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Louise (64 KP) rated My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Winter Romances in Books
Jul 2, 2018
This set of short stories were very interesting to read and I like that they were all different in there own way, with fantasy and LGBTQ elements. I am fairly new to young adult so many of these authors I haven't read before but I will be delving into some of their works in 2016.
I was a little let down with this collection of short stories, there has been so much buzz going around for this book. I felt that the stories were too short and that you didn't really build enough connection with the characters to feel the warm fuzzy feeling of romance.
I will try to put a brief synopsis of each story but I don't want to ruin it for anyone.
Midnights by Rainbow Rowell is a story about Mags and Noel who have been friends over the past 4-5 years and it is told on every New Years eve and gradually they grow closer every year to more than just friends. 3 stars. Now everyone should know that I am a fan of Rainbow Rowell, but for me she is better at longer novels with the slow burn of a romance, for me this was much too short and I didn't feel the connection with the characters.
The Lady and the Fox by Kelly Link is a fantasy love story (to be honest I can't remember too much about this) 2 stars. It was ok, but things weren't explained enough.
Angels in the snow by Matt de la Pena is about a guy called Shy and he is cat sitting for his boss, when he gets a knock on the door from a women called Hayley , she has problems in her flat and Shy is the only guy to help out.3.5 stars. I really enjoyed this book, the characters were super cute, the romance was cute and a lovely short story.
Polaris is where you'll find me by Jenny Han is a about Natalie, she was abandoned as a baby, found and adopted by Santa, she grows up in the North Pole. Love between her and an elf develops. 3.5 stars This was super cute and reminded me of the film Elf.
It's a yuletide miracle Charlie Brown by Stephanie Perkins was another cute story of Marigold buying a Christmas tree just to speak to a guy. 3.5 stars.I don't know how many times I am going to say cute but this is what it was.
Your Temporary Santa is a LGTBQ story, which is great to see in this mix of stories, however it wasn't for me 2 stars.
Krampuslauf by Holly Black has elements of fantasy, however I didn't like the story for me it felt a bit juvenile. 1.5 stars
What the hell have you done, Sophie Roth, I loved this story, it has to be my favorite in the book, it's just a basic romance story but written and developed really well. 4 stars.
Beer buckets and baby Jesus by Myra McEntire, Vaughn Hatcher is the local prankster, however one day he gets arrested but saved by the local priest in exchange for community service, there he meets the girl he has been seeking attention. 2 stars
Welcome to Christmas, CA by Kiersten White was a really cool story, a girl hating her family, the town she lives in and the people until they get a new chef in the kitchen of the diner that her mum owns and somehow everything starts to become clearer. 3.5 stars This was an enjoyable read.
Star of Bethlehem by Ally Carter was a cute story of a girl trying to escape her life and swaps plane tickets with an Icelandic girl and pretends to be her when she meets her destination. 3.5 Stars
The girl who woke the dreamer by Laini Taylor is a fantasy story, which starts off very sad and gripping, but I wasn't sure about the ending. It was very strange. 2 stars
I know that Stephanie Perkins has another collection of short stories coming out in 2016 and will be interested in reading them aswell
Overall I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars
I was a little let down with this collection of short stories, there has been so much buzz going around for this book. I felt that the stories were too short and that you didn't really build enough connection with the characters to feel the warm fuzzy feeling of romance.
I will try to put a brief synopsis of each story but I don't want to ruin it for anyone.
Midnights by Rainbow Rowell is a story about Mags and Noel who have been friends over the past 4-5 years and it is told on every New Years eve and gradually they grow closer every year to more than just friends. 3 stars. Now everyone should know that I am a fan of Rainbow Rowell, but for me she is better at longer novels with the slow burn of a romance, for me this was much too short and I didn't feel the connection with the characters.
The Lady and the Fox by Kelly Link is a fantasy love story (to be honest I can't remember too much about this) 2 stars. It was ok, but things weren't explained enough.
