The Bookshelf Review

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Thanks for Visiting

and

Happy Reading. =]

-Michael

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone.

Hope you guys got plenty of books this holiday season.

I am going to take a bit of a hiatus up until the new year.

I want to give myself a break for working so hard at work and school, just so I can relax.

I will be posting some reviews and possibly some things that I feel are interesting enough to blog about through my hiatus though so I won't be gone the whole time.

Also I will be still on twitter for the most part.

So if you feel like following me go right on ahead.

Thanks for Visiting

and

Happy Reading. =]

-Michael

Friday, December 21, 2012

Follow Friday(28)

Follow Friday is a weekly blog hop event hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read.

This week's Question is: Q: What have you learned from book blogging that you didn't know before about the publishing industry? I haven't learned that much since I started book blogging but I do know more than before. I didn't know that there were any such thing as an ARC, advanced readers copy. I had know idea that publishers gave away advanced copies to bloogers and librarians and other people for review purposes and stuff like that. I knew practically nothing about the publishing industry. I am glad I got into blogging for the fact that I now know more. I didn't even know tat it was the publisher chooses the cover, I thought it was the author that helped in doing that. Let me know in the comments what you have learned. P.S. CAPTCHA: If you have CAPTCHA word verification enabled on your blog, please take it off. It makes it much more difficult for readers to comment. Please look at Alison's CAPTCHA Eradication Post to learn how to get rid of it. Link me up to your Follow Friday's and I will be sure to follow you back. =] Thanks for Visiting and Happy Friday =] -Michael

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Review: Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

Les Miserbles by Victor Hugo

Paperback, Abridged, 400 pages

Published December 12th 1982 by Ballantine Books

Synopsis:

Few novels ever swept across the world with such overpowering impact as Les Misérables. Within 24 hours, the first Paris edition was sold out. IN other great cities of the world it was devoured with equal relish.

Sensational, dramatic, packed with rich excitement and filled with the sweep and violence of human passions, Les Misérables is not only superb adventure but a powerful social document. The story of how the convict Jean-Valjean struggled to escape his past and reaffirm his humanity, in a world brutalized by poverty and ignorance, became the gospel of the poor and the oppressed.

My Thoughts/Review:

I want to start off by saying that I am not a classics person at all. I started off thinking that I could be. I bought a whole bunch of classics thinking that I wanted to read them all and that I could read them. Well, it turns out I can't. I have a bunch of classics sitting on my shelf waiting to be read. I feel that I will get to them when I get to them. That being said, I wanted to read Les Miserables because I have seen the play and the old movie and wanted to read it in preparation for seeing the new movie that is being released on December 25th.

Today, Christmas and December 25th is five days away so I am releasing my review today so all of you can read it to go and see the movie and possibly read the book. Since, I am not a classics person, I new that the only real way I would be able to get through this book was if I read in with an audiobook, so that is what I did.

Overall, I really loved this book, I didn't think I would, especially because of the storyline and genre. I am not a historical fiction reader at all and most of the time I can never get into that type of a book. I have to admit that there were some parts of this book that I did zone off on and also other parts where I didn't understand what the characters were doing or talking about. This is the main reason why I awarded this book 4 out of 5 stars instead of 5 out of 5. Since this book takes place in France, alot of french terms and street names are used and it can really throw a person off.

Fortunately, the audiobook was really good at pronouncing the words and kept the storying going and kept me attached to it. One thing I was suprised by was that I thought this book was supposed to be about revolution and an uprising of people but I didn't really get that too much. I got more of the perspective of the poor people and how people overcome the struggles that befell them in live.

This is going to be one of my favorite classics that I have read, especially because I haven't read that many. The characters in the book are what really bring it all together for me in my mind. They are all relatable and bring their own stories to the mix, even the "bad" characters did. The ending was really good and brought the story full circle to a place that could leave the reader feeling peaceful about it.

