to get yourself a spade. If we start from our end too we’ll be done in no time ;)

:O Are you implying that Jess and I will be awful tyrants?
*sniffs haughtily*
Well!
*stalks off*

Tyrants, no. But will you both gleefully giggle every time a furiously blush at every little comment directed at me? YES! Absolutely.

*Hides behind Ellie*

Ah... well... maybe :P but you'll look so darn adorable when it happens that we won't be able to help ourselves.
Where's Ellie when you need her to referee?

Awww I'll just find the blushing cute, I may give a knowing smile to Ellie and Rach but that shall be all from me. Ahem Ape man, anyway so about this tunnel what's your excuse?

Tunnel? Right, I'll get to work. Ummm, but I think all I have is a snow shovel...that'll get me an easy start on the first couple inches but then I think I might have a tough time at it. I'll get there eventually. Not sure I can make it before January though...

*Drive-by wave and star*

Happy New Year Rachel, I hope it is filled with...errr, lots of books? But you read so many, I guess there isn't much hope it won't be filled with lots of books, hm? Well anyway, may it be filled with lots of GOOD ones! :)

Got you starred and looking forward to getting a lot of great recommandations from you again this year.

Wahey I've finally got my first book of the year finished! I read all of Anna and the French Kiss yesterday (finishing in the wee hours of this morning) and bloody hell it was awesome! I'll be doing a proper review soon so this is a semi informal announcement of what's to come :)

Hurray for finishing the first book! :)

Sounds like your reading year has gotten off to a great start, Rachel!

Just took a look at the LT listing for that one and it sounds rather fun.

My poor, overburdened wishlist :-)

That one does sound good. My flatmate has just been talking about it as something that John Green recommended on his vlog, so I think I'll have to track it down.

>Fabtk - John Green saying it was awesome pretty much sealed the deal for me. When the king of the nerds (or co-king if you count Hank) says a book is super-amazing then it's probably something I should check out :P

I added the kissy book to my Amazon list... but I WILL NOT BUY IT FOR A WHILE! No, I won't. Especially after you MADE me buy Clockwork Angel a couple of days ago! :-)

Right ok! nearly 45 messages into the thread I will finally post reviews!

1. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Considering how many people have raved and gushed about this book it was highly likely that I would enjoy it, if not make it one of my favourite books of the year. And you know what? It probably will stay as one of my favourite books of 2011 for the rest of the year (it'd have to be something *really* awesome to kick it off the list). It's a shame almost that I read it so early in the year but you can bet your baguette that I'll be re-reading it at least one over the next 12 months.

The premise of the novel is simple and so fantastic - it would be equal parts exciting and terrifying to be sent to a boarding school in another country even if you did speak the language but for Anna it's even more alien because she barely speaks a word of French. So it's a good thing really that her school is specifically for Americans.

Anna as a main character was wonderful, she felt so realistic with her narration and all her quirks and flaws made her so likeable that you couldn't think too badly of her when she did something vaguely reprehensible. That being said she was rather naive at times and made assumptions which nearly screwed a *lot* of things up for her. Despite that I still loved her and her neat-freakish ways.

Now there's not much I can say to sum up how amazing I found Etienne. Although I'm mostly immune to cute British accents (when you have one yourself it doesn't have the same impact. *not* that I'm claiming to have a cute accent, that'd be up to you guys to decide :P) I'm sure I would still get a tad swoony around St Clair with his mix of English, French and American accent and generally gorgeous scruffiness. He's funny, kind and oh-so-adorable! He's also got an intensity to him that really gets your heart racing so it's not surprising the effect he has on Anna!

The way the relationship developed between Anna and Etienne was so tingle-inducing and yet so frustrating at the same time. I'm sure most of us have felt that feeling of "god why doesn't he notice me?" and with Anna being his friend as well she has the extra barrier of "just friends" between them to make things even harder. You find yourself urging Anna to "bloody *do* something!" when she's alone with Etienne and sometimes I did want to shake him for being a daft bugger as well.

Steph Perkins has done a absolutely fantastic job creating a romance that is passionate while still being reasonably chaste (by that I mean no clothes go flying) and that's believable as well so hats off to you! Also I absolutely adore all the quirky phrases that had me giggling while I was reading - there's nothing like a scene about shiny wangs to put a smile on a girl's face :P (Yes, I *am* that crude).

Overall I enjoyed every minute I spent reading this book, I kept wanting to slow down to make it last but at the same time wanted to speed up and find out what happens. Even as I'm writing this review I had to pick it back up and re-read the first few chapters- it took a fair bit of willpower to not read the whole thing again. It's one of those books that you smile about days after finishing it, that you just wish you could keep re-reading even when you have as massive a TBR pile as I do (200 books and counting!). I'm determined to get my sister to read this even if I have to beat her about the head with it and I'll tell anyone who asks me for recommendations to READ THIS BOOK!

I cannot *wait* to read whatever Steph Perkins writes next although I would love to read another book about Anna and Etienne. But I'm sure anything she writes will be awesome and I'll devour it happily.
Highly Recommended

Pants that was long! another post for the next two reviews methinks

More Reviews!

2. Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen
really loved Anna's first series the Luxe so I was really excited when I heard about this new series set in the 1920's. It's an era that's not often seen in YA historical fiction and it's a period that everyone knows as one of the most glamorous times in US history, well at least in the big cities like New York. The Jazz age was when the bootleggers dodged the Prohibition officers and the Flappers scandalised their elders with their hemlines and dancing.

Bright Young Things starts off with Cordelia Grey and her best friend Letty Larkspur running away from their quaint country town in Ohio to the home of glitz and glamour - New York City. We experience all the wonder and awe at the first sight of this strange new place along with the girls and Anna describes it for us in such scrumptiously opulent prose that we can almost hear the jazz band.

