Karenschoice books

A reminder that my flash giveaway of a copy of The Second Empress by Michelle Moran is still running up until tonight at 12! And shock that a surprising number of winners I've e-mailed for my 600 follower giveaways haven't responded in a week...hmm...I've sent out e-mails to new winners so hopefully I can get these prizes out of my hands!

book info: ages: 15 and up grades: 9-10 and up years: 11 and up on sale: NOW copy from: library pages: 487 title: The Shadow of the Wind (el cementario de los libros olvidados) author: Carlos Ruiz Zafón Barcelona, 1945: A city slowly heals in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, and Daniel, an antiquarian book dealer’s son who mourns the loss of his mother, finds solace in a mysterious book entitled The Shadow of the Wind, by one Julián Carax. But when he sets out to find the author’s other works, he makes a shocking discovery: someone has been systematically destroying every copy of every book Carax has written. In fact, Daniel may have the last of Carax’s books in existence. Soon Daniel’s seemingly innocent quest opens a door into one of Barcelona’s darkest secrets--an epic story of murder, madness, and doomed love. OK, I read this a month ago, so this review is long overdue. I find it hard to review books that I really love, because I end up just rambling on why I love it so ...

book info: ages: 12 and up grades: 7-8 and up years: 9 and up on sale: now copy from: school library pages: 233 title: Girl with a Pearl Earring author: Tracy Chevalier With precisely 35 canvases to his credit, the Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer represents one of the great enigmas of 17th-century art. The meager facts of his biography have been gleaned from a handful of legal documents. Yet Vermeer's extraordinary paintings of domestic life, with their subtle play of light and texture, have come to define the Dutch golden age. His portrait of the anonymous Girl with a Pearl Earring has exerted a particular fascination for centuries--and it is this magnetic painting that lies at the heart of Tracy Chevalier's second novel of the same title. Girl with a Pearl Earring centers on Vermeer's prosperous Delft household during the 1660s. When Griet, the novel's quietly perceptive heroine, is hired as a servant, turmoil follows. First, the 16-year-old narrator becomes increasing...

I realised that I still had 1 finished copy of The Second Empress to giveaway to you all, and thought I'd make this one last a week in order to get both winners (one from my 600 follower giveaway) and one from you all! This time, this is simply to promote this lovely historical fiction novel! It was published August 14, and now being the end of September: you've only one week to enter :) About the Book National bestselling author Michelle Moran returns to Paris, this time under the rule of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte as he casts aside his beautiful wife to marry a Hapsburg princess he hopes will bear him a royal heir After the bloody French Revolution, Emperor Napoleon’s power is absolute. When Marie-Louise, the eighteen year old daughter of the King of Austria, is told that the Emperor has demanded her hand in marriage, her father presents her with a terrible choice: marry the cruel, capricious Napoleon, leaving the man she loves and her home forever, or say no, and plunge her ...

Hello readers!    You may see that I'm at one of my low points in blogging, and I must confirm your suspicions. It's the last 9 weeks of the semester starting next week, and I need to pull of my dropping grades. Which means no distractions, including: blogging tumblr 9gag reading   They're distractions, but not bad ones. I'm not saying that I don't like them, but only at this time do I need to think about my priorities. Which are grades. So I'll see how in a month or two, and I'll be dropping by as often as I can so I'm not gone FOREVER for this end of the year. I'll see what best I can do. Weekends will be the only times I'll be able to blog!  Thanks so much for sticking with me! I hope that over any holidays or breaks and during the summer, I will return full fledged to you all in complete reading indulgences! Until we meet again! -Kirthi

Hi readers!  My 600 follower giveaways end today and if you haven't entered already, here are the links! (they're found at the top of my page, but here they are just in case you'd like to click from this page) 600 Follower Giveaways: a copy of  The Second Empress by Michelle Moran  20/9 a copy of  Innocent Darkness by Suzanne Lazear  20/9 a copy of  Airhead by Meg Cabot and Girl Out Loud  by Emily Gale 20/9 (pick your thon!) a copy of  Cat Girl's Day Off by Kimberly Pauley a copy of  Above by Leah Bobet a copy of  Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft Thank you all for helping me achieve this awesome number!

