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I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review. Even though this is the ninth edition of Buzz Books: Young Adult, it is the first I had read. It includes excerpts from upcoming and recently published young adult books. After finishing some of the stories, I immediately ordered their corresponding books because I HAD to finish reading them and was annoyed I didn't have it available to finish it immediately. Others, well, I liked reading them but would not continue reading the rest of the book. This edition provided an eclectic line up of stories and a nice mixture YA sub-genres. Because of people's natural tendency to gravitate to what you are comfortable or familiar with I tend to read the same sub-genres of YA more than others. If I have a choice, I prefer to read more fantasy YA then novels that about real life. I enjoyed reading excepts from books that I would not have normally chosen.
I like the idea of possibly knowing about the next huge book or series before it's published. Also, knowing about them makes a great conversation starter with my children. I would definitely read other Buzz Book collections to help make informed suggestions of selecting books for myself and my children.
I like the idea of possibly knowing about the next huge book or series before it's published. Also, knowing about them makes a great conversation starter with my children. I would definitely read other Buzz Book collections to help make informed suggestions of selecting books for myself and my children.
Samantha Reece (16 KP) rated A Nerdy Holiday in Books
Nov 20, 2018
Contains spoilers, click to show
For starters, if you love Star Wars, read this! I absolutely loved all the references to one of my favorite things!
A Nerdy Holiday flowed so well from start to finish, and Leila is so relatable! A. She loves food. B. Did I mention Star Wars already? C. She does not fall into the cliche “get married when the guy first says sorry” that seems to be in a lot of romance novels and movies. Quinn is equally loveable! I’m smitten with him! (I’m going to add one more thing about him at the end that is a spoiler so here is warning number one!)
The tension between Quinn and Leila seems very realistic, and I really want to read a novel on Vincent and Amelia!
One more thing, you will laugh out loud! It is quite the fun read, and my husband gave me odd looks as I am laughing and reading. Of course, I explained the initial meeting between Quinn and Leila, and he also laughed! So, get ready for a fun and quirky novella that you must read!
*SPOILER BELOW*
Can we talk about that Darth Vader moment for a minute? I would have lost my anger right there! And can someone please tell me where I can find said Darth Vader costume? My husband desperately needs one!
A Nerdy Holiday flowed so well from start to finish, and Leila is so relatable! A. She loves food. B. Did I mention Star Wars already? C. She does not fall into the cliche “get married when the guy first says sorry” that seems to be in a lot of romance novels and movies. Quinn is equally loveable! I’m smitten with him! (I’m going to add one more thing about him at the end that is a spoiler so here is warning number one!)
The tension between Quinn and Leila seems very realistic, and I really want to read a novel on Vincent and Amelia!
One more thing, you will laugh out loud! It is quite the fun read, and my husband gave me odd looks as I am laughing and reading. Of course, I explained the initial meeting between Quinn and Leila, and he also laughed! So, get ready for a fun and quirky novella that you must read!
*SPOILER BELOW*
Can we talk about that Darth Vader moment for a minute? I would have lost my anger right there! And can someone please tell me where I can find said Darth Vader costume? My husband desperately needs one!
As a Downton Abbey enthusiast, I enjoyed this book immensely! Full of romance, sorrow and drama! Just like the beloved show, Downton Abbey. Only, these people, really lived! I admit without shame, that I am an avid Downton Abbey fan. Having been sucked into it by the time the third season aired, I have been in love ever since. As some of you may know I have an obsession with finding out the real history behind stories that I love. Whether the Dark Ages or Contemporary Fiction, I want to know what actually happened. What I found the most intriguing about this book, is that there are many, MANY, similarities between Downton Abbey and the true history of Highclere Castle. (I am pretty sure that was no accident on Julian Fellowes's part.) This was one of my first real experiences with an audiobook, and I honestly wish I had just read the book instead. I am much more of a visual learner, and it was hard for me to retain all the dates and names...Especially since I was always driving as well. I believe I am more suited for novels on audiobook, rather than history. Any fan of Downton Abbey, or of Edwardian history in general, will enjoy this book. It was so much fun to learn about the real people that lived at Highclere one hundred years ago.
BookwormMama14 (18 KP) rated The Love Letter in Books
Jan 2, 2019
Why oh why have I not gotten my hands on one of Rachel Hauck's books before? I am so glad I chose The Love Letter as my first one.