Interesting plot developments spread the story out across the length of the city as Cordelia finds herself in Long Island at the house of her long-lost father and Letty is now staying with some girls who work in the speakeasy she visited on her first night in New York. We also meet Astrid who's the most glamorous of the girls - she's in a relationship with Charlie who happens to be Cordelia's new half-brother. Her and Cordelia become friends and she introduces her to the bright life of being wealthy in the city.

Out of the three girls I think I like Cordelia the best - she's got her head screwed on properly and doesn't allow herself to be overwhelmed by the strangeness of the city. She bold, capable and kinda badass once her father teaches her to shoot. She hasn't got all the naivety that a country girl would have on her first trip away from home but at the same time she isn't entirely immune to the possibility that the right someone might take advantage of her.

Letty and Astrid have some of the traits that Cordelia doesn't, Letty has the naivety and has to find out the hard way that life's tough in show business and to become a famous singer in New York may mean you have to do some rather unsavoury things. Astrid is probably the most cynical of the girls having seen her mother go through three marriages and now keeping a toyboy plaything without her husband's knowledge, she's also kind of contrary sometimes in ignoring her boyfriend Charlie when she feels like it but then being all lovey-dovey when she wants the attention.

The story moves at a somewhat lilting pace, there are moments when things move quite quickly but at other times the pace slows right down and you have to press on to move forwards. It was not enough to make me put the book down and leave it but I didn't read it all in one sitting.

What I really love about this book is way Anna really makes you speculate what will happen in the next books, its really difficult to predict how the girl's lives will turn out and with the incredibly ominous prologue at the beginning of Bright Young Things you wonder which girl will have which fate (Famous, Married or Dead?). I'm really excited to find out how things unfold in the second book.

Another aspect which is consistently fabulous in all of Anna's books is her way of creating the New York of the Jazz Age through the most gorgeously descriptive writing I've ever seen. It's not hard to imagine the three girls in their drop-waisted dress and t-bar heels walking through a city that's still growing and changing from it's 19th century self ready to become the brightest jewel of 20th century America. Like the covers the writing is simply beautiful and I love it.

So if you loved the Luxe series I seriously suggest that you pick up Bright Young Things, it has all the glamour and beauty with new characters and an exciting new story that's not going to be as straight-forward as one might think.
Warmly Recommended

3. Once Dead, Twice Shy by Kim Harrison
I didn't properly review this for my blog so this'll be short.
This was an interesting start to a new YA paranormal series. Madison Avery has had a tough few months since the accident that killed her - yes she is dead but somehow not quite. The Light Reaper Barnabas, who should have protected her, has been trying to help her adjust to her altered existence and figure out how Madison managed to take the amulet of her killer (humans shouldn't be able to touch Reaper Amulets). A interesting mythology of Light and Dark Reapers mixed in with the opposing arguments of Choice vs. Fate. Fun but not overly exciting. I may read the second book if my library gets it in.

Woohoo Reviews! Apologies for how massively long the first two are, I get kinda carried away when I'm writing for my blog :S
Will hopefully finish my current read soon- chunky fantasy The Final Empire and I'm loving it!

Anna and the French Kiss sounds adorable - I'll have to pick it up! I've also been hearing good things about Bright Young Things. I might give it a go too.

Glad you got your first reads (and reviews) of the year out of the way, Rachel!

I'm adding Anna and the French Kiss to my tbr list. It doesn't sound like something I would usually pick to read, but when it comes so highly recommended I have to check it out, and it does sound very sweet.

I've heard so many good things about Anna and the French Kiss that it's on my TBR list, even though I don't think it's something I'd typically pick up. I just hope it lives up to the hype once I get around to it!

The Final Empire is brilliant, isn't it? I'm nearly at the end and still loving it - lots of lovely twists and turns to keep you guessing.

Anna and the French Kiss is already on my wishlist, but need pushing up the stack a bit in priority. And I think Bright Young Things may have to go onto the wishlist...

>Kathy Yea I loved it! considering how massive it is it moved surprisingly quickly! I'm gonna have to get the next two books soonish cos I want to know more! Allomancy is such a fabulous magic system and I kinda want a Mistborn cloak (or maybe that's me being odd).
I need to write a review of it tomorrow maybe cos I've already finished another book after it and by the time I go to sleep I could have finished *another*!
Eek now I've actually got into my reading stride I foresee myself getting behind all too quickly :S

I read the Mistborn trilogy last year, all in a row, and they were fabulous. Kept me interested and engaged the entire time. Definitely a new favourite fantasy trilogy of mine.

>51 RLMCartwright: - I hear ya! My reading stride's right back on target at last - especially with all the read-a-thons sweeping the group, but it all means more reviews to write... It's like having homework sometimes, I find myself checking emails or 'just switching the telly on for five minutes' instead!

>Ellie gah I now have 3 reviews to do and I'd like to get one up today at least because I haven't posted anything since Monday and quiet blog makes me twitchy :S
I need to have a routine that doesn't involve me spending hours refreshing my emails or trolling blogs and Youtube. But since I'm now *thisclose* to having the Bod job nailed down I may end having to create an evening routine where I write posts efficiently, read books in small bus-journey shaped chunks and spend the weekend blitzing everything else.

4 reviews here after I somehow managed to get up after the read-a-thon and finish my dense science book at last... I'll try and write one or two tomorrow, get them posted on the blog after work if not while I'm there. Stupid laptop on the desk doesn't like blogs much though, it's touch and go whether it'll just close the internet browser every time I try and open one! Let us know when you know about that job - it sounds so awesome!

