In My Mailbox

I'm a day late on this post, but I blame it on Daylight Savings Time! In fact, I'm blaming everything on DST today because I can. It's a great scapegoat.

Anyway, In My Mailbox is a feature started on The Story Siren. Here, I will chronicle the books I picked up from the library, bought, etc. this week:

1. Honolulu by Alan Brennert. Since I adored Moloka'i, I figured I'd give this one a try. Review to follow today or tomorrow. (Library)

2. Working at the Ballpark by Tom Jones. I actually just stumbled upon this one while looking for a different book about baseball at the library. I flipped it open, and was eyeballing the table of contents when I saw a name of an old friend in there! So I checked it out, read the portion about said old friend, and promptly returned it. (Library)

3. Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins. I've heard amazing things about this new author, and I can't wait to finish reading this book! (Bookstore purchase)

What I'm waiting on: My prize from a Twitter contest hosted by Maggie Stiefvater. Will post info when I get it in the mail (maybe today?).

6,059 pages read and other stats

Since I haven't been reading much the past couple days, I figured this would be a good time to post some fun stats about the books I've read in 2010, and some tidbits about 2009 as well. First, please understand the 2009 total pages might be slightly off--I did my best to get the page count from the specific editions I read, but a few of them I was a bit foggy on just which one I did pick up! Regardless, it's a very close number.

First, total books read as of March 10, 2010: 18
Total pages: 6,059.
Longest book: Blood Promise (Vampire Academy #4) - 503 pages
Shortest book: Voyage on the Great Titanic - 197 pages
Average pages: 336
Book that felt the longest: Before I Fall
Book that felt the shortest: Voyage on the Great Titanic
Favorite books so far this year: Shiver, Some Girls Are, Moloka'i
Best cover artwork: Shiver
Worst cover artwork: Audrey, Wait! and Vampire Academy (I can't stand the girl on the cover)
Book I'd most-likely recommend to my grandma: Moloka'i

Total books read in 2009: 87
Total pages: 33,008
Longest book: The Fiery Cross and A Breath of Snow and Ashes (tied) - 1456 pages
Shortest book: Project Princess (novella) - 64 pages
Average pages: 379
Book that felt the longest: The Fiery Cross
Book that felt the shortest: Project Princess
Favorite books of the year: Click here
Best cover artwork: The Thirteenth Tale
Worst cover artwork: The Princess Diaries (the covers did get better later in the series)
Book I'd most-likely recommend to my grandma: The Book Thief and Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet (both of which I did recommend to her)

Sometimes you just need a break..

No book updates today. I'm contemplating rereading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets for the umpteenth time, but I'm not sure yet. I did put Honolulu by Alan Brennert on hold at the library earlier today, so hopefully it will come in sometime this week.

I'm really, really annoyed today though. I've had it rough the past few weeks, and it's been wearing me down quite a bit. I don't know when exactly things will get better, but one thing I've been looking forward to is vacation. The hubs and I have tried making it a September tradition to take a trip for the two of us to have some fun and just enjoy ourselves. Unfortunately, it looks like that's not happening this year. We have way too many other financial obligations, and so today was the official cancellation day. I got our deposit back, and just like that we're no longer going on vacation (and considering we live extremely close to the airport, driving by it on the way home today is going to be a major bummer).

I know to some people it may not seem like a big deal, but I'm a big believer in taking vacations. Sometimes we all need a little R&R, and I think the memories are also extremely important. So to be not doing it this year is a little bit heartbreaking. And while theoretically I could just throw the cost of the trip on a credit card and call it good, I can't bring myself to do that. It's not a financially wise decision, and honestly since finances was the reason we chose to cancel.. well, why make the situation even worse? Hopefully this is just a temporary thing though. I have faith that we can maybe rebook this same trip or a similar one for a few months later once some of the money strain goes away.

Thanks for hearing me out on my little whine party. I'll post something a bit more fun and optimistic soon, I promise!

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Samantha Kingston is one of the most popular girls in school. She and her friends are cruel and condescending, and yet everyone wants to be them. Sam is dating the most popular guy in school, and she has everything going for her: Until she dies, the victim of a car wreck.

