Book Review: 'The Fairest Poison' by Lauren Skidmore

Title: 'The Fairest Poison' 

Series: 'What is Hidden' Book 3 

Author: Lauren Skidmore 

Genre: Fantasy; Fairy Tale Retelling 

Age: Young Adult / Adult

I've really been enjoying the 'What is Hidden' series by Lauren Skidmore.  In the first book, 'What is Hidden', you have a mystery/fantasy retelling of Cinderella; with book two, 'What is Lost,' we were given a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood.  And now, with 'The Fairest Poison' we have a Snow White retelling.  The series is all in the same world and does build off one-another so I will try and not give away too major of spoilers if you haven't read the previous two books.

The story follows Bianca whom you met (or will meet) in 'What is Lost' and picks up when she returns home to Venesia after the events of the previous book. Upon coming home, she finds her parents are dangerously (and suspiciously) ill.  Shortly afterwards, attempts are made on her life and her brother, the prince, starts going into over-protective mode. After arguing with her brother, she sets out to find the Chameleon (villain) from book one (who is also the focus of book two, and, no I will not tell you their name) to help them find out who is trying to kill her, and, of course, stop them before it's too late.

Now this is where I will stop telling you the plot-line and tell you what I thought of it. Overall, I really enjoyed this book, but I didn't like it as much as the first two. Everything about book one grabbed my attention and held it.  It had all the right elements of its fairy-tale mixed with a beautiful blend of (light) romance and mystery. Book two, was surrounded with mystery.  Up until the very end, you had more questions than you had answers and, while you might have started to guess the reveal at the end, you still keenly felt the main characters shock.  Here though, that grab-and-hold you mystery isn't there.  Yes, there is a mystery of who is behind the attempts on Bianca's life, but it's just not as engaging as the previous two books.  There is also a measure of insta-love on the side of one character, and eventual reciprocation from the other that just wasn't as well developed as it should have been. I knew going into the book that those two would end up together, but I just didn't feel their connection as well as Evie's (the Cinderella character from the first book) in book one.  I also felt it came about too fast with very little detail given as to why they liked each other.  It was simply there.

So while I enjoyed it, for me, the story was a bit blasé.  However, I do really hope she continues this serious as I'd still love to read more!  I just don't think this was her best.

Confessions of a Library Clerk: eBooks

I have a bit of a confession to make, I used to dislike ebooks. Yes, I know, it's unimaginable.  How could someone not like ebooks?! Well, at the time, (apart from when traveling) I didn't see why someone would want an ebook when they could have a real, in-the-paper book. (Sorry, all you ebook lovers, but while I have now seen the light and must acknowledge that I've now been bitten by the ebook bug,  they will never be able to replace the glorious feeling of having a real hardcover/paperback book in your hands.) However, you will be relieved to know, I have now repented of my ebook blasphemy (so please put your stones away, they will no longer be required). 

What changed my mind? Well, it started when I was given a free copy of 'The Cinder Crown' by D.R. Stokes to read and review (and if the author is reading this, I am reading it! I just ran into some technological glitches.) I thought I'd be able to read in on my laptops Kindle app. Well, turns out I was wrong. Many months later, I was able to get a tablet and was FINALLY able to start reading that ebook.  

This is when my interest in ebooks began, but it was still pretty weak. Then came my Kindle Unlimited Subscription.  In combination with my Goodreads account this further grew my interest in ebooks.  You see, I had, to my frustration, discovered that a great many of the books in my ever growing Goodreads list (it's now up to 1,026! Woohoo!) were only available as ebooks, or, if they did come as hardcover/paperback, no library in the state of Michigan had them available.  This is truly frustrating! To have so many fascinating books you wanted to read, but couldn't get a hold of them! But once I got that tablet a whole new world was opened up to me. I realized that many of them were offered on Amazon as free to-read with a Kindle Unlimited Subscription, and with a camping trip coming up and me being bereft of library books it was the perfect time! 

Ah, bliss, to at last be able to read some of the books that had been calling to me from Goodreads! It was beautiful, but, alas, with Kindle Unlimited you do not get to keep them, and as a part-time library clerk and student I could not (though tempting as it may be) afford to use my pay-check to purchase ebooks (*sob*). Thus began my quest, were there places that offered free ebooks? I had to know. And it was this quest, and desperation for more books (because who can ever have enough books?!), that led to my fully succumbing to the ebook bug. 

In the span of just a few months, my ebook collection has grown to over 200 (over 300 if you count that some of these are actually collections of multiple books). How did I do it? Where did I go to find all this ebook goodness? Turns out there are many great websites out there designed to help you find free or on sale ebooks! These are the ones I've currently found: 

1. BookBub
2. FreeBooksy
3. ManyBooks
4. BookSends
5. TheFussyLibrarian
6. eReaderIQ
7. EarlyBirdBooks
8. SweetFreeBooks
9. eBookSoda
10. SmashWords
11. DigiLibraries
12. Amazon Kindle eBook Store

This is just a few of the sites out there. There are many, many more! Now Amazon may be a surprise to some of you, but if you go to ebook bestsellers there are lists of the top selling paid and free ebooks (and it's updated hourly so don't just check once and never come back!).  Some books are up for free permanently on Amazon, while others are just free for a limited time.  You can find other free ebooks on Amazon by remembering to sort your search results as 'price: low to high.' 