Afternoon chickpea! Would you like my ARC of The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove, perchance? I've made a bit of a mess of the back cover - it's so thin it might as well be tissue paper and I've been carting it to work every day - but other than that it's okay... It's either that or it's going in our rag bag, not much else to do with it so I thought I'd give you first dibs! Unless Jess has already offered you hers? Anyways, if you want it just leave me a PM on my profile with the address you want it posting to and I'll send it next time I go near the PO!

Ellie darling - I am as yet undecided whether I want to read The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove since I am not Lauren Kate's biggest fan so I'd rather not have you spend the postage only for me to read it and not like it, cos that'd be a waste. Thank you for offering though :)

Ok folks I do have another review but it's kinda massive so if y'all don't mind taking a little trip to my blog...

4. The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
My Review in full
I really enjoyed this and Highly Recommend it :)

I will try and get caught up on reviews this weekend and post them (or respective links if they're particularly lengthy) soonish.

Probably not going to be for you then, since it wasn't as good as Fallen or Torment. As you might expect, it being her debut and all. And there were a lot of 'I want to shake that girl until her teeth rattle' moments. But I liked Torment better than Fallen, and the pretty dresses are awesome!

ETA: Hold on a cotton picking minute - didn't you give Fallen 4 stars?!

Ah... well originally I did but I think I downgraded it to a 3.5 since I've found I'm *far* too lenient with how I dole out 4 star ratings I ought to adopt the whole American letter grading system so a 4 star rating is broken down into B- , B and B+ cos that will better account for the little differences between a book I really liked and will re-read and a book I thought was good but am unlikely to read again etc.

And yea the covers for Lauren Kate's books are unfairly gorgeous since they can trick people into buying them and then they are surprised when they don't like the story.

I'm being stricter with my ratings this year too. I think I forget sometimes that a 3 or 3 and a half isn't a bad rating it's just good, okay, average and I definitely need to dish it out more often! Same with books I don’t like I’m a real softy and think about the good points and how somebody might like it it may just not be for me. Looking back I should have given books like The Iron King and Infinite Days a 2 or 2.5 star. This year I’m being much stricter with ratings, although I have so far given two 5 stars but they really were amazing books.

Oh, I know full well I give gut-instinct ratings to books. Occasionally I'll go back later and realise that I'm not thinking so fondly of a book after a few months' breathing space, so maybe it'll go down a bit. But I did like Torment - the characters, writing and plot were significantly more appealing than Fallen - so it deserved its 4 stars for me...

P.S. Oooh, you read The Radleys! I just added it to my wishlist after Luxx (I think) raved about it... But I WILL NOT BUY IT YET - my coffee table's already groaning with newbies again!

The review for the Radleys will be up on the blog tomorrow but be warned I wasn't all that taken with it - the premise was interesting and kinda dark but I just felt "meh" about it.

DUDE! Guess what I missed? My Second Thingaversary!! :O 2 years ago last Thursday I joined this fabulous site, chock full of all you gorgeously bookish people and dang hasn't the time flown! *hugs and smooches for all*!!

>62 RLMCartwright: - All the more reason for me to buy it to see whether I like it more! Any excuse...

>63 RLMCartwright: - Congratulations! *pulls party popper and watches silly string land perfectly on Rachel's head* :-)

Hurray! Happy Thingaversary!

Isn't it odd? I joined this site in 2008, but it does not seem like it was so long ago...

Happy Belated Thingaversary, Rachel!

Happy Belated Thingaversary!

Also, your review of The Final Empire was great and echoed everything that I loved about it :-) I've got The Well of Ascension queued up as my next read on my Kindle and may have to put these on the wishlist to get paper copies for my birthday.

I felt very restrained when I didn't go and read The Well of Ascension as soon as I finished Final Empire. I'm impatient to know what happens next, but already not looking forward to the moment when the books are all gone and there aren't any more. How irrational is that?

>Kathy I ordered the Well of Ascension earlier with my last amazon voucher as part of my Thingaversary present to myself :P I'll probably wait a while to read it since I have a scary amount of other books to read and because I also hate it when I get to the end of a really great series.

#67

Not irrational. Very wise. It's a rule of mine now that if I think I'm going to love a series then I need to physically have all of them. I've had too many times where I've loved something and the next book isn't even written yet.

I got the Mistborn books as a box set last Christmas, and read them all in one go. It was definitely annoying when I had read them all and had to leave the world behind!

Gah crap I haven't updated this properly in a few days. While I still haven't completely caught up on reviews I shall link up what I've got so far and come back and add in the others later on.

5. The Radleys by Matt Haig
Full Review here
Quirky british vamp book but I didn't really feel attached to the characters. 3.5 Stars

6. Stolen by Lucy Christopher
Full Review Here
Powerful and kinda disturbing story about a girl who gets kidnapped and taken to the Australian Outback. This book is a letter to her captor whom she finds herself feeling somewhat favourably towards. Highly Recommended 4.5 Stars

7. The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
Full Review Here
Second book in Queen's Thief series. This a very well-written fantasy series, Eugenides is a fabulous hero who seems to always surprise me. Warmly recommended 4 Stars.

