: Sniffly Kitty's Mostly Books

Third Sentence Thursday (#46)

Posted by Sniffly Kitty at 10/19/2011 09:10:00 PM

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!

"As morning broke, I surveyed the middling monuments that blanketed Rome's seven hills." -Song of the Nile by Stephanie Dray

The backdrop of ROME, but the imagery of monuments being middling. There seems to be some disdain for them as we understand the monuments that stand in Rome are quite impressive (or well at least I think so anyway). What could this possibly mean?!

Review: Crossed (Matched #2) by Ally Condie

Posted by Sniffly Kitty at 10/18/2011 09:00:00 AM

Crossed by Ally Condie

Copy Courtesy of Penguin USA (Dutton)
Release Date: November 1, 2011

This is the second book in this series so this may contain some spoilers if you haven't read the first (Matched) yet. If you haven't yet, you can check out my review of the first book.

Summary
Cassia is out in the Outer Provinces in search of Ky. Ky is in the Outer Provinces being constantly bombarded by the Enemy. The two will journey through this new land, and mayhaps, if fate lines up just so, they will be able to find each other once more.

Commentary
There is a lyrical quality to Ally's writing which just sucks you in and makes you want to keep reading this book. It's just so beautiful that I can't help liking it, and it really makes the story go by without even realizing it.

There is lots more world-building in this second story, and it's woven into the character narration very naturally. While there will likely be only one more book in this series, I do hope there's more to discover yet.

My only real critique of this book is that there is somehow a lack of depth to what is going as though there weren't really strong emotions evoked even when the characters are in danger. Granted, I did worry for them so perhaps it wasn't that bad. I look forward to reading the next book ^.^

Star Rating: 4.0/5.0

For an explanation of the Star Rating go here.

Check out prices for Crossed at Amazon

Review: Legend (Legend #1) by Marie Lu

Posted by Sniffly Kitty at 10/14/2011 09:00:00 AM

Legend by Marie Lu

Copy Courtesy of Putnam Juvenile (Division of Penguin)
Release Date: November 29, 2011

Summary
June is a prodigy groomed for the highest echelons of the military. Day is the Republic's most wanted criminal. When Day is accused of killing June's brother, June sets out to bring Day down. Things though aren't all they seem to be in the Republic, and June's quest will change her perspective on everything.

Commentary
Yeah, yeah, I know, it's another dystopian book, but this one is pretty good. It's written in dual-narrative with alternating chapters between June and Day. Some people have said that the printing of the two characters with different colors is distracting, but I liked it since it was a very visual indicator of the switch between narrators.

Pacing was pretty quick although perhaps because of the moments each chapter ends at (lots of mini-cliff hangers) it didn't feel like it went too fast because you had to wait for the juicy parts even if only for a chapter. I also have a certain liking for child geniuses so even though they have a lot of talents and there may be cries of Mary Su and such, I enjoyed it because the premise for their many talents was established to my satisfaction.

It's light on the romance, which I liked although this may be disappointing to some, and the fleshing out of the world was sprinkled in throughout the book, which gave a sense of complexity without being overwhelmed with information. I, for one, am looking forward to the next book.

Star Rating: 4.0/5.0

For an explanation of the Star Rating go here.

Check out prices for Legend at Amazon

Mississippi's Quiet Banning of Abortion

Posted by Sniffly Kitty at 10/13/2011 04:02:00 PM

I read this from Tamora Pierce's blog that there is a tiny little amendment to the Mississippi constitution making its way through the legislature that is pushing for designation of life at fertilization. Thus, making an abortion classed as a murder, which is wrong.

"Amendment 26. This is . . . truly frightening. In the Mississippi legislature a movement is afoot to make life a legal construct that begins at--fertilization. This is not a joke. I spent a good chunk of today searching the Intertubes because I was positive it had to be a foolie, in part because I could find no mention of it on the main pages for NOW and NARAL. The whole subject is operating under the radar, which is nervous-making, because the people who support this say they have petitions ready for a lot of other states. Because they say they had 30,000 signatures more than they needed to get this on the fall ballot. Because they say they can use this to overturn Roe v. Wade." -Tamora Pierce

Basically, I want to put this on your radar. Take a look at this petition if you are opposed to this.

Third Sentence Thursday Fail!

Posted by Sniffly Kitty at 10/13/2011 04:00:00 PM

Third Sentence Thursday is a weekly meme which follows dragons into dungeons!

Sorry that there wasn't a TST today >.< This was definitely a kitty fail. It shall be back next week!

A 'Commercial' For Straw House, Wood House, Brick House, Blow

Posted by Sniffly Kitty at 10/07/2011 05:05:00 PM

Straw House, Wood House, Brick House, Blow - Our Lady of Villains Commercial from Candlewick Press on Vimeo.

Ok, normally I don't share videos because I am not all that fond of them... mostly due to the fact that I normally don't have earphones plugged in. Before you comment further, no I also can't just play it on my laptop speakers due to the more 'public area' nature of where I normally computer at (yes, I've turned computer into a word).

This video though had that strange computer generated voice that for some reason I really like (possibly due to Portal) that I am sharing it with you now. This is considered a 'commercial' for Straw House, Wood House, Brick House, Blow by Daniel Nayeri rather than a trailer and is one of several which can be found here.

Hope you guys enjoy it ^.^

Book Blog Hop and Follow Friday (Oct 7)

Posted by Sniffly Kitty at 10/06/2011 07:38:00 PM

Welcome from Book Blog Hop hosted by Crazy for Books and Follow Friday hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read!

Coming Soon

Some Stuff You May Be Interested In:
WITCHLANDERS GIVEAWAY!!
The Sadness of Bookswap Shutting Down

Reviews You May Have Missed:
Witchlanders by Lena Coakley
Wisdom's Kiss by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

If you could pick one character in a book, movie or television show to swap places with, who would it be?

I think I've answered this question in a different form, but basically I don't think I'd really want to swap places. I'm pretty happy with the way my life is. Sure, I often don't get along with my parents, and there are days I wish that I could just read all day. Granted, I'm not sure there's a hero/heroine out there that just reads all day anyway heh~~

Third Sentence Thursday (#45)

Posted by Sniffly Kitty at 10/05/2011 09:35:00 PM

Grab the Code

"People on the sidewalk barely gave them a glance." -The Revisionists by Thomas Mullen

Either we're in a busy city, or these people are very sneaky. Why does the narrator about the people on the sidewalk? Do they want to be superstars? Maybe this is a book about superstars FROM THE FUTURE or well ok probably not... ^.^

Witchlanders Giveaway ^.^

Posted by Sniffly Kitty at 10/04/2011 09:00:00 AM

So, I really liked Witchlanders by Lena Coakley, which you might have noticed if you read my review of it yesterday. Anyway, I'm giving away my gently used review copy so that someone else can experience the awesomeness ^.^

Rules:
1. US only
2. Fill out the form below to enter
3. You must be 13 or older
4. Contest ends Oct 16, 2011 at 11:59 pm
5. If you win, you will have 72 hours to respond to the email. If no response is received, a new winner will be picked.
6. Also, if package is damaged in transit, I will be super sad but I can't be responsible >.<