In My Mailbox (14)

In My Mailbox is a meme started by Kristi at The Story Siren with some inspiration from Alea of Pop Culture Junkie where we get to post about the books we receive each week through publishers/authors, our own purchases, contests won, and libraries.

 
The cute IMM button comes from Bewitched Bookworms.

Wow, real life has been kicking my butt this week! I own a classic car and have just listed it for sale, so that has been taking up a bunch of my time these past two days. I have to admit, I'm about ready to tear out my hair with all the people coming to admire the car but who don't actually have the money to buy it. I appreciate the nice comments, but it takes so much time to show people a car and then it's very frustrating to find out that they don't have any intentions or ability to buy it, they just wanted to gawk at a pretty car! Especially when they get me up at 6 in the morning! I am so not a morning person. Aargh, I'm exhausted.

So if you've noticed I haven't made my usual commenting rounds, please don't feel forgotten!

For Review

The Fourth Stall by Chris Rylander

(Click on the titles to go to Goodreads)

Big thank you to Walden Pond Press!

I've heard this book described as a middle grade mix of The Godfather/Sam Spade meets the humor of Diary of a Wimpy Kid. That sounds good to me! I'm always on the lookout for books that will appeal to boys as well as girls. My library boys are often neglected, so I'm hoping this will be a good book I can recommend to them. I flipped through the first chapter and I already like the humor and writing style. This is a published book available for purchase.

From the Library

Trapped by Michael Northrop
(Click on the titles to go to Goodreads)

I had originally put the hold on this book in the dead of winter when we had a few feet of snow covering everything. Most of our snow piles are gone, so I don't have the ideal atmosphere anymore, but I'm still looking forward to reading this. I've heard some mixed reviews, so hopefully I end up on the side that likes it. I love survival books, but they can be very frustrating to me if I feel the main characters aren't making the best survival choices. I'm also always worried the characters will decide to burn the library books for warmth. They'd better not do that!

Free

The Eternal Ones by Kirstin Miller

One of my wonderful library patrons gave me this book, knowing I love YA. As you can see from the sticker, The Eternal Ones has been published for a while now, but I still haven't gotten around to reading it. I love the idea of reincarnation and a love that just keeps getting reborn. The plot reminds me a little of L. J. Smith's Night World book Soulmate, with the reincarnation and the "Did my lover murder me in my past lives?" aspect. I enjoyed Soulmate, so hopefully I'll like The Eternal Ones just as much. Has anyone read this book? What did you think of it?

On another note, I'm so glad the official cover was changed from the one on this ARC. I don't like this ARC cover at all. The girl's face looks freaky.

Giveaway for you!

Do you want another book in your mailbox? I'm currently running a giveaway for a chance to win a copy of M. J. Putney's Dark Mirror. 

Click here to enter the giveaway and read my review!

What did you get in your mailbox (or on your library card or credit card)? Feel free to add your IMM links in your comments.

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Book Review and Giveaway: Dark Mirror by M. J. Putney

Dark Mirror by M. J. Putney
Release Date: March 1, 2011
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Pages: 304
Received: ARC from publisher
Rating:  3 out of 5 stars 
Goodreads Page

Looking for something to read for the 2011 Debut Author Challenge? This would be a great pick!

Summary

From Goodreads: 

Lady Victoria Mansfield, youngest daughter of the Earl and Countess of Fairmount, is destined for a charmed life. Soon she will be presented during the London season, where she can choose a mate worthy of her status.

Yet Tory has a shameful secret—a secret so powerful that, if exposed, it could strip her of her position and disgrace her family forever. Tory’s blood is tainted…by magic. When a shocking accident forces Tory to demonstrate her despised skill, the secret she’s fought so hard to hide is revealed for all to see. She is immediately exiled to Lackland Abbey, a reform school for young men and women in her position. There she will learn to suppress her deplorable talents and maybe, if she’s one of the lucky ones, be able to return to society.

