Teaser Tuesdays (Feb. 28)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. Here's how it works..

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure what you share does not give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author too so other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Here are my teasers:

"She pirouetted slowly and faced him. Then with tears streaming down her face, she stepped back, and with that step, changed the lives of her family forever."

p. 12, Beach Music by Pat Conroy

Tagged!

I've been tagged by Rachel at Unforgettable Books. She choose some great questions! Here are the rules...

1. Answer the questions that the tagger set for in their post.
2. Create 11 questions for the people you tag to answer.
3. Tag 11 people and link them to your post.
4. Let them know you tagged them.
5. Include these rules and the person who tagged you in your post.

Here are Rachel's questions and my answers...

Q1: What is a book you thought you wouldn't like, but did?
A: I did not think I would really like Twilight. When the first movie came out I heard people talking about it and had no idea what it was. A few months later I decided to check it out to see what the hype was. I had never really read anything with vampires before so I didn't think I would like it. I've now read all the books twice.

Q2: Do you prefer first, second, or third person?
A: I tend to read mostly first or third person books. I like to mix them up to get a variety. I don't think I have really read anything in second person point of view.

Q3: Where do you prefer to receive the books you buy?
A: I get most of my books from Barnes and Noble since I own a Nook and get member discounts. I love ordering books and having them waiting at home for me when I return from a trip. I also really enjoy visiting any small bookstore I see. I tend to always buy something just to support them.

Q4: If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
A: I would like the ability to be able to close my eyes and end up in another place. When it comes to traveling for work, I hate layovers when flying especially when I just want to go home. Blinking and being somethwere else would just be so much faster and save time.

Q5: What book or book series caused you to enjoy reading?
A: I have always enjoyed reading for as long as I can remember. I don't know what book caused me to like it so much though. In first grade I was really into the Ramona Quimby books. And before that I remember my dad reading me Pat the Bunny every night.

Q6: What books are you looking forward to the most this year?
A: I don't know of many new releases coming out this year. However I have a full shelf of TBR books that I would like to tackle and I'm looking forward to reading those. (I'm out of town right now so I don't remember some of the titles to share with you).

Q7: What is your fondest book memory?
A: During summer breaks in elementary school I would spend some days at my granny's house. Each week she would take us to the library and I would always walk out with an armful of books. Then go back to the AC and quietness of her house, curl up in a chair and read for hours. Sometimes I wish I could go back to those summer days just to have endless hours to read.

Q8: Who is your favorite male character?
A: Gregory David Roberts, author and main character of Shantaram, was a great male character. I'd love to follow him around India and meet the people

Q9: What do you think of love triangles?
A: I don't read many books with love triangles, but when I do they are alright. They add some drama that always makes it interesting, buuuut sometimes I think they can be a bit juvenile and get on my nerves.

Q10: What secondary character in a book do you wish was the main character?
A: I would have liked to see Henry's point of view in The Secret History by Donna Tartt. I loved the book told in Richard's POV since he was the new one to their group, but Henry had such an interesting mind. I would have liked to see in it.

Q11: Name the book that always makes you smile.
A: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. I LOVE this book!!!


Blogs I Tagged
SeeitORreadit
Book Prowl
For the Love of Reading
World of Books
TToria
The Nocturnal Library
**LC's Adventures in Libraryland**
The Little Blue Pig
Radiant Shadows
Steph's Book Corner
Imaginative Advendture

My Questions:
1. Do you prefer to read one or multiple books at a time?
2. Where do you keep all of your unread books- all together or scattered throughout your shelves?
3. Is there a book you wish you could unread, either because you disliked it so much or to read it again for the first time?
4. Do your book selections vary by season?
5. Who would you rather borrow a book from, a friend or the library?
6. Do movies based on books make you want to read the original book?
7. You just dropped your favorite, out of print book in the bathtub ruining it completely. What would you do?
8. What are you reading right now? What made you choose it? Are you enjoying it and would you recommend it?
9. Do you read the inside flaps that describe a book before or while reading it?
10. What are the best and the worst books you have read recently?
11. Do you prefer the beginnings or stories or the ends?

You can leave your link in my comments. Anyone not tagged, please feel free to answer the questions or just leave a comment in my comments! I'm very excited to see your answers!

"Beautiful Days" by Anna Godbersen

"Beautiful Days: A Bright Young Things Novel"
by Anna Godbersen
234 pages (nook edition)


Short Version: Cordelia & Letty are no longer small town girls; they are New Yorkers. Cordelia tries to live the life her father would have wanted and Letty chases her dream to become a star.

Why I Read It: This is the sequel to "Bright Young Things" so I wanted to see where the story was going to end up.