Practically eveyone knows the story of Les Miserables and I know many people are going to see the movie. If you haven't read the book and love the story of Les Miserable you have to read it. I definitely recommend this book to anyone that is looking for an amazing classic to read and anyone who doesn't think they like classics should read this too, I thoroughly enjoyed it. =]

Overall, I give this book:

An Amazing Classic that I thoroughly enjoyed. =]
4 out of 5 Stars

Links to Check it Out:

Thanks for Visiting

and

Happy Reading. =]

-Michael

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday: Taken by Erin Bowman

For those of you who don't know "Waiting On" Wednesday is an event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. The purpose is to let others know which book you are anticipating and can't wait til it comes out to read it.

Taken by Erin Bowman

Hardcover, 352 pages

Expected publication: April 16th 2013 by HarperTeen

Synopsis:

There are no men in Claysoot. There are boys—but every one of them vanishes at midnight on his eighteenth birthday. The ground shakes, the wind howls, a blinding light descends…and he’s gone.

They call it the Heist.

Gray Weathersby’s eighteenth birthday is mere months away, and he’s prepared to meet his fate–until he finds a strange note from his mother and starts to question everything he’s been raised to accept: the Council leaders and their obvious secrets. The Heist itself. And what lies beyond the Wall that surrounds Claysoot–a structure that no one can cross and survive.

Climbing the Wall is suicide, but what comes after the Heist could be worse. Should he sit back and wait to be taken–or risk everything on the hope of the other side?

Why I am Waiting:

The premise of this book is so interesting. No men at all, only boys. Something about heist. A Wall they can't go over. I want to know what the secret is like now. And that cover is so awesome. It looks like they are walking up a wall. April can't come fast enough for this one. Really can't wait. =]

Link me up in the comments to your WoW pick. =]

Thanks for visiting and Happy Reading.

-Michael

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I Read in 2012

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists at The Broke and the Bookish. They love to share lists

(Click on the Covers to go to Goodreads) =]

Also I decided I am adding an extra one so I have 11 to share with you guys today. I just read so many awesome books this year. =] All of these book are amazing in their own right. I am linking back to my reviews of them so you can see why I loved them all so much.

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .

We know you are here, our brothers and sisters . . .
Pressia barely remembers the Detonations or much about life during the Before.

Burn a Pure and Breathe the Ash . . .
There are those who escaped the apocalypse unmarked. Pures. They are tucked safely inside the Dome that protects their healthy, superior bodies. Yet Partridge, whose father is one of the most influential men in the Dome, feels isolated and lonely.

When Pressia meets Partridge, their worlds shatter all over again.

What if you were bound for a new world, about to pledge your life to someone you'd been promised to since birth, and one unexpected violent attack made survival—not love—the issue?

Ninety-five days, and then I’ll be safe.
I wonder whether the procedure will hurt.
I want to get it over with.
It’s hard to be patient.
It’s hard not to be afraid while I’m still uncured, though so far the deliria hasn’t touched me yet.
Still, I worry.
They say that in the old days, love drove people to madness.
The deadliest of all deadly things: It kills you both when you have it and when you don’t.

A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire, #2)

A comet the color of blood and flame cuts across the sky. And from the ancient citadel of Dragonstone to the forbidding shores of Winterfell, chaos reigns. Six factions struggle for control of a divided land and the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms, preparing to stake their claims through tempest, turmoil, and war.

Hippocampus (The Atlantis Revolution #1)

An Island that Shouldn't Exist...
A Life He Didn't Know...
A Destiny That Can't Be Escaped
There was no turning back. We were going to set into motion a revolution that could either save Atlantis or leave it destroyed in the process.

A Million Suns (Across the Universe, #2)

Godspeed was once fueled by lies. Now it is ruled by chaos.
It’s been three months since Amy was unplugged. The life she always knew is over. Everywhere she looks, she sees the walls of the spaceship Godspeed.
But there may be hope: Elder has assumed leadership of the ship. He's finally free to act on his vision—no more Phydus, no more lies.

One choice can transform you--or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves--and herself--while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

"The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children. "
"If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company. "
"And there are no strangers in the town of Near."
These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life.
But when an actual stranger--a boy who seems to fade like smoke--appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true.

Celia Reynolds is the youngest in a set of triplets and the one with the least valuable power. Anne can see the future, and Jane can see the present, but all Celia can see is the past. And the past seems so insignificant -- until Celia meets Lo.