But Tory’s life is about to change forever. All that she’s ever known or considered important will be challenged. What lies ahead is only the beginning of a strange and wonderful journey into a world where destiny and magic come together, where true love and friendship find her, and where courage and strength of character are the only things that determine a young girl’s worth.

Review

I had been anticipating this book all the way back to when it had a different cover, so I was very happy when I was asked if I would like a copy for review. I did enjoy this book and I do recommend it, but I did not love it. 

As a character girl, I had to subtract some stars because I just could not connect with the characters. They weren’t bad or annoying, but they never felt alive to me. When I did the WWMCD test (that’s the What Would the Main Character Do? Test) I find these characters did not score high. Unfortunately, these are not characters I will carry with me in my heart for years to come. 

Outside of that, the story itself was actually a lot of fun. I love time travel books, and Dark Mirror did things a little different than what I’m used to. Instead of going back in time, Dark Mirror begins in Regency England and then travels forward in time to WWII. Watching the characters react to all of the new (and now old to us) technological advancements made for a fun twist. 

The story had a light feel to it that I enjoyed, but it was also appropriately serious. The characters all faced decisions between what is easy and what satisfies duty, honor, and sacrifice. I really liked the patriotism and strong female characters that made up the backbone of the book. 

The first half of the book moves along at a good pace, following Tory as she acclimates to her new school. For a while I thought I had been misinformed about the time travel aspects, thinking this was instead a boarding school book. The time travel comes about midway through the book and at that point the pace really picks up. 

I like fast paced books, but I thought things moved almost a little too fast. The characters jumped around from one task to another, accomplishing each one with relative ease. I think I would have enjoyed this more if I had connected with the characters. As it was, I followed the events happily enough but I never felt invested. 

The romance was nicely paced and I think will be received well by both fans and detractors of insta-love. The two characters do have an instant connection, but there is a forbidden love aspect that keeps them at a distance. Their connection is never explained, but maybe an explanation will be explored in the sequel. 

Though this book does have a sequel, it works well as a standalone. All of the main events are tied up cleanly, so you need not fear any cliffhangers. There also aren’t a ton of little details to worry about having to remember.

 Explanation of rating system: Star Rating Key 

This book satisfies the following challenges: 

• 2011 Debut Author Challenge
• Most Awaited YA Releases Challenge
• YA Historical Fiction Challenge 

Giveaway!

Want to enter to win a copy of Dark Mirror? Just read the instructions and fill out the form below:

• You must have a US mailing address (per publisher's request)
• You must be 13 years of age or older
• Your address is not required, but including it will help with sending the book out to you sooner
• If an address is not provided, the winner will have 24 hours to reply to my email with their address before a new winner is chosen
•  I will not keep your information, and only the winner's information will be shared with the publisher
• The giveaway will close February 25th. The winner will be announced March 1st

I wanted to make this giveaway as easy to enter as possible, so you do not have to be a follower and there aren't any extra entries or hoops to jump through. Though if you want to spread the word (Tweet, blog, etc) out of the kindness of your heart and support for the author, then that would be greatly appreciated! 

Good luck!
Closed

 Looking for another time travel historical book? You might like: 

Wildwing by Emily Whitman

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Recap 2/12 to 2/18

In case you missed anything, here's a recap of what was posted Saturday, February12th through Friday, February 18th. 

Scroll to the bottom of this post to enter the giveaway.

Reviews

The Witch's Daughter by Paula Brackston
Dragon's Keep by Janet Lee Carey
Cover review: Sweet Venom

(Click on the links to go to my reviews)

Memes

In My Mailbox

Cover Crazy

Forget Me Not

Waiting on Wednesday

Book Blogger Hop

Features

Review Comparison: Dragon's Keep by Janet Lee Carey

Spotlight List: Fantasy Classics 
Guest Post at The Bookworm is Here!
Guest Post at Welcome to All-Consuming Books

Currently Accepting Review Comparison Submissions for The Iron King!
(click to find out how you can submit your review)

What's Your Status? Is a meme created by Zakiya from Butterfly Feet Walking on Life where we recap our reading week. Feel free to visit her site and link up your own What's Your Status Posts. Here's how my week went:

Finished

Dark Mirror by M. J. Putney
(Click on the link to go to Goodreads)

Currently Reading

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

(Click on the link to go to Goodreads)

Giveaway!

