Karenschoice books

13 Little Blue Envelopes by  Maureen Johnson Series:   Little Blue Envelope #1 Source:  Kindle copy Publisher:  HarperTeen Publication Date:  October 6th 2009 Age Group: Young Adult Inside little blue envelope 1 are $1,000 and instructions to buy a plane ticket. In envelope 2 are directions to a specific London flat. The note in envelope 3 tells Ginny: Find a starving artist. Because of envelope 4, Ginny and a playwright/thief/ bloke–about–town called Keith go to Scotland together, with somewhat disastrous–though utterly romantic–results. But will she ever see him again? Everything about Ginny will change this summer, and it's all because of the 13 little blue envelopes. So, I'm going to be totally honest - I've been meaning to get 13 Little Blue Envelopes for a while now. I was always curious about this book, but I just... I really, really don't like the covers for this book. At all. So, being the shallow human being that I am, I pushed it back until... well, ...

We, the book people, all have something we refer to as our "To Be Read" pile. We always say "our TBR". But recently, when thinking about it, I realized something. We don't have a TBR. We have TBR s . What do I mean? 1. Physical TBR This one consists of all your unread books on your physical shelves  at home, in your personal library. This is the most visible of TBRs , the one people actually see if you invite them over. Currently, I have around 70 books on this TBR. This is the TBR that really matters to me , and is the one I work the hardest on minimizing. Why? Because this is the one I feel obligated to excuse. If someone walks into my room, sees a book and asks me how it is, I am unable to just say "I haven't read it yet". I feel obligated to give a very detailed explanation why , because I feel almost ashamed that it's still unread (and that I'm buying more books despite of this fact). 2. The Series TBR This TBR is mostly compiled of ...

AN UPDATED VERSION OF THIS REVIEW CAN BE FOUND ON AFTERWORDS! The Book Thief by Markus Zusak Source:  paperback Publisher:  Black Swan Publication Date:  January 30th 2014 Age Genre: Young Adult HERE IS A SMALL FACT - YOU ARE GOING TO DIE 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier. Liesel, a nine-year-old girl, is living with a foster family on Himmel Street. Her parents have been taken away to a concentration camp. Liesel steals books. This is her story and the story of the inhabitants of her street when the bombs begin to fall. SOME IMPORTANT INFORMATION - THIS NOVEL IS NARRATED BY DEATH It's a small story, about: a girl an accordionist some fanatical Germans a Jewish fist fighter and quite a lot of thievery. ANOTHER THING YOU SHOULD KNOW - DEATH WILL VISIT THE BOOK THIEF THREE TIMES The Book Thief has been reviewed many times over. I bet everything that could be said about it, already has been. But... as a Jew, reading this book...

So as you guys know, I wasn't always part of The Book Babe's Reads. I had my own personal blog before - which 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! (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).  First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones Series:   Charley Davidson #1 Source:  Bought paperback copy Publisher:  Piatkus Books Publication Date:  November 3rd 2011 Age Genre: New Adult Original Review: May 22, 2013 Private investigator Charlotte Davidson was born with three things: looks; a healthy respect for the male anatomy; and the rather odd job title of grim reaper. Since the age of five, she has been helping the departed solve the mysteries of their deaths so they can cross over. Thus, when three lawyers f...

Now YOU See It is a new feature on the blog where we're going to recommend Web Series, shows and movies to you guys! The feature will not have a set pub date, but rather will be posted as the inspiration strikes For the first episode of Now YOU See It , I've been wondering what show to talk about. I knew from the moment I thought of this feature that I'm going to start with a Web Series, probably one loosely based on a novel of some sorts, but I didn't want to start with the obvious ones. Luckily, Season 2 of Carmilla has started streaming, which pretty much decided things for me. If you're asking this question (about Carmilla, I mean), Carmilla is a web-show loosely based on a J. Sheridan Le Fanu novella of the same name. Every one of the thirty six episodes is around the three minutes mark, produced by the YouTube channel Vervegirl TV  and told through the eyes of Laura, a student in Silas University that is investigating her best friend's mysterious disappe...

Through to You by Emily Hainsworth Series: N/A Source: Bought Publisher: Balzer + Bray Publication Date: October 2, 2012 Camden Pike has been grief-stricken since his girlfriend, Viv, died. He’d give anything to have just one more glimpse of her. But when Cam visits the site of Viv’s deadly car accident, he sees an apparition. Her name is Nina, and she’s a girl from a parallel world. When Cam follows her there and makes an unbelievable discovery, it’s as if all his wildest dreams have come true. But things are very different in this other world. Nina is hiding a secret, and the window between the worlds is shrinking every day. As Cam comes to terms with the truth, he’s forced to make a choice that will change his life forever. Viv has been dead for two long months, but she's still everywhere. And nowhere. Through to You started out as an ok kind of read. I wasn't immediately impressed and begging for more, but I was doing alright. But by the end of the first chapter, I was rea...

AN UPDATED VERSION OF THIS REVIEW CAN BE FOUND ON MY NEW BLOG! Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare Series:   The Infernal Devices #1 Source:  Bought Paperback Publisher:  Walker Books Publication Date:  March 1st 2011 Age Genre: Young Adult Magic is dangerous — but love is more dangerous still When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Friendless and hunted, Tessa seeks refuge with the Shadowhunters, a band of warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons. Drawn ever deeper into their world, she finds herself fascinated by — and torn between — two best friends and quickly realizes that love may be the most dangerous magic of all. Yep, you're reading this right. A mere three and a half stars. I thought Clockwork Angel might...

Grave Mercy   by  Robin LaFevers Series:   His Fair Assassins #1 Source:  Bought Hardcover Publisher:  Houghton Mifflin Original Post:  April 3rd, 2013 Age Genre:  Young Adult Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf? Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others. Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, a...