Notable Quotable: Veronica Roth (#34)

"Like a wild animal, the truth is too powerful to remain caged."
     --Insurgent

Top Ten Tuesday: Non-book bookish wants

hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

I have many non-book bookish desires these are just some that happen to be on my mind right now.

1. A library with a spiral ladder leading to balcony. Something like this only without the tv and more books.

2. A secret room/window nook (in aforementioned library)  for my reading pleasure.  

3. A book clutch: These are so pretty and I carry a book everywhere I go anyway.

4. This Harry Potter Ring: I keep seeing this ring everywhere online and every time I see I want it even more.

5. This Harry Potter Hoodie: I found this on Etsy and I really liked the fact that the titles were on the back.

6. This shirt designed by Karen Kavett: As soon as I saw Karen talk about this print on her Youtube channel I decided that I needed to have this.  

7. This Great Gatsby shirt: I've wanted this shirt for a couple of years, and I still want it.  I like the other one too, but the colors on this just pop.

8. These literary tattoos: This is a cool way to have a bunch of awesome literary tattoos for my ever changing mind.

9. This tea mug: I love mugs and I love Pride and Prejudice and so this is a natural must have for my mug collection.

10. This Harry Potter Necklace: I love Harry Potter and I think this horcrux locket is really cool.

City of Glass

by Cassandra Clare
published: EcElderry Books
page: 541

The time has come for the Clave to oppose Valentine, but he has no intentions of submitting, putting both the Shadowhunters and the Downworlder on edge.  Clary, Jace and the gang travel to Alicante to warn the Clave of Valentine's immense power. But will the Clave be convinced and take the necessary precautions against him?

I was very happy to see the familiar characters in a new setting. It was a great way to stretch their character and explore the world we heard about for two books.  I really enjoyed the descriptions of this beautiful, sacred land for Shadowhunters. What a fun world Cassandra Clare has created. 

Being in Alicante lends itself to back-story. There is a rich history in Idris that reveals more about characters that grew up there like Luke and Clary's mother.   We also get to find out more about Valentine and his followers in the place that they formed and then were exiled.    It is awesome to finally get answers to the questions that came up in the first two books.

I knew this was supposed to be the end of the trilogy and it wrapped up the story very nicely (I'm not saying that everything is peaches and cream) so I'm interested to see how Cassandra Clare will continue this story.

Stars: 4/5

Praise:

"Clare's concluding volume of The Mortal Instruments trilogy is complex and striking.  Not to be missed."
     --Kyrs Tourtois, Schuler books & Music

"Derivative though it may be, melodramatic emotional wollowing has never been so much fun."
     --Kirkus Review

Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Bucket List

hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

I have a partial list today, but they are all good ones.

1. J.K. Rowling - This is probably on many people's lists, but I would absolutely love to meet her.  She is one of the major reasons I love reading and writing and to tell her so in person would be so cool!

2. Book Conventions - I've never been to a book conference or convention, but I would absolutely love to go to one like YALLFest or  BEA.  It would be so cool to be somewhere where there are hundreds of other who love books just as much as I do.

3. LeakyCon - I've wanted to go to LeakyCon since it's inception but I was too young and then not able for various reasons. There are so many cool aspects of it now that I absolutely must go.

4. Teenreads's Ultimate Reading List - I started this list in high school and now I'm determined to finish it.  It has over 500 books on it and it's been overhauled a couple of times, but I will finish the list one of these days.

5. John Green - He is someone that I admire greatly as an author and a human being.  It would be so cool to meet and interact with him.

6. Classics - As someone who loves literature, I feel like it's my duty to read "the classics" ei Bronte, Austen, Dumas, Hugo, Shakespeare, Doyle, Joyce, Twain, Verne... More than my duty really, I actually want to read these books.

7. Publish - I'm going to publish a book one of these days.  I've written a couple, but now I want to go to the next step and get published.

8. Library - I want to own a house with a library, but just any library.  I have an idea in my head and it would amazing if it came to existence in my home, secret room and all.

Notable Quotable: Stephen Chbosky (#33)

"Sometimes, I look outside, and I think that a lot of other people have seen this snow before.  Just like I think that a lot of other people have read those books before.  And listened to those songs.  I wonder how they feel tonight.'"
     --Perks of Being a Wallflower

Top Ten Tuesday: Spring TBR

hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. 

Okay, okay.  I feel like I'm a broken record with a lot of these books, but you know what?  This spring is the spring that I quit putting off the books I want to read.  Here we go!

1. Insurgent by Veronica Roth
2. Allegiant by Veronica Roth
3. Champion by Marie Lu
4. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
5. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
6. Hollow City by Ransom Riggs
7. Matched by Ally Condie
8. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
9. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
10. The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick

Cress

By Marissa Meyer

Published: Feiwel and Friends

Pages: 550 

Cinder and the gang are still running from the law both on Earth and Luna. When they come in contact with a young lunar shell named Cress who has spent the last seven years cooped up in a satellite, they decide that she might make a valuable ally. However, when things don't go as planned in the rescue, it is up to Cinder to pull everyone back together. Meanwhile, Cress must come to terms with the idea that she might not live long enough to make a difference in the fight for good. 

The thing about this book is that the momentum never quits. There is never a moment in the book where I felt like it was a good place to put the book down for a while. I just wanted to keep reading the entire time. I needed to find out what happened next. It was time for events to converge and people to interact and butts to be kicked. This roller coaster of a book kept me guessing who would come out on top and at what costs.

I've said it before, but I'm going to say it again. I love fairy tale retellings and I find it particularly impressive when they are linked. Marissa Meyer has done it again.  She tells the story of Rapunzel in a unique and interesting way that has me thinking more complexly about the characters. She weaves this story seamlessly with the other stories in this genuinely incredible world she has created. 

The further we dig into this world, the more learn about it's crazy cast of characters.  Cinder is honing her gift and Thorne shows a more compassionate side. Wolf and Scarlet are as feisty as ever and Dr. Erland discovers more about the plague. Kai shows his true feelings about being engaged to the lunar queen. And we meet a lovely addition, Cress, who happens to be incredibly gifted with hacking and dismantling technology. All of these attributes are just the tip of the iceberg in the book. I'm in love. 

I really have no complaints about this book other than I have to wait for the conclusion! Bravo Marissa Meyer, you have me under your spell. I cannot wait to see what the finale holds.

Stars: 5/5 

Praise:

"Once again, Meyer  offers up a science fiction fantasy page-turner that salutes women's intelligence and empowerment...Old and new romance, unfinished story lines, and the prognostication of wartime horrors all pave the way for Meyer's much anticipated next installment."
     --Booklist

"This multilayered, action-packed page-turner is sure to please series fans."
     --The Horn Book

"Meyer continues to show off her storytelling prowess, keeping readers engaged in a wide cast of characters while unfolding a layered plot that involves warring governments and a fast-spreading plague.  The momentum Meyer built in the first two books continues to accelerate as the stakes grow higher for Cinder and her friends.  The next installment cannot come fast enough."
     --Publishers Weekly, starred review

This is a 2014 Eclectic Reader Challenge book!