Want to enter to win a copy of Dark Mirror by M. J. Putney? Just read the instructions and fill out the form below:

• You must have a US mailing address (per publisher's request)
• You must be 13 years of age or older
• Your address is not required, but including it will help with sending the book out to you sooner
• If an address is not provided, the winner will have 24 hours to reply to my email with their address before a new winner is chosen
•  I will not keep your information, and only the winner's information will be shared with the publisher
• The giveaway will close February 25th. The winner will be announced March 1st

I wanted to make this giveaway as easy to enter as possible, so you do not have to be a follower and there aren't any extra entries or hoops to jump through. Though if you want to spread the word (Tweet, blog, etc) out of the kindness of your heart and support for the author, then that would be greatly appreciated! 

Good luck!

Closed

Miss anything last week? Click here to read a Recap.

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Book Blogger Hop (10)

Book Blogger Hop is a weekly meme hosted by Crazy-for-Books where book bloggers answer the weekly question and hop around to other blogs and see what other bloggers have to say. The goal is to discover new blogs, "connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books!"

This week's question is:

"What book(s) would you like to see turned into a movie?"

This is a tough question because I always wonder, will they mess up the movie? Will they cast all the wrong people or change around my favorite scenes? There are some movies, like The Golden Compass, that I almost wish they hadn't made a movie version. Then there are other movies, like The Lord of the Rings trilogy that I am beyond happy they made movie versions. 

If done right, I would love to see D. J. MacHale's Pendragon series made into a movie series. There's a team of great heroes, adventure, a little romance, time travel, and a really great villain. I also think Janette Rallison's My Fair Godmother could be made into a really cute and fun movie. It's a great blend of romantic comedy, fantasy, time travel, and fractured fairy tales. I think Disney would do a great job with this one.

 

 

While you're hopping through, stop by my Recap  or the Review post to enter a giveaway and catch up on anything you might have missed this week. 

I would love it if you would check out my new review comparison feature and share your feedback.

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Guest Posting!

Today I will be guest posting at two great blogs!

Don't worry, I haven't left you hanging. There's still your regularly scheduled Spotlight List post for you to read, but if you would like to get to know me a little better, make sure to also stop by these two blogs:




Lulu's great blog The Bookworm is Here!

Small Review Interview





While you're there, check out her super cute reviews (unlike me, she actually knows how to write a short review!) and her most recent In My Mailbox post where she features an upcoming retelling of Sleeping Beauty that I can't wait to read!

Tiger Holland's Welcome to All-Consuming Books

Small Review Interview


While you're there I highly recommend you check out her February event The Ultimate Reviewer's Challenge, of which I am participating in both as an interviewee and a reviewer. Not convinced? Three words: There Are Prizes!

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Spotlight List: Fantasy Classics

Spotlight List is a feature I do where I pick a topic or theme and then highlight some books that fall into that theme. 

Click here to view previous Spotlight Lists.

Fantasy Classics

I often feel like I should read more classics, but, honestly, a lot of them look sort of boring! I like fantasy adventures, not erudite critiques of the modern man's role in society juxtaposed against a blah blah blah. Have I lost you? I don't blame you.

I actually have found a bunch of classics that I really do love (Classics that are Actually Fun to Read), but the following list delves into pure fantasy with epic battles, incredible villains, swoon-worthy heroes, questing, fantastic creatures, and true love. Even better, they combine my love of fantasy with my desire to be (or at least pretend to be) "well read" because even hoity toity "high brow" readers recognize how much these books rock!