It was supposed to be the weekend of their lives—an exclusive house party on Henry Island. Best friends Meg and Minnie each have their reasons for being there (which involve T.J., the school’s most eligible bachelor) and look forward to three glorious days of boys, booze and fun-filled luxury.
But what they expect is definitely not what they get, and what starts out as fun turns dark and twisted after the discovery of a DVD with a sinister message: Vengeance is mine.

Hope you enjoyed my list.

Thanks for Visiting =]

Leave a link to your Top Ten in the comments and I will come check yours out.

I look forward to seeing what some of the blogospheres favorite read of 2012 are. =]

Happy Reading

-Michael

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Review: The Fallen Legacies (Lorien Legacies: The Lost Files, #3)

The Fallen Legacies (Lorien Legacies: The Lost Files, #3) by Pittacus Lore

ebook, 101 pages

Published July 24th 2012 by HarperCollins

Synopsis:

Before Number Four, there were One, Two, and Three. Until now we've only known that the Mogadorians caught Number One in Malaysia. Number Two in England. And Number Three in Kenya. But all of that is about to change. . . .

In I Am Number Four: The Lost Files: The Fallen Legacies, you'll learn the true story behind these ill-fated members of the Garde. Before they were murdered by the Mogadorians, before Number Four was next, they were all just kids on an alien planet called Earth—discovering their powers, trying to stay hidden, and running for their lives.

My Thoughts/Review

This was one of my favorite novellas of this series. It had everything in it and was completely and thoroughly awesome. Ever since the beginning of the Lorien Legacies Series I have always wondered what happened exactly to the first three of the Garde and their Cepans from Lorien. I finally got the answers in this novella.

The Fallen Legacies brings a whole new perspective to this series. It starts all the way back in the beginning before any of the Lorien have died and the narrator of the story is a young mogadorian kid named Adamus, Adam for short. He is the son of one of the generals from the planet, Mogadore. You wouldn't think you would come around to actually liking and feeling for a Mog, but in this book you completely do. You learn all about how One, Two and Three die and what part Adam has in each of their deaths. The story is told in a very unique way and gets you wrapped up in the history and originality of the book. You get to know the other side of the story and understand what is going on with them.

I can't wait to see what this part of the story has to do with the later parts in the actual series. I hope this novella plays a biggger part and Adam shows up later on. I don't know how Pittacus Lore keeps doing it. The story is getting even more exciting and I can not wait to see what happens in the third book, The Rise of Nine. If you haven't read this series or these short stories, I definitely recommend that you start immediately. It is one of the best alien/Sci-fi books I have ever read. You will not be disappointed. =]

Overall, I give this book:

Awesome short story, that will give you a whole new perspective. =]
5 out of 5 Stars

Links to Check it Out:

If you want to enter then click the link here to go to Beth's Blog to do so.

Thanks for Visiting

and

Happy Reading. =]

-Michael

Thursday, December 13, 2012

The Ultimate Fan Contest!

Beth Revis is having an amazing contest/giveaway on her blog right now.

Shades of Earth is coming out on January 15th and the contest is to celebrate the three books and three years accumulating up to this moment, the end of the series.

The prize is a HUGE collection of everything AtU. Beth Revis has saved up all the promo stuff, all the little extras, everything--just to give away to ONE fan of the books!

If you love AtU, then this is the contest for you. The prize is so rare that some of this stuff is entirely one-of-a-kind, and nearly all of it is so rare it's not even sold in stores--it was just used for super-limited promo items, often only given to top booksellers.

Here is a picture of it. =]

This contest is bittersweet. I want to find out what happens to the characters but I also do not want the series to end.

Okay, so now to the good stuff.

Why I think I am a Super Fan:

From the moment I discoverd this book series I have loved it to pieces.

The first chapter was one of the best first chapters I have ever read in a book.

From that moment, I knew that I would love Across the Universe and every book that will come from Beth Revis.

I am not the type of fan that will create fan fic or create a whole website.

I am the type of fan that will spread the word like crazy.

I must have told a ton of people about this series.

If anyone ever asks for a recommendation, I always tell them about this book series.

Across the Universe was one of my favorite books of 2011, which I blogged about.

A Millions Suns is one of my favorite books of 2012 and I will blog about it in a few weeks.

