Book Sojourner: July 2016

Sunday, July 31, 2016

Sunday Post: Weekly Wrap-Up (07.31)

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It's a chance to share news, recap the past week on your blog, showcase books, share upcoming news, etc. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme.

What I Read Last Week:

Paper and Fire by Rachel Caine
Jonquils for Jax by Katy Regnery
Stormfront by KR Conway (re-read)

Top Ten Tuesday:
Books Set Outside the U.S.
Things Books Have Made Me Want to Do After Reading Them

My Reviews Last Week:

Paper and Fire by Rachel Caine (my 4 star review)

What I'm Re-Listening To:

Hunted by Kevin Hearne

What I'm Currently Reading:

True North by KR Conway

Saturday, July 30, 2016

Stacking The Shelves (170): SDCC Version

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

San Diego Comic Con 2016:

My family and I attended SDCC this past weekend and had a blast. Amongst many other fun things we saw and did, we scored a load of books and met some fantastic authors. This stack is an assortment of books I brought and bought and received for free, but mostly freebies. It was especially nice to get a variety of middle school, young adult, and adult books. Something for everyone in our family.

Books I Brought to Get *Signed*:

Dangerous Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger
Hounded, Hexed, & Hammered by Kavin Hearne
Stars Above by Marissa Meyer
Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck
Reawakened (arc) by Colleen Houck
Red Rising by Pierce Brown
Hilo: The Boy Who Crashed to Earth (arc) by Judd Winick

Books Purchased & *Signed*:

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
Staked by Kevin Hearne
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
Imprudence by Gail Carriger
Hilo: Saving the Whole Wide World by Judd Winick

Free & *Signed* Beauties:

Heartless (arc) by Marissa Meyer
Furthermore (arcs) by Tahereh Mafi
Prudence by Gail Carriger
Underground Airlines by Ben H. Winters
Hounded by Kevin Hearne
Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel
Dark Matters (arcs) by Blake Crouch
Ninth City Burning (arc) by J. Patrick Black
The Lovely Reckless (arc) by Kami Garcia
Alive by Scott Sigler
The Hike (arcs) by Drew Magary
Lucy & Andy Neanderthal (arc) by Jeffrey Brown
The Fold by Peter Clines
Red Rising by Pierce Brown
Clash of Eagles by Alan Smale
Bombs Away by Harry Turtledove

Free Paperbacks & ARCs:

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
Goldenhand (arc) by Garth Nix
A Time of Torment (arc) by John Connolly
Ninth City Burning (arc) by J. Patrick Black
Little Heaven (arc) by Nick Cutter
The Thousandth Floor (arc) by Katherine McGee
Bright Smoke, Cold Fire (arc) by Rosamund Hodge
Foxheart (arc) by Claire Legrand
Impyrium (arc) by Henry H. Neff
Time Traveling with a Hamster (arc) by Ross Welford
The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson
The Scorpion Rules by Erin Bow
Of Fire and Stars (arc) by Audrey Coulthurst
Galactic Hot Dogs: Cosmoe's Wiener Getaway by Braller, Maguire, Kelley
The Blackthorn Key by Kevin Sands
The Darwin Elevator by Jason M. Hough
Deep Dark by Laura Griffin
The Ferryman Institute (arc) by Colin Gigl
Nemesis (arc) by Anna Banks
The Rule of Three by Eric Walters
Spindle (arc) by E.K. Johnston
Curse of the Boggin (arc) by D.J. MacHale
Between Worlds (arc) by Skip Brittenham
Lock and Key: The Initiation (arc) by Ridley Pearson
Spare and Found Parts (arc) by Sarah Maria Griffin
After the End by Amy Plum
Like a River Glorious (arc) by Rae Carson
Three Dark Crowns (arc) by Kendare Blake
Gamescape Overworld (arc) by Emma Trevayne
Going Wild (arc) by Lisa McMann
Five Elements: The Emerald Tablet (arc) by Dan Jolley
Frazzled (arc) by Booki Vivat
Mike & Dave Need Wedding Dates by Mike & Dave Stangle

Friday, July 29, 2016

Review: Paper and Fire by Rachel Caine

Paper and Fire by Rachel Caine

(The Great Library #2)

July 5, 2016

368 pages

Genre: YA Fantasy

In Ink and Bone, New York Times bestselling author Rachel Caine introduced a world where knowledge is power, and power corrupts absolutely. Now, she continues the story of those who dare to defy the Great Library—and rewrite history…

With an iron fist, The Great Library controls the knowledge of the world, ruthlessly stamping out all rebellion, forbidding the personal ownership of books in the name of the greater good.

