Teaser Tuesday, 30th Edition

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I am doing a slightly different version of Teaser Tuesday. Since I go through books so quickly, I'm going to put a quote from any book I've read in the past week.

"Cole says nothing, and I realize how quiet he's been since the sisters told their story. I turn in his arms, and his gray eyes are strangely dead, looking in instead of out." - The Near Witch, by Victoria Schwab

"It took all the effort I had to pull my arm out from beneath the thick duvet, and as soon as I did, I wish I hadn't. While it didn't hurt, my arm was clearly not well." - Zombies Vs. Unicorns, by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier

"Myriddin kept thinking of reasons why we should turn off the road and call in a scruffy settlements where he could exchange his songs and stories for a meal and place to sleep and a few cups of watered wine. I think he was afraid of learning what Arthur had been up to in his absence." - Here Lies Arthur, by Philip Reeve

"'Look at this!' he shouted... 'What has that one-woman force of chaos done to these spells?'" - Howl's Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones

"'What you be doing?' Grimbold demanded.
     And my guard, compelled to do my bidding,  answered, 'Grimbold's orders.'" - Heir Apparent, by Vivan Vande Velde

"I pulled the ring from my pocket and held it up, where it glimmered in the musty darkness like a firefly. The oracle's smile grew wider." - The Iron Queen, by Julie Kagawa

"I turned with an inquiring look. Pick stood with upraised hand, ice smoking from his palm, and anguish in his eyes." - Corsets and Clockwork, edited by Trisha Telep; excerpt from "Wild Magic" by Ann Aguire

"'Last night I dreamed I was playing water polo with the mermaids,' he said. 'This was on my pillow when I woke.'" - Peter Pan in Scarlet, by Geraldine McCaughrean

What are you reading this week?

Weekly Review (4 September - 10 September)

I've decided to try out posting Weekly Reviews, summarizing the posts I've published over the week, as well as the books I'm currently reading, books I've finished over the week, some upcoming reviews, and any comments I'd like to include about the past week. The weekly review feature was inspired by Small Review and Butterfly Feet Walking on Life.

In case you've missed anything, here's what I posted from Sunday, September 4th through Saturday, September 10th.

Reviews

None this week!

Memes

In My Mailbox, 10th Edition

Features

Fortnight of Old Favorites Update (4)

Dragon Slippers-Inspired Embroidery

Witch Dreams Cover, Part Two

River of Time Giveaway at Small Review

Books Completed

Amulet: The Stonekeeper, by Kazu Kibuishi

Amulet: The Stonekeeper's Curse, by Kazu Kibuishi

Amulet: The Cloud Searchers, by Kazu Kibuishi

Amulet: The Last Council, by Kazu Kibuishi

Rereading the Amulet books was fun, but all too short. The newest volume is great! Hopefully I'll post a review of them all, but it's not top priority, since I posted a review of the first three books in February. Click to link to go to my review of the first three Amulet books.   

The Iron Queen, by Julie Kagawa

Zombies Vs. Unicorns, edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier

Reviews to come for both of these. The Iron Queen was not as phenomenal as I'd led myself to believe it would be, but I really liked it, and it was definitely a step up from the previous books. Zombies Vs. Unicorns was not at all what I'd expected, and I wasn't enjoying it very much at first, so I put it away for about three weeks. When I reopened it, now knowing what I was in for, I liked it a lot more. 

Currently Reading

 

Corsets and Clockwork: 13 Steampunk Romances, edited by Trisha Telep

Peter Pan in Scarlet, by Geraldine McCaughrean

I've only read the first two stories in Corsets & Clockwork, but it's been great so far. Peter Pan in Scarlet is a reread for FOOF.

General Updates

I didn't post any reviews this past week because things were crazy with the start of school, and I didn't have any energy to write a review. But they're all coming. I want to post at least three reviews this coming week, and possibly host a guest post. The book-buying ban is still going well; I haven't given in yet. I've still got nine FOOF books left before I end my ban. I'm alternating between FOOF and new reads, and so far I seem to be getting through them at a pretty good pace.