I must have blogged about Across the Universe, A Million Suns and Shades of Earth just about a million times.

I have done Waiting on Wednesday memes saying just how much I could not wait for these books to come out.

I even bought a personalized paperback copy of Across the Universe in the old cover, when it came out, just so I could get Beth's signature and to get the extra swag she was putting in the package.

This is how much of a fan I am of this series.

I will forever be talking about it because it will forever be one of my favorite series ever.

I feel that I would actually reread these books and if you know me I am not the type of person to reread.

Thanks so much for this amazing contest, Beth.

I really can not wait to read Shades of Earth.

I hope it will be the awesome conclusion to an amazing series that I hope it will be.

If you enter the contest like I am, Good Luck. =]

Thanks for Visiting

and

Happy Reading. =]

-Michael

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday: Splintered by A.G. Howard

Splintered by A.G. Howard

Hardcover, 384 pages

Expected publication: January 1st 2013 by Amulet Books

Synopsis:

This stunning debut captures the grotesque madness of a mystical under-land, as well as a girl’s pangs of first love and independence. Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.
When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.

Why I am Waiting:

You had me at Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. A new take on this classic sounds completely amazing. I love when authors put a new spin on a story that is already well known. I really can not wait til this book comes out, which is very soon. Sounds awesome. =]

Link me up in the comments to your WoW pick. =]

Thanks for visiting and Happy Reading.

-Michael

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite New-To-Me Authors I Read In 2012

(Click the Links to go to the authors Goodreads Page)

1) Marissa Meyer
Have you not read Cinder yet. Well you should. It was one of the best books I read in 2012. She is completely unique and is an awesome storyteller.

2) Julianna Baggott
Her writing created a whole new post-apocalyptic world that seems so real and something that could possible happen to today's world in the future. Completely Revolutionary.

3) Tom Tancin
Created an awesome world and story revolving around Atlantis. Loved the the book he created with personal and real characters that are going through an adventure.

4) Amy Kathleen Ryan
I was introduced to her through her book Glow. A whole new adventure set in outer space where two ships get separated and have two totally different beliefs. I loved her writing style and her suspense.

5) Lauren Oliver
I read Delirium this year and fell in love with it. It seems horrible where love is a disease but it could possibly happen. Oliver's characters and writing style is what made this book wonderful.

6) Victoria Schwab
One of my favorite authors I have been introduced to this year. Her writing is so spectacularly descriptive and is filled with heart and realness in her characters. You can feel them and the story coming off the page. She creates magic with her writing. She is just a downright awesome person too. =]

7) Gretchen McNeil
This is another of my favorite authors I've been introduced to this year. I read Ten by her when it came out and it was one of the best thriller/mystery books I have ever read. Gretchen is also a really awesome person as well. =]

8) T.B. Mckenzie
I was introduced by him because he contacted me to review his book. I read it and I really loved it. He put such heart and feeling into his characters that you wanted them to succeed. I can't wait to read his second book.

9) Audrey Niffenegger
I just finished The Time Traveler's Wife and I know why it was such a popular book. Her writing was so amazing with a very powerful love that lasted many years through time. You could feel the love and feeling pouring of the pages from her words.

10) Victor Hugo
Another book I just finished was Les Miserables. I read it in time for the movie that is coming out and I really loved it. You could feel the heart, emotion and bond that connected all of the characters through out time and how everyone had a purpose to the core of the story. I can see why Victor Hugo's books have become such great classics. =]

Hope you enjoyed my list.

Thanks for Visiting =]

Leave a link to your Top Ten in the comments and I will come check yours out.

Happy Reading

-Michael

Monday, December 10, 2012

Review: Diary of A Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel by Jeff Kinney

The Third Wheel (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, #7)

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel

Hardcover, First Edition, 224 pages

Published November 13th 2012 by Amulet Books

Synopsis:

Love is in the air—but what does that mean for Greg Heffley?

A Valentine’s Day dance at Greg’s middle school has turned his world upside down. As Greg scrambles to find a date, he’s worried he’ll be left out in the cold on the big night. His best friend, Rowley, doesn’t have any prospects either, but that’s a small consolation.

An unexpected twist gives Greg a partner for the dance and leaves Rowley the odd man out. But a lot can happen in one night, and in the end, you never know who’s going to be lucky in love.