Happy searching! 

New Book by Lisa Anne Nichols!

Ok, so I''m going to engage in a little bit of shameless promotion! My cousin, Lisa Anne Nichols, is an author and she recently came out with her second novel 'Unchosen.'  'Unchosen' is part of the same world/series as her first book 'Once Upon a Wish' but deals with different characters.  Both novels are what would be classified as Christian/Inspirational Fantasy.

The main character is a girl named Alonya who is cast out from her home after the death of her father and finds herself in an adventure.  Unwanted and unprotected, this is a story of hope, love, and learning.

Sadly, I have to admit to not having read it yet, but I plan to and I'd like to recommend you read it also!

If you'd like to learn more about her books, you can do so by visiting her website!

Adaptation Alert! Anne of Green Gables

Ok, so, yes, 'Anne of Green Gables' by Lucy Maud Montgomery has already been adapted to the screen both in film and TV forms.  In fact, it's happened multiple times.  However, no matter how many times it has already been done there is one thing you need to remember: it is a classic, so it really doesn't matter how many times it's already been done.  Besides, new readers may never have seen the older films/TV series and while some will have no problem going back and watching older productions, others may prefer to watch a newer version.  After all, film/TV quality has come a long ways.  And so, here we are again awaiting a new adaptation of 'Anne of Green Gables.'  The new production is a joint effort between CBC and Netflix and was announced in January of this year.  As 'Anne of Green Gables' is actually a 9 book series (though the 9th was only published in its entirety for the first time only recently it was given to her publisher the day of her death), I don't know how much of the series they will be dealing with.  Often, they only do the first two books, so that may be the case here.  What I do know, is that it will be released on Netflix sometime in 2017 and will be an 8 episode drama (the pilot episode will be 2 hours long).  For more information, such as who will be directing, you can read this Yahoo! News article from August 22.

As a side note, they have some pretty big shoes to fill, as the older versions of 'Anne of Green Gables' (particularly the 1985 movie and is 1987 sequel) did a spectacular job. (Personally, I didn't much care for the book, yes I hear your gasps of horror; don't get me wrong, it's a lovely story, but it was assigned reading in school and, at the time, I found it a bit boring.  However, I did very much enjoy watching the '85/'87 adaptations of it.)  It will be interesting to see how this new one compares.  Hopefully, they do it justice. 

Feeling Extra Geeky

As the title clearly stats: I am feeling extra geeky right now.  Why? Because I have recently rediscovered one of my earliest hobbies (though at the time I didn’t know it had a name besides ‘craziness’)....... conlang.  For those that don’t know what ‘conlang’ is it is the art of constructed language ( i.e. all those crazy geeks that thought it would be fun to create their own language).  Yup, I was, and still am, one of them.  I have always had an interest in other languages.  To the point that I actually collect other (natural and fictional) alphabets.  My collection includes normal languages such as Cyrillic, Old Gaelic, various forms of Runic and Futhark, and even Cuneiform; but also Klingon, Romulan, Borg, Tengwar (for Quenya, Sindarin, and Mode of Beleriand), D’Ni, and several of my own invention.  Yup, I liked alphabets so much that I made several of my own. I then got the crazy idea (blame it on reading to much Tolkien) that, instead of just creating a new alphabet, it would be ‘so much fun’ to go the rest of the way and create a whole new language.  I worked on it for a while, but then regular life interfered and new hobbies emerged shoving this one into the background............  Until the other day when I was looking for books on font creation and came across this: ‘The Art of Language Creation’ by David J. Peterson.  I had already started back to work on the language (having some writing ideas that could actually use it) earlier this year, but it’s been off-and-on, however, after finding this book my interest in this is back with a vengeance!!  I’d already decided to use my language project as part of an alternative history/fantasy book project I’m working on, but now I have way more information than I’d had before about how to do it well! I know, as if wanting to learn Elvish (both Quenya and Sindarin) weren’t geeky enough, I had to go and jump the rest of the way off the geek cliff and decide to create my own.  Oh well! :D

Series Review: 'Timeless Fairy Tales' by K.M.Shea

If you haven't noticed by now, I have a weakness for fairy tales and retellings. These stories are classics for a reason and I enjoy seeing how other reinterpret them.  The most recent series of retellings that I've read is K.M. Shea's series: 'Timeless Fairy Tales.'  So far, there are seven books available in this series with an eighth coming out in December of this year (I can't wait!). The series starts with the tale of 'Beauty and the Beast' and then starts moving its way through the other fairy tales, and while each story is a stand-alone book, the author has, ingeniously, woven them all together in the same world with a 'bigger picture' going on and each story giving you a little more information about a bigger plotline.  However, these fairy tales are not the ones you remember, yes, they are based upon them and the essence of the stories remain the same, but the details are very much different.  Being, technically, stand-alone books, you can read them out of order, however, I would not recommend doing so in as there is a deeper storyline going on than simply each fairy tale. As such, you will want to read them in order.  Series order is as follows:

1. Beauty and the Beast
2. The Wild Swans
3. Cinderella and the Colonel
4. Rumpelstiltskin
5. The Little Selkie
6. Puss and Boots
7. Swan Lake
8. Sleeping Beauty (expected publication: Dec. 2016)

There are also several mini-stories available on the author's website that tie-in to each of these books (and some of them into more than one.)  The books are available on Amazon as ebooks or as paperback copies.  However, although not all the books have been released as paperbacks, the author has told me that they will all be available that way eventually.  There's just a little back-log at the moment as she is re-editing some of the earlier books for re-release. 