Hello readers! In my attempt of contributing to the book blogging world and join society once more, I've made this post: I'm feeling whimsical. And euphoric. My study schedule was usually just come home, relax and do whatever, and then cram finish my homework. Freshman year, I'd just finish homework during lunch period! But now I've been working right after home, and I have so much to do yet I also have more time because I've given myself time. I have yet to study my maths, but I will soon, promise :) Now, for a touch of whimsy. with the help of Tumblr, my latest technological achievement. (I recently got one and shamelessly promoted it on Voyage , a writing/literary blog you should definitely check out, hint hint) My favourite childhood story: Winnie the Pooh. I love these characters so much. Honestly, I was obsessed in the best possible connotation of that word. found (my blog, haha)                   source And this that made me...

book info: ages: 12 and up grades: 7-8 and up years: 9 and up on sale: now in stores! copy from: publisher pages: 422 title: The City's Son author: Tom Pollock Expelled from school, betrayed by her best friend and virtually ignored by her dad, who’s never recovered from the death of her mum, Beth Bradley retreats to the sanctuary of the streets, looking for a new home. What she finds is Filius Viae, the ragged and cocky crown prince of London, who opens her eyes to the place she’s never truly seen. But the hidden London is on the brink of destruction. Reach, the King of the Cranes, is a malign god of demolition, and he wants Filius dead. In the absence of the Lady of the Streets, Filius’ goddess mother, Beth rouses Filius to raise an alleyway army, to reclaim London’s skyscraper throne for the mother he’s never known. Beth has almost forgotten her old life – until her best friend and her father come searching for her, and she must choose between the streets and the life she left be...

Hello readers!   OK I'm going to be working very hard today to complete and review books I should have done ages ago: so I am on a roll!  You may already know, but I am a huge Enya fan. She was the first singer, the first song I ever enjoyed when I was young. Before, I never really listened to music at all, but she introduced me to it. The joy of music :D And today reminds me so much of one song: Lazy Days: From my most favourite album of hers: A Day Without Rain. It's like: my album, me theme songs, my life. Enjoy! P.S. My 600 Follower Giveaways are still going! Please go on and enter!

(15/9/12): well this is awkward. no comments....:O Hello all! (warning, this post contains homosexuality (in the literary context, nothing more! So if it'll offend you, please ignore this and go on your merry way!) "We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he to-day that sheds his blood with me  Shall be my brother" The quote accurately describes what I'm trying to say. A relationship with spilled blood is a different one than with one with flowers.    I've told myself that I will not budge until this entire post is written, edited, and published. So it shall be.    Now, the universe has brought together this chain of events and memories that go as follow: The film "Alexander" (2004) with Colin Farrell and Jared Leto The studying of "The Epic of Gilgamesh" in English class The studying of Classical Greece, the Persian Wars etc... in World History and not-so-recently, the watching of BBC's "Henry V" ("We few, we happy f...

Hello all!   I've remained very dormant with this blog and I really want to write more and do more with it! So I will. Homework and studying isn't an excuse to just leave everyone. So for now, I'll let you know what I'm up to reading-wise.  I have a fantastic school library that has ALL the updated YA books in the modern world, rather than the public library that has nothing. In fact, my school is doing this wicked Kindle check-out where they check out Kindles to readers! It's the most brilliant idea, and I'm filling out a form to be able to do that, but I'll only use it for books I can't get in the paper edition. I love paper books.  Currently, for class, I am reading The Epic of Gilgamesh (this version) A great king, strong as the stars in Heaven. Enkidu, a wild and mighty hero, is created by the gods to challenge the arrogant King Gilgamesh. But instead of killing each other, the two become friends. Travelling together to the Cedar Forest, they fight ...

Hello all! Right, it's been a while, hasn't it? So sorry! I have loads to tell you all, and I'll save those for later posts, yeah? :) I rarely participate in blog tours, but I joined a blog tour website and decided to get more involved with them! Thus, I present to you: The Dark Promise Tour. photo credit: goodreads About the Book: Rylie has it all - great friends, dream boy, loving family. But on the eve of her sixteenth birthday, her perfect little world shatters. A stranger claiming to be her real mother appears with a secret: Rylie is a faery whose powers will be unleashed on her birthday. Captured and forced into a new life, Rylie struggles to keep everything she loves and discovers a terrifying truth: some promises cannot be broken Excerpt Reveal: *** The doorbell rang. I glanced over at my clock. It was nine o’clock at night, kind of late for visitors. I made my way to the top of the stairs, curious as to who it was, and I heard the door open. “Mrs. McCallister?” “Ye...