The Book: From Goodreads
After a month in New York, Cordelia Grey and Letty Larkspur are small-town girls no longer. They spend their afternoons with Astrid Donal at the Greys' lush Long Island estate and their nights in Manhattan's bustling metropolis. But Letty's not content to be a mere socialite. She is ready at last to chase her Broadway dreams - no matter the cost.
Cordelia is still reeling from the death of her father at the hands of Thom Hale, the man she thought she loved. Now she is set to honor Darius Grey's legacy... and take her revenge.
Promised to Cordelia's half brother, Astrid is caught up in a world of dazzling jewels and glittering nights - and the sparkle is blinding. Charlie Grey is a gangster playing a dangerous game; and for Astrid, Cordelia, and Letty, the stakes could be deadly

My Thoughts: I enjoyed this sequel as much as the first book. It was such an easy going read, which is what I need right now. The friendship dynamics were a little different in this book because Cordelia and Letty are friends again, but Cordelia also has Astrid. At times Letty seems to be the odd one out, but she does a great job of lifting herself up and pursuing her dreams of becoming a star. Cordelia seems to learn a lot as well as she follows in her father's footsteps and opens a speakeasy. Astrid never seems to learn much as her and Charlie just continue to be an on-again/off-again couple. However, in the end of the book she has an eye opening experience that checks her into reality. I don't want to spoil the ending but there were times when I felt Godbersen did not make the action seem real. Like when Charlie came to the rescue, he just came in and saved the day with no one to stand in his way or fight him off. It just made what could have been an action scene a little lame.
As I mentioned in my review of "Bright Young Things" I loved reading about this time period. I wish I was in New York with Cordelia, Letty, and Astrid spending my days at the pool or country club and my nights in glamorous dresses at all the fun speakeasies.

4/5 Stars

#2 for 2012 Ebook Challenge
Click here for full list

Feature & Follow Friday (#7)



Q: Activity!!! Take a picture or describe where you love to read the most…

The BEACH!!!! I love reading at the beach. This picture is from Kauai, but any beach will do. I love being in the sun with my toes in the sand and a book in my hand!

Booking Through Thursday: Blogs

This week's Booking Through Thursday asks...

What do you look for when reading a book blog? Does the blogger have to read the same genre? Do you like reviews? Personal posts? Memes? Giveaways? What attracts you to a book blog?

I am still in my first year of book blogging, so I look at lots of book blogs for ideas for reviews, memes, posts, designs, etc. I like reviews a lot because that is where I find new books to read. I tend to go back to the blogs that the blogger likes the same genres because I am more likely to find books to read that way. When I visit a new blog for the first time I always look for an "About Me" section to get to know the blogger a little. I like to know who is behind the posts :)

Teaser Tuesdays (Feb. 21)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. Here's how it works..

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure what you share does not give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author too so other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Here are my teasers:

She saw a man over her shoulder in the reflection, and she fixed her gaze on him. "If Charlie sent you to bring me home, you can tell him I don't need him anymore." But she didn't get to see the reaction on his face, because that was when the burlap sack came down over her head.

p. 182, Beautiful Days: Bright Young Things Series #2 by Anna Godbersen (nook edition)

Feature & Follow Friday (#6)

Q: What is the most unique character name you have come across?

This is a tough question, especially because at the moment I am not at home to look at my book shelf and remember character names. I have to agree with some of the other answers I have seen for this and say Renesmee is definitely strange. The characters in the Bright Young Things series I am reading now have interesting names that I like...Cordelia, Astrid and Letty Larkspur.

Booking Through Thursday: Fan Fiction

This week's Booking Through Thursday asks....

Have you ever written any fan-fiction? If yes, why and for which book(s)? If no, would you like to and for which book(s)? For that matter, do you ever READ fan-fiction?

I have never read fan fiction. Although I'm embarrased to say this, I had to google what exactly it was when I read the question above. (I had a pretty good idea, I just wanted to make sure). Now that I know what fan-fiction is, I don't think I would write it. I don't think I would be very good at it. I'd rather just leave the story to the author and read what they created.

Teaser Tuesdays (Feb. 14)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. Here's how it works..

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure what you share does not give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author too so other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Here are my teasers:

This was perhaps the closest to a sweet thing that Max had yet said to her, and she softened all over at the sound of it. "I like talking to you, too," she said, and then they moved on to other topics- the view of New York from above versus the view from below, the beauty of its lights pulsating at night, the strangeness of wanting hamburgers on  a hot day, and on.

 p. 97, Beautiful Days by Anna Godbersen

"Bright Young Things" by Anna Godbersen

Bright Young Things
by Anna Godbersen
279 pages (ebook edition w/ bonus material)

Short Version: Cordelia and Letty escape small town life and head to the big city of New York during the Prohibition days. Cordelia is on a mission to find her father she never knew, while Letty hopes to become a star.

Why I Read It: I noticed this ebook on Nook's Facebook page when it was featured as a free ebook for a day. The time period drew me in so I had to try it especially since it cost me nothing!