Angels in the snow by Matt de la Pena is about a guy called Shy and he is cat sitting for his boss, when he gets a knock on the door from a women called Hayley , she has problems in her flat and Shy is the only guy to help out.3.5 stars. I really enjoyed this book, the characters were super cute, the romance was cute and a lovely short story.
Polaris is where you'll find me by Jenny Han is a about Natalie, she was abandoned as a baby, found and adopted by Santa, she grows up in the North Pole. Love between her and an elf develops. 3.5 stars This was super cute and reminded me of the film Elf.
It's a yuletide miracle Charlie Brown by Stephanie Perkins was another cute story of Marigold buying a Christmas tree just to speak to a guy. 3.5 stars.I don't know how many times I am going to say cute but this is what it was.
Your Temporary Santa is a LGTBQ story, which is great to see in this mix of stories, however it wasn't for me 2 stars.
Krampuslauf by Holly Black has elements of fantasy, however I didn't like the story for me it felt a bit juvenile. 1.5 stars
What the hell have you done, Sophie Roth, I loved this story, it has to be my favorite in the book, it's just a basic romance story but written and developed really well. 4 stars.
Beer buckets and baby Jesus by Myra McEntire, Vaughn Hatcher is the local prankster, however one day he gets arrested but saved by the local priest in exchange for community service, there he meets the girl he has been seeking attention. 2 stars
Welcome to Christmas, CA by Kiersten White was a really cool story, a girl hating her family, the town she lives in and the people until they get a new chef in the kitchen of the diner that her mum owns and somehow everything starts to become clearer. 3.5 stars This was an enjoyable read.
Star of Bethlehem by Ally Carter was a cute story of a girl trying to escape her life and swaps plane tickets with an Icelandic girl and pretends to be her when she meets her destination. 3.5 Stars
The girl who woke the dreamer by Laini Taylor is a fantasy story, which starts off very sad and gripping, but I wasn't sure about the ending. It was very strange. 2 stars
I know that Stephanie Perkins has another collection of short stories coming out in 2016 and will be interested in reading them aswell
Overall I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars
Santa Video Call & Tracker Pro
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Video Call Santa! Voice Call Santa! Message Santa! Track Santa! The only Santa Video Call app with...
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Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide (Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition)
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Merissa (11928 KP) rated The Pig Wars in Books
Jan 18, 2022
THE PIG WARS is a standalone fantasy set in a world of Elves, Half-Elves, and Humans, although it does feel as though this is a follow-on or spin-off from a previous set of stories. Our main female, Renna, is a Half-Elf and a strong warrior who has hung up her sword after a long and heart-breaking battle. Gorsfeld is human and wants to rule the Marches, either by marrying Renna or taking over her lands. He's not bothered which. Renna has a dodgy leg from birth which is used as the reason she is still alone.
As the title suggests, the whole book is about the two of them fighting over pigs. Renna is supposed to be the smart, strong, and silent type, but she is not quiet in her mind. There is always a monologue going on, usually about how upset she is because someone is riding roughshod over her, even though she makes no attempt to stand up for herself (apart from in her mind.) Gorsfeld has his fair share of monologues too, so I guess that's fair. Renna's character didn't do much for me. In fact, most of them didn't. There is a lot going on and her friends leave a lot to be desired. Because of some of the rants and situations, it makes me question if I have missed another story in this world. I felt as though I had dropped into a world already established where intrigue and political gains had already been explained.
There were some grammatical errors in the story, not enough to disrupt the flow, but enough so you notice. There is a hint of romance at the end, leading you to believe there might be another book in the making. This was a different book that I did enjoy, but I'm not sure I will be continuing if another story does come out.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
As the title suggests, the whole book is about the two of them fighting over pigs. Renna is supposed to be the smart, strong, and silent type, but she is not quiet in her mind. There is always a monologue going on, usually about how upset she is because someone is riding roughshod over her, even though she makes no attempt to stand up for herself (apart from in her mind.) Gorsfeld has his fair share of monologues too, so I guess that's fair. Renna's character didn't do much for me. In fact, most of them didn't. There is a lot going on and her friends leave a lot to be desired. Because of some of the rants and situations, it makes me question if I have missed another story in this world. I felt as though I had dropped into a world already established where intrigue and political gains had already been explained.