Woven with words that intoxicate the soul, Hauck brings us a story of pure beauty. Heartache and passion drive Chloe. She longs to change the way that people see her. But it may be a harder task than she first imagined. The connections through history were so cleverly created. Time-slip novels have become my favorite. With each page you are longing to discover the connection between the two timelines. And when the realization finally hits, it's a glorious moment to behold. Jesse is such a wonderful hero. Handsome, flawed, talented, and bit of a history nut. Traveling back to the American Revolutionary War, we meet Hamilton and Esther. Oh my goodness. Their story is one you really must discover for yourself.
With the heart of the story coming back to Christ and Love, readers will fall in love with the settings (in both eras), the characters, and the passion. The depth and characterization found on the pages of this book will move you and speak to the heart.
I received a complimentary copy of The Love Letter from the publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
Woven with words that intoxicate the soul, Hauck brings us a story of pure beauty. Heartache and passion drive Chloe. She longs to change the way that people see her. But it may be a harder task than she first imagined. The connections through history were so cleverly created. Time-slip novels have become my favorite. With each page you are longing to discover the connection between the two timelines. And when the realization finally hits, it's a glorious moment to behold. Jesse is such a wonderful hero. Handsome, flawed, talented, and bit of a history nut. Traveling back to the American Revolutionary War, we meet Hamilton and Esther. Oh my goodness. Their story is one you really must discover for yourself.
With the heart of the story coming back to Christ and Love, readers will fall in love with the settings (in both eras), the characters, and the passion. The depth and characterization found on the pages of this book will move you and speak to the heart.
I received a complimentary copy of The Love Letter from the publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
Often cited as one of the most influential comic-books/graphic novels, alongside the likes of [b:V for Vendetta|5805|V for Vendetta|Alan Moore|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1343668985s/5805.jpg|392838]'V for Vendetta' and [b:Batman: The Dark Knight Returns|59960|Batman The Dark Knight Returns (The Dark Knight Saga, #1)|Frank Miller|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327892039s/59960.jpg|1104159]'The Dark Knight Returns', this was, if I'm honest, one such that I'd never even heard of until the 2009 movie of the same name.
Set in an alternate 1985 America in which costumed superhero's are (were) real but have since been outlawed, there's a definite argument to be made that this would inspire the Pixar film The Incredibles: family drama, costumed superheroes coming out of retirement, conspiracies afoot ... see what I mean?
But whereas The Incredibles is aimed at a family audience, this is anything but: violent throughout, slow (at times seemingly glacial) moving and even dealing with the effects of (and fallout from) rape, this is definitely not one for the younger reader!
On the plus side, it does have a stunningly realised world alongside a compelling backstory to several of the characters: like several other literary classics, this is one that I can now say that I've read but wouldn't really be rushing back to do so again anytime soon.
Set in an alternate 1985 America in which costumed superhero's are (were) real but have since been outlawed, there's a definite argument to be made that this would inspire the Pixar film The Incredibles: family drama, costumed superheroes coming out of retirement, conspiracies afoot ... see what I mean?
But whereas The Incredibles is aimed at a family audience, this is anything but: violent throughout, slow (at times seemingly glacial) moving and even dealing with the effects of (and fallout from) rape, this is definitely not one for the younger reader!
On the plus side, it does have a stunningly realised world alongside a compelling backstory to several of the characters: like several other literary classics, this is one that I can now say that I've read but wouldn't really be rushing back to do so again anytime soon.
As with most comics/graphic novels-into-movies I've read, I'll admit that I saw the movie (quite a few years back) before reading this.
Essentially a comic-book-brought-to-screen, the movie iteself was incredibly violent (but enjoyable), with ridiculous amoutns of blood and body parts splattered across the screen, and with more nudity than I was expecting alongside the whole sub-plot of King Leonidas wife getting the Spartans to march.
An entire sub-plot that is not in the source material at all.
I also have to say that the violence in this - while still there - is actually toned down quite a bit from what I was expecting, with several of the panels virtually lifted from the pages and put on to the screen.
The story, for anyone who doesn't already know, is centred around King Leonidas' view of Thermopylae - or 'The Hot Gates' - , a narrow pass defended by the 300 Spartans of the title (plus miscellaneous other Greeks, although you'd be forgive for thinking they weren't there the way this, and the legend, is told!) to the death, and which was immortalised by the poet Simodides as follows on an epigram placed on theri burial mound:
"Go tell the Spartans, you who passeth by,
That here, obedient to their laws, we lie."