Jess Brightwell has survived his introduction to the sinister, seductive world of the Library, but serving in its army is nothing like he envisioned. His life and the lives of those he cares for have been altered forever. His best friend is lost, and Morgan, the girl he loves, is locked away in the Iron Tower and doomed to a life apart.

Embarking on a mission to save one of their own, Jess and his band of allies make one wrong move and suddenly find themselves hunted by the Library’s deadly automata and forced to flee Alexandria, all the way to London.

But Jess’s home isn’t safe anymore. The Welsh army is coming, London is burning, and soon, Jess must choose between his friends, his family, or the Library willing to sacrifice anything and anyone in the search for ultimate control…

Paper and Fire, the second book in The Great Library series, picks up some months after Ink and Bone, and we are thrust right back into the fold with Jess. Jess, now a part of the library army, must balance his duties and training as a library servant with embarking on a deadly secret mission in direct opposition to the library.

I continue to enjoy Jess's voice as our main protagonist. He is a great combination of analytical and thoughtful with the right touch of compassion and loyalty. Continuing on this journey with him and his friends/former classmates kept me attentive and dedicated to the path they were taking. With the variety of personalities in this group, it felt like there was something for everyone, and each character had something unique and individual to bring to the table. The cast of characters is definitely a strength of this series.

As for action, even though the ultimate goal of this particular book was singular, getting there held much adventure. No path was straight-forward, no choice direct. Despite me taking longer to read this than usual, simply because life has been busy, the pacing and changes in action and suspense kept me engaged and intent on the outcome. I enjoyed the different twists and turns. Even the ending left me satisfied until the next book, but still eager to what would happen next.

Obviously I'm being vague because I don't want to give much away. That's part of the adventure. But overall I definitely enjoyed this sequel. The world-building continued to grow, and I love that we are being taken even deeper into this world. The characters are moving in interesting directions and continue to be a highlight for me. And the future of this story leaves me excited to see what's in store next.

Amazon ~ Goodreads

The Great Library series:

Ink and Bone #1

My Review ~ Amazon ~ Goodreads

Paper and Fire #2

Amazon ~ Goodreads

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Top Ten Tuesday: Things Books Have Made Me Want To Do After Reading Them

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme created and hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.
For more information and a list of past and future topics, go here.

Top Ten Things Books Have Made Me Want To Do After Reading Them

World Travel - I'd love to travel more, especially out of the country to some of these places I've read about. That gets pricey for a family of 5. But we're working on it.

Paint - I really want to put my own artwork up on my walls... just need to paint some actual artwork now.

Wine Tasting - I am actually not much of an alcohol drinker. I like the fruity girly drinks, but wine not so much. But going on a wine tasting seems so grown-up. I'd like to try it, even if I hate all the wine.

Knitting - I know how to crochet, but my knitting attempt in the past was terrible. I'd like to give it another go.

Write - One day I'll finish writing a book, if only to feel the sense of accomplishment in actually completing it.

Kickboxing - I'd like to take a class and check it out. Looks like a great workout and stress-reliever.

Tattoos - Probably will never happen since I don't want to commit to anything permanent that I may later hate, but I've definitely considered it. A small one perhaps?

Play the Guitar - It seems so romantic to bust out a guitar and compose a love song. Or maybe just a happy tune by the campfire. Ode to S'mores?

Go on a Cruise - Honestly, cruises kinda weird me out. The control freak in me hates the idea of being trapped on a boat in the middle of the ocean. But a cruise also seems like a great way to travel and vacation.

See an Fire-Breather - I'm not one for circus shows normally. I actually dislike magicians and illusionists. I don't like being tricked. But I'd set aside my misgivings if I could see a show with guys like Jack the hot fire-breather, and his brother, Jay the hot illusionist.