There were some grammatical errors in the story, not enough to disrupt the flow, but enough so you notice. There is a hint of romance at the end, leading you to believe there might be another book in the making. This was a different book that I did enjoy, but I'm not sure I will be continuing if another story does come out.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Ross (3284 KP) rated The Path of Flames in Books
Oct 24, 2017
This book has popped up a number of times as I have strolled through the fantasy section of Amazon's kindle store in the past. However, I was never really taken with the cover (which sadly I do base my TBR list on, in part) as I'm not much of one for elves. However, with the invitation to sample Kindle Unlimited for 60 days I thought I'd try and maximise my trial period and blast through this (now completed) series.
The first in the 5 book series (unless you count Escape from Bythos, a short opener) begins with Asho (the white haired character on the cover, not an elf after all but a Bythian human, at war alongside his lord and the army of "the good" against the armies of "the bad". We gradually start to see the world revealed at a gentle pace and each of the races are at different stages of their ascension to heaven, each step depending on how they lived that life (kind of like a tiered Buddhist reincarnation with eventually getting to heaven after a number of good lives). The Bythians are the lowest of the low and Asho is very lucky to be allowed to squire the Ennoian (read annoyin') Lord Kyferin.
From the result of that battle, further PoV characters are introduced: Ishkra and Kethe (Lord Kyferin's widow and daughter respectively), Audsley the magister and former knight Ser Tiron, as well as the orc-esque kragh Tarkon. All but Tarkon's narratives blend together to give an overall storyline from different perspectives.
The somewhat familiar castle setting is quickly thrown out the window as Lord Kyferin's brother takes over the castle and banishes his widow through a lunar gate (a mystic portal that only opens once a month used to travel great distances) along with her loyal followers into a ruined inhospitable wasteland with demons wandering the moors.
The characters are well defined and develop well through their trials and tribulations. While the plot is somewhat reactionary (there isn't really one main quest set up early on, rather events unfold and the plot is driven from there) this doesn't feel like it evolved that way, everything slots together well.
I have really enjoyed this first episode in the world of the black gate and have carried on with the follow-up, The Black Shriving.
The first in the 5 book series (unless you count Escape from Bythos, a short opener) begins with Asho (the white haired character on the cover, not an elf after all but a Bythian human, at war alongside his lord and the army of "the good" against the armies of "the bad". We gradually start to see the world revealed at a gentle pace and each of the races are at different stages of their ascension to heaven, each step depending on how they lived that life (kind of like a tiered Buddhist reincarnation with eventually getting to heaven after a number of good lives). The Bythians are the lowest of the low and Asho is very lucky to be allowed to squire the Ennoian (read annoyin') Lord Kyferin.
From the result of that battle, further PoV characters are introduced: Ishkra and Kethe (Lord Kyferin's widow and daughter respectively), Audsley the magister and former knight Ser Tiron, as well as the orc-esque kragh Tarkon. All but Tarkon's narratives blend together to give an overall storyline from different perspectives.
The somewhat familiar castle setting is quickly thrown out the window as Lord Kyferin's brother takes over the castle and banishes his widow through a lunar gate (a mystic portal that only opens once a month used to travel great distances) along with her loyal followers into a ruined inhospitable wasteland with demons wandering the moors.
The characters are well defined and develop well through their trials and tribulations. While the plot is somewhat reactionary (there isn't really one main quest set up early on, rather events unfold and the plot is driven from there) this doesn't feel like it evolved that way, everything slots together well.
I have really enjoyed this first episode in the world of the black gate and have carried on with the follow-up, The Black Shriving.