(see: http://www.poetryatlas.com/poetry/poem/1458/go-tell-the-spartans.html)
Essentially a comic-book-brought-to-screen, the movie iteself was incredibly violent (but enjoyable), with ridiculous amoutns of blood and body parts splattered across the screen, and with more nudity than I was expecting alongside the whole sub-plot of King Leonidas wife getting the Spartans to march.
An entire sub-plot that is not in the source material at all.
I also have to say that the violence in this - while still there - is actually toned down quite a bit from what I was expecting, with several of the panels virtually lifted from the pages and put on to the screen.
The story, for anyone who doesn't already know, is centred around King Leonidas' view of Thermopylae - or 'The Hot Gates' - , a narrow pass defended by the 300 Spartans of the title (plus miscellaneous other Greeks, although you'd be forgive for thinking they weren't there the way this, and the legend, is told!) to the death, and which was immortalised by the poet Simodides as follows on an epigram placed on theri burial mound:
"Go tell the Spartans, you who passeth by,
That here, obedient to their laws, we lie."
(see: http://www.poetryatlas.com/poetry/poem/1458/go-tell-the-spartans.html)
David McK (3557 KP) rated Wraith Squadron (Star Wars: X-Wing, #5) in Books
Jan 30, 2019
How best to describe 'X-Wing: Wraith Squadron', the fifth book in the Star Wars series of books (loosely) based on the old video-games? I think the following exchange from the early part of the novel sums it up best (with Wedge speaking):
' " .. I'd originally thought that Rogue Squadron would be used opportunistically: a strike mission would reveal a ground-based weakness, and we'd have the training and supplies ot go down and perform the necessary ground mission. The way it turned out, we keep landing full-fledged commando missions. So I think we need another Commando X-Wing squadron, one where we choose pilots so as to have a full range of intrusion and subversion skills. Rogue Sqaudron was designed as a fighter unit first, commando unit second; this time, I want to go the other way around."
...
"I want pilots no one else want. Washouts. Pilots staring court-martials in the face. Trouble-makers and screw-ups." '
The rest of the novel deals, primarily, with the formation of that unit and their first mission, concentrating in particular on two members of that unit and their own internal battle against themselves.
While not the strongest of spin-off novels (and, maybe, slightly longer than it needs to be), this is still an enjoyable enough diversion for a couple of days light reading.
' " .. I'd originally thought that Rogue Squadron would be used opportunistically: a strike mission would reveal a ground-based weakness, and we'd have the training and supplies ot go down and perform the necessary ground mission. The way it turned out, we keep landing full-fledged commando missions. So I think we need another Commando X-Wing squadron, one where we choose pilots so as to have a full range of intrusion and subversion skills. Rogue Sqaudron was designed as a fighter unit first, commando unit second; this time, I want to go the other way around."
...
"I want pilots no one else want. Washouts. Pilots staring court-martials in the face. Trouble-makers and screw-ups." '
The rest of the novel deals, primarily, with the formation of that unit and their first mission, concentrating in particular on two members of that unit and their own internal battle against themselves.
While not the strongest of spin-off novels (and, maybe, slightly longer than it needs to be), this is still an enjoyable enough diversion for a couple of days light reading.
David McK (3557 KP) rated King's Man (The Outlaw Chronicles, #3) in Books
Jan 30, 2019
I first heard of/read Angus Donald about 2, maybe 3, years ago, when I read his novel <i>Outlaw</i> - a visceral retelling of the Robin Hood legend - and which proved to be one of the best 'new' books I read that year.
I also read the sequel to <i>Outlaw</i>, <i>Holy Warror</i> - in which Robin and his men travel to the Holy Land to fight in what would become known as the Third Crusade - but found it was not quite as good as its predecessor.
The third novel in the series - <i>King's Man</i> - is a return to form. Set back in England and, like the previous two novels, presented as the elderly Alan Dale retelling the story of his younger days, this novel takes the struggle between Richard the Lionheart and his brother Prince John for the throne as its bedrock. With Richard imprisoned on his return journey home from the Holy Land - a historical fact also used as the basis for the famous novel/film <i>Ivanhoe</i> - the throne of England is left vulnerable. Most of the Robin Hood legends acknowledge this fact; in most of them Robin remains loyal to King Richard, with this novel no exception. As a partial result, Robin is once again outlawed and once again takes up his old ways ...
Looking forward to the next installment!
I also read the sequel to <i>Outlaw</i>, <i>Holy Warror</i> - in which Robin and his men travel to the Holy Land to fight in what would become known as the Third Crusade - but found it was not quite as good as its predecessor.
