Christy Trujillo, who is totally nice, is releasing her next novel, True North, tomorrow! She's having a release event, which you're all invited to so check it out.
True North by Christy Trujillo Release!
Posted by
Sniffly Kitty
Christy Trujillo, who is totally nice, is releasing her next novel, True North, tomorrow! She's having a release event, which you're all invited to so check it out.
Review: Wisdom's Kiss by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Posted by
Sniffly Kitty
Wisdom's Kiss by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Copy Courtesy of Netgalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Already Released
Summary
Three people are brought together to save Montagne from certain destruction.
Commentary
The writing shifted through multiple different formats (3rd person omni prose, letters, play, 3rd limited prose) which made reading very choppy. I read through about the first 100 pages and really had no sense of the characters or what was happening because of the constant shifting so I stopped reading it.
All told, supposedly there are 7 viewpoints although because I never knew who was who because they also seemed to all have nicknames which were used inconsistently. The characters might have been interesting for all that I couldn't tell them apart.
Honestly, there are better and easier to read books out there.
Star Rating: 0/5.0 - Mostly Structural
For an explanation of the Star Rating go here.
Third Sentence Thursday (#44)
Posted by
Sniffly Kitty
Grab the Code
Third Sentence Thursday is a weekly meme which likes to sculpts castles out of clouds!
1) Take the book you are reading now and post the third sentence
2) Review this sentence anyway you want (funny and silly reviews encouraged)
3) Post a link to your sentence here (in the comments) or if you don't have a blog, just post it in the comments!
"She was right." -Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez
o_0 Who was right?! About what?! And maybe there's a cute boy ^.~ I know, I'm evil ^,..,^
Low Rating Books vs Low Rating Books (There is a Difference)
Posted by
Sniffly Kitty
So, a lot of bloggers have commented on low ratings some have retracted their ratings systems, others don't see a point in posting low rating reviews, or a myriad of other opinions and combinations of dealing with things. I will continue to post low ratings and negative reviews because I blog to express my opinions on all books whether good or bad. I think it's important for you to know what I like and what I don't so that you, the reader, know what things annoy me because they may in fact be things you like.
Aside from things I dislike though, there are books which I think have structural flaws (shallow main characters, information dumping, implausible settings, lack of research, etc). So from now on, for low rating books (anything under 3.0 so a rating of 2.5 or less) I will make an extra notation as to whether the low rating is due to mostly structural or mostly elements that I just didn't like (love at first sight for example). Granted, I will make that clear in the reviews, but I get that some people only look at the star rating line ^.~
I know a lot of you have opinions on this subject so tell me what you think!
Aside from things I dislike though, there are books which I think have structural flaws (shallow main characters, information dumping, implausible settings, lack of research, etc). So from now on, for low rating books (anything under 3.0 so a rating of 2.5 or less) I will make an extra notation as to whether the low rating is due to mostly structural or mostly elements that I just didn't like (love at first sight for example). Granted, I will make that clear in the reviews, but I get that some people only look at the star rating line ^.~
I know a lot of you have opinions on this subject so tell me what you think!
Taiwan Trip Recapped!
Posted by
Sniffly Kitty
So there were a couple requests for info on my trip to Taiwan so here we go ^.^
I generally have a terrible memory for taking pictures as I've mentioned before so.. we'll try to have some pictures, but don't expect anything complete~~
I was there for 2 weeks total, which is longer than I've been in awhile although perhaps not as long as I would've liked to be there. I spent most of my time in Taipei, which is the capitol. There, I did many tourist-y things like going to night markets where there is much eating and shopping. What's nice about the night markets is that they are frequented by people who live in Taiwan so they are less tourist traps and more just fun places to go.
Boyfriend wanted to try snake meat at one of the night markets (see below) so we tried that.
It was chewy and a tad too salty
I also got Boyfriend to try a vegetarian buffet (run by a Buddhist organization and frequented by monks) which he declared a great success. These buffets have a lot of variety and just about everything was really tasty. They have these hand rolls that I really wish I had had enough stomach to eat more of. Unfortunately no picture because I am fail.