But then something crazy happens. Sam wakes up, and suddenly she's reliving her last day on earth. Confused and frightened, she goes through it all again and tries to figure out where things went wrong, but for some reason she keeps waking up and getting a "do-over." And as she continues to find herself in this strange situation again and again she starts to learn more about all the people who surround her, discovers what she really wants in life, and finds herself trying to save more than just her life on that fateful day.

The premise of this book is fascinating. What would you do if you could relive your last day? Would you do anything different, or do you have no regrets? And how do your actions, no matter how small, impact the lives of others?

The only thing I didn't like about this book was that at times it felt (oh, wait, it was) repetitive. I understand this was part of the story, but it really reminded me a lot of the movie Groundhog Day, which was actually mentioned in the book. The problem with this is that I really, really did not like Groundhog Day. So reading about events that were already mentioned, even if they were a bit different the next time around, was a little boring for me.

Otherwise, I thought it was great. Oliver really nailed the high school scene well, and it brought up a few memories of my high school days (which, admittedly, I wish I could have a do-over on). The characters, while at first glance a bit one-dimensional, were in fact startlingly deep and complex. It just goes to show that even those highest on the food chain in high school also have their own deep insecurities, just like the "losers."

Seeking Spirits: The Lost Cases of The Atlantic Paranormal Society by Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson

I'd like to first point out that I'm a big fan of Ghost Hunters on SyFy. It's the only ghost hunting show on TV that I feel has a basis in reality. There's nothing worse than seeing some so-called medium or psychic on TV saying, "Oh, I feel a presence in this room! She is very unhappy and standing in that corner over there!" I mean, really? That's DUMB. I'm not going to watch a ghost hunting show and just assume that this person knows what they're talking about and go, "Oh wow! That guy says it's haunted, therefore it must be haunted!" I want to see people using a more scientific approach and actually trying to catch evidence that I can see or hear: Video, photographs, audio, etc. It is FAR cooler to me when TAPS actually catches a video of something a little crazy or a voice that says something totally nuts. I have had quite a few paranormal experiences myself (yes, I do believe in ghosts), and I want people to understand that people who believe aren't totally nuts. I think TAPS does a great job of showing the world that yes, there COULD be something else out there.

Seeking Spirits is actually Jason and Grant's second book. The first book was published a few years ago, and as much as I tried to read it I couldn't get into it since a lot of it was pretty much written recaps of various Ghost Hunters episodes. I've seen most of the episodes, so why do I want to read a play by play? Oh, that's right. I don't. However, Seeking Spirits actually delves more into investigations and experiences they had before the show was ever on the air, with the investigations spanning about ten years from 1994 to 2004. Some of the stories are boring, and some of them about made my eyes pop out of their sockets. Interspersed with these stories are tips for people who are wanting to give ghost hunting a shot.

It took me a while to read this book, mainly because sometimes I really have to be in the mood to read non-fiction. It's not usually my favorite genre. I knew that without a doubt I would finish, but I took a few breaks here and there to read some fiction books as well (all of which have been previously reviewed!). Since each investigation is only a page or two at most, it was the type of book that I was able to take breaks with and pick up again with no problem.

I loved hearing about Grant's first paranormal experience. Some of the stories that really stick out in my mind are the investigation of the trailer park where they found some evidence of satanic rituals, the doppelganger investigation, and the man who was convinced his recently deceased wife was hanging around. There were more, but those are three off the top of my head. I also learned more about ghost hunting and about different types of spirits and hauntings. I knew the basics such as a residual haunting versus an intelligent haunting, but honestly I never knew what an incubus was until I read this book (and if you don't know what it is, umm.. eww.). I think this book would make anyone think twice about using an Ouija board too.

So overall, I would recommend this book to fans of the show and anyone who is interested in the paranormal.

Waiting on Wednesday

This is my first Waiting on Wednesday post, in which bloggers highlight a book they're anxiously anticipating the release of. Frankly, right now how do I pick just one at the moment? There are four that I'm dying to get my grubby little paws on this summer, with plenty of others that I'm definitely eyeballing.

So for the purposes of this post, I'll draw from a hat in my mind.

And I pick... Linger by Maggie Stiefvater.

















