Apr 30, 2017
From Our TBR Pile

Review – Binti by Nnedi Okorafor

Binti
By: Nnedi Okorafor
Website: http://www.nnedi.com/
Release Date: September 22, 2015
Publisher: Tor.com
Series: Binti #1
Award: Hugo Award for Best Novella (2016); Nebula Award for Best Novella (2015); Locus Award Nominee for Best Novella (2016)
Rating:


I was pretty excited when I finally got my copy in this book. Binti by Nnedi Okorafor is a beautifully written, captivating novella that has won both the Nebula and Hugo awards. It’s been on my radar for quite some time, and, finally, I’ve gotten a chance to read it.

You’ve probably heard of this book, but what’s it about, exactly?

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Apr 27, 2017
Graphic Novels Throwback Thursday

#ThrowbackThursday Review – The Sandman, Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturns by Neil Gaiman

The Sandman, Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturns
By: Neil Gaiman
Website: http://www.neilgaiman.com/
Release Date: (Original) 1988; (this edition) December 1, 1988
Publisher: Vertigo
Series: The Sandman #1
Rating:


I was in the used book store attached to my library recently, seeing what new things they’d put on the shelves since the last time I wiped out their stock. Out of curiosity I wandered over to a shelf labeled ‘humor’. There, tucked between copies of newspaper comic strip compilations and stand up comic’s autobiographies was a misplaced copy of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman: Preludes and Nocturns.

A ‘humor’ book this is not. But if you’re looking for some graphic novel horror in your life, you’ve come to the right place.

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Apr 25, 2017
From Our TBR Pile

Review – Phoenix by S. F. Said

Phoenix
By: S. F. Said
Release Date: (Original) August 1, 2013; (US Release) October 11, 2016
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Award: Carnegie Medal Nominee (2014)
Rating:


Phoenix by S. F. Said is a book which, apparently, has been on my to-read shelf on Goodreads since its original release in 2013. I discovered it at the library, bright orange cover leaping off the shelf, as bright orange covers tend to do. I truly loved this book. Really. Honestly. It was a sit down after dinner and finish it in one go sort of a book, the sort you find only rarely. Surprisingly, this isn’t a book I’ve heard very much about. So, here I am, singing its praises from the proverbial rooftop.

But first, what exactly is this book about?

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Apr 22, 2017
From Our TBR Pile

Review – Toru: Wayfarer by Stephanie R. Sorensen

Toru: Wayfarer
By: Stephanie R. Sorensen
Release Date: February 17, 2016
Publisher: Palantir Press LLC
Series: Sakura Steam #1
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


Sometimes it’s a synopsis that catches your eye. Sometimes it’s the cover. Sometimes it’s the author’s name, or the genre. For me, it was the setting the setting and cover design. Toru: Wayfarer by Stephanie R. Sorensen is a book that’s been on my radar since it was first released back in February of 2016. When I finally got my hands on a copy, I was quite the excited bookworm.

Unfortunately, the excitement didn’t last.

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Apr 20, 2017
Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday: Death Masks (The Dresden Files #5)

Death Masks (The Dresden Files #5)
By: Jim Butcher
Website: http://www.jim-butcher.com/
Release Date: August 5th, 2003
Publisher: Roc Books
Series: The Dresden Files
Rating:


Harry’s ex, Susan Rodriguez (half-vampire)is back, just in time for evil fallen angels, a duel with the Red Court’s champion, a missing mystical Shroud he’s been asked to help find and a diseased headless corpse that CPD needs help dealing with. If Harry’s life wasn’t already complicated his good friend and Knight of the Cross, Michael Carpenter, is there to help Harry when it’s needed, and throw another wrench into the already complicated few days Harry is having. 

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Apr 18, 2017
From Our TBR Pile

Review: Shadow and Bone (The Grisha, #1)

Shadow and Bone (The Grisha, #1)
By: Leigh Bardugo
Website: http://www.leighbardugo.com/index1.html
Release Date: June 5th, 2012
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
Series: The Grisha Series
Award: Pennsylvania Young Readers' Choice Award Nominee for Young Adults (2014), Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award Nominee (2014), Lincoln Award Nominee (2014), Prix Elbakin.net for Meilleur roman fantasy traduit Jeunesse (2013)
Rating:


When you hear an author’s name enough you become interested. I had heard of Leigh Bardugo a lot lately and decided to give it a try. Six of Crows has had such rave reviews I was afraid to not like her style for something so widely loved. So, I chickened out of starting there and picked up her previously published trilogy, the Grisha trilogy, instead. (Plus, I had a gift card and got the box set.) So, let me tell you about the first book in the trilogy, Shadow and Bone.

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Apr 15, 2017
Throwback Thursday

Review Special: Thirteen Reasons Why

Thirteen Reasons Why
By: Jay Asher
Website: http://www.thirteenreasonswhy.com/
Release Date: October 18th, 2007
Publisher: Razorbill
Award: Georgia Peach Book Award Nominee for Honor book (2009), South Carolina Book Award for Young Adult Book (2010), Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis Nominee for Preis der Jugendjury (2010), California Book Award Silver Medal, Lincoln Award (2013) Missouri Gateway Readers Award (2010), Oklahoma Sequoyah Award for High School (2010)
Rating:


Maybe you’ve seen this title mentioned a lot lately. Thirteen Reasons Why. It’s a new series on Netflix. Recently a 10th Anniversary edition of the book was published. What you should really know is that this book is gripping, haunting and one of the books in my library that I purposely have two copies of (my original copy and the 10th Anniversary edition) and that I won’t be departing with either copy, ever. 

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Apr 13, 2017
Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday: Summer Knight (The Dresden Files #4)

Summer Knight (The Dresden Files #4)
By: Jim Butcher
Website: http://www.jim-butcher.com/
Release Date: September 3rd, 2002
Publisher: Roc Books
Series: The Dresden Files
Rating:


When your girlfriend has left town (and is trying not to kill you) and your Faerie Godmother sells your debt to the Winter Queen what can you do? If you’re Harry Dresden, you find a way to get in more trouble, apparently.

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Apr 08, 2017
From Our TBR Pile New & Upcoming Releases

Review – Gauntlet by Holly Jennings

Gauntlet
By: Holly Jennings
Release Date: April 4, 2016
Publisher: Ace
Series: Arena #2
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


Never have I seen a second novel in a series so completely outdo the first in nearly every way. I’ll be honest here. I probably wouldn’t have picked up Gauntlet by Holly Jennings if the publisher hadn’t sent me a digital copy. I found Arena, the first book in the series, disappointing. I could see the potential within the novel and desperately wanted to love it, but found it fell short of the mark. I was hesitant to start reading Gauntlet.

It is immediately obvious that author has grown as a writer. Gauntlet is an exciting, suspenseful, near future sci-fi that will have you rooting for Kali and Team Defiance all the way. I am eagerly awaiting the next book in the series. Because dear lord, people, that cliffhanger!

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