The Book: From Goodreads
The year is 1929. New York is ruled by the Bright Young Things: flappers and socialites seeking thrills and chasing dreams in the anything-goes era of the Roaring Twenties.
Letty Larkspur and Cordelia Grey escaped their small Midwestern town for New York's glittering metropolis. All Letty wants is to see her name in lights, but she quickly discovers Manhattan is filled with pretty girls who will do "anything" to be a star. . . .
Cordelia is searching for the father she's never known, a man as infamous for his wild parties as he is for his shadowy schemes. Overnight, she enters a world more thrilling and glamorous than she ever could have imagined--and more dangerous. It's a life anyone would kill for . . . and someone will.
The only person Cordelia can trust is -Astrid Donal, a flapper who seems to have it all: money, looks, and the love of Cordelia's brother, Charlie. But Astrid's perfect veneer hides a score of family secrets.
Across the vast lawns of Long Island, in the -illicit speakeasies of Manhattan, and on the blindingly lit stages of Broadway, the three girls' fortunes will rise and fall--together and apart. From the "New York Times" bestselling author of "The Luxe" comes an epic new series set in the dizzying last summer of the Jazz Age.

My Thoughts: Although this book took me 3 weeks to read (WAAAAY longer than it should have taken me...it's all work's fault) it was the easy read I was looking for. I was immediately drawn to Cordelia for being brave enough to escape her life in Ohio for something more. She left all she knew behind to find a father she never met. Letty was not as strong of a character to me but I started liking her more as she found her voice and was no longer Cordelia's shadow. I was worried how they would keep Letty involved in the story once her and Cordelia had a falling out and went separate ways. Cordelia makes a new best friend and they remain prominent throughout the story but Letty's story gets put to the back burner a bit. In the end it was all connected and worked out but I had my doubts as I was reading.
I love the time period the book takes place it. It really involved Prohibition and the speakeasies and gangsters of New York. Cordelia's father is a big gangster and of course the boy she falls for is his enemy's son. That created a good amount of drama. I was a bit surprised how things turned out. I won't spoil it but I will say I thought it was going to be the opposite of what happened.
I did not realize this book was part of a series until I finished it and got to the Bonus Material, which was an excerpt from the next book. Because of this the ending is a little open. There is enough closure to finish the book and not be upset but I was wondering what the future for Cordelia, Letty and their new friends and family would be like. Well lucky for me I am now reading the next book...Beautiful Days, so I will be finding out soon!

4/5 Stars

#4 for Mount TBR Reading Challenge
Click here for full list

#1 for 2012 Ebook Challenge
Click here for full list

Feature & Follow Friday (#5)

Q: What would you prefer: reading your favorite book over and over again until you got sick of it OR reading 100s of mediocre books? And why?

I would definitely read my favorite book until I got sick of it (although if it were my favorite I don't know that I would get sick of it). Reading only mediocre books would make reading not as enjoyable or fun.



Booking Through Thursday: Only Five

This week's Booking Through Thursday asks....

If you had to pick only 5 books to ever read again, what would they be and why?

1. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern because I LOVE THIS BOOK. I will never get bored with the details and imagery.

2. Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness, there was a twist at the end of this book that threw me off gaurd. I have been wanted to read it again so that I can pay attention more to the details.

3. The Secret History by Donna Tartt, I couldn't put this murder mystery in reverse down. The characters were all so unique in their own ways and the psychological aspect behind it all was great!

4. Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger, one of my favorite books about sisters with a little paranormal activity thrown in. The book takes place in London near the Highgate Cemetary and it is the perfect setting for this book. (I'd love to go to London to see this cemetary!)

5. Fay: A Novel by Larry Brown, a friend of mine recommended this book to me and told me it was her all time favorite. As soon as I started reading I knew it would be in my top favorite books as well. Fay is a poor girl who is just trying to survive make something of herself. I could read this book over and over just cheering her on to make the right choices.

Those are the 5 books I would choose...what about you?

Feature & Follow Friday (#4)

Q: Define what characteristics your favorite books share. Do they all have a kick ass heroine or is the hot love interest the Alpha Male?


Most of the books I consider my favorites have some kind of twist in the plot that I did not see coming. I love when something is thrown at me that I was not expecting. If I can guess what is going to happen it is not as entertaining to me. The Night Circus, Discovery of Witches, and Her Fearful Symmetry (some of my top books) all have some kind of loop that I was not expecting. They all have magic or things from the paranormal world as well (I just realized this as I was typing, so I must like those things more than I thought as well). 

Booking Through Thursday: Found Books

This week's Booking Through Thursday asks...

Have you ever read a random book left in a waiting room or on a park bench, etc., and did you like it?

I don't think I have ever picked up a random book and started reading it. I always have a book or my nook with me in case I have a few minutes to read, so I never read the random books. I do have one book that was left at a meeting I worked. I picked it up but it is on my book shelf still waiting to be read.

What about you?