30 Day Book Meme - Day 3

Elleira over at Chimneys & Magic is running the 30 Day Book Meme. 

Day 03 – Your favourite series:

I have quite a few favourite series, and it would be really hard to narrow it down to one, so I will share my top three with you. (In no specific order.)

1. The Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy by Maggie Stiefvater. - My first introduction into the new world of YA was this wolf based trilogy. It was amazing well written with strong characters and realistic wolves. Short but sweet, and not dragged on forever. What is not to love about that.

2. The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. - I don't even think I have to justify this with too much rambling. I don't think there are many people left out there who have not read and enjoyed the Harry Potter series.

3. The Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead. - A series I was introduced to by a friend. After reading the back of the first book I thought I was going to hate it and have to murder my friend for forcing me to read it. But I was wrong. Dimitri saved the day. Without him I'm not sure I could have read it, but Dimitri is the type of character who can make me read any book...just like Ash in the Iron Fey series right now...

Thanks for reading and link below if you are doing the 30 Day Book Meme as well. I would love to see your answers!

Day 01 – The best book you read last year

Day 02 – A book that you’ve read more than 3 times
Day 03 – Your favourite series
Day 04 – Favourite book of your favourite series
Day 05 – A book that makes you happy
Day 06 – A book that makes you sad
Day 07 – Most underrated book
Day 08 – Most overrated book
Day 09 – A book you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Day 10 – Favourite classic book
Day 11 – A book you hated
Day 12 – A book you used to love but don’t anymore
Day 13 – Your favourite writer
Day 14 – Favourite book of your favorite writer
Day 15 – Favourite male character
Day 16 – Favourite female character
Day 17 – Favourite quote(s) from your favourite book(s)
Day 18 – A book that disappointed you
Day 19 – Favourite book turned into a movie
Day 20 – Favourite romance book
Day 21 – Favourite book from your childhood
Day 22 – Favourite book you own
Day 23 – A book you wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favourite title(s)
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 – Your favourite book of all time

30 Day Book Meme - Day 2

Elleira over at Chimneys & Magic is running the 30 Day Book Meme. 

Day 02 – A book that you're read more than 3 times:

Honestly, there are not a lot of books that I read more than one time (except maybe children's books). The fact is, I have so many books waiting to be read, I feel like I'm wasting my time to go back and reread something that I have previously enjoyed knowing that might take away from the time I have to enjoy a possible new favourite.

That being said there are at least two books that I know I have read at least twice, and possible three times.

1. The Black Stallion by Walter Farley - Growing up I was a huge fan of The Black Stallion series. I have most likely read at least the first three books in the series at least twice, and I'm pretty sure I have read the first one three times. I am a huge animal fan, especially when it comes to horses and wolves, and I read as many stories as I can about them both.

2. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling - I have read the whole Harry Potter series through one time, and have attempted a reread many times after that. I tend not to get past the third book any time. As such I know I have read the first one at least three times, but I'm not sure much beyond that.

Thanks for reading and link below if you are doing the 30 Day Book Meme as well. I would love to see your answers!

Day 01 – The best book you read last year

Day 02 – A book that you’ve read more than 3 times
Day 03 – Your favourite series
Day 04 – Favourite book of your favourite series
Day 05 – A book that makes you happy
Day 06 – A book that makes you sad
Day 07 – Most underrated book
Day 08 – Most overrated book
Day 09 – A book you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Day 10 – Favourite classic book
Day 11 – A book you hated
Day 12 – A book you used to love but don’t anymore
Day 13 – Your favourite writer
Day 14 – Favourite book of your favorite writer
Day 15 – Favourite male character
Day 16 – Favourite female character
Day 17 – Favourite quote(s) from your favourite book(s)
Day 18 – A book that disappointed you
Day 19 – Favourite book turned into a movie
Day 20 – Favourite romance book
Day 21 – Favourite book from your childhood
Day 22 – Favourite book you own
Day 23 – A book you wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favourite title(s)
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 – Your favourite book of all time

30 Day Book Meme - Day 1

Elleira over at Chimneys & Magic has started the 30 Day Book Meme. This intrigued me so I decided to give it a go. I'm also in the same boat as Elleira with regards to time, so most likely my entries will not be 30 days consecutively, but I will fit them in as I have the time to do so. (Plus it gives me time to actually think about the answers because looking at some of these questions I can see there will be challenges...)

