Karenschoice books

Today, I would like to share with you a little site that pretty much took over my life . For the last week or so, I've been obsessively working on Leafmarks. It's like I took on a second job, only this one I'm doing for free and I don't mind one bit - because I love it. Who is this mystery employer? Well, meet... Leafmarks in a new site following the steps of Goodreads - it's a catalog of books in which you can mark To-Read, Read and Currently Reading, shelf books, earn leaves by completing challenges, making friends, writing reviews, etc... It's a place where you can meet book lovers and talk books - and it's for book lovers, by book lovers. And I love it so much I became a Librarian, helping clean and fix the database to give you the best info and details. And why do I love it so much? Well, Leafmarks is beginning its way by addressing some of the most asked for, insistent (and ignored) features on Goodreads - half stars and re-reads . That's right, ...

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch Series:   Gentleman Bastard #1 Source:  bought paperback Publisher:  Gollancz Publication Date: 2007 Age Group: Adult due to character's ages and language The Thorn of Camorr is said to be an unbeatable swordsman, a master thief, a friend to the poor, a ghost that walks through walls. Slightly built and barely competent with a sword, Locke Lamora is, much to his annoyance, the fabled Thorn. And while Locke does indeed steal from the rich (who else would be worth stealing from?), the poor never see a penny. All of Locke's gains are strictly for himself and his tight-knit band of thieves. The Gentleman Bastards. The capricious, colourful underworld of the ancient city of Camorr is the only home they have ever known. But now a clandestine war is threatening to tear it apart. Caught up in a murderous game, Locke and his friends are suddenly struggling just to stay alive... DNF The Lies of Locke Lamora sounded like the perfect book fo...

So as you guys know, I just moved here. And that means my old blog now lies abandoned... alongside all my old reviews. But because I feel like some of them don't deserve such an awful treatment, I'm going to slowly move my favorite reviews here,  especially  if my opinion differs than Megs. (though some editing may occur, as I'm a little OCD about my reviews, and the older they originally are, the more likely I am to have things I want to rephrase).  The Avery Shaw Experiment   by  Kelly Oram Source:  own paperback & Kindle version Publisher:  Bluefields Publication Date:  May 4th 2013 Age Genre:  Young Adult Originally published:  June 8, 2013 When Wendy Everly was six years old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. Eleven years later, Wendy discovers her mother might have been right. She’s not the person she’s always believed herself to be, and her whole life begins to unravel—all because of Finn Holmes...

Nitzan brought something up to me the other day as a discussion topic idea - and I loved it, so we're doing it. The topic is... Character Images! Do you ever read a book, and just have this perfect picture of the character in your mind, only to find out later that your idea was completely wrong? Like, for instance, you had them pictured as a blond, when really they were a brunette? Or maybe they're described as plain, when you're picturing them as beautiful because of their personality? Because that happens to me all the time. Like, all the time. And on top of that, once I've been corrected, I refuse to change my opinion of their character image. I'll continue to think of them the exact same way that I didn't before I was corrected. I just can't help it! Same with me. I realized lately that I rarely picture them "correctly" or as they are "supposed" to be. Often, I don't remember what's their hair color, or eye color, or even skin...

Brotherhood by A.B. Westrick Series: N/A Source: Bought Publisher: Viking Publication Date: September 12, 2013 The year is 1867, the South has been defeated, and the American Civil War is over. But the conflict goes on. Yankees now patrol the streets of Richmond, Virginia, and its citizens, both black and white, are struggling to redefine their roles and relationships. By day, fourteen-year-old Shadrach apprentices with a tailor and sneaks off for reading lessons with Rachel, a freed slave, at her school for African-American children. By night he follows his older brother to the meetings of a group whose stated mission is to protect Confederate widows like their mother. But as the true murderous intentions of the brotherhood—-now known as the Ku Klux Klan—-are revealed, Shad finds himself trapped between old loyalties and what he knows is right. A powerful and unflinching story of a family caught in the enormous social and political upheaval of the period of Reconstruction. All I feel...

Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff Series:   The Lotus War #1 Source:  gifted hardcover Publisher:  Thomas Dunne Books Publication Date: Sep 18, 2012 Age Group: Young Adult A DYING LAND The Shima Imperium verges on the brink of environmental collapse; an island nation once rich in tradition and myth, now decimated by clockwork industrialization and the machine-worshipers of the Lotus Guild. The skies are red as blood, the land is choked with toxic pollution, and the great spirit animals that once roamed its wilds have departed forever. AN IMPOSSIBLE QUEST The hunters of Shima’s imperial court are charged by their Shōgun to capture a thunder tiger – a legendary creature, half-eagle, half-tiger. But any fool knows the beasts have been extinct for more than a century, and the price of failing the Shōgun is death. A HIDDEN GIFT Yukiko is a child of the Fox clan, possessed of a talent that if discovered, would see her executed by the Lotus Guild. Accompanying her father on the Shōgun...

Who Wore it Better is an original meme I brought with me from Drugs Called Books. In it, instead of discussing fashion or cloths, we discuss book covers from different countries, and who has the best cover. The meme is co-hosted with the lovely Amanda from  The Book Badger  and will be featured on her blog every other week, so check her out as well!   So after last week Amanda reviewed the different covers in Magic Study , we'll be starting a new series this week. Drum rolls please... It's... Shiver by Maggie Steifvater!  I haven't read Shiver. I started my Steifvater career with The Raven Boys , which I adore to pieces, and have been pretty much afraid to try Shiver because I've heard some bad stuff about the finale book, and Maggie herself stated she didn't know the full story when she started writing - she just made it up as she went. But I do want to read everything Maggie has ever written. So, I do plan to read this - and maybe this is just the nudge that I...

"Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary plot element, theme, or setting". A while back, I saw this video by BookYuber Christine that made me want to make my own list of book recommendations for the Fantasy Newbies. I've been reading Fantasy, or a form of it, for most of my life. In fact, from the moment I read Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone at the age of seven, to my 18th birthday, I refused to read anything but Fantasy. And still, Fantasy can be... hard. Especially the advanced forms of it. You see, Christine is right. Reading Fantasy is a commitment. It's a form of art. You can't go to it like you do a contemporary novel because when you decide to read Fantasy, you decide to send yourself into a new world - and follow a completely new set of rules. It's a process . You might get confused. You might feel lost. It's that commitment that allows you to carry on and break through th...

Take Me On by Katie McGarry Series: Pushing the Limits, #4 Source: Bought Publisher: Harlequin Teen Publication Date:  May 27, 2014 Acclaimed author Katie McGarry returns with the knockout new story of two high school seniors who are about to learn what winning really means. Champion kickboxer Haley swore she'd never set foot in the ring again after one tragic night. But then the guy she can't stop thinking about accepts a mixed martial arts fight in her honor. Suddenly, Haley has to train West Young. All attitude, West is everything Haley promised herself she'd stay away from. Yet he won't last five seconds in the ring without her help. West is keeping a big secret from Haley. About who he really is. But helping her-fighting for her-is a shot at redemption. Especially since it's his fault his family is falling apart. He can't change the past, but maybe he can change Haley's future. Hayley and West have agreed to keep their relationship strictly in the ring...