Thursday, October 10, 2013

Throwback Thursday #8

Throwback Thursday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Stephanie @Bookfever and Christina @Booksane where we feature books that we've read in the past but are still crazy about. It could be a book you read as a child and still remember and love or maybe just a book that you haven't read in a long time and want to show your love for.
Each week we'll be featuring a new random question to answer!

~

Twilight
by
Stephenie Meyer

Bella Swan's move to Forks, a small, perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. But once she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, Bella's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. Up until now, Edward has managed to keep his vampire identity a secret in the small community he lives in, but now nobody is safe, especially Bella, the person Edward holds most dear.


Don't hate on my but Twilight is one of the ultimate picks for a Throwback post. I mean, who HASN'T read Twilight or at least considered it. It pretty much started the comeback for teen vampire books and it was sickly romantic except for when Bella was being dumb or klutzy. I will admit that I enjoyed it quite a bit when I first read it and was Team Edward, well until New Moon. Twilight will someday be a YA classic. xD

 Quote 

“And so the lion fell in love with the lamb…" he murmured. I looked away, hiding my eyes as I thrilled to the word.
"What a stupid lamb," I sighed.
"What a sick, masochistic lion.”

 Question of the Week: 

What's your favorite most recent book?


The Maze Runner (The Maze Runner, #1) by James Dashner

Ripper by Stefan Petrucha

I can't pick just one so it's a tie between the two.

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Book Bird Goodies #2

Meet Magnus, my little Book Bird Reviews mascot.
Instead of doing a Showcase Sunday or anything, I've decided to just post any book goodies myself.

 For Review
The Waking Dreamer (The Waking Dreamer, #1) by J.E. Alexander
Phoenix Island by John Nixon

Endless by Amanda Gray
Vampire Origins - Project Ichorous (The Strigoi, #1) by Riley Banks
Charming (Pax Arcana, #1) by Elliott James

Thanks to NetGalley for these beauties.

~

Dark Duets by Christoper Golden
The Shadow Prince (Into the Dark, #1) by Bree Despain
White Space (Dark Passages, #1) by Ilsa J. Bick

Thanks to Edelweiss for the beauties.

 Kindle Freebies 
Iron's Prophecy (Iron Fey, #4.5) by Julie Kagawa
Painted Faces by L.H. Cosway
The MacKinnon Curse (MacKinnon Curse, #.5) by J.A. Templeton
Hope(less) (Judgement of the Six, #1) by Melissa Haag

*All books are still free at time of posting. Just click the covers to go to Amazon.*

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Review: Ripper by Stefan Petrucha

Title: Ripper
Author: Stefan Petrucha
Format: Hardcover, 416 pages
Published: 2012 by Philomel Books
ISBN: 978-0-399-25524-3
Genre: Mystery, Young Adult
Rating: 5 Stars
Read Count: 1
Synopsis: You thought you knew him. You were dead wrong.
Carver Young dreams of becoming a detective, despite growing up in an orphanage with only crime novels to encourage him. But when he is adopted by Detective Hawking of the world famous Pinkerton Agency, Carver is given not only the chance to find his biological father, he finds himself smack in the middle of a real life investigation: tracking down a vicious serial killer who has thrown New York City into utter panic. When the case begins to unfold, however, it’s worse than he could have ever imagined, and his loyalty to Mr. Hawking and the Pinkertons comes into question. As the body count rises and the investigation becomes dire, Carver must decide where his true loyalty lies.
Full of whip-smart dialogue, kid-friendly gadgets, and featuring a then New York City Police Commisioner Teddy Roosevelt, Ripper challenges everything you thought you knew about the world’s most famous serial killer.


Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo |

 My Thoughts 
I've always been interested in the Ripper murders (I'm not a lunatic, I promise) so when I found Ripper for a few bucks I took it and ran. The book follows fourteen year-old Carver Young, a wanna-be detective with a knack for picking locks, as he's forced to leave his home at Ellis Orphanage and adopted by the famous Detective Hawking. Carver is also trying to locate his father after finding a letter from him at Ellis and trying to solve the newest Ripper-style murders. I absolutely loved Ripper, the murderer in the book is obviously made up since no one really knows who Jack the Ripper was but Petrucha made it a fun guessing game as we followed along with Carver. Ripper is a fun and adventurous story with lovely characters including Teddy Roosevelt and an interesting setting in late 1800's New York with the Tombs and Blackwell's Asylum.

*Mr. Petrucha has some cool pictures of Ripper New York City in 1895 on his site, check them out here.*

 Quotes 
“Your novels show only the tiniest fraction of detective work, the brilliant crime, the tantalizing clues, the dramatic chase, the final battle atop a lofty peak with ocean waves crashing down below, and then… justice served! If they wrote about the real world, four-fifths of the story would consist of the hero sitting in a library for months and following false leads.”

“Really, boy, unless you're ready to deal with the monster, you shouldn't go looking under the bed.”

 About the Author 
Stefan Petrucha (born January 27, 1959) is an American writer for adults and young adults. He has written graphic novels in the The X-Files and Nancy Drew series, as well as science fiction and horror.
Born in the Bronx, he has spent time in the big city and the suburbs, and now lives in western Massachusetts with his wife, fellow writer Sarah Kinney, and their daughters. At times he has been a tech writer, an educational writer, a public relations writer and an editor for trade journals, but his preference is for fiction in all its forms.

Goodreads Blog Website |

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Throwback Thursday #7

Throwback Thursday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Stephanie @Bookfever and Christina @Booksane where we feature books that we've read in the past but are still crazy about. It could be a book you read as a child and still remember and love or maybe just a book that you haven't read in a long time and want to show your love for.
Each week we'll be featuring a new random question to answer!

~

Avalon High
by
Meg Cabot

To newcomer Ellie, Avalon High seems like a typical American high school, complete with jocks, nerds, cheerleaders, and even the obligatory senior class president, quarterback, and all-around good guy. But it doesn't take Ellie long to suspect that something weird is going on beneath the glossy surface of this tranquil hall of learning. As she pieces together the meaning of this unfolding drama, she begins to recognize some haunting Arthurian echoes, causing her to worry that she has become just a pawn in mythic history.


This was probably the first book I ever read by Meg Cabot (which was forever ago), and it's what first got me interested in myth re-tellings. It's a pretty short book but it's a fun and cute read.

*I swear the complete cover is there...blame it on my white background. xD*

 Quote 

“Why had I taken all those useless classes like bio and German when I should have been taking lipreading?” 

 Question of the Week: 

Do you read before bed?

I try to read before bed if I can, plus it is one comfy place to read.