We also got to try lots of restaurants which have really fresh seafood. As in, they get their fish (including shellfish) off boats in the morning, and the fish are then stored in tanks until they are chosen to be eaten (you get to choose which ones you want or you can just note what type and have the seller/chefs choose).
I should probably emphasize at this point that a lot of the trip centered around eating. The Taiwanese are obsessed with eating, and everyone likes to take pictures of their food. Since Taipei especially is packed in really tight, you really don't have to go much farther than downstairs (most people live in flats/condos/apartments) to find food.
We did visit an aboriginal reservation/preservation area that also had an amusement park attached:
Aboriginal Cultural Village (this was more a display than anything else)
The amusement park part. Boyfriend informed me that the roller coaster was pretty awesome although I didn't go on it because well... I'm not a fan of roller coasters.
We did also visit a Memorial for one of the important figures in Taiwanese history although the styling of the memorial has made people comment that it looks like Lincoln T_T
I think I mentioned before that we did explore other parts of Taiwan besides Taipei (which is in the Northmost part of Taiwan). One of the places was this wilderness area surrounding a waterfall:
There was quite a bit of hiking to get around it and to see some of the other cool stuff in the area. Also, we took one of the best scenery pictures of the trip (at least in my mind) at just a little bit beyond the base of the waterfall.
All in all it was a really fun trip although it was during the hot and wet season ( Boyfriend was overwhelmed from the heat and humidity, and I probably didn't drink enough water). The food was delicious, and the relatives were fun as usual. I'm excited to bring Boyfriend back sometime (this was his first trip there).
I generally have a terrible memory for taking pictures as I've mentioned before so.. we'll try to have some pictures, but don't expect anything complete~~
I was there for 2 weeks total, which is longer than I've been in awhile although perhaps not as long as I would've liked to be there. I spent most of my time in Taipei, which is the capitol. There, I did many tourist-y things like going to night markets where there is much eating and shopping. What's nice about the night markets is that they are frequented by people who live in Taiwan so they are less tourist traps and more just fun places to go.
Boyfriend wanted to try snake meat at one of the night markets (see below) so we tried that.
It was chewy and a tad too salty
I also got Boyfriend to try a vegetarian buffet (run by a Buddhist organization and frequented by monks) which he declared a great success. These buffets have a lot of variety and just about everything was really tasty. They have these hand rolls that I really wish I had had enough stomach to eat more of. Unfortunately no picture because I am fail.
We also got to try lots of restaurants which have really fresh seafood. As in, they get their fish (including shellfish) off boats in the morning, and the fish are then stored in tanks until they are chosen to be eaten (you get to choose which ones you want or you can just note what type and have the seller/chefs choose).
I should probably emphasize at this point that a lot of the trip centered around eating. The Taiwanese are obsessed with eating, and everyone likes to take pictures of their food. Since Taipei especially is packed in really tight, you really don't have to go much farther than downstairs (most people live in flats/condos/apartments) to find food.
We did visit an aboriginal reservation/preservation area that also had an amusement park attached:
Aboriginal Cultural Village (this was more a display than anything else)
The amusement park part. Boyfriend informed me that the roller coaster was pretty awesome although I didn't go on it because well... I'm not a fan of roller coasters.
We did also visit a Memorial for one of the important figures in Taiwanese history although the styling of the memorial has made people comment that it looks like Lincoln T_T
I think I mentioned before that we did explore other parts of Taiwan besides Taipei (which is in the Northmost part of Taiwan). One of the places was this wilderness area surrounding a waterfall:
There was quite a bit of hiking to get around it and to see some of the other cool stuff in the area. Also, we took one of the best scenery pictures of the trip (at least in my mind) at just a little bit beyond the base of the waterfall.
All in all it was a really fun trip although it was during the hot and wet season ( Boyfriend was overwhelmed from the heat and humidity, and I probably didn't drink enough water). The food was delicious, and the relatives were fun as usual. I'm excited to bring Boyfriend back sometime (this was his first trip there).