Next week I have scheduled a review for Rapunzel's Revenge and Calamity Jack, two books I read for FOOF, and I'm hosting a giveaway for Enna Isilee's Birthday Bash on Wednesday! Make sure to come back on Wednesday to enter.

River of Time Giveaway at Small Review

Hello, readers.

Just stopping by today to mention the giant giveaway going on right now at the blog Small Review.

The River of Time books have been everywhere in the book blogoshere in the past few weeks due to the release of Torrent, the third book. I haven't read the series, but it is on the top of my TBR and I'm planning on buying all three books as soon as my book-buying ban is over. Beacuse she loves these books, so much, Small has created an awesome giveaway with 35 winners.

--1 person will win a complete set of the trilogy
(signed if in USA; unsigned if international)

--1 person will win a River of Time Tribe t-shirt
(USA & Canada only)

--3 people will win one book of their choice from the River of Time (Waterfall, Cascade or Torrent, International)

--30 people will win a signed bookmark
(USA only)

What do you have to do? Promote the series in any way, and let Small know about it. There are three weeks left to enter, and you are allowed to submit an entry every day. Click here for more information about the giveaway and a link to the entry form.

Witch Dreams Cover, Part Two

So, a few weeks ago, my friend Ray and I made a new cover for the book Witch Dreams, by Vivan Vande Velde (click for my review). You can see the original cover picture here.

Then, we went further. We edited the original cover picture a little bit, and then we created a full wraparound cover. I printed that tonight and put it on my copy of the book. It's a little bit tall, but otherwise I love it! Pictures are below.

You can see in this one that my printout is a little tall. It'll be very easy to trim, I just haven't gotten around to it yet.

And here's the full wraparound! Click for the full sized image. No copyright infringement intended on this cover, for the quotes, the summary, or the Marshall Cavendish icon.

This project was so much fun, I'm going to have to try it again for other covers!

Dragon Slippers-Inspired Embroidery

In Dragon Slippers, by Jessica Day George, one of my favorite aspects was the description of all the embroidery Creel does throughout the book. A significant part of the story revolves around Creel's embroidery. When I was trying to think of a project to do inspired by FOOF, embroidery was the first thing that came to mind.


So I took up a needle and thread and made a small embroidered pin. The pin is about the size from the tip of my pointer finger to the middle of it. There's a safety pin sewed onto the back, which is what attaches it to the bag. It's propped up by the stack of books I need to review.

I couldn't get a great picture, but when I get my hands on a better camera I'll edit better pictures in. These photos were taken from my computer. Check back in a few days for better quality photos. [EDIT: a detail of the embroidery is below.]

Instructions to DIY / How I made it:

1. I cut out a piece of fabric about 3 x 3 inches. This was intentionally a little bit big - I planned on trimming it once I was done.
2. On scratch paper, I sketched out a few ideas for what I wanted the embroidery to look like. With this fabric, I had decided on a sailboat already, so my sketches were to figure out proportions and to make sure I liked the design. 
3. I used pencil to draw the design onto the fabric. Professionals have special pens for this sort of thing, but I found pencil to work just fine.
4. Start sewing. I made a diagram (below) of what my stitch looked like. I'm pretty sure it's not a real embroidery stitch, but it works just fine for me, and it's very simple. 

5. If you run out of thread or want to switch colors, just knot your thread at the back and start over. The back doesn't have to be pretty. That part will come with practice. 
6. I advise starting with a line drawing and not filling it in. The "filling it in" part takes a lot more time, and often it looks just as nice outlined with no fill. 

Well, I'm no Creel, but I like how my pin turned out. Check out my review of Dragon Slippers!

[EDIT: Here's a more detailed picture of the embroidery. Click for a larger view.]

This feature is part of my Fortnight of Old Favorites Challenge.

Fortnight of Old Favorites Update (4)

Day 14 of the FOOF challenge.