I absolutely loved this series, and would definitely recommend it to anyone that enjoys fairy tales/retellings!

Confessions of a Library Clerk: Summer Reading Program - an Insider's View

Ah, Summer Reading Program, I'm sure many of you reading this have at some point or other participated in this annual activity at your local library.  It works the same most everywhere: get a reading log, read lots of books, record your time, turn log back in when a certain number of hours has been accomplished, hope you get drawn for whatever the prize is, and get more logs for more reading.  There are, of course, some variations on this based on whether you're in the adult program, teen program, or children's program, but the format is still pretty much the same.  It's always a lot of fun, and it encourages those that may otherwise be timid readers to get involved and read more.

However, now that I work at a library, I get to see another side of this program: the chaos.  You may not realize this, but there are months of prep before the summer reading program even begins!  Besides getting the prizes sorted out there's a whole lot more that goes on to prepare for this yearly madness.  There's getting the summer reading book bags (which are different every year and for every library system), getting the logs (first and second logs) ready (nearly all of them have to be numbered so as to keep track of how many sign up; there are also a few unnumbered logs in case someone loses there first log), there's getting all the other sign-up goodies ready (bookmarks, small fun items for the kids, etc.), getting all the book displays to match with the reading program theme, decorating the whole library in accordance with the theme, and, of course, any special programs going on just because of summer reading. And this is just the list of prep that I know of!  In all likelihood, there's probably a bunch of stuff that I'm not even aware of that should be added to that list.  This, however, is just the chaos before the actual program begins!  After it starts there's a whole new level of madness!

I'm not sure how it is with other libraries, but this is what I've observed at mine.  For the first two weeks or so there is a steady, non-stop stream of people signing either themselves, their kids, or their grandkids up! If they work at a school, they might even sign up the kids from any summer classes they may be teaching!  And of course, following the flurry of signing up at whatever station has been set up for summer reading (usually at the public service desks), there is the ensuing chaos at circulation with myriads of books being checked out or requested.  This is the first two or so weeks,  however, come the third week that is when the chaos is in full swing. Remember all those books checked out during the first two weeks (not the mention the weeks prior)? Well, this is when you start to see them all coming back.... at once, because of course they can't just trickle in gently, that would be to easy. But really, this is no big deal right?  This is normal: what gets checked out, must be returned within a set period of time.  However, it's not quite this simple.  The number of books being checked out dramatically increases during summer reading.  People that usually only check our 2 or 3 books, are now checking out 6-8; and those that usually check out large numbers of books?  Yup, their check outs are easily double their norm.  Oh, and did I mention that the number of books being shipped out to/requested from other libraries has also just about doubled? And this level of chaos will continue for pretty much the rest of the program!

Now don't get me wrong, this is all great for the library!  However, it can be killer to keep up with.  For everyone: PSD is swamped, circ is swamped, and let's not forget the poor pages.  Again, remember all those books being returned? Well, someone has to put them all back again! (And hope the shelves where they go back to are in a somewhat decent order still, but, that's really just wishful thinking during the summer: the #1 untold rule of paging during summer reading is - always assume the shelf is out of order, especially if it's in the children's area.)  Ah yes, those poor, poor pages. With seemingly endless streams of books being pulled from the drop boxes (inside and out) and sent back to them to reshelve.  Right when they may have been getting sooooo close to emptying the paging shelves from the last bunch of books, here come a whole pile more!!  *Sigh* Oh, well.  

As a former page myself, I know that I really should feel terrible (or at least somewhat sorry) for the constant barrage of incoming books that can make a page feel as if they really haven't accomplished anything by the end of the day because the paging shelves are still full, but............ I really don't.  I just can't help laughing, and saying 'I'm so glad that's not me anymore!'  

If you are reading this and you are a library page, I will tell you what my page supervisor used to tell me: ........... job security! 

Book Review: Worlds of Ink and Shadow by Lena Coakley

I've seen mixed reviews from others about this book, but, personally, I really enjoyed it!  

The main characters of 'Worlds of Ink and Shadow' are the Bronte siblings (Charlotte, Emily, Anne, and their brother Branwell) and set while they are still in their teens.  Somehow, Charlotte and Branwell are able to cross-over into their written world, Verdopolis.  This 'how' is very important.  At first, the story is rather light-hearted with Charlotte and Branwell writing together and crossing-into into Verdopolis to interact with their characters (Branwell has written the villian, and Charlotte the hero), however, as the story progresses it starts to take a darker tone. More and more hints are dropped about just how it is that Charlotte and Branwell are able to cross-over, and eventually you learn the truth about it.  Things go from the siblings having fun with their written worlds/characters, to fighting to save each other.  I loved every minute of this transition!  