Day 01 – The best book you read last year:

Last year...let me think back...(brings up her Goodreads page and flips through the books listed as read last year...).

I will have to go with The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. It seems I didn't give any books a 5 star rating last year but I remember this one was pretty close. I loved the whole series, but the first one was always my favourite.

Other books of note from last year were:

1) Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead (The final book of the Vampire Academy series.)

2) Linger by Maggie Stiefvater (The second book of the Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy.)

3) The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer (A novella in the Twilight series.)

Thanks for reading and link below if you are doing the 30 Day Book Meme as well. I would love to see your answers!

Day 01 – The best book you read last year

Day 02 – A book that you’ve read more than 3 times
Day 03 – Your favourite series
Day 04 – Favourite book of your favourite series
Day 05 – A book that makes you happy
Day 06 – A book that makes you sad
Day 07 – Most underrated book
Day 08 – Most overrated book
Day 09 – A book you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Day 10 – Favourite classic book
Day 11 – A book you hated
Day 12 – A book you used to love but don’t anymore
Day 13 – Your favourite writer
Day 14 – Favourite book of your favorite writer
Day 15 – Favourite male character
Day 16 – Favourite female character
Day 17 – Favourite quote(s) from your favourite book(s)
Day 18 – A book that disappointed you
Day 19 – Favourite book turned into a movie
Day 20 – Favourite romance book
Day 21 – Favourite book from your childhood
Day 22 – Favourite book you own
Day 23 – A book you wanted to read for a long time but still haven’t
Day 24 – A book that you wish more people would’ve read
Day 25 – A character who you can relate to the most
Day 26 – A book that changed your opinion about something
Day 27 – The most surprising plot twist or ending
Day 28 – Favourite title(s)
Day 29 – A book everyone hated but you liked
Day 30 – Your favourite book of all time

WWW Wednesday - July 27th 2011

Here is this week's post for WWW Wednesday, which is hosted by the lovely Should Be Reading.

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

My responses:

What am I currently reading?

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson, my first NetGalley ARC pick. it is really really good! I can't wait to finish and review this.

What did I recently finish reading?

The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong. What a great first book in her YA trilogy. I am surprised I have never read it before now. (Review coming soon).

Due to my slight obsession with wolves, I am also reading The Seal Wolves by Ian McAllister, a non-fiction documentation of the coastal wolves that inhabit Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia, Canada.

What do I think I will read next?

Most likely I will read The Iron Daughter and The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa next because I was approved for an ARC NetGalley of The Iron Knight...and who can pass that up? I will also have to fit in The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman before the end of August to tie up my 2011 Summer YA Challenge.

What are you reading?

Teaser Tuesday - July 26th 2011

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3. Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
4. Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser:

"Your sister peeled back the wet swaddling and we saw the Godstone lodged in your belly button, warm and alive but blue and faceted, hard as a diamond. That's when we decided to name you Lucero-Elisa." Heavenly light, chosen of God.

This teaser is from my first advance copy read from NetGalley. The book is The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson. It is set to be published September 20th by HarperTeen. It is the first in a trilogy.

~On her naming day, Elisa was marked for an act of great heroism. A blue sapphire-like stone has hummed in her navel for the past sixteen years, a constant reminder that she’s mastered nothing but reading ancient texts and raiding the kitchens. And then her father marries her off to the king of a neighboring country. What kind of queen can a fearful, untried teenager be? Amid terrifying attacks, kidnapping attempts, and an onslaught of enemies fueled by the fire of dark sorcerers, Elisa will find herself, her heart, and her epic destiny. A remarkable and exotic novel full of adventure, sorcery, heartbreak, and power.~

I am really enjoying this book so far! It reminds me a bit of Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel stories.

Share your teaser with me!