So, part one of the challenge, reading ten Old Favorites in 14 days, is finished. Now, onto part two, which consists of reading the other ten books I picked out for the challenge but haven't gotten to yet. I'm going to take a little more time with this one and read them in between the new books I got at the end of August. And when I finish all ten books, my book-buying ban will be finished.

Books finished (click on each title link for the review):
Chasing Vermeer, by Blue Balliett
Wintersmith, by Terry Pratchett
Dragon Slippers, by Jessica Day George
Princess Ben, by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
The Legend of Holly Claus, by Brittany Ryan
Rapunzel's Revenge, by Shannon, Dean, and Nathan Hale
Calamity Jack, by Shannon Dean, and Nathan Hale
Here Lies Arthur, by Philip Reeve
Howl's Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones
Heir Apparent, by Vivan Vande Velde

Books in progress:

To read next (subject to change):
Peter Pan in Scarlet, by Geraldine McCaughrean

Features related to FOOF:
Judge a Book by Its Cover - Wintersmith
Illustrations in Old Favorites
Judge a Book by Its Cover - The Goose Girl (coming soon!)

Are you participating in FOOF? 

Let me know how your challenge is going in the comments!

In My Mailbox, 10th Edition

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. 

Participants are encouraged to talk about anything bookish they received during the week.

This week I got... NOTHING!

Usually this would make me sad, but this week it makes me happy, happy, happy. 

Yay! Finally I'm sticking to my book-buying ban.

I expect the ban will go on until the end of September, since I have a bunch to get through, and with school starting, I won't have nearly as much time to read... 

Oh, who am I kidding? I'll make time.

Review: The Near Witch

by Victoria Schwab
Start Date: 19 August 2011
End Date: 31 August 2011
Hardcover, 288 pages
Published August 2nd 2011 by Hyperion Books CH

Summary (from Goodreads):
The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten children.

If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company.

And there are no strangers in the town of Near.

These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life.

But when an actual stranger—a boy who seems to fade like smoke—appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true.

The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion. Still, he insists on helping Lexi search for them. Something tells her she can trust him.

As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi’s need to know—about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.

Part fairy tale, part love story, Victoria Schwab’s debut novel is entirely original yet achingly familiar: a song you heard long ago, a whisper carried by the wind, and a dream you won’t soon forget.

My Review:
Wow. I wasn't sure how much I would like The Near Witch, but I have to say - I loved it. Victoria Schwab is an incredible writer. Her way with words is amazing. I wish I could have read The Near Witch in one delicious gulp, and I am planning to do that in the future. This time around, however, I was interrupted by FOOF, as I knew I had no chance of completing the FOOF challenge if I took the time to read only The Near Witch. But even that couldn't stop me from reading it. I gravitated toward this book even though I had been planning on reading others. I usually don't have a problem reading multiple books, but this one sucked me in so completely that I had to talk myself into reading the others much of the time. When I finally finished it (in the middle of the night - I couldn't put it down once I reached the climax), I made myself get out of bed and write down notes for this review, lest I forget how wonderful it was.

I don't often say this, but I cannot think of anything that would make this book better. There was nothing I was unhappy with, no plot point I felt was unexplained, no slower (some would say "boring") sections. I loved all of the myths and stories surrounding Near and the Near Witch. And to make it even more wonderful, the entire book feels like a fairy tale retelling. Even though it isn't, I almost wouldn't want to read the original fairy tale because Schwab tells the story of The Near Witch so well.

I loved Lexi's character. She felt so real, with her own strengths and flaws. She never plunged right in without thinking and for the wrong reasons, and characters are likely to do. She seemed so rational that it was refreshing to read from her perspective. I loved discovering, along with Lexi, more and more about the semi-mythological Near Witch, who plays a larger role than one first suspects. And I loved Cole without even knowing why. Even at the end of The Near Witch, neither Lexi nor the reader knows that much about Cole, but there's enough there that I can deem him as perfect as the rest of the story. Enough is revealed that I'm not searching for more depth. There is far more that no one knows about yet, but it's not revealed because Cole is keeping it hidden, not because Schawb is being lazy or underdeveloping her characters in any way.