If you missed it, I read and loved Shiver, the first book in Stiefvater's The Wolves of Mercy Falls series. You can read about it and admire its absolutely gorgeous cover artwork here. Linger is the next book in the series, and I can't wait to see where the story goes. It will be coming to your local bookstore on July 1, 2010.

Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead

Ever since my disastrous attempt at reading The Vampire Diaries series (first series in my life that I just could not bring myself to finish), I've pretty much avoided the bazillions of young adult vampire series that are out there. Of course I read Twilight a few years ago (is there anyone who hasn't these days?), and I've enjoyed the trashy deliciousness that is the Southern Vampire/Sookie Stackhouse series. But let's face it: Aside from Twilight itself, I felt the rest of the series wasn't nearly as awesome. And the Southern Vampire series isn't YA, so I consider that to be a whole different beast. It's not that I'm anti-YA Vampire Lit, because I'm not. These books just all seem like copycats of each other, and I hear that quite frankly some of them suck. Like the Vampire Diaries series.

However, I have been hearing somewhat consistently good things about the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead. And I have to admit, I was pretty intrigued by the premise because it sounded a bit different than the whole human-girl-falls-in-love-with-hot-vampire thing. This one didn't even seem to have any human characters, and that really sounded kind of fun.

So, point being... I read all four currently-published books in about four days. This is not a record for me by any means, but the fact that I absolutely devoured these books and ultimately probably neglected my husband for much of those four days really says something (though he cannot complain too much considering I made him some mean biscuits and gravy for breakfast yesterday). These books will never hold a flame to my love Harry Potter, but if they sucked I certainly wouldn't have munched on them all weekend like I did. Heck, I even abandoned much of the Olympics for these!

Before I get into the synopsis and some more info, here is a little bit of vocabulary to help you out:

Moroi = Mortal Vampire race. They're nice, generally speaking, and while they still need blood to survive, they do not kill.

Dhampir = Half Moroi/Half Human. These guys are stronger than Moroi, but they inherited the Vampire-esque quick reflexes and a few other useful traits. Dhampirs often become guardians for Moroi, particularly Moroi royalty.

Strigoi = Immortal Vampire race. They are not nice, and they kill. There are two ways to become one: A Moroi can become Strigoi by intentionally killing someone while feeding, or a Strigoi can turn anyone (Moroi/Dhampir/Human) by biting the victim to drain their blood and then feeding Strigoi blood back to said victim, who them becomes Strigoi.

The first book in the series, Vampire Academy, begins when Lissa, a Moroi princess, and Rose, a Dhampir who is Lissa's best friend and future guardian, are captured after being on the run for two years and brought back to their vampire academy, St. Vladimir's Academy. They had originally broken out of the school because it was not safe for Lissa, and it quickly turns out that it is still not safe when bad things begin happening. Rose, fearing for Lissa's safety, does her best to try and protect her best friend as she herself continues training to become a full-fledged guardian.

Obviously, the story gets more complex and involved as the series goes on, but I can't give the synopsis of any books other than the first without giving away some serious plot points. These books really have some interesting dynamics that kept me thinking though: Moroi are considered superior to Dhampirs, and yet the Moroi can't seem to survive without the help of their Dhampir guardians. Meanwhile, the undead Strigoi are considered to be evil and soulless, shells of what they had been in life. When someone is turned Strigoi, the rest of the vampire community considers them to be dead, despite the fact that technically that person is still walking around, albeit chomping on innocent victims. Nevertheless, it creates some interesting situations and dynamics that I enjoyed contemplating.

Something else I enjoyed about the series is that our narrator is Rose. She's so interesting because despite being incredibly flawed, she also has some amazing characteristics that give her a lot of depth. She really is a great person to be telling this story because as a Dhampir, her view is so incredibly unique as well. She's not particularly high on the totem pole, and yet she's best friends with a Moroi princess who is the last member of her esteemed royal line. I can imagine that it would be exhausting to have a friend like that.

I can't really say much else about the series other than it has been a great roller coaster ride. Here is the order of the series:
Vampire Academy
Frostbite
Shadow Kiss
Blood Promise
Spirit Bound (to be released May 18, 2010)
Book Six, Title TBD

Based on the author's website, there's a chance for a spin-off series as well. I'm curious as to what this would entail. Regardless, I'm definitely looking forward to May 18th!