Review of Zombies vs. Unicorns Edited by Holly Black

~It's a question as old as time itself: which is better, the zombie or the unicorn?

In this anthology, edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier (unicorn and zombie, respectively), strong arguments are made for both sides in the form of short stories. Half of the stories portray the strengths—for good and evil—of unicorns and half show the good (and really, really bad-ass) side of zombies. Contributors include many bestselling teen authors, including Cassandra Clare, Libba Bray, Maureen Johnson, Meg Cabot, Scott Westerfeld, and Margo Lanagan. This anthology will have everyone asking: Team Zombie or Team Unicorn?~

Zombies vs. Unicorns was my pick for collection of short stories for my 2011 YA Challenge. I actually only picked it because it was what I saw a lot of other people participating in the challenge were picking. I had no idea who Holly Black was before that day.

Generally I'm not a big fan of anthologies. I usually find there is maybe one or two good stories, and the rest are typically pretty crappy. I guess I have to readjust my way of thinking after reading Zombies vs. Unicorns. This was probably the best collection of stories I have ever read. I have to give credit to Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier for pulling this together.

And check out this book trailer. Hilarious!



I think what really made this collection enjoyable was the banter that was weaved throughout. There are two very clearly defined "teams" - "team zombie" and "team unicorn". I was really impressed by the list of contributors, a lot of great authors submitted stories to this anthology. Unfortunately before I even started reading I felt the urge to side with team unicorn, not just because unicorns are awesome, The Last Unicorn and Legend are great stories/movies, but also because I noticed Cassandra Clare was writing for team zombie. Don't get me wrong, Cassandra is a great writer and I love her books to pieces...I've just had issues with her spoiler dropping and the anger I feel is still too raw...but anyhow...

The introduction starts of introducing the two teams and where the idea came from. I had no idea this was apparently a long debated topic! It's interesting and entertaining how Holly and Justine keep bickering and bantering back and forth about the merits and flaws of each other's team. The back and forth continues before every new story and creates a nice flow throughout the anthology that is typically missing, and possibly why I typically dislike collections.

Another thing I dislike about anthologies, and this is my issue and not the fault with the book itself, is I feel the need to rate and review each story separately, not finding it quite fair for each story to be based on the anthology overall grade. This is very time consuming and why I don't do this very often.

Now on with the ratings!

Team Unicorn - 22/30:
The Highest Justice by Garth Nix - 5/5
This was a great story. I love medieval times and stories that take place then. I enjoyed the basis that only the "true" and "faithful" can see the unicorn. Great writing style. Highly enjoyable.
Purity Test by Naomi Novik - 2/5
This story wasn't anything special. I wasn't overly fond of the dialogue or the flow of the story. However I did like the little dig about fairyland at the end of the story.
A Thousand Flowers by Margo Lanagan - 4/5
This story was interesting and disturbing all at the same time. I did find it jolting when the author jumped from one character to the next to tell the story. I understand why she did it, but it was very distracting. I did really enjoy the beautiful old style language that was used. The underlying suggestion of bestiality might bother some readers.
The Care and Feeding of Your Baby Killer Unicorn by Diana Peterfreund - 5/5
I cannot tell you how much I loved this story. I have discovered a new author I just HAVE to read! (I already rushed out and bought both of her killer unicorn novels.) I just loved the whole world Diana created where unicorns are real, everyone knows it, but they are terrified of them because they are evil killers of DOOM! You have to read this story. It was amazing!
Princess Prettypants by Meg Cabot - 3/5
This story was enjoyable, but not fantastic. It's actually a little ridiculous, but I know the author meant for it to be that way. I mean rainbow farts and jingling hooves? Entertaining but not something I would want to read more than a few pages of.
The Third Virgin by Kathleen Duey - 3/5
This story disturbed me greatly. I can't even put my finger on why, but it did. And it wasn't in a good way. I had to force myself to finish the story because the unicorn creeped me out so bad I didn't even want to read any further. I just didn't like it. The writing was well done however. I did like the girl's character at the end though. Strong character.