I've already talked about how much I love Schwab's writing. Every word counts. But rather than try to explain it any further, I thought I'd include an excerpt instead:

I reach a nest of homes just south to the sisters' cottage and the center of town. Houses are sparse on the eastern side, as if the villagers lean, like grass, away from Magda and Dreska.
     I'm cutting through the cluster of houses, thinking over my plan, when a small boy darts out, followed by the muffled protests of his mother. Riley Thatcher.
     Eight years old, and as sharp as a bundle of sticks, Riley sprints across the yard, stumbles in the dirt, and is up again in a blink. But in that moment, something is different. Missing. He's already heading for another house when I catch sight of the small thing left behind in the weedy grass. I kneel and lift the sisters' charm, the pouch of moss and sweet earth, its cord now broken. (Schwab 175)

Do you want to read it yet? There's no way I can describe her writing. I'm no Victoria Schwab.

Even though the story is perfect in itself, and I don't want to change a bit of it by adding a sequel, I really hope there is a sequel. To quote Fly By Night, "I don't want a happy ending, I want more story."

Overall Thoughts: Wonderful. Perfect. Highly recommended.

November Releases

So many great books are coming out soon, I had to talk about a few of them. I couldn't possibly talk about all of them, so I decided to do it month by month. These are some of the November releases that are at the top of my to-read list, in chronological order. Let me know if I'm missing anything good.

1 November 2011
Crossed, by Ally Condie

Summary (from Goodreads):
In search of a future that may not exist and faced with the decision of who to share it with, Cassia journeys to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky - taken by the Society to his certain death - only to find that he has escaped, leaving a series of clues in his wake.

Cassia's quest leads her to question much of what she holds dear, even as she finds glimmers of a different life across the border. But as Cassia nears resolve and certainty about her future with Ky, an invitation for rebellion, an unexpected betrayal, and a surprise visit from Xander - who may hold the key to the uprising and, still, to Cassia's heart - change the game once again. Nothing is as expected on the edge of Society, where crosses and double crosses make the path more twisted than ever.

My Thoughts:
I am so excited for this release. I was excited for this release when I finished Matched back in April, and now I'm more than ready. I love Matched so much. I'm even rereading it as part of FOOF. I probably should have waited until October so that it'd be fresh in my mind when I read Crossed, but I'm going to be full up with books in October.

As for the cover, I really like most of it. I love the general design and the blue theme. I think the model is very pretty and I like that she's wearing the plainclothes of the Society. I like how it matches the cover of Matched, and the the R is backwards. But I agree with the general opinion that I've been reading, which is that the model's position is a little... off, somehow, and I think some of the shards of glass could have ben placed a little bit better.  Nonetheless, I cannot wait to read this!

8 November 2011
Little Women and Me, by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

Summary (from Goodreads):
Emily is sick and tired of being a middle sister. So when she gets an assignment to describe what she'd change about a classic novel, Emily pounces on Little Women. After all, if she can't change things in her own family, maybe she can bring a little justice to the March sisters. (Kill off Beth? Have cute Laurie wind up with Amy instead of Jo? What was Louisa May Alcott thinking?!) But when Emily gets mysteriously transported into the world of the book, she discovers that righting fictional wrongs won't be easy. And after being immersed in a time and place so different from her own, it may be Emily-not the four March sisters-who undergoes the most surprising change of all. Lauren Baratz-Logsted's winning confection will appeal to fans of Little Women as well as anyone who enjoys a modern twist on an old favorite.

My Thoughts:
Small Review, one of my favorite blogs, reviewed Little Women and Me a few weeks ago, and it sounds like the kind of book I'd love. I always love retellings, and this particular one seems like a lot of fun. I'm not sure I'm going to love it enough to pre-order it, but I'd like to read it once it comes out.

