Review: the princess saves herself in this one

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the princess saves herself in this oneTitle: the princess saves herself in this one
Author: Amanda Lovelace
Published:  April 23, 2016
Series: Women are some kind of magic
Genre:  Poetry
Format:  Hardcover
Source:  Purchased

“Ah, life- the thing that happens to us while we’re off somewhere else blowing on dandelions & wishing ourselves into the pages of our favorite fairy tales.”

A poetry collection divided into four different parts: the princess, the damsel, the queen, & you. the princess, the damsel, & the queen piece together the life of the author in three stages, while you serves as a note to the reader & all of humankind. Explores life & all of its love, loss, grief, healing, empowerment, & inspirations.

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Review: The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty

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The City of Brass coverTitle: The City of Brass
Author:  S.A. Chakraborty
Published:  Nov. 14, 2017
Series: The Daevabad Trilogy
Genre:  Historical Fantasy
Format:  Kindle
Source:  Purchased

Nahri has never believed in magic. Certainly, she has power; on the streets of 18th century Cairo, she’s a con woman of unsurpassed talent. But she knows better than anyone that the trade she uses to get by—palm readings, zars, healings—are all tricks, sleights of hand, learned skills; a means to the delightful end of swindling Ottoman nobles.

But when Nahri accidentally summons an equally sly, darkly mysterious djinn warrior to her side during one of her cons, she’s forced to accept that the magical world she thought only existed in childhood stories is real. For the warrior tells her a new tale: across hot, windswept sands teeming with creatures of fire, and rivers where the mythical marid sleep; past ruins of once-magnificent human metropolises, and mountains where the circling hawks are not what they seem, lies Daevabad, the legendary city of brass, a city to which Nahri is irrevocably bound.

In that city, behind gilded brass walls laced with enchantments, behind the six gates of the six djinn tribes, old resentments are simmering. And when Nahri decides to enter this world, she learns that true power is fierce and brutal. That magic cannot shield her from the dangerous web of court politics. That even the cleverest of schemes can have deadly consequences.

After all, there is a reason they say be careful what you wish for.

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Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Resolutions/Goals

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Top Ten TuesdayAs of this week, the Top Ten Tuesday meme has moved to a new host blog — That Artsy Reader Girl!

Same great concept started by The Broke and the Bookish, just a new host!

Top Ten Tuesday focuses on a different top 10 theme each week — check out the host blog for a list of upcoming TTT topics.

This week’s topic is… Bookish Resolutions/Goals

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If you went to Barnes & Noble and didn’t buy a new book, did you even go?

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Nick and I went to Barnes & Noble in Leominster today to buy our niece a birthday present, but one does not simply walk into Barnes & Noble and leave without buying a new book.

I mean, LOOK AT THIS COVER! How could I not buy it?

The Librarian of Auschwitz

And besides, I got this GORGEOUS new bookcase yesterday, so I obviously have a lot of space to fill! But I digress…

new bookcase

The Librarian of Auschwitz was on a table display for new releases (it looks like it was originally published in Spanish in 2012, but the English version appears to have just come out in October). The cover art is what snagged my attention, but I actually picked it up because the title reminded me so much of The Book Thief, which I read (and loved) last March.

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It’s WWW Wednesday! – 1/10/2018

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WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words

The 3 Ws are:

  • What are you currently reading?
  • What did you recently finish reading?
  • What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading?

I’m currently reading The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty. It’s the first book in The Daevabad Trilogy.

I spotted this book while perusing the pop-up shop at The Bookery, an independent bookstore coming to Manchester this spring! I actually bought it for my sister-in-law for Christmas (using the “I want to read it, so she’ll want to read it” logic). But about a week after Christmas, I caved and bought it on my Kindle.

I only had a few minutes to start it on Sunday morning, but I was hooked after the first few pages! The City of Brass is a fantasy novel set in 18th-century Cairo. I’ve had a minor obsession with Egyptian culture since I was a child, so this was really the perfect marriage of some of my interests.

I’ll be sure to post my review when I’m finished!

 

What did you recently finish reading?

I just finished re-reading Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury over the weekend.

It had been more than a decade since I read this in high school (eek — that’s a long time!), and although I remember liking it in high school, I actually think I liked it more this time around.

Even though it was terrifying. Highly recommended to ANYONE. Read my review here.

What do you think you’ll read next?

26755479_10215080631349295_1843687110_nThe next book I plan on reading the princess saves herself in this one by Amanda Lovelace.

“Ah, life- the thing that happens to us while we’re off somewhere else blowing on dandelions & wishing ourselves into the pages of our favorite fairy tales.”

A poetry collection divided into four different parts: the princess, the damsel, the queen, & you. the princess, the damsel, & the queen piece together the life of the author in three stages, while you serves as a note to the reader & all of humankind. Explores life & all of its love, loss, grief, healing, empowerment, & inspirations.

The black and white contrast of the cover and the title just grabbed me on this one while I was browsing Barnes and Noble with Sarah on Monday.

I paged through it briefly and instantly HAD to buy it. It’s a little different from my usual reads as I’m not typically into nonfiction, but I do love poetry!

Stay tuned for my thoughts!

What are your 3 Ws? Leave a comment and let me know!

What’s your reading goal in 2018?

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How many books are you planning to read this year?

I’ll be honest, I crashed and burned on my reading goal last year. I aimed for 50, but fell short at four.

Yes. I said four.

Here’s my breakdown over the last few years:

  • 2011: 100+ (no goal set)
  • 2012: 72/100
  • 2013: 50/50
  • 2014: 26/50
  • 2015: 8 (no goal set)
  • 2016: 22/25
  • 2017: 4/50

Oops.

Don’t get me wrong, I did a lot of things last year. Work was crazy, I traveled a lot, and I played a LOT of hockey.

My brain was just too cluttered to focus on reading.

But I started 2018 with a clearer head than I’ve had in years, so I’m going to try for 50 again in 2018!

How many books are you planning to read in 2018? Let me know in the comments, or comment on my Facebook post.

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Review: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

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13259220Title: Fahrenheit 451
Author:  Ray Bradbury
Published:  October 1953
Genre:  Dystopian
Format:  Kindle
Source:  Purchased

Guy Montag is a fireman. In his world, where television rules and literature is on the brink of extinction, firemen start fires rather than put them out. His job is to destroy the most illegal of commodities, the printed book, along with the houses in which they are hidden.

Montag never questions the destruction and ruin his actions produce, returning each day to his bland life and wife, Mildred, who spends all day with her television ‘family’. But then he meets an eccentric young neighbor, Clarisse, who introduces him to a past where people did not live in fear and to a present where one sees the world through the ideas in books instead of the mindless chatter of television.

When Mildred attempts suicide and Clarisse suddenly disappears, Montag begins to question everything he has ever known.

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