Haley Mathiot (9 KP) rated Yarn Bombing: The Art of Crochet and Knit Graffiti in Books
Apr 27, 2018
Yarn Bombing—the art of crochet and knit graffiti by Mandy Moore and Leanne Prain
Genre: craft/art
Rating: 4/5
Yarn Bombing is an extremely inspirational and creative book. It got my knitting juices flowing and made my hands itch for the needles when I saw pictures of colorful yarn knit into… beautiful graffiti?
Yes, yarn graffiti. Yarn Bombing is a rather large thing in big cities and even other countries where knitting is prominent, especially Sweden (see links below).
Yarn Bombing has many fantastic pictures, ideas for bombing, some basics for getting started, points and tips, advice on what to say if you get caught in the act (either by passer-bys or police), interviews with yarn bombers, and some patterns.
Here is my favorite pattern:
this pattern is for chain-link fence weave:
1. Cast On 12.
2. Open a bottle of wine.
3. Knit every row until sober.
4. Bind off
5. Repeat 1-4 seven more times…
I find this hilarious, though some people who aren’t knitters may not. By the way, the real pattern for the chain link fence weave is written in the book right under that ;)
There are patterns in the book for knitting items for yourself, such as arm warmers, hoods that cover your whole face except your eyes (so you can be a ninja-yarn-bomber!) sweaters, and some other stuff. Some of the bombing patterns include treesweaters, knit tulips and mushrooms, Knit sneakers to hang over wires, Bolo balls, Elf Stockings, and more.
I give it a 4/5 because, considering that graffiti is illegal and I’m perusing Criminology… let’s just say that I’m being gracious.(and I’m actually considering giving this a try… I’ll keep you posted on that one ;). Also, it was laid out a little odd and it was a bit hard to find some things. Lastly it didn’t have quite as many patterns as I expected. But, all in all, it was an awesome craft book!
Recommendation: knitters and Crocheters of any age, anyone interested in graffiti or contemporary art.
Here are some links to some yarn-bombers that you should check out, there are tons more! Follow the links you find on their blogs and explore the yarn-bombing community.
Genre: craft/art
Rating: 4/5
Yarn Bombing is an extremely inspirational and creative book. It got my knitting juices flowing and made my hands itch for the needles when I saw pictures of colorful yarn knit into… beautiful graffiti?
Yes, yarn graffiti. Yarn Bombing is a rather large thing in big cities and even other countries where knitting is prominent, especially Sweden (see links below).
Yarn Bombing has many fantastic pictures, ideas for bombing, some basics for getting started, points and tips, advice on what to say if you get caught in the act (either by passer-bys or police), interviews with yarn bombers, and some patterns.
Here is my favorite pattern:
this pattern is for chain-link fence weave:
1. Cast On 12.
2. Open a bottle of wine.
3. Knit every row until sober.
4. Bind off
5. Repeat 1-4 seven more times…
I find this hilarious, though some people who aren’t knitters may not. By the way, the real pattern for the chain link fence weave is written in the book right under that ;)
There are patterns in the book for knitting items for yourself, such as arm warmers, hoods that cover your whole face except your eyes (so you can be a ninja-yarn-bomber!) sweaters, and some other stuff. Some of the bombing patterns include treesweaters, knit tulips and mushrooms, Knit sneakers to hang over wires, Bolo balls, Elf Stockings, and more.
I give it a 4/5 because, considering that graffiti is illegal and I’m perusing Criminology… let’s just say that I’m being gracious.(and I’m actually considering giving this a try… I’ll keep you posted on that one ;). Also, it was laid out a little odd and it was a bit hard to find some things. Lastly it didn’t have quite as many patterns as I expected. But, all in all, it was an awesome craft book!
Recommendation: knitters and Crocheters of any age, anyone interested in graffiti or contemporary art.
Here are some links to some yarn-bombers that you should check out, there are tons more! Follow the links you find on their blogs and explore the yarn-bombing community.