8 November 2011
Inheritance, by Christopher Paolini

Summary (from Goodreads):
Not so very long ago, Eragon Shadeslayer, Dragon Rider, was nothing more than a poor farm boy, and his dragon, Saphira, only a blue stone in the forest. Now the fate of an entire civilization rests on their shoulders.

Long months of training and battle have brought victories and hope, but they have also brought heartbreaking loss. And still, the real battle lies ahead: they must confront Galbatorix. When they do, they will have to be strong enough to defeat him. And if they cannot, no one can. There will be no second chances.

The Rider and his dragon have come further than anyone dared to hope. But can they topple the evil king and restore justice to Alagaësia? And if so, at what cost?

This is the much-anticipated, astonishing conclusion to the worldwide bestselling Inheritance cycle.

My Thoughts:
I really like the Inheritance cycle (also known as the Eragon books), so naturally I'm looking forward to the conclusion. I'm not sure I remember enough of Brisingr (the previous book) to read Inheritance right away, but don't really want to reread all of the previous books, ranging from 500 - 800 pages each. I'm hoping there's a summary in the beginning of Inheritance that sums up the parts I'll need to know. I remember all of the big plot points, it's just the smaller ones I'm less certain about, but I'm most likely going to dive straight into Inheritance anyway.



Are there any November Releases you're excited about?

Review: Princess Ben

by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Start Date: 24 August 2011
End Date: 27 August 2011
Hardcover, 344 pages
Published March 18th 2008 by Houghton Mifflin

Summary (from Goodreads):
Benevolence is not your typical princess and Princess Ben is certainly not your typical fairy tale. With her parents lost to unknown assassins, Princess Ben ends up under the thumb of the conniving Queen Sophia, who is intent on marrying her off to the first available "specimen of imbecilic manhood." Starved and miserable, locked in the castle's highest tower, Ben stumbles upon a mysterious enchanted room. So begins her secret education in the magical arts: mastering an obstinate flying broomstick, furtively emptying the castle pantries, setting her hair on fire... But Ben's private adventures are soon overwhelmed by a mortal threat facing the castle and indeed the entire country. Can Princess Ben save her kingdom from annihilation and herself from permanent enslavement?

My Review:
Although in the beginning, I didn't enjoy Princess Ben very much, ultimately it easily earns its place on my list of old favorites. It started out very slowly, and I didn't particularly care for Ben in the beginning. The book is separated into four parts, and of the four days it took me to read it, three were spent on part one. I even briefly considered putting it down until FOOF was over. Once I got to part two, the story picked up significantly and got a lot more interesting, and I devoured the rest.

I was never able to picture Ben as she described herself, but I liked reading from her perspective. At least, I liked it once she started doing something about her situation. Ben has huge character development throughout the book, and although it wasn't the driving force of the story, it was wonderful to see Ben's transformation from the sullen and unhappy girl in the beginning to the strong and competent young woman in the end. Also, I loved reading about Ben's discovery and development of her magical powers.

Throughout the book, and in part one especially, Ben was treated a little more harshly than I ideally would have liked reading about. I can (and have) read books where characters suffer through worse treatment than in Princess Ben, but in this particular circumstance I feel like it could have been avoided. Of course, Ben had to go through some sort of harsh treatment by the Queen as it becomes an important point later on, and since the entire storyline is an amalgamation of various fairy tales, primarily Cinderella (hence the harsh treatment in the beginning) and Sleeping Beauty. There is much more than those two fairy tales, but I liked how they were both incorporated. There are lots of references to other fairy tales as well. Off the top of my head I can remember the Princess and the Pea, Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty, but I'm sure there are many more and I enjoyed picking them out whenever I came across them.

Overall Thoughts: Although the beginning of Princess Ben is less than wonderful, the rest more than makes up for it. Recommended for YA readers who are looking for a new take on fairy tale retellings.

I read this book for my Fortnight of Old Favorites Challenge.