In the beginning, all the siblings have a lot of issues: Anne is too shy and is almost scared to speak up (even when she should), Emily is too reckless and bitter about something she doesn't understand, and Branwell and Charlotte are often bickering and envying each other; but they really do love each other, and as the story goes on they grow and come together in the end to make things right.  The ending is rather poignant, but there really is no other end fitting for it. 

I really, really enjoyed this book and love how the author actually used real worlds/characters that the Bronte's created when they were children.  The mixture of historical detail with the author's own imagination was just great! 

Book Review: The Falling Machine by Andrew P. Mayer

Just finished reading this one and thought I'd give a review of it here.  In a word?............... Lame!!

When I first found 'The Falling Machine' listed on GoodReads, I thought the premise of superhero organization meets Steampunk sounded really interesting.  The concept was great so I was really looking forward to a great story. Needless to say, I was sorely disappointed.  What could have been a marvelous story turned out to be an epic fail.

The writing style was so dry and boring I almost quit during the first chapter. However, I hate not finishing a book so I stuck it out hoping it would get better............ it didn't.  I found the narrative cumbersome and difficult to follow. One moment you were following Sarah, the next you'd be off with someone else without any warning or indication of any kind. It does this throughout the whole book, switching back and forth following at least 5 different sets of characters and there is never any warning. The change could literally be the very next paragraph with no indication prior that you were finished following the previous character until suddenly you find yourself following someone else and seeing their thoughts.  There were also ending/grammar issues (missing words, etc.) that made the book even harder to get through.

The characters? I hated them all. The only two characters that were even remotely likable are killed off. I know Sarah was supposed to be a fiery, independent young woman, but I found her to be highly annoying, overly feminist, and a bit of a brat at times. Nathaniel, who I think is supposed to be in love with Sarah, is a huge chauvinistic jerk and her father is almost as bad.

As to the plot? I found it extremely vague and lacking. Even at the end you are still left guessing as to what exactly the story is all about. Sure you get bits of information here or there, but not enough to really make the plot make sense.

The only good thing for me about this book was the end. Not that I found it to be satisfactory, but that I was thrilled to be finished with it so I wouldn't have to suffer through any more of it. 

25 Books to Look for in July 2016

Ok, so first off, this is by no means a comprehensive list.  There are gobs of books coming out every month and there is no way I can list all of them.  However,  I will give you a list of 25 books that might interest you that are coming out this July.  This list covers a range of genres, styles, and authors.  Also, just to note, I have not read/do not read all of these authors;  some have been included simply because of the general popularity of the authors.

1. 'The Crimson Skew' by S.E. Grove:

'The Crimson Skew' is the final book in S.E. Grove's Steampunk series 'The Mapmaker's Trilogy.' Release date: July 12th.

2. 'The Black Widow' by Daniel Silva:

For those of you who may be Daniel Silva fans, 'The Black Widow' (book 16 of the series 'Gabriel Allon') comes out on: July 12th.

3. 'A Beauty Refined' by Tracie Peterson:

'A Beauty Refined' , book 2 of Tracie Peterson's series 'Sapphire Brides,' is expected to be released on: July 5th.

4. 'Paper and Fire' by Rachel Caine:

'Paper and Fire' is the second book in the Dystopian/Steampunk series 'The Great Library,' it's expected release date is: July 5th.

5. 'An Author's Odyssey' by Chris Colfer:

You 'Land of Stories' fans will be happy to know that book 5 ('An Author's Odyseey') is scheduled for release on: July 12th.

6. 'Rebellion' by J A Souders:

Scifi/Fantasy J A Souders will be releasing the third installment of the 'Elysium Chronicles' on: July 12th.

7. 'Falling' by Jane Green:

If there are any Jane Green readers out there looking at this blog post, you should be happy to know that her newest book 'Falling' will be available on: July 19th.

8. 'Fallout' by Harry Turtledove:

Generally regarded as a master of alternative history, Harry Turtoledove will be publishing book 2 of 'The Hot War' series on: July 19th.

9. 'Night and Day' by Iris Johansen:

Book 21 of 'Eve Duncan' by Irish Johansen is expected to be released on: July 19th.

10. 'The Transference Engine' by Julia Verne St. John:

'The Transference Engine' is an new Steampunk novel by Julia Verne St. John.  It will be available on (paperback and ebook): July 5th.

11. 'The Loyal Heart' by Shelley Shepard Grey:

Shelley Shepard Grey has a new series coming out this July also.  Book 1 of the new' Lone Star Hero' series will be out on: July 12th.

12. 'The Innocents' by Ace Atkins:

The next installment of Ace Atkin's series 'Quinn Colsson' (book 6) also comes out this July.  The expected release date is: July 12th.

13. 'Gone With the Wool' by Betty Hechtman:

Book 4 of Betty Hechtman's cozy mystery series 'Yarn Retreat Mystery' comes out on: July 5th.

14. 'White Bone' by Ridley Pearson:

'White Bone' is the 4th installment of Ridley Pearson's 'Risk Agent' series.  It comes out on: July 19th.

15. 'Jack' by K.R. Thompson:

K.R. Thompson's 'Untold Stories of Neverland' continues with a 4th book.  The story is only available as a Kindle ebook and will be released on: July 6th.

