new books!

so, I've been reading "Ironside" by Holly Black, since I'm going to go meet her on Monday!  I am thoroughly enjoying it and I'm really glad I gave her another chance.  I had checked it out a few weeks ago from the library and picked it up as soon as I finished "The Forest of Hands and Teeth".  Now, I had read "Valiant" a year or two ago, but it just didn't leave me wanting for more.  I can't exactly pinpoint why that is, but it just seemed......lacking.

However, this book is NOT lacking!  I am loving it!  If only I weren't swamped down in school work and having to read about Reference materials (yuck!), I would be unable to tear myself away from it, I think.

I bought 2 new books this weekend to prepare for the book signing on Monday.  I bought Holly Black's new book, "White Cat" which is getting great reviews and I bought "The Dead-Tossed Waves" by Carrie Ryan.  I was shocked though, when I realized it wasn't going to pick up where "The Forest of Hands and Teeth" left off.  I'm not sure how I feel about that.  But I loved the first book so, so much that I'm going to give this one a shot!  And it will be autographed when I get to sit down and read it.  ::does a happy dance around the room::

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

It is 4:16 a.m. and I just finished this book.  I really, really liked this book.  There's a lot of substance to the story.  The characters were wonderful and I found that I really started to care a lot for them and really feel for their whole situation.  Having said that, I really did NOT like Mary, the main character.  I felt that she was selfish and brought about a lot of unnecessary hardships for the rest of the characters in the book.

Which brings me to the point that I"m at right now.  I may have to write again about this book because there is a lot to "digest" in this story.  So many things to think about.  I find myself pondering the meaning of dreams and life and love and contentment.  What makes us happy?  What should we pursue in life?  Do we pursue our own dreams to the detriment of others?  Is it better to go after the big dreams or to be content with life's small happinesses?  What role should religion play in our lives?  Should we question it or should we simply accept it because that is easier?

I don't know the answers to any of those questions, but I like it that this book could make me think about those things.  Even though this is set in a dystopian world, it felt real.  I could empathize with the characters and feel what they were feeling:  their fear, their happiness, their discontent, their despair.

I have read reviews where people said that they didn't like this book.  It is definitely not a book that leaves you with a warm, fuzzy feeling at the end.  I"m not all gaga over a Bella/Edward type romance here.  It's gritty and philosophical and in many ways, in your face.  But I like that.  I like thinking at the end and not really knowing how I felt about the main character or what happened.  I don't know if she made any of the right choices.

So I can't wait to get my hands on the next book, The Dead Tossed Waves.  Maybe all my questions will be answered there, but I highly doubt that will be the case.

And that is a very good thing.

I get to go to a book signing with Holly Black and Carrie Ryan!!!

I am seriously squealing like a fan girl at a Justin Bieber concert!  OK, probably not nearly as high-pitched and irritating as that, but you get the picture.

I was messing around on Facebook, because I was actually avoiding the horrible readings in my References textbook.  I saw that one of my friends had a post about a book signing that was just a line or two and then she had a link.  I clicked on the link and lo and behold!  It was an announcement of two surprise book signings from Holly Black!  And the one in Spartanburg, SC includes Carrie Ryan!!!!

Am I ever glad that I have just started reading The Forest of Hands and Teeth!!!!   And I am definitely going to go immediately and get a copy of Holly Black's new book, which was on my TBR list anyway, but which just got moved to the top.

So, I suppose I should at least go read some good fiction now.  It gives me another excuse to avoid that heinous textbook.  If I ever write a college textbook, I'm going to write it like an epic story.  My heroine will wake up one day to find that she secretly comes from a long line of special librarians and she has to attend a special librarian school.  Each year will bring more and more peril as she navigates the murky waters of librarianship, learning all about collection development, good reference materials, technology and ::gasps:: cataloging in the Dewey Decimal system!!!  I think I will create a year of school for each important area.  It will be amazing!  But I suppose I need to actually finish this MLS degree before I am qualified to write any textbooks.  Oh well.......

yes, I bought more books, even though I don't have time to read them!

So, even though my professor for this class on Reference Materials gave me enough homework this week to make Albert Einstein sob, I couldn't resist new books!

So, I did go buy Linger by Maggie Stiefvater.  I cannot WAIT to start this book.  I need to finish  
The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan first.  Only because it's checked out from the library.

So, while I was in the bookstore, I decided to also pick up a copy of Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey.  I have to say, I was skeptical about this book.  But I kept reading recommendations for it.  I was still not 100% sold.

Now, last semester, I had a class in Collection Development.  And in that class, we couldn't select books until we had read at least 2 positive reviews from publications like School Library Journal, Publisher's Weekly, Booklist, etc.  So I did what any good librarian would do.  I looked up the professional reviews on the book.  And I found that they agreed with the recommendations of my GoodReads friends!

So I bought it this weekend.  I"m actually looking forward to reading it.  Which means I"d better get to work on all the heinous assignments on Reference Materials.  BOO!!!  Who wants to worry about Reference Materials when there are books to be read!

NEW BOOK RELEASE!

Hooray!  This book just came out on Monday.  I am going to try and go get it at the bookstore this week.  I have to run my oldest daughter to her math tutor's house at 10:00, so maybe I'll take the 2 year old and run to get it before we pick up the 12 year old!  Of course, I won't have much time to read it with another graduate school class on Wednesday night.  ::sighs::  I really want to be a librarian, but these classes are seriously cutting into my reading time! : )

If you haven't read the first book in this series, Shiver, run to your nearest book store or library and find a copy as quickly as you can!  Ms. Stiefvater has a very interesting take on the werewolf legend.  You will love Sam.  He is a wonderful character who has stolen my heart.  I also love the way she introduces each chapter with the current temperature.  That will make sense as you move along in the story.  She also has a very particular style of writing.  Some people don't care for it very much, but I really enjoyed it.  I would probably give the first book a 4-4 1/2 stars out of 5, so I can't wait to see how the second book progresses.  Barnes and Noble, here I come!

will i ever finish this book?

So, I am still trying to read "Captivate".  It's not because it's slow that it's taking so long.  To the contrary, the book is quite engaging and I am constantly thinking about it.  While I do laundry, dishes, let the dog in and out, fix 3945879213759127 meals for my children.  Oh!  And while I had to go on the 400 mile long nature trail hike that my husband insisted we do yesterday. ::sighs:: My husband just does not appreciate how much better a good book can be than a hike.  In the heat.  With mosquitoes.  And the dog.

So, I have to say that I am at a place where something has happened and I'm afraid to read more.  It's like when Edward leaves Bella in New Moon, and you're afraid that he's never going to come back.  Remember that part?  Well, a character has just died.  Technically, we the readers don't see this character die, but it is assumed that the character is dead.  And I'm really upset about that.  So, I"m a little afraid to keep reading, because I just don't want this character to be dead.  Of course, I didn't want Dumbledore to be dead either, and it all worked out in the end, but it was still really painful.  And I'm worried that it's going to be like this in "Captivate". 

Dishes are calling my name, so I'm going to go clean them up and wipe the mystery crud off the floor in my living room. Then, perhaps I can start reading again tonight.  After I make that Gandalf costume that is sitting on my dining room table.....