IMM (Sept 25)
Posted by
Sniffly Kitty
Hosted by The Story Siren
So it is time again to give the books/swag I've received in the mail! It's extra long this week because I've been gone so long. So, without further ado...
Witchlanders by Lena Coakley
Epic fantasy with witches!
Havoc by Jeff Sampson
Continuing saga of the Deviants!
Incarnate by Jodi Meadows
First new soul in the incarnation cycle in thousands of years.
Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs
Three descendants of Medusa!
Goliath by Scott Westerfeld
Finale to the awesome steampunk trilogy!
God's Eye by A.J. Scudiere
Strange occurrences lead to an epic battle.
The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Paranormal by David Borgenicht, Ben H. Winters
The title says it all.
I also got some awesome swag from Stephanie Dray for her upcoming book Song of the Nile!
So I Was Away For Awhile
Posted by
Sniffly Kitty
...and I went to this place called Taiwan. It was full of shopping, gorgeous scenery such as the picture you see above, and oh so much food. So, just in case you're curious, here are some pictures from around Taiwan. (Mostly just scenery pictures)
View from a Fisherman's Wharf of Taipei
Stream next to a camping site
Wicked awesome looking tree
Chiang-Kai Shek Memorial Hall
Old style town/market
Bones!
Countryside
These bakers have some skillaz~~
Black Swans!
Of course there were more photos which I took, but I didn't want to overwhelm you guys. I hope you guys get a chance to visit Taiwan sometime, it's a place I love ^.^
Song of the Nile Giveaway!
Posted by
Sniffly Kitty
So, Song of the Nile by Stephanie Dray is all set to be released on Oct 4th! Are you excited, and isn't the cover gorgeous? In preparation for its release, I got a whole bunch of swag that I'd love to share with you guys!
Here's what you could win!
I have 4 sets to giveaway of
1 x Sample of First Chapter of Song of the Nile
1 x Song of the Nile bookmark
1 x Lily of the Nile booksmark
1 x Selena romance trading card
Some Rules:
1) Open to US residents.
2) Must fill out the form (also embedded below)!
3) Must be 13 years or older to win.
4) There will be 4 winners!
5) Contest Ends Sept 30, 2011
Third Sentence Thursday (#43)
Posted by
Sniffly Kitty
Grab the Code
Third Sentence Thursday is a weekly meme which likes to wander around in the forest!
1) Take the book you are reading now and post the third sentence
2) Review this sentence anyway you want (funny and silly reviews encouraged)
3) Post a link to your sentence here (in the comments) or if you don't have a blog, just post it in the comments!
"Because most of us work in the dark, we want our bodies to lie in the sun" -Mastiff by Tamora Pierce
I'm still not over my squee-ness that this book is finally coming out. This is such a grim sentence although this series has been generally grim so I guess it's no surprise. In case it's not entirely obvious which bodies, the author means the bodies of those that are dead.
Review: The Iron Witch (The Iron Witch #1) by Karen Mahoney
Posted by
Sniffly Kitty
The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney
Copy Courtesy of Flux
Already Published
Summary
Donna has iron tattoos all over her hands that she keeps covered with gloves so that no one else sees them. Her former classmates thinks she's a freak, but when the evil wood elves appear in the city, she may have to accept what she is and face them.
Commentary
There are books that tuck in pieces of world-building here and there, that weave the history of a place beautifully into the story, this is not one of those books. Donna has a best friend who is her very bestest friend, but his place in the story is really as a prop for Donna to tell the history of the story and for her to have someone to rescue.
There is never a sense that Donna has any idea what she is doing despite being trained in this mythical world for the last seven or eight years. There is all too much time spent telling the reader how Donna is and not enough time by far showing the reader. I think this is probably the biggest failing of this book.
I had really hoped this book would be good, but it seems that is not the case. Perhaps others will think differently, but I can't recommend this book.
Star Rating: 1.0/5.0
For an explanation of the Star Rating go here.
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