8. Across the Universe by Beth Revis
Full Review here
Brilliant YA Sci-Fi book, lots of food for thought and can't wait for next book. Highly Recommended 5 Stars

9. Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready
Full Review here
Interesting Paranormal book, great concept surrounding those who can see ghosts. Very intrigued for the second book Shift. 4 Stars

10. Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
Cute read about a reform school for wayward witches, shifters and Fae. Sophie seems to cry an awful lot and the "Mean Girls" are not that developed. I'd be interested to see what happens in the second book but I'm not in any hurry to buy a copy of this. 3.5 Stars

11. Some Girls Bite by Chloe Neill
The 1st Chicagoland Vampires novel. I found this to be a fab start to this adult paranormal series. Merit was your average grad student until she got changed into a vampire against her will. Now she has to adapt to her new life just as the tension between the Chicago Houses is mounting to a fever-pitch. Feisty, fun and rather sexy Merit is pretty badass with her vamp skills and I'm eager to read the next few books. Warmly Recommended 4 Stars

12. Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld
Full Review here
This is the sequel to the awesome Steampunk novel Leviathan. Deryn and Alek are travelling to Istanbul to deliver to some strange eggs to the Sultan but the German presence in the city causes a lot of problems for both the British aboard the Leviathan and Alek's men who want to avoid notice. I *love* this series so much! Deryn is the fabulously sparky Glaswegian midshipman (disguised as a boy) who knows all of Aleksandr's secrets but she is too scared of revealing her true identity to him. Although frankly I think the lad is a bit dense for not suspecting *something* :P. The illustrations in the book are so amazing and I cannot wait for the third book Goliath!! Highly Recommended 4.5 Stars

Woohoo so I've caught up here now I just need to catch up on my blog *sigh*

>70 RLMCartwright: I need to pick up The Queen Attolia; I read the first book late last year and then got side tracked by a few other series I had started. I loved Across the Universe too!

Wow... *dives behind conveniently placed hillock and covers her head with her arms*... I officially declare that you're 'doing a Stasia'! See the book bullets flying! See the LT-ers scattering, broken beneath the onslaught of Rachel's reading! See the fallen, crawling away towards the nearest bookstore, waving cash and weeping!

BAD GIRL! :-)

Hehe Thank you Ellie for giving me the laugh I've needed all day, I had a shite day yesterday and I'm so glad I've got you and the other lovely LT folk to cheer me up :)
And I'm not sorry at all for the volley of book bullets :P

Careful with that, Rachel. Stasia is great and all but impersonating her can have drastic side-effects. *Knocks on Rachel's elbow to see if it emits a metallic clank* I think you are ok, for now!.

Sorry to hear you had such a bad day though. Hope today has been better.

Stephen - I'd be careful getting near my elbows they're mighty pointy! I'm more likely to creak than clank though- I have old lady joints :(

I can't get up from a chair without at least 3-4 pops from my knees, elbows, ankles, or wrists. Sounds like firecrackers! So I know how you feel.

Oh dear Rachel, you are giving good reviews for books I've been on the fence about. Shade and Leviathan. Saw Across the Universe and had to resist buying with every fiber of my being as I was shopping for mi madre's bday, not me. But the reverse cover is *wantwantwant* le sigh. Chicagoland looks mighty fun too, and I love Chicago. Visiting friends there is a majority of my travels out of state. It's always fun to read books set places you know :)

>71 Tanglewood: I was so-so in my opinion of The Thief, but I thought that the series really picked up with The Queen of Attolia!

'Doing a Stasia'?! lol

I really have got to get to the Westerfeld books this year! I have had Leviathan for far too long and now have Behemoth too!

Leviathan was already on the wishlist, but I've added Across the Universe because it sounds fascinating. So, only one book bullet this time :-)

Great reviews! I love love, love, LOVE the Attolia books and am glad to see you are enjoying them. I've also been hit by loads of book bullets. You need to be careful with those! :o)

>Stasia Yes get onto the steampunky goodness that is Leviathan! It's odd cos I really like dystopian fiction as well but I just didn't like Westerfeld's Uglies series at all!

>Kittybee I'm really liking the Attolia books and my copy of the third book arrived this morning. I'll probably wait a while to read it though since I want to buy the paperback of the last book Conspiracy of Kings and I have a sneaky feeling it won't be out until June at least. Apologies for the BBs :P

#82: The only book in the Uglies series I really liked was the first one. The series went downhill from there for me, so I know what you mean.

Ag I'm 6 books behind on reviews again!! I really have got to get better at keeping on top of this because it'll only result in shoddy half-assed reviews and I don't want that. Will be doing my darnedest over the next few days to get caught up.

>Stasia Yea it started out as a great idea but then Tally just kept getting reset to shallow, pain-in-the-arse, whining mode by the end of every book so she never really went anywhere as a character. I didn't even read Extras because I was so sick of her by the end of Specials

Just as a point of interest, Tally isn't really in Extras, the focus is on a new set of characters. I think I'll have to read Behemoth this coming month. I want to read The Radleys, I still can't decide if I like Haig's books or not, they seem to be slightly offbeat.

#84: I did not read Extras either.

OK slight catch-up time with reviews!

13. The Will of the Empress by Tamora Pierce
Full Review here
My first re-read of the year. A fab story about true friends overcoming adversity despite having grown apart in recent years. Sandry, Tris, Briar and Daja are now all grown up and have not seen each other for nearly 4 years. They've all seen some pretty horrendous things whilst travelling and don't want to share their experiences with their foster family through their magical connection. As much as I love Tammy's Tortall books I still really like the Emelan books and this one was perfectly suited to my mood last week. Highly Recommended 5 Stars.

14. Never Suck a Dead Man's Hand by Dana Kollman
My first non-fiction read of the year and hopefully not my last. This morbidly hilarious look into the life of a CSI in Baltimore was fascinating if not a tad bit graphic in it's description of decomposing bodies (although strangely I had no problem with this). There's also interesting insight into the hierarchical structure of Crime Labs in the USA and the rivalry between civilian CSIs and Police Investigators. Highly Recommended 4.5 Stars

15. Firespell by Chloe Neill
Full Review Here
Fun YA Paranormal read and start of potentially interesting series. Warmly Recommended 4 Stars.