The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle

Release Date: 1968
Pages: 224

Goodreads Page

I first fell in love with the animated movie, so I was a little nervous to read the book in case the two were widely different. Thankfully, they’re not. If you love one, then you’re sure to love the other. I, of course, highly recommend both. You follow a unicorn on her journey to find out what happened to all of the other unicorns (they’ve all disappeared). Along the way, she meets both friends and enemies, and the reader meets characters who will worm their way into your heart and memory. I’m a character girl, but the plot here is just as strong as the characters. Heartwarming, heartbreaking, hilarious, and scary, I’ve read the book and watched the movie about a bazillion times and I love the story more each time.

 

The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien

Release Date: 1955

Books in the series: 3

Goodreads Page

Do I really need to explain why this is a fantasy classic? Tolkien set the standard for epic fantasy. There’s questing, romance, battles, magic, mystery, and lore aplenty! The world building is top notch. If you enjoy the original trilogy, then there’s a wealth of companion books to get your Middle Earth fix. I’ll commit a little blasphemy by admitting that I find the story a lot more interesting than Tolkien’s writing style. I’m also really thankful to have seen the movies first. The movie characters breathe life into the more distant way Tolkien writes them.

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

Release Date: 1973

Pages: 328

Goodreads Page

This is one of the rare cases where I actually prefer the movie version, but the book is still excellent in its own right. The book is written in a style that may lead some readers to think this is a non-fiction account by William Goldman discussing the book The Princess Bride written by a man named S. Morgenstern. In reality, S. Morgenstern is a figment of Goldman’s imagination and The Princess Bride is entirely Goldman’s creation. I think this approach is initially clever, but dragged after a while and fell apart toward the end. You can easily skip the “non-fiction” sections of the book, however, and read only the sections that relate the Princess Bride storyline. Those parts are awesome. The story is engaging and laugh-out-loud hilarious. The movie basically took these funny fantasy parts and left out all the “non-fiction” parts.

The Once and Future King by T. H. White

Release Date: 1938-1941, omnibus in 1958
Pages: 640

Goodreads Page

I adore this book! For fans of Arthurian tales, this is an excellent choice. The book is broken up into four parts, and each part can be read separately. The first is The Sword in the Stone and follows Arthur as he grows up and learns from Merlin. This part is light and fun. If you’ve seen the Disney version, then you’ll have a fair idea of what happens here (the Disney movie is based on White’s story). The second section starts getting darker, introducing the characters who will play a role in the fall of Camelot and telling of the seduction of Arthur by his half-sister. The third part tells of the romance and betrayal of Arthur by Lancelot and Guenevere. The final part tells of Mordred and the fall of Camelot. Heavily influenced by world events (chiefly, WWII and psychoanalysis), White’s story can be read on multiple levels: A fantasy story about King Arthur, a psychoanalytic study, or a critique on war and different forms of government. His critiques are interesting and well-formed, but I love this book for the way he made Camelot and its inhabitants come alive.

 

The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis

Release Date: 1950-1956

Books in the series: 7

Goodreads Page

When I was in elementary school, I used to watch the BBC version of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe every morning before school. I finally read the book years later, but I have to say it didn’t hold up for me. I found Lewis’s writing a little dry and better suited for a younger audience. I wish I had read the series when I was younger. The story is solid, though, and well worth a read. Aslan and the White Witch are epic characters every fantasy lover should acquaint themselves with. I have only read two of the seven stories, but I fully intend to finish the rest at some point. I can see the Christian messages, but I think they’re easily ignored if that’s not your thing.

Can you think of any other great fantasy classics?
Please feel free to share in the comments. I'm always on the lookout for suggestions!

Looking for more Spotlight Lists?

Sleeping Beauty Retold

Gothic Fiction, part II: YA Gothic Fiction, part 1

More Spotlight Lists

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