The third novel in the series - <i>King's Man</i> - is a return to form. Set back in England and, like the previous two novels, presented as the elderly Alan Dale retelling the story of his younger days, this novel takes the struggle between Richard the Lionheart and his brother Prince John for the throne as its bedrock. With Richard imprisoned on his return journey home from the Holy Land - a historical fact also used as the basis for the famous novel/film <i>Ivanhoe</i> - the throne of England is left vulnerable. Most of the Robin Hood legends acknowledge this fact; in most of them Robin remains loyal to King Richard, with this novel no exception. As a partial result, Robin is once again outlawed and once again takes up his old ways ...
Looking forward to the next installment!
David McK (3557 KP) rated Predator: If It Bleeds in Books
Jan 30, 2019
Towards the end of 2017/at the start of 2018 I picked up both this and [b: Aliens: Bug Hunt|31416104|Aliens Bug Hunt|Jonathan Maberry|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1474300660s/31416104.jpg|52265710], as I'd always had a soft spot for both those films.
Both as sci-fi anthologies; both are based around their respective properties.
I read the latter first, and (truth be told) wasn't overly impressed: while there were some good stories amongst those included, none really stood out all that much.
As a result, I put off reading this until I worked my way through some 'proper' novels, and only came back to this relatively recently.
Thankfully, of the two anthologies, I found this to be the better (despite a somewhat ropey start). I think that may be due to the central conceit of the Predators: as (effectively) alien Big Game hunters, that allows these stories to be set at any point throughout human history, not 'tied down' to the future as the Alien stories are.
That's a concept put into full use in this, with stories that run the gamut from the traditional sci-fi setting of the future, to the American Civil War, to the Wild West, to feudal Japan, to present-day Third World countries and to pretty much every point in-between!
Both as sci-fi anthologies; both are based around their respective properties.
I read the latter first, and (truth be told) wasn't overly impressed: while there were some good stories amongst those included, none really stood out all that much.
As a result, I put off reading this until I worked my way through some 'proper' novels, and only came back to this relatively recently.
Thankfully, of the two anthologies, I found this to be the better (despite a somewhat ropey start). I think that may be due to the central conceit of the Predators: as (effectively) alien Big Game hunters, that allows these stories to be set at any point throughout human history, not 'tied down' to the future as the Alien stories are.
That's a concept put into full use in this, with stories that run the gamut from the traditional sci-fi setting of the future, to the American Civil War, to the Wild West, to feudal Japan, to present-day Third World countries and to pretty much every point in-between!
David McK (3557 KP) rated A Princess of Mars (Barsoom, #1) in Books
Jan 30, 2019
To most people, if you mention the name Edgar Rice Burroughs the first thing that they will think of, in all likelihood, is his creation of the character Tarzan. Alongside this, however, he also wrote the <i>Barsoom</i> series of books, of which this is the first (published in 1912).
Commonly regarded as classics of the Pulp Sci-Fi genre of books, and with the new Disney movie <i>John Carter of Mars</i> recently released (even if it is getting a panning from the critics), and finally with <i>The John Carter collection</i> (consisting of <i>A Princess of Mars</i>, <i>The Gods of Mars</i>, <i>The Warlord of Mars</i>, <i>Thuvia, Maid of Mars</i> and <i>The Chessmen of Mars</i>) available on Apple's ibooks stores for 99p, how could I resist picking them up?
Having now read the first book, it's easy to see the influence these particular novels had on later writings and popular culture. James Cameron is on record as stating this particular work as an influence on his movie <i>Avatar</i>, while it is also possible to trace elements of <i>Star Wars</i> (inspired by <i>Flash Gordon</i>, itself inspired by this) back to this work.
In short: this is pretty much a prime example of early pulp SF!
Commonly regarded as classics of the Pulp Sci-Fi genre of books, and with the new Disney movie <i>John Carter of Mars</i> recently released (even if it is getting a panning from the critics), and finally with <i>The John Carter collection</i> (consisting of <i>A Princess of Mars</i>, <i>The Gods of Mars</i>, <i>The Warlord of Mars</i>, <i>Thuvia, Maid of Mars</i> and <i>The Chessmen of Mars</i>) available on Apple's ibooks stores for 99p, how could I resist picking them up?
Having now read the first book, it's easy to see the influence these particular novels had on later writings and popular culture. James Cameron is on record as stating this particular work as an influence on his movie <i>Avatar</i>, while it is also possible to trace elements of <i>Star Wars</i> (inspired by <i>Flash Gordon</i>, itself inspired by this) back to this work.
In short: this is pretty much a prime example of early pulp SF!