Team Zombie 18/30:
Love Will Tear Us Apart by Alaya Dawn Johnson - 1/5
I couldn't really get into this story. I was often confused as to what was supposed to be going on, and I didn't like any of the characters. I felt no emotion toward any of them, and that's never good. To me it never became clear what the father had done to be so evil. Perhaps I missed it. The main characters are homosexual males, which might offend some readers.
Bougainvillea by Carrie Ryan - 5/5
I'm not even going to lie. I love Carrie Ryan's zombie novels, and I went into this short story already knowing how awesome she would pull it off. And she didn't disappoint! I never saw the end coming, even though I know I should have. I love it when that happens. Great story!
The Children of the Revolution by Maureen Johnson - 3/5
This was a pretty good story. It had a nice flow and had very realistic characters. For some reason I kept picturing Angelina Jolie as the mother. I'm not sure that was exactly what the author was going for, but that's who I envisioned. I'm not sure about the stupidity that leads to the peak moment or about how things end up...but the writing was solid.
Inoculata by Scott Westerfeld - 2/5
This story didn't do much for me. It was enjoyable, but nothing overly special. I'm not sure how I feel about the ending. The main characters are homosexual females, which might offend some readers.
Cold Hands by Cassandra Clare - 4/5
I wanted to hate this story, because as mentioned I have a personal issue with the author. Lucky for her, her writing is just too good to for me not to enjoy. The story was very predictable, but well written. I loved the characters and connected well with them. It was hard not to love the lead male, even when he was all zombified.
Prom Night by Libba Bray 3/5
This story was well written, but I felt like I was lead on in so many little ways. It felt like so may story lines were created, but never tied up...the mother, the tunnels, Robin, etc. The author has a good writing style, and I will most likely look for some novels written by her in the future, I just feel like she tried to tackle too much in this short story.

So there you have it, as predicted Team Unicorn has stolen the show. It wasn't based on bias, it really wasn't, I just enjoyed most of the unicorn stories more!

To put this into some perspective however, my 13 year old son is currently reading this collection and clearly believes that I am insane and we are not related because he feels the zombies kick some serious ass.

Boys...

My rating?

4 super scribble spiders out of 5!

Follow Friday and Book Blogger Hop July 22nd 2011

Follow my Book Blog Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee. 

This week's question is:

Q. Name 3 authors that you would love to sit down and spend an hour or a meal with just talking about either their books or get advice on writing from?

1. Stephen King has always been one of my favorite writers as long as I can remember. I had read many other books before his, but his were the ones that first incited real emotion in me...mostly terror. He was the writer who made me want to be a writer. I wanted to make people feel emotion as strongly as he had made me feel it. I wanted to scare people and make them sleep with their lights on at night.

2. Margaret Atwood was one of the first female authors I felt a strong connection with. Also, she was Canadian, which always tickled me deep inside as well. I loved her strong female characters and the worlds she created for them to live in. My first major English project was based on her writings.

3. Richelle Mead. I pick her because she has come as close to writing the book that I have always seen in my head than any other author I have read. I would love to know what goes on inside her brain when she is writing. She must think along the same lines as me to get that close to the perfect story I would want to read. I would love to pick her brain and see how she got it from inside her head onto those blank pages in front of her.

Book Blogger Hop is a weekly event hosted by Crazy For Books. 

This week's question is:

Q. What's the ONE GENRE that you wish you could get into, but just can't?

Romance. I have tried SO hard to get into romance and I just can't do it. I think I must be too cynical. I just find them so repetitive and following the same pattern that it's hard to enjoy them when you already know how it's going to end, and it's always going to end all happily ever after.

What about you? What authors would you want to sit down with and which genre can you just not get into?

WWW Wednesday - July 20th 2011

Here is this week's post for WWW Wednesday, which is hosted by the lovely Should Be Reading.

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

My responses:

What am I currently reading?

The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong for my YA Summer Challenge, and for personal pleasure because Kelley Armstrong has been a long-time favourite author of mine!

What did I recently finish reading?

Forever by Maggie Stiefvater. So sad this series has come to an end. (review coming soon).