16. 'Among the Wicked' by Linda Castillo:

If you enjoy Linda Csastillo's 'Kate Burtholder' series, you'll be glad to hear that book 8 will be available on: July 12th.

17. 'Battlesaurus: Clash of Empires' by Brian Falkner:

Fans of the alternative history Science Fiction genre may be interested in Brian Falkner's newest book in his 'Battlesaurus' series.  It's an ebook that will be released on: July 12th..

18. 'Reckless Creed' by Alex Kava:

The 3rd installment of Alex Kava's series 'Ryder Creed' also comes out in July. 'Reckless Creed' will be available on: July 26th.

19. 'Rampage' by John Sandford:

John Sandford's series 'Singular Menace' continues with book 3: 'Rampage.' Scheduled to be published on: July 12th.

20. 'Red Queen' by Christina Henry:

Book 2 of Christina Henry's dark Alice in Wonderland retelling series 'Chronicles of Alice' will be available on: July 12th.

21. 'The Shadow Hour' by Melissa Grey:

Also coming out in July is book 2 of 'The Girl at Midnight.'  'The Shadow Hour' will be coming out on: July 12th.

22. 'Guilty Minds' bu Joseph Heller:

If you prefer listening to books to reading them, you may be pleased to know that Nick Heller book 3, 'Guilty Minds' is scheduled to be available on audio in July. It's release date is: July 19th.

23. 'Outfoxed' by David Rosenfelt:

Book 14 of the 'Andy Carpenter' mystery series will also be coming out in July. Release date: July 19th.

24. 'The Divided Family' by Wande E. Brunstetter:

'The Divided Family' is the 5th installment of Wande E Brunstetter's novella series 'Amish Millionaire.'  It comes out on: July 1st.

25. 'Insidious' by Catherine Coulter:

And lastly (for this list anyway), July also hosts the release date for book 20 in Catherine Coulter's 'FBI Thriller' series.  'Insidious comes on on: July 5th.

So, that brings us to the end of the list!  As mentioned earlier, this is by no means a comprehensive list of all the books coming out next month, but hopefully it is a list of some of the highlights.

Book Review: Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine

First of all let me start by saying that, ordinarilly, Rachel Caine is an author that I avidly avoid.  I don't read paranormal fiction, and, typically, I'm not a fan of dark fiction either.  However that being said, I just had to try this one!  A dystopian fantasy in which the Great Library of Alexandria not only still exists but controls the world? How could I not try it!?

The world of Ink and Bone is a world where it is illegal to own original copies of books. You are allowed to read the facsimile copies the Library puts out in the Codex (think ultimate/universal e-book library), but to own an original paper-and-ink copy of a book could be punishable by death.  It's a world where there is a thriving black market for books and weird anti-Library cults that would sooner destroy books than let the Library have them.  The Libraries are protected not just by guards, but also automatons that at first glance just look like giant, metal sculptures. 

This is the world that the main character Jess Blackwell lives in.  He's from a family of black market book dealers and finds himself being sent by his family to infiltrate the Library by basically entering into a training competition to enter into Library service in some position or other.  Quite the pickle he's in huh?  If caught stealing books or doing anything that the Library disapproves of, the punishment is a horrible death.  

You become aware that there is a whole lot more than simply this that's going on in the book  and Jess is stuck in the middle of all of it.  However, I'll leave you to discover the fullness of the intrigue and unrest of the book on your own.

I wasn't really sure what I was going to find when I started reading this, but once I got into it I absolutely loved it!!  The world Rachel Caine has created is believable, compelling, twisted, and absolutely fantastic!  Although the book is certainly a darkish fantasy, it isn't disturbingly dark.  Just dark in that kinda creepy, mysterious, intriguing kind of way.  The book has a great mix of characters, and even the most dislikable character you still can't help but love.  They are well-written and their interaction is believable and not stilted or forced.  They are also not static characters, and it is great to watch how they grow together with all they go through.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can't wait for book 2!  

Confessions of a Library Clerk: Series Labeling

Ah series labeling, simultaneously both a joy and a headache. Why when it is such a useful (and, in my honest opinion, important/necessary) thing for a library to do? Because series labeling is not as simple as it sounds. 

A couple years ago now, my library decided to go through our entire fiction collection (all departments) and label all the books that had a corresponding series/series number.  Sounds simple right? Think again.  Here are some of the reasons why:

1) Not all websites agree on what is or is not a series.  At present, my library primarily goes by Fantastic Fiction, however, as we have recently encountered a number of errors/discrepancies on Fantastic Fiction, we also refer to Goodreads, Fiction Database, Librarything, and, when possible, the author's own website.

2) Not all websites agree on series names.  When checking to see if something needs a series label or not, it is not at all uncommon for me to find out that ,yes, it does belong to a series but there is disagreement on what the name of the series actually is.  Some websites default to the name of the first book as being the name of the series, while some might name it according to the main character(s)' s name, and some other site might have a totally different name from either of those. Let me give you an example: Sophie Hannah's Culver Valley Crime series.  On Fantastic Fiction, it's called: Culver Valley Crime; on Goodreads I've seen it referred to as both Culver Valley Crime and Spilling CID; on Fiction Database it's called: DS Charlie Zailer and DS Simon Waterhouse; on Librarything it's Spilling Detectives, and elsewhere I've seen it called Zailer and Waterhouse. To make matters worse? The author does not specify any particular name for the series on her website and on Goodreads (where she is a member) I have seen her use more than one name for the series.  Now, I know that sometimes a book when written over-the-water may have a different name than how it is released in the U.S., but I see no reason for why on earth you would have completely different series names.  That's just balmy. 