My Thoughts/Review:

Jeff Kinney has done it again with another great Wimpy Kid book for kids. I just love these books and the direction they keep going in. I always get excited around this time of year because I know another Wimpy Kid book is going to come out. You never know what kind of trouble or situation Greg Heffley is going to get himself into this time. This series can really teach some life lessons to the impressionable children of the next generation. I can't wait to see what Kinney has in store for the next one. The stories are really funny and the situations Greg finds himself in would only happen to him and I have no idea how Kinney comes up with this stuff, book after book. I could really see this series going on forever and becoming a real staple on every child's bookshelf.

I love Kinney's writing style and the voice he has given to Greg which has progressed and gotten better from each book he turns out to the next. Greg's opinions and wit about everyday life is what makes the book so funny and real. In this installment, Greg has to find someone to take to the Valentine's Day dance and he eventually becomes the third wheel, hence the title of the book. I love how you are never expecting the things that happen to Greg and the crazy situations he gets himself into.

Kinney's comedic style and flair for the unexpected is why I read these books, as soon as possible, every time they are released. I love the cartoon style of drawings he does, which are perfectly done each time. This series has brought a whole new refresher to children's books in this day and age. It is completely different and unique for what is the norm and expected. I recommend them to kids of all ages and even adults who are young at heart. These books are a perfect tool to use to try and get children to like reading and become future readers. If you haven't picked this one up yet or started the series I definitely and whole-heartily suggest you do so, especially if you have kids in this age bracket. Happy Reading. =]

Overall, I give this book:

Really funny, real life story which is great for kids to get hooked on reading. =]
5 out of 5 Stars

Links to Check it Out:

Thanks for Visiting

and

Happy Reading. =]

-Michael

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Review: The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Paperback, 546 pages

Published July 5th 2003 by Mariner Books

Synopsis:

A dazzling novel in the most untraditional fashion, this is the remarkable story of Henry DeTamble, a dashing, adventuresome librarian who travels involuntarily through time, and Clare Abshire, an artist whose life takes a natural sequential course. Henry and Clare's passionate love affair endures across a sea of time and captures the two lovers in an impossibly romantic trap, and it is Audrey Niffenegger's cinematic storytelling that makes the novel's unconventional chronology so vibrantly triumphant.

An enchanting debut and a spellbinding tale of fate and belief in the bonds of love, The Time Traveler's Wife is destined to captivate readers for years to come.

My Thoughts/Review:

This was a very good book. I watched the movie before I read the book. That might have been a mistake because I kind of feel that I liked the movie better. So if you want to read the book and watch the movie, I suggest reading the book first, just so you can get the full effect. I bought this book a couple of years ago when it was popular, planning on reading it, and of course I never got to it. I got the movie on netflix and so I watched it. I was completely blown away by the movie, so I thought I have got to read the book and so I did.

The depth of the characters that Niffenegger was able to create was amazing. I loved learning all of the details of Henry and Clare and their life together. Their story and their love through time is so touching and I loved every bit of that. From the beginning to end, back and forth, through time was compeletely magical. Niffenegger really wrote a brillant story. I can see why there was so much praise and admiration for this book. It deserves all of it.

I didn't give this book a 5 for a couple of reasons. Some parts of it were slow and I thought were unneccesary in telling the true story of the book. I could have fast forwarded some parts. Even though I loved it all, the book was really just too long for me. I would have been happier with a shorter book. I really liked learning about all the little things and details that weren't in the movie. For some reason, I think the movie got the story better though. I was hoping for an amazing heart wrenching ending, like in the movie, and I didn't get that in the book.

I actually listened to the story on audiobook and the readers of the book were absolutely brillant. They were both perfect as Clare and Henry, I could picture it so clearly in my head. The audiobook did a fantastic job at telling the story. Overall, I really loved this book and it is totally worth reading if you saw the movie and think you want to read it, even with the flaws that I thought it had. I recommend this adult book for everyone, it is a fantastic read and has become one of my favorite movies/books this year that I have saw/read. =]

Overall, I give this book:

Really touching, love story that lasts through out time. =]
4 out of 5 Stars

Links to Check it Out: