Jan 21, 2017
From Our TBR Pile New & Upcoming Releases Review Policy

Review – Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Gemina
By: Amie Kaufman; Jay Kristoff
Website: http://amiekaufman.com/ ; https://jaykristoff.com/
Release Date: October 18, 2016
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Series: The Illuminae Files #1
Award: Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction (2016)
Rating:


There’s something to be said for having a library a block and a half away from my apartment, especially when the nearest bookstore is a half an hour away. It’s saved me on more than one occasion when I need the sequel to book I just finished.

This time was certainly no exception. Gemina by Amie Kaufmann and Jay Kristoff was just put on the shelf, the book so new that it didn’t yet have a library card sleeve in the back. (Yeah, my library still uses those, only sans the actual library card. Why? Great question.) So I picked it up, brought it home, and read all 672 pages in one sitting to the awe and disbelief of my husband.

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Jan 17, 2017
From Our TBR Pile

Review: Shackled

Shackled
By: Tom Leveen
Website: http://tomleveen.com/
Release Date: August 18th, 2015
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Rating:


When I want a thriller book I can be pretty picky. To that end picking up Schackled by Tom Leveen was a great decision. A distressed main character, a driving force behind all of the character’s actions and an intriguing plot had me hooked quickly and I must say that this was the perfect, quick, thriller I had hoped it would be. 

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Jan 15, 2017
From Our TBR Pile

Review – Pawn’s Gambit: And Other Stratagems by Timothy Zahn

Pawn's Gambit: And Other Stratagems
By: Timothy Zahn
Website: https://www.facebook.com/TimothyZahn
Release Date: January 5, 2016
Publisher: Open Road
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


Timothy Zahn is a name I’ve heard often when speaking with friends about books. Half a shelf at my local library is dedicated to his work. Yet, I’ve never picked up one of his books. Pawn’s Gambit: And Other Strategems is the first Timothy Zahn book I’ve read, or, at least, remember reading. And I certainly wasn’t disappointed.

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Jan 07, 2017
From Our TBR Pile

Review – Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel

Sleeping Giants
By: Sylvain Neuvel
Website: http://www.neuvel.net/
Release Date: April 26, 2016
Publisher: Del Rey
Series: Themis Files #1
Award: Goodreads Choice Nominee for Science Fiction (2016)
Rating:


Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel has been on my radar for some time, and I finally got my hands on a copy. As much as I wanted to read this book, I was a bit hesitant to begin, afraid it would fall short somehow. I’ve gotten myself hyped up for books before only to have my hopes and dreams dashed, and I couldn’t help but be a little nervous. But when the librarian looked at the cover, smiled, and gave it a fond little pat when i set it on the checkout desk I knew I was in safe hands. I really shouldn’t have been so afraid.

But enough about my own irrational fears. What is the book actually about?

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Jan 05, 2017
From Our TBR Pile Throwback Thursday

Review: The Final Empire (Mistborn #1)

The Final Empire (Mistborn #1)
By: Brandon Sanderson
Website: http://brandonsanderson.com/
Release Date: July 25, 2006
Publisher: Tor Books
Series: Mistborn Series
Award: Prix Elbakin.net for Meilleur roman fantasy traduit (2010)
Rating:


Authors who are capable of writing from multiple point of views are impressive and Brandon Sanderson is fantastic at doing just that. When recommended this book series by a friend I was told that there’s a badass female main character with powers and trust issues. Sold.  

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Jan 03, 2017
From Our TBR Pile

Review: Twisted

Twisted
By: Hannah Jayne
Website: http://www.hannah-jayne.com/
Release Date: July 5th 2016
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Rating:


Titles are tricky so, when a title that is only one word can get my attention I will grab the book off the shelf, read the synopsis and, if intrigued further, buy the book immediately. That is exactly what happened with me when I saw this title at Barnes and Noble.

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Dec 27, 2016
From Our TBR Pile

Review – Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Illuminae
By: Amie Kaufman; Jay Kristoff
Website: http://amiekaufman.com/ ; https://jaykristoff.com/
Release Date: October 20, 2015
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Series: The Illuminae Files #1
Award: Audie Award for Multi-Voiced Performance (2016), Aurealis Award Nominee for Best Science Fiction Novel (2015), Australian Book Industry Award (ABIA) (2015), Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction (2015)
Rating:


Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff is a sci-fi novel with unique formatting, a rogue AI, a little romance, and giant space ships. This is the story of Kady and Ezra, two teens whose day goes from a terrible morning as they end a year long romance to cataclysmic by lunch time when a rogue ship opens fire on their city. Sure, the mining colony might not be entirely legal, but wiping it off the face of the map is a pretty big overreaction. And their attackers don’t want witnesses. Crammed into three ships, the survivors struggle to outrun their adversaries, all while dealing with an outbreak of an unknown plague and a secret the higher ups are willing to kill in order to cover up.

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Dec 24, 2016
From Our TBR Pile

Review – How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu

How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe
By: Charles Yu
Release Date: September 7, 2010
Publisher: Pantheon
Award: Locus Award Nominee for Best First Novel (2011), John W. Campbell Memorial Award Nominee for Best Science Fiction Novel (2011), Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Science Fiction (2010)
Rating:


How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu has won several awards, has a pretty awesome title, and an interesting premise. The main character, referred to as Charles Yu the very few times he is named, is a time machine repairman. Haunted by his past, he lives largely between time. Ten years for him is only a handful of days as far as the rest of the universe is concerned. One day, he meets a future version of himself, winds up in a time loop he must break out of, and is trying to save his father from wherever it was that he has mysteriously disappeared to.

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Dec 22, 2016
From Our TBR Pile Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday: Drums of Autumn

Drums of Autumn
By: Diana Gabaldon
Website: http://www.dianagabaldon.com/
Release Date: December 30th, 1996
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Series: Outlander Series
Award: All About Romance (AAR) Annual Reader Poll for Favorite "Other" Romance & Honorable Mention for Favorite Couple (1998)
Rating:


We are at book four in this series and now I find myself starting to, sadly, wane in my love for the series. This book, to date, is as far as I’ve read and I need a bit of a break after this one as I’m slightly disappointed in this book and, truthfully, I need to find time to read the books that follow this one. Spoiler alerts ahead, once again.

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