3) Not all websites agree on series number.  Why is this?  Oh there are many reasons, but here are ones I usually encounter:  

• Sometimes a website might forget to include a book as part of a given series.

• Publisher and author disagree on series order; believe it or not, it is not uncommon for a publisher to rearrange an author's reading order.  Most notoriously, this happened with C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia, but, really, this happens quite often when an author writes a series order differently than the chronological order of events within that series.  Or, when the author goes back later and writes a prequel, as is the case with Clive Cussler's 'Dirk Pitt' series. 

• Author also wrote novellas within that series;  sometimes these will be given half-numbers, while other times they're given whole numbers, or they're not numbered at all making it even more confusing.

4) A fourth reason, and one of the most frustrating, is this: some authors can't seem to make up their own mind what series to make a book and make it part of multiple series!  This one is really, really frustrating.  I know of several authors (Sherrilyn Kenyon, Kresley Cole, and S.M. Stirling being the most notable) where they have a series within a series (and sometimes within yet another one, two, or three other series).  It happens a lot whenever there is a spin-off series within the universe of another series.  For instance: S.M Stirling's 'Emberverse' series.  Emberverse seems to be the overall name for the series, then you have: Emberverse I series also called 'The Change' which is the first 3 books (plus one novella); Emberverse II also called 'The Sunrise Lands' which is the next 3 books; Emberverse III also called 'The Montival' which is, again, the next 3 books; Emberverse IV which is a single title and the author's site says can also be considered as the last book of Montival/Emberverse III; Emberverse V also called 'Rudi's Children' which is another 3 books.  There is then a concurrent series to the Emberverse books called 'Island in the Sea of Time' which is another 4 books.  Then there is Kenyon with her Dark-Hunter series and half-a-million sub-series.  Similar to this issue, is where the author has two separate series and decides to overlap them for a few books (not necessarily one-after-the-other either).  Among these is, J.A. Jance where some of her books belong to both J.P. Beaumont and Joanna Brady.  And, yet another, way this happens (and really messes things up) is when two (or more) author's write together overlapping their series.  Then what do you do?!  The book belongs in two different series by two different authors: case in point - 'Stirred' by J.A Konrath and Blake Crouch it's book 8 in the 'Jack Daniels' series and book 4 in 'Andrew Z. Thomas.'  And then of course you have people like Jayne Krentz who also writes under the names Jayne Castle and Amanda Quick and 'co-authors' series with herself publishing each book in the series under a different name.

So you see, labeling is not so easy after all.  It's great when it's all finished and you can see just how many books actually belong to a series, but it's a never-ending struggle to make sure it is as accurate as possible.  The process is very much a love-hate relationship.

Adaptation Alert: The Selection

Good news for all you 'Selection' fans! So, I was curious and decided to do a little research on IMDB and look of Kiera Cass's book 'The Selction' just to see if anything would come up.  Lo and behold, it did!  Upon further Googling, I found out via the author's own website that in 2015 Warner Brothers bought the rights to make a movie out of her book!  Not much information is available yet other than that Katie Lovejoy as been tasked with the adaptation with Denise DiNovi, Allison Greenspan, and Pouya Shahbazian as producers. Stay tuned for more information!

Adaptation Alert: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Great news for all you fans of Ransom Riggs' book 'Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children'!  If you haven't heard yet, then you will be thrilled to learn that it will be coming to the big screen on September 30, 2016.  It will likely not surprise you to know that the director in charge of turning this creepy book with all the vintage photography into a live-action movie is none other than Tim Burton. A perfect choice for such an unusual book!

Miss Peregrine is being played by actress Eva Green (no stranger to Tim Burton films having played Angelique Bouchard in 'Dark Shadows') and Asa Butter field from 'Hugo,' 'Ender's Game,' 'The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas,' and the BBC TV show 'Merlin.'

They will be joined by such names as Samuel L. Jackson, Judi Dench, and Ruppert Everett.  Colleen Atwood, the magnificient costume designer 'Into the Woods,' 'Snow White and the Huntsman,' and the 2010 Tim Burton 'Alice in Wonderland,' will also be designing the costumes for film.

Here's the sneak peek:

For more information about the film or to see the trailer visit IMDB.

Farenheit 451 Read-Alikes

Alright, so firstly I must admit that I have not yet read 'Farenheit 451' by Ray Bradbury despite it being a classic.  However, working in a library as I do and frequenting Goodreads on an almost daily basis, I have read a lot about it.  'Farenheit 451' is a classic Dystopian novel in which books are illegal (being believed to be the source of strife, unhappiness, etc.) and so need to be destroyed.  In this world, hiding books can have serious consequences.

There are also several read-alikes to Farenheit 451. So if you liked this book you might want to give one of these a try:

1) 'The Reader' by Traci Chee:

The world of 'The Reader' is again a Dystopian world in which books are illegal. They are a magical item, so reading is forbidden and the society in which the main character lives is illiterate.  It is high fantasy story about mystery, murder, revenge, and more in a world with many dangers.  'The Reader' is expected to be published this September and is the first book in the series: Sea of Ink and Gold.  I don't know about you, but I can't wait to finally read it!