Cyn Armistead (14 KP) rated Wolf Who Rules (Elfhome, #2) in Books
Mar 1, 2018
What a tease! To come SO close to dealing with polyamory, then skip back!
I guess it's just been too long since I read <i>Tinker</i>, but I don't really remember any hints of polyamory there at all. In this book, though, it's made very clear that elven society has found monogamy to be an unreasonable model for people who normally live thousands of years. Anybody who hasn't read Tinker shouldn't read this review, because there are spoilers for that book - but hey, that's to be expected in the review for a sequel. Just knowing that certain characters live and marry is a spoiler!
Anyway, Tinker may be an elf now, but she was raised as a human, and apparently the half-elven quasi-nursemaid Tooloo who has always been part of her life either doesn't know about the difference in societal expectations, or never saw fit to mention it. That isn't so surprising, as Tooloo is depicted as several tacos short of a combo plate. But why, when some of the elves (especially Stormsong) are shown to be familiar with human culture, haven't any of them anticipated this as a source of trouble in Tinker and Wolf's marriage? Why doesn't anybody ever just sit down and say, "Look, honey, the rulers only choose guards with whom they get along well, and with opposite-sex guards, that can mean getting along with sexually. Your new husband has had sex with all of his female bodyguards in the past, and it's expected that you'll eventually take your own male Sekasha as lovers, too. Deal." (I'm not even starting on how very heteronormative everything is. You're telling me there's all that lucious pretty and thousands of years in which to experiment, and nobody ever crosses those streams, so to speak? Yeah, right.) There's a perfect opening for such a speech in the book, a point when the need for it is made very, very obvious--but I suppose having it all out in the open would remove a source of conflict.
Why are so many authors so bloody timid about laying things out like that, about showing healthy communication between people? Yes, we can imagine the most amazing advances in technology, and societies very different from our current ones, but by Goddess we must continue to show people screwing up their relationships in exactly the same way as in Shakespeare's day or nobody could relate to them!
I guess it's just been too long since I read <i>Tinker</i>, but I don't really remember any hints of polyamory there at all. In this book, though, it's made very clear that elven society has found monogamy to be an unreasonable model for people who normally live thousands of years. Anybody who hasn't read Tinker shouldn't read this review, because there are spoilers for that book - but hey, that's to be expected in the review for a sequel. Just knowing that certain characters live and marry is a spoiler!
Anyway, Tinker may be an elf now, but she was raised as a human, and apparently the half-elven quasi-nursemaid Tooloo who has always been part of her life either doesn't know about the difference in societal expectations, or never saw fit to mention it. That isn't so surprising, as Tooloo is depicted as several tacos short of a combo plate. But why, when some of the elves (especially Stormsong) are shown to be familiar with human culture, haven't any of them anticipated this as a source of trouble in Tinker and Wolf's marriage? Why doesn't anybody ever just sit down and say, "Look, honey, the rulers only choose guards with whom they get along well, and with opposite-sex guards, that can mean getting along with sexually. Your new husband has had sex with all of his female bodyguards in the past, and it's expected that you'll eventually take your own male Sekasha as lovers, too. Deal." (I'm not even starting on how very heteronormative everything is. You're telling me there's all that lucious pretty and thousands of years in which to experiment, and nobody ever crosses those streams, so to speak? Yeah, right.) There's a perfect opening for such a speech in the book, a point when the need for it is made very, very obvious--but I suppose having it all out in the open would remove a source of conflict.
Why are so many authors so bloody timid about laying things out like that, about showing healthy communication between people? Yes, we can imagine the most amazing advances in technology, and societies very different from our current ones, but by Goddess we must continue to show people screwing up their relationships in exactly the same way as in Shakespeare's day or nobody could relate to them!
Amish Celebrations: 4 Novels
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The Gift of Sisters Hannah and Elizabeth are fraternal twins approaching their sixteenth...