I will update with the other four reviews in due course :)

#87: I got Never Suck a Dead Man's Hand as a SantaThing gift 2 years ago and still have not read it. Thanks for the reminder!

Firespell sounds interesting. Great blog, I like your covers pretty enough to lick category (and am jealous over how much nicer the UK cover for Plain Kate is than the US edition).

Righty-o end of January stats for your viewing pleasure!

Stats
Books Read: 21
New reads: 18
Re-reads: 3

Fiction: 20
Non-Fiction: 1
YA: 16

Male authors: 3
Female Authors: 14

Not bad going really although I'm awfully behind on reviews still so I will have to have a mega review writing sesh.

Silly Rachel, you'll have to STOP READING to have time to write reviews, and it doesn't look like that is happening any time soon...

...21 books!? *collapses*

Stop... reading? what blasphemy you speak!!
*snickers* last january I read 23...
it's a *slight* slowing down at least :P

Before I dash off to get myself showered and dressed so I can go keep my Gran company for a few hours I shall fling another BB at you fine folk for my own amusement :P

16. Soulless by Gail Carriger
Full Review here
Absolutely spiffy start to this steampunky paranormal series, Alexia Tarabotti has no soul and that tends to cause far more problems than it solves especially when you have to abide by the endless social rules that dominate Victorian society. Witty and just a little bit saucy too. Warmly Recommended. 4 Stars.

Right cheerio chaps!

I love this series too. Witty and saucy are a great combo in my books.

Yay! I'm glad you liked it. I can't wait for the fourth book in the series to be released, they're such fun! :o)

Love, love, love the Parasol Protectorate books!

I have that one sitting on my shelves - which I'll get to eventually. No, really...

Firespell is going onto my wishlist and thankfully Soulless is sitting on my coffee table, ready to read. So not too bad on the book bullets :-)

Bloody hell!! I'm still on #16 review here and I've read 26 books!! ARGH!! Hasty partial catch-up here we go!

17. Other Words for Love by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal
Full Review here
Gripping and blisteringly honest book about the troubles of first love in the 1980's. Highly recommended 4.5 Stars

18. Going too Far by Jennifer Echols
Full Review here
Intense and rather stormy story about a girl who wants to get out of her small-town life and a guy who seems determined to stay. Highly Recommended 4.5 Stars

19. Friday Night Bites by Chloe Neill
Second book in Chicagoland Vampires series. Fun and bad-ass like before. Merit is a damn cool heroine and I really need to see if my county library system has the third book somewhere. Warmly recommended 4 Stars

20. Street Magic by Tamora Pierce
Re-read. Briar is one of my favourite Circle characters and I love this adventure set in a middle-eastern-esque city where he has to try and teach a stubborn young stone Mage and battle against warring gangs who also want to use Evvy's skills. Highly Recommended 5 Stars.

21. Shatterglass by Tamora Pierce
Another Re-read. Tris is my other favourite character from the Circle universe, she's so bookish and crotchety that but for the red hair and seriously bad-ass powers she could be my alter-ego :P It's occurred to me that all four of the Circle Opens books have a series of murders being part of the main plot along with the requisite finding and teaching of a mage student. Not that I mind since at the moment reading books chock-full of romance is the last thing I want to do. I love all the glass-making stuff in this book and I wish I could have me a glass dragon like Chime. so yea Highly Recommended 5 Stars.

22. The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney
Full Review Here
Despite an interesting sounding premise this one fell short for me. I've gotta just face it- I don't really like faerie books. Not for me 3.5 Stars

23. Fallen Grace by Mary Hooper
Interesting Historical YA read but sadly rather predictable and not too exciting past the whole sinister feel of funereal swindling and paid mourners. 3.5 Stars

Phew that's better only a few behind now and I want to do proper review for those.

*Cackles* You're hopeless, you know that?

By the way, I received Never Suck a Dead Man's Hand yesterday as a SantaThing book. (Yes...Santa...in February...) I'll be reading it...errrr...sometime...

Shatterglass sounds interesting. I will look for that one.

I hate when you catch up, Rachel! You make the BlackHole explode :)

I'll have to look for those Tamora Pierce books, I haven't read any from that series yet. I just discovered her last year, so they are all new to me!

It gives me a evil feeling of glee that I can actually cause wishlist damage to Stasia :P and I'll be causing even more damage when I catch up the last four reviews *cackles*

#104: You are getting seriously annoying. . . :)

I like Tris, but Daja is my favorite of the bunch. I think feel an affinity for her because I studied metalworking myself. Shatterglass is definitely one of the better Circle books, though.

I've read all the Tamora Peirce books reviewed and the others don't sound like quite my thing, so I've dodged some book bullets this time :-)

LadyViolet, have you read Will of the Empress by Tamora Pierce? It features the four friends reunited after all that they had seen, and desperately not wanting the others to know what they went through. I think it might now be my favourite of her Circle books. (It used to be Healing in the Vine : I adore Briar!)

>108 PrincessT: Yea I actually re-read it last month and my review is up in post 89 I think. It's probably my fav Circle book as well with Street Magic and Shatterglass close behind (I love Briar as well :P). I really can't wait to read the next Circle Reforged book although it could be another 2 years before we get that :(

I just bought The Will of the Empress on the weekend. I haven't read any of the other Circle books, but it was under $5 in hardback, so how could I resist!?!

Oh bugger... y'all are gonna kill me. Super-massive catch-up coming now... *ducks*

24. The Pain Merchants by Janice Hardy
Full Review here
Really interesting fantasy book, fascinating world and original magic system. First in a trilogy. Warmly Recommended 4 Stars

25. Ghost of a Chance by Rhiannon Lassiter
Stupid book touchstone :/
I am in the process of writing a proper review since I got this from the LTER program but I shall say briefly that this was a surprisingly brilliant read. I hadn't really known what to expect from the rather creepy sounding blurb but it turned out to be an excellent mix of great characters, mystery, genuinely spooky shenanigans and a wonderful old mansion. I actually re-read it the other day I liked it that much. Highly Recommended 4.5 Stars

26. The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting
I was in a very anti-romance mood a little while back so the whole murder mystery premise of this book was well-suited to my mood although there is a fair load of romantic tension in the form of Violet's crush on her best friend Jay but it wasn't so angsty as to annoy. This was a really fast-paced heart-racing read as the threat from the serial killer grows through-out the book and with the occasional chapters from his POV it gave you a chilling look into his mind and I'll be damned if I wasn't baffled as to his identity for a long time. A cracking ending and I am dying to read the second book which I happily acquired this morning from the marvellous Jess :D. Highly Recommended 5 Stars

27. Forest Born by Shannon Hale
This is the fourth book from the Bayern Series. Rin was a really unusual character compared to the other heroines in the first three books. She's quiet and helps everyone while still remaining in the background and nobody really notices all the conflict that's going on inside her. You know she's keeping something from the reader but you find out what that is for a while and it's quite surprising how things turn out. There's also some very shocking revelations which connect quite a few dots from the other books and everything is tied up pretty well. The whole book had quite a dreamy quality to it and you sort of float through the story which was a little strange but I still enjoyed the book overall. Warmly Recommended 4 Stars

28. Bloodhound by Tamora Pierce
Yea ok so this was a re-read but with the final book in this series *finally* coming out this year *pleasepleaseplease* I wanted to refresh my memory of the second book. I absolutely adore Achoo in this and I really like how Beka actually loosens up a bit (although I do prefer Rosto to Dale :P). The whole mystery of the colemongerers was really interesting and despite the lack of Tunstall I love the partnership of Goodwin and Beka. I could wax lyrical on my love for this series but we'll be here all day. I heart Tammy Pierce end of. Highly Recommended 5 Stars.

29. Forget You by Jennifer Echols
Another Re-read. I actually reviewed this properly last year but I fancied a sneaky read of it now that I have my own copy. Still love the romance and the tension between Doug and Zoey although second time around the constant declarations that "I'm dating Brandon so I can't be with you" get a bit annoying but I can overlook that cos it's a really great book. Highly Recommended 4.5 Stars

Continuing onto a second post

Oh I didn't know Tamora Pierce had a Beka Cooper book coming out this year! Is there a release date yet or is it still tentative?

Yay on getting a good LTER book!!!

and carrying on...

30. A Lost Lady by Willa Cather
I felt the need to pick something up that wasn't YA and not so long that it'd take me ages to read. Ironically enough I did have to read this in multiple sittings as the sheer amount of detail in the descriptions was so lovely that you had to take the time to construct the image in your head of the the places that Willa Cather was showing to you. While I'm perhaps not the right person to comment on or really appreciate classic American literature I will say that it's a lush little book and you do get somewhat drawn to Mrs Forester (the titled "Lost lady") through Niel's observations over the years. Not quite my thing but I'll recommend it to those who like this sort of book. 3.5 Stars

31. Return to Paradise by Simone Elkeles
Sequel to Leaving Paradise. I really enjoyed the first book and I generally adore Simone Elkeles' writing so this was sure to be a good read. It's been 8 months since the shocking ending of the first book and Caleb and Maggie find themselves thrown together for 4 weeks on a summer program for people affected by drunk driving. Tension runs high and occasionally things get to the point of being a tad bit saucy :P I really love how Maggie has grown and she's really not afraid to confront Caleb and give him what-for. I also *adored* Lenny who's kind of the comic relief but has hidden depths that make me want to give him a big cuddle. Although ignore him when he asks you to pull his finger... :P
Fab book from an awesome author. Highly Recommended 4.5 Stars

32. Alpha by Rachel Vincent
This is the last book in the Werecats series *sob* It's damn hard to avoid spoilers so I'll keep this short. I absolutely Love Faythe she is so kick-ass and has really matured over the six books and now is willing to step up and take responsibility when the proverbial hits the fan. These books are so fast-paced and they really get your blood pumping (in more ways than one :P) so it's really sad that the series is now over but I'm really happy with how it ended. Sure there have been some tragic events but some losses were gonna have to happen or the story wouldn't be nearly so heart-wrenching. I have the first three of Rachel's YA series to read so I might crack on with those now that I don't have another of these books to look forward to. Highly recommended (if you've read the rest of the series otherwise start with Shift) 4.5 Stars

33. Prom and Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg
I read this on my sister's Kindle and I swear it took me half the time that it would were I reading a hard copy :S
What a fun version of the Pride and Prejudice story! I really loved the modern boarding school setting and found myself feeling the same towards the characters as I do towards their original selves! Lydia is still the hideously obnoxious brat that I want to throttle, Jane is still loveliness personified and Wick (Wickham) is still a smarmy bastard. Darcy and Lizzie are a bit different in that their personalities have been modernised so that they don't sound so antiquated in comparison to the setting but it still works well. Mr Collins or just Colin as he is in this is just as pompous and insufferable which really tickled me. Overall a fun, cute version of a classic that didn't leave me baying for the author's blood for the butchery of a favourite book :P Warmly Recommended 4 Stars