2) 'Blood, Ink & Fire' by Ashley Mansour:

Ok, so if you've read any of my other blogposts than you may remember seeing this cover before.  'Blood , Ink & Fire' is another Dystopian world in which reading has been made forbidden.  In this world, books have been replaced with technology that just streams images.  However, for one character, something is different about this stream.  She sees words. This leads her to become obsessed with them and to discover an underworld of booklovers she never knew existed.

3) 'Ink and Bone' by Rachel Caine:

In the world of 'Ink and Bone' books still exist and can still be read, however, it is illegal to personally own books. This is a world where the Great Library of Alexandria not only still exists, but rules and with an iron fist.  Books are deemed more valuable than lives. 'Ink and Bone' is the first book in the series: The Great Library.  Its sequel is 'Paper and Fire and should be coming out in early July.

10 Books with Covers that Make/Made Me Want to Read Them

Ok, so I'm sure we've all heard the phrase "don't judge a book by it's cover."  However, the cover is an excellent judge of a book!  Often, they give you enough information about what type of book it is so you know whether it is or is not something you want to read: not by the title, but by the imagery on the front.

Covers are a very important part of a book, and I'm not meaning physically (as that's obvious), but in terms of aesthetics and peaking your curiosity about the book. How many times have you decided to try a book because it's cover intrigued you?  Or, how often have you decided to put a book back on its shelf because of the cove? A good cover gives you just the right amount of information, while also withholding enough information, to give you an idea about a book without giving it away entirely.  It's not just about what information to give the potential reader either, but how to portray it so as to grab your attention and keep you intrigued enough to give it a try.  Ever decide not to read a book because the cover was boring? I know I have, just as I have books I want to read, at least in part, because of the covers.  So without further ado, here are ten books whose covers make/made me want to read them:

1) 'These Vicious Masks' by Tarun Shanker:

This is a gorgeous book cover!  I love the simplicity and elegance of it.  The fancy masquerade style mask with the red ribbon that catches your eye, the beautiful (yet readable) font, and even the choice of colours.  All the little elegant detailing don't just look pretty, but they reflect that this is an historical fiction.  And the mask, well, who doesn't find a mask intriguing?  'These Vicious Masks' is a combination of historical fiction meets X-Men.  

2) 'Scarlet in the Snow' by Sophie Masson:

I love the subtlety of this cover.  The choice of showing a red rose on the front was not just beautiful and indicative of the romance of the story, but also smart as the rose is a nice subtle nod towards the fairytale this is a retelling of.  'Scarlet in the Snow' of the Russian fairytale 'The Scarlet Flower' (Russian version of 'Beauty and the Beast') and 'Fenist the Falcon.'

3) 'Rook' by Sharon Cameron:

I loved this cover, and, having read it, I loved this book (review to come eventually)! Again, I love their choice of colours for the cover.  The more subdued, mono-tones that really help reflect the Dystopian setting of the book, offset by the red of the title and the tip of the feather (which is rather important as the main character is known as: 'the Red Rook').  Besides reflecting the 'code name' of the main character, it is also an homage towards the classic story 'The Scarlet Pimpernel.'  I absolutely loved this book; the gorgeous cover did not disappoint me, the book was just as great!

4) 'Blood, Ink & Fire' by Ashley Mansour:

Like most of the books on this list, I've not tried this one yet, but the cover just intrigues me! The choice of a high contrast, black and white cover really makes it stand out, and covering up most of the face just adds to the mystery.  'Blood, Ink & Fire' is a Dystopian scifi/fantasy novel reminiscent of 'Farenheit 451' by Ray Bradbury where reading and books are forbidden.

5) 'The Selection' by Kiera Cass:

Gorgeous cover!  Again, I've not read this yet (hard to even get a chance to with out often it goes out of the library!), but this cover is what first caught my attention.  I love how they chose to use only one colour on the front.  The varying shades of just a single colour is very eye-catching! (Ok, so if you haven't guess by now, I have a Fine Arts degree, so colour choice and composition really resonate with me.)  Also, the way the central figure is staring out at you while several others, of the same person, are somewhat mirrored in the background just really gets your attention, and I think, reflect well the fact that this book is basically about a beauty pageant. 'The Selection' is a semi-Dystopian romance.

6) ' Mechanica' by Betsy Cornwell:

'Mechanica' is a good example of a book with a gorgeous cover, that, in my opinion, ended up being a bit of a let down. I loved this cover! (The premise of the book was also quite interesting).  The Steampunk font is gorgeous, and the way the gears are incorporated into the landscape was also pretty cool (and don't get me started on the mechanical bugs flying around her!  I love Steampunk bug sculptures, and have made a few myself.).  Everything about this cover just made me want to read it, sadly, having done so I found it a bit disappointing.  'Mechanica' is a Steampunk Cinderella retelling, for me though, I found the story to be rather lacking, the writing was just blah, and the ending lack-lusting. 