What do I think I will read next?

I only have one more book to read for my YA Summer Challenge, and that is The Golden Compass. So I will either read that, or one of the review copy books I have received in the last 2 weeks. For some reason I'm not really looking forward to reading The Golden Compass so I might hold off on that one for a bit.

What are you reading?

Teaser Tuesday - July 19th 2011

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3. Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
4. Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser:

"Mommy said she'd told Emily about the basement. Chole was sure of it."

This is from the next book in my Summer Challenge (only this one and one more to go!) The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong. I have always loved Kelley's adult series, Women of the Otherworld, so I figured I would go ahead and dive into her YA trilogy. The teaser is from the very first page and I can safely say it already has me hooked!

Share your teaser with me!

And The Winner Is...The Summer of Skinny Dipping

Last week I posted about a giveaway to celebrate Rants~N~Scribbles reaching 25 followers. 

I want to first of all thank each and every one of you who took the time to follow this blog. I appreciate each and every one of you. I can see I am already almost up to 50 followers. This is fantastic! I can't wait to see 100 and offer my very special giveaway I have planned for you all. 

I went to see an author for her book talk and signing on Saturday. I have a very special gift that is related to her that will be the prize for my 100 followers milestone. I will be posting about my outing later (after I get the pictures from my loving sister who came with me). Can you guess who it is and what I have for you before then?

But on to what you have all been waiting for!

And the winner of The Summer of Skinny Dipping by Amanda Howells is...

... drum roll please...

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

7
Timestamp: 2011-07-18 13:25:34 UTC

The winning entry is:

Vicki said...

I'm a GFC follower: Vicki Newell

irbratb(@)gmail(.)com

July 12, 2011 12:50 PM 

Congratulations Vicki. I will be emailing you shortly.

Follow Friday and Book Blogger Hop July 15th 2011

Follow my Book Blog Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee. 

This week's question is:

Q. What do I do when I are not reading?

As much as the little English teacher that lives inside my brain hated typing that out...it's exactly the way the question was worded, and so I leave it that way... begrudgingly...

When I am not reading I do lots of things. Usually work. Other than work I have homework (I work full time but take University courses online  working toward my degree), Netflix, whatever series I am watching on DVD at that moment (currently re-watching Buffy), knitting, crochet, cross-stitch, playing with my puppies, etc. I used to play some online video games but I find I don't just have the time anymore, although I do turn on Age of Empires III once in a while if I need a break and feel like blowing stuff up.

Book Blogger Hop is a weekly event hosted by Crazy For Books. 

This week's question is:

Q. How/where do you get your books? Do you buy them or go to the library? Is there a certain website you use like paperbackswap?

Mostly I buy my books brand new from Chapters. I have one literally 5 minutes walk from my office so it's very convenient. I have this weird thing with people touching the books I want to read so I typically don't use library books or used books unless I absolutely have to, or I know and trust where they are coming from. I also like to purchase Ebooks from kobobooks.com because I have both a Kobo and the Kobo app for my iPhone. Other than that the only other place I really get books from is Book Mooch and blogger giveaways.

Speaking of giveaways, I have a giveaway running right now. Entries close Sunday and the winner will be announced Monday. So enter now! 

Once I get to 100 followers I have a very special giveaway planned. It involves a signed book that was released this week. I am going to see her tomorrow to get the book signed. Do you know who it is and what book it could be?

Hopefully this Follow Friday gets me closer to that 100 follower goal! 

So...what do you do when you are not reading and where do you get your books? I's love to hear from you!

WWW Wednesday - July 13th 2011

Here is this week's post for WWW Wednesday, which is hosted by the lovely Should Be Reading.

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

My responses:

What am I currently reading?

Forever by Maggie Stiefvater for my YA Summer Challenge, and for personal pleasure as I have been waiting for this series finale for a long time!

What did I recently finish reading?

Zombies vs. Unicorns edited by Holly Black. (review coming soon).

What do I think I will read next?

Last week I mentioned I only had a few books left for my challenge and most commentors chose The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong as my next book to read, so most likely that will be the one!