34. Sing Me to Sleep by Angela Morrison
This was a christmas present from Jess and thank you so much for recommending it! Wow what started out as a simple enough story of an ugly girl with a beautiful voice being transformed so she could shine as the soloist for her choir at an international competition, this turned into one of the most heart-wrenching stories I've read this year. While in Switzerland for the Choir Olympics (as it's called) Beth meets Derek the canadian boy whose voice is just as gorgeous as her own. Their relationship grows quickly but you get the feeling that there's another layer of each half hidden from the other. When Beth finds out the truth about Derek the story becomes all about him. The ending had me in tears and I really wish that you could actually hear all the scraps of music and lyrics that appear throughout the book because it'd be pretty amazing I reckon. Such a beautiful book Highly Recommended 5 Stars

35. Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers
This was one of those horrifyingly disturbing books that you want to say is unrepresentative of teens in high school but deep down you know that some teens are capable of the vicious acts of vengence that Regina endures in this book. While Regina herself is to be honest a bit of a bitch she is still the victim of horrendously callous bullying by girls who used to be her friends. Couple that with the equally distressing event which brought about the bullying (although the truth got twisted to make Regina look like the bad guy) then you've got one hell of an eye-opening read that is surprisingly hard to put down considering how much hate and anger fills the pages. A fantastically well-written book and seriously hard-hitting. Highly Recommended 4.5 Stars

AND I'M DONE!! *phew*
If anyone is still standing after that volley then well done you!

>Kittybee (or Other Rachel as I may have to use so I don't confuse myself) - I think the release date is tentatively set for late this year (25th October as Amazon tells me) but I'm gonna be on the edge of my seat until then cos it seems like forever ago when I got Bloodhound the day after it was released and read it all in one sitting. God I hope she doesn't take ages in bringing out the 3rd Circle Reforged book *chews hand* it's this kind of thing that really gets me stressed :P

Tra la la February Round-up coming!!

The month started kinda badly since I got back on the singleton bandwagon so my reading mojo has been a bit dodgy since then as I wanted to avoid certain types of book.

Books Read
Total - 14
YA - 12
Re-reads - 2

Genres
Realistic - 5
Fantasy - 3
Mystery - 2
Other - 4

Ratings
5 Stars - 3
4.5 Stars - 5
4 Stars - 3
3.5 Stars - 3

Favourite Book of the Month
The Body Finder
Honourable mention to Sing Me To Sleep

Oh and if you're interested I posted my review for Ghost of a Chance the link goes to the LT review :)

*looks about*
Hello? Anybody there?
*eerie silence*
oh it's just me ...
*hides back under rock*

*peeks under the rock* Whatcha doing down there?

*opens one eye*
I do believe I'm falling asleep, having wine at lunch was a terrible idea.
I should perhaps do something and get some energy moving... but my bed is just so darn comfy I don't want to move... I'm gonna dig a book out the cupboard methinks
*Rolls up sleeves and opens cupboard*

Take a walk? Do jumping jacks? Have a cup of tea...

Don't worry Rach, it seems the whole 75-group is quiet lately. :(

Let's just believe it's the quiet before the book storm, where we all get super into a bajillion books and the threads explode into chatter.

Hi Rachel - I've been reading threads but not posting much. Like Stephen says, it's awful quiet all over the group at present.
I read the 3 Simone Elkeles "How to ruin' books. How to Ruin a Summer Vacation was interesting in that it gave teen readers a glimpse of Israel, but the series really went downhill for me after the first book, which was borderline ok for me. So bad that I couldn't try her others.

I've been away on vacation, so I'm just catching up on threads. Things do seem to have been quiet lately :-(

Sadly, you got me with three book bullets: The Pain Merchants, The Body Finder, and Sing Me To Sleep. Darn you. My wishlist does not need to get longer!

I finally read the first Beka Cooper novel while I was away and adored it completely. I think maybe I'll wait a couple of months before going onto Bloodhound, so that it's not too much of a wait before I get the final one. I'd curse Tammy's slowness, except she writes such gorgeous books that I wouldn't want her to rush them and not make them as good!

Ohhh, I'm glad it's not just me! I've not really been around much of late - still keeping up with my own thread and posting reviews, but not catching up elsewhere and definitely not feeling very chatty... Knowing the whole group's gone a bit quiet right now makes me feel much less guilty! ;-)

At least it makes it easier to keep up with those of us who are reading and posting!

Oi, Rachel! Get thee hence over to Crazy-for-Books and do the blog hop, it's my question this week! :-)

Ok just y'all know I'm still alive *waves*
The downside of being so horrendously absent from LT over the last month is that I'm now 15 books behind on update/review things :( There is gonna no fun way to catch up on that lot. But I will eventually do a couple of massive one-line review bulk posts, in the mean time though I have some stats for my March Reading

Books Read
Total Read: 15
New Reads: 15 (wow no re-reads!)

Genres
YA - 14
Realistic - 6
Paranormal - 4
Historical - 2
Fantasy - 2
Dystopia - 1

Author Ratio
Male:Female 1:14 :P (poor neglected male authors)

Favourite Book of the Month
Rosebush by Michele Jaffe - I only in the last few days wrote my review of this for my blog so please have a look Here if you'd be so kind :D

So that was March in a nutshell - overall a rather spaced out month I'm hoping to be more with it in April.

I have been absent from LT for 6 weeks, Rachel, so I know how that goes :)

I read several of Jaffe's books, but not Rosebush. I will have to correct that!

Don't worry Rachel, I didn't read a single book written by a female author this month, so it's somewhat balanced!

Of course, I had another horrible month and only read 5 books...but still! :)

Hey Rach! I'm still trying to claw my way out of the March reading/blogging/everything slump, so never fear! I was this close to not bothering to write a review for my last read, for the first time pretty much since I joined LT, and definitely since I started blogging (barring novelty books, at least). I need to get reading now, before the Easter hols hit and I'm rushed off my feet again!