7) ' The Marked Girl' by Lindsey Klingele:

This is a really intriguing cover!  The choice of complementary colours really makes it eye-catching, but what really peaks my curiosity is has two different landscapes/worlds shown! The the city-landscape at the bottom and sides, and the beautiful natural landscape descending into it.  This duality of the cover, reflects the story's premise very effectively and really peaks your curiosity! 'The Marked Girl' is an urban fantasy involving a fantasy/magical world and the modern-day real world. Sadly, it has not been released yet so I (and you) have to wait to read it.  It comes out June of this year.

8) 'Love, Lies and Spies' by Cindy Anstey:

Not entirely sure what it is about it, but this cover just really catches my attention. Maybe it's the simplistic nature of the black-and-white silhouettes, or the fact that I rather like keys, but I just love this cover and think it fits the book's premise really well.  What better way to illustrate a period spy mystery/romance than with ladies fans and keys promising the unlocking of secrets?

9) 'Storybound' by Marissa Burt:

I think this is just a cute cover.  A book about going inside of a book with a cover made to look like a book of old fairytales?  Love! 

10) 'Rebel Mechanics' by Shanna Swendson:

This is just a very nicely done cover.  It reflects the historical setting, with just a hint of Steampunk thrown in with that hanging gear on a ribbon.  It doesn't tell you much, but it tells you enough.

These are just a few of the books that I could list here!  I could easily list more, but then this blogpost might never end.  However, 10 beautiful book covers is enough for now.  Hope you enjoyed this post and don't be surprised if I share more book covers later!

Library Rant: Snow Storms

Ok, so this is a bit of a rant since it is a big pet peeve of mine.  For those that don't know, I work part-time at a library in the northern-mid Michigan area.  And if you know anything about Michigan winters, it's that they can be very nasty, with lots of snow. Like right now, yesterday we got probably 8-9 inches (though who can really tell with all this drifting!) and this morning we have really high winds making driving conditions dangerous. Now, fortunately for me (thank you Lord!!!), my library director actually decided to close today, however, this is often not the case.

I've been working at this library for, well, between this time and the first time, it will be 5.5 years this summer, and this is the first time that I can recall the library system EVER closing for weather related issues (except of course when they lose power). Often, the most we can hope for is a 2-hour delay in opening, however, my library system has a new director so hopefully this will change.

But not closing for severe weather is not just a problem that my library system has; this is an issue across the board with many library systems.  Today, I may not have to go into work, but my cousin who works at a library down-state does because her library director did not close/delay.  I went to the local news website this morning to see who all had closed/delayed for today, and when I looked up libraries only 8 library systems had closed state-wide.  Pretty much the whole state, if not the whole state, just got socked with a pretty large snow storm (and it's still blowing/drifting something awful) and only 8 library systems across the state closed.  What?! Even Delta Community College, about the most notorious college in Michigan for not closing in severe weather, had the sense to close today! Here's what I don't get: why?  Sure, no business/organization/etc., likes to have to close, but if it is not safe to be driving, then why stay open?  Libraries, as much as I love them and think they are important, are not a critical service to have open 24-7; it's not like a hospital that HAS to stay open in case of emergency.  It's just books, and no potential library fine for overdue books is worth the risk of crashing your car into a ditch.  Besides, any patron with sense is going to stay home; so, by staying open they are just endangering their own workers and the non-sensible patrons.

Yesterday, I would have worked from 4pm-8pm and been driving home in a snow storm and in the dark.  My mom and I decided it would be best for me to just call in saying I won't be coming in since we knew it wasn't going to be safe.  This was at about 1pm.  Being curious as to whether or not the library would decide to close early after all, I kept checking my work e-mail throughout the day. The e-mails went like this: at 12-something, there was an e-mail of a lady leaving one of the branches early so as to beat the storm; then came an e-mail about Bookmobile being canceled for the rest of the day; next there was one e-mail and one website notice of craft activities being canceled at two different branches for both yesterday and today; then three notices of three branches cancelling yesterday and today's storytimes; and finally, and e-mail about one of our branches loosing power at just after 3pm.  It was only after all this, that our director decided that we should close the library system early that day.  So, 5pm the whole library system was closed.  Great!  The director did the right, and smart, thing by closing early; however, by this time the road conditions had already reached the level of being unsafe.  I know, because I was watching out the window and it was most definitely blizzard conditions; driving in it would have been an absolute white-out.

In closing: would you library directors please pay better attention to the weather forecast/road conditions, realize that it really makes no sense to stay open in a blizzard or before road crews have had a chance clean up after a blizzard, and do the sensible thing more often: close for the day.

Random Word Fun: Pussillanimous

First random word post!  The word is 'pussillanimous.'  I love this word. It's such a great insult and just really fun to say.  The word means 'showing a lack of courage or determination; timid.'  It's a late Middle English word originating from the Latin word 'pussillanimis.' Root words: 'pussilus' (meaning: very small, little) and 'animus' (meaning: mind, spirit, courage (and variations thereof)) with the English '-ous' ending added to it.  The Greek equivilent is: 'olugopsukhos.'

Synonyms of pussillanimous  are: timid, timorous, cowardly, fearful, faint-hearted, lily-livered, spineless, craven, etc.

Our English form of the word dates to about the early 15c. Unfortunately, this is not a word you hear/see used very often anymore.