Babbling 'Bout Books

My literacy instructor read this book aloud to our class at the end of our last lecture. Cute book and very inspiring in its idiomly way.

Disappointed to find this is Abridged (should have checked before I bought it). Will listen to it at some point anyways...

Still waiting for this to arrive... won through Goodreads First Reads Giveaways... hope it didn't get lost in the mail... Won this at the end of June and it is now August... still no book :(

This was the first Nancy Drew book I ever read and sparked my interest to read SEVERAL more!

Loved it. Full(er) review to come.

The anglophile and paranormal lover in me, loved every bit of this book.Full(er) review to come.

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen: 5/5Genre: Fiction/General, Action & AdventureCharacters: Sage, Bevin Conner, Mrs. Turbeldy, Latamer, Tobias, Roden, Mott, Cregan, Imogen, Princess Amarinda, Kerwyn, Veldergrath, Errol, King Eckbert, Queen Erin, Prince DariusSetting: Carthya, a country surrounded by Bymar and Gelyn to the north, Mendenwal to the east, Avenia to the south and west (map provided at beginning of book). Beginning with Mrs. Turbeldy's Orphanage for Disadvantaged Boys in the village of Carchar, then later moving onto Conner's estate of Farthenwood several miles outside the town of Tithio, then lastly King Eckbert's palace in Drylliad.Writing: The writing seemed well thought out. As information was revealed it gave new light to previous information/events in a way that made me question why I didn't put two and two together before it was revealed to me. I could guess at where the story was going but Nielsen keep me guessing as twists and complications were woven into the story at every turn of the page.Storyline: (Summary from book cover) " In a faraway land, civil war is brewing. To unify his kingdom's divided people, a nobleman name Conner devises a cunning plan to place an impersonator of the king's long-lost son on the throne. Four orphans are forced to compete for the roles, including a defiant and clever boy named Sage. Sage knows Conner's motives are more than questionable, yet his life balances on a sword's point - he must be chosen to play the prince or he will certainly be killed. As Sage moves from a rundown orphanage to Conner's sumptuous palace, layer upon layer of duplicity and deceit unfold, until finally, a truth is revealed that may very well prove more dangerous than all the lies taken together."The story is mostly narrated by Sage, in the first person. We get a first hand glimpse of Sage in a way that his deviant exterior doesn't let others to see, which I believe made me like him much more than I might have otherwise (e.g. if the story was told in the third person from an anonymous narrator). The story really begins with Conner acquiring the orphans, continues with the day to day lessons and life of the boys as they prepare for two weeks, and then end with one boy being chosen and presented to the regents and public as the long-lost son of the king, and the night that follows that revelation.Ending: In some ways I think I saw it coming, however there were still new twists and turns even up until the last few pages which kept my interest/intrigue and didn't disappoint me. The ending wrapped the story up nicely but still left room for a lead up to the next book in the trilogy. I am eager to see if many of the secondary characters will have roles in the rest of the trilogy, I hope so but if they don't I feel like that'd be alright based on how few loose ends were left.Continuing the Series: I plan to continue with this series as soon as possible as I already have a copy of the second book The Runaway King (published March 1, 2013). This was the reason I bought and read this first book however after reading it I now believe I would have been eager to continue the series anyways.Recommendation: This book is originally intended for an audience ages 10-14 however I didn't get the feeling at all that this book was childish in any way or that the writing was simplified in order to target that younger audience. I would recommend it to anyone interested in an adventure story that follows the day to day lives of orphan boys competing to be king.

Talented by Sophie Davis: 3.5/5Characters: Natalia Lyons, Donavon McDonough (her boyfriend), McDonough (Mac) (her "adoptive" father, Donavon's father, head honcho of T.O.X.I.C.), Henri and Erik (Tal's Hunter team/room-mates), Ian Crane (head of the Coalition/rebels)Setting: predominately The Headquarters, a base for Toxic operatives to train and practice using their Talents when not in school, located in Washington, D.C.Writing: Several times I found myself having to reread a sentence more than once to acquire the intended meaning as some words were reversed in order and other words were missing all together, which was distracting. Generally in any uncorrected proofs I've read (which I assume this one is even though it has been out for over a year) I come across typos which I have become accustomed to overlooking but this is a new type of error that through me off a bit. Storyline: The storyline was slow in the beginning to attracted my attention. Well, beyond the fact that these children were "Talented" which such a wide variety of abilities that kept my interest in a "What else can people do here?" kind of way. I found it got a lot more interesting once Natalia, Henri and Erik starting going on Toxic missions as well as when Donavon and Natalia's relationship hit the rocks. The world building and descriptions were good but very repetitive (e.g. I don't know how many times I was told that the Coalition states' residents were poorer than the other states. Yeah ok, I get it).Ending: I don't mind cliff hangers at the end of books as they generally amp up my excitement to read the next book, but I found in this case the cliff was far too steep. I was left with the feeling of "What just happened?" that seemed to break down any of the hope I had about a positive turn out for Natalia. I already don't trust Donavon and now if he is going to make things infinitely more difficult for Erik in the next book that it may affect the wellbeing of what's left of Erik's family, I will distrust him even more bordering on wishing ill of him. It is as if the years he'd been with her meant nothing, since by reporting Erik he is sure to lose her for good (if he hasn't already).Continuing the Series: At some point I may continue reading the series but if the next book also ends in such a cliff hanger I don't see me being apt to reading it right away. I have so many other books I am dying to read first.Recommendation: I recommend this book to anyone who likes books that have a cliff-hanger ending (or at least don't mind that), that like books with romance (somewhat love-triangle style), or anyone who is looking for another dystopian book to give it a try. As a whole, I did enjoy it and thought it might be one of my favourite books, despite the repetition and errors, until I reach the epilogue.

This is a short extra from the series Fallen which tells of Luce's part-time job at a garage during the school years she attends Dover. It is cute and heartfelt but it has been so long since I read Fallen that I can't remember if this short provides me with any ah-ha's with the story it tells.On a personal note, I used to have neighbours by the name of Pisani so this Pisani family reminded me of them although the ones I knew had 1 son and 1 daughter instead of 3 sons.

This was my favourite thus far of the Fallen series by Lauren Kate. I would give it a 4.5 as it wasn't perfect by superseded the previous books which I also enjoyed. This book however included other aspects such as time travel and glimpses of many key points in the history of the world that especially peaked my interest.More to follow, hopefully soon.

A cute story but although some of the repetition was necessary to the plot line it was a bit monotonous. This was also my first book I've read featuring Matt Smith as the doctor so that was a difference I had to contend with in the beginning. I still prefer the books featuring David Tennant's Doctor due to some of his mannerisms and the way he phrases things. Also due to the length of this book much had to be skimped on though I did appreciate the hints to previous episodes/books of Dr. Who that were made throughout this book.

This is a book set in future not so far from the present where oil is severely running out and due to the chain of events that follow the lives of the residents of Sage Valley and Marietta must change in order to survive. The story follows the lives of three teens. Tom, a football player from an average income family who is always willing to help anyone out who needs it, Gwen, an orphan trying to stay under the radar so not to be put into foster care, and Niki, a cheerleader from a wealthy family who has always lived in the lap of luxury. Their stories quickly interconnect with one another.Throughout reading this book it made me think about my own way of life in a new way and my dependence on oil for so many things as are so many people around the world. Also it got me thinking how I would cope during a time when life as we know it seems to be crashing down around us. Let's just say I have a new appreciation for my kayak. ;)For such a short book I was impressed by how much Suzanne was able to include without skimping out on the world and character building.

The storyline seemed fairly repetitive to me. Also what I presumed was the climax didn't happen until around the second last chapter with little room to describe it fully.

I wasn't sure what to expect with this series as I'd never read any others before featuring faeries. However it intrigued me by including aspects on Shakespeare's plays into the characters' reality. Although I haven't read all the plays mentioned throughout this series (Midsummer Nights' Dream, Romeo and Juliet, and The Tempest, mainly) I enjoyed how it was weaved into the storyline.Tempestuous is the last in the series though it didn't end as I had expected and though I don't know of the series continuing I can imagine it continuing to where I hoped it would have ended here. (Vague I know lol)I also fell in love with many of the minor characters including "Bug", Lucky, Tyff, Alec, Mabh, etc.

Awesome story, really enjoyed this second installment. But is anyone really as they seem? Seems to always be changing... Also I am now officially paranoid about mirrors. Also poor Sonny...Full review to come shortly, hopefully.

Illustrations are well done & the storyline is a cute rendition of the stone soup stories.