You know, part of me is so knackered right now, what with the flu toppling us like dominoes, Millie (kitten #1) taking to climbing up trees and getting stuck or escaping the house at night and disappearing, birthdays, celebrations, hospitals, rude customers, paperwork, and everything else that's going on, that I keep thinking, 'hmmm, but if I did get the flu, at least once I was done being semi-unconscious in bed I'd have a few days with a genuine excuse to just lie there drinking tea and reading!' Isn't that terrible? :-(

I didn't mean to simply drop back off the face of the earth but with the events of the last few days it's a wonder I even want to switch on my computer.

On Thursday night my Grandad passed away after a horrifyingly short illness, all the family was with him but it still doesn't make it any less devastating for all of us. If I were more of a believer I'd have some seriously stern words for Him but instead I shall try to take comfort from the knowledge that my Grandad isn't suffering anymore and wherever he is I'm sure he's charming all the ladies and singing his heart out. (He was part of a male voice choir and would always be bursting into song).

Now we must try to keep going as best we can, I have two job interviews next week and I know that my grandad would want me to try my best and I want to do his memory proud.

RIP Grandad

So sorry for your loss.

Sorry to hear of the passing of your grandfather.

:'(
Much condolences.

I hope your interviews go well, despite the circumstances. I know it's difficult. During my great-grandmother's wake (and mean literally half-way through), I had to go to school and give my History Day presentation--since it's a scheduled night with outside judging and no point make-up if missed (me and my family are still upset about this). Then return to the wake afterward. I wish you luck and send helpful vibes across the pond.

Sorry to hear about your grandfather, Rachel.

I am so sorry for you and your family. I know what a loss a beloved grandparent can be to the whole clan.

Awww Rachel, I wish I was there to give you the biggest hug right now. He sounds like a wonderful grandfather - we all know you'll do him proud! Lots of love to you sweetie, xx

Hey, Rachel. I'm so sory to hear about your grandfather. I lost mine to cancer in 2009, so I know how it is. You have my condolences, dear. *Hugs*

Best of luck with your interviews!

I'm sorry for your loss. You have a lot on your plate right now. Sending you some good luck vibes for the job interviews.

Thank you everyone for your lovely messages and cyber hugs y'all are the best.

In bookish news - I'm so far, far behind on updating that I fear my laptop will explode if I try to post even one-liner reviews cos I think I'm up to 25 outstanding :O

But if folk want me to review anything past #35 on the list in post 1 then let me know :)

kthnxbai

Sorry to hear about your grandfather.

I'm way behind on book comments - just post what you feel like doing when you feel up to it.

I wouldn't mind a quick word on what you thought of Matched, should you be feeling well-fortified with tea and chocolate. It's been on and off my wishlist so many times - is it awesome or does it just kinda blend in with all the other similar books coming out at the moment?

I'd be curious to know what you thought of Lament by Maggie Stiefvater (a quick thumbs up or down). I've been tempted to try it.

>144 Tanglewood: Don't want to hijack your thread but I'd like to offer my two cents on Lament. It's not bad but I actually preferred the follow-up, Ballad. While the characters from the first book appear in the second, you needn't have read Lament to follow what's going on.

>144 Tanglewood: I actually did a proper review of Lament for my book blog since I'm not usually a fan of Faerie books and this one was a nice surprise so if you want a look the review is Here

>145 MickyFine: oh hijack away things are quiet enough here that it could actually benefit from it :P I tend to prefer keeping things in the right order and I have a suspicion that I would miss knowing more about the relationship between Dee and James if I'd gone straight into Ballad but if they can be read out of order then that's all fine and dandy.

Oh and y'all might be interested to know that I got a job today! It was the strangest thing to get a phonecall half an hour before leaving for my Grandads funeral that one of the places I interviewed at last week want me to start tomorrow! So I gots to get myself back into an early wake-up pattern *whines* but at least I have one thing less to worry about!

Congratulations! That's fantastic, especially with this market.

>145 MickyFine: Mickyfine, good to know that the second book is better than the first because a lot of times the second in the series drops a bit.

>146 RLMCartwright: Great review on your blog. I think I will try Lament.

I echo the congratulations on your new job. Now send some of that employability mojo my direction. ;)

Congrats on the job Rachel! At least that's a silver lining on the funeral-day cloud. Which job did you get?

*floats off to read Lament review*

ETA: Okay, you persuaded me... *floats off again, to her Amazon wishlist this time*

Congratulations on the job! The timing may not have been great, but it must be a weight off your mind {{hugs}}

Congrats on the Job front, Rachel. :)

Well... shit.
I've not updated this thread since I got my job nearly 8 freaking months ago! :O
I'm appalled at myself and I apologise oodles folks!
Since this thread contains so much dreary and mishish news I'm gonna relocate to a new thread for the last oh.. two weeks of the year... bah what the hell!

Don't be so appalled at yourself, dear Rachel...

...I can do that for you. 8 months!? EIGHT!?!? It's appalling how unloved I feel. *Weeps uncontrollably*

No worries on my end... I've been on/off LT this year (unintentionally) for months at a time, all due to shifts in my life, so I completely understand how a new job could take you away from here! Let's make a pact to do better in 2012. For realsies! *cross fingers*

Stephen calm yourself you've at least had Ellie to keep you in line and entertained :P

Dk - oh I'm going to have a list of resolutions for 2012 half a mile long ! This I've let so much stuff slide because of work so methinks the first thing that's going to have to change is the ol' job. *hopesprays*

Oh and please do follow on over to the new thread here for the updated list of books and lots of lovely lists :D