Skip to main content

Quarterly Review Round-Up with GIVEAWAY

It is time for the Quarterly Review Round-Up where I talk about the best of the best, the one's I couldn't finish, and the adult novels I'm reading that I don't review here. Plus there's a GIVEAWAY.

The DNFs (links to my reasons why-if I shared them-on Goodreads):
The Falconer by Elizabeth May
The Lost Planet by Rachel Searles
Royally Lost by Angie Stanton
The Things You Kiss Goodbye by Leslie Conner

Adult Books (links to reviews on Goodreads):
About That Night by Julie James
Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke's Heart by Sarah MacLean
It Happened One Wedding by Julie James
A Lot Like Love by Julie James
Love Irresistibly by Julie James
Sun-Kissed by Laura Florand

Old Favorites I Reread:
The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner

The Best of the Best (where the Giveaway comes in):

Links to my reviews unless otherwise noted.

The Castle Behind Thorns by Merrie Haskell
The Homeward Bounders by Diana Wynne Jones

The Great Greene Heist by Varian Johnson (review posts next week)
The Islands of Chaldea by Diana Wynne Jones

The Last Best Kiss by Claire LaZebnik
A Matter of Souls by Denise Lewis Patrick

The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier
Pointe by Brandy Colbert
Revolution by Deborah Wiles

GIVEAWAY Rules

If you want to win one of the 4.5/5 star books I read this quarter, leave a comment below and tell me:
1) A favorite book of yours from the past few months.
2) Which of these books you are interested in if you win. (You can change your mind later.)
3) A way to reach you (email or Twitter handle) if you win. If you are using a Twitter handle, you may want to follow me in case I need to DM you.

Open to any reader who lives where Book Depository ships for free.

I will close this GIVEAWAY and choose a winner on Sunday, July 6, 2014 at 8:00 PM EDT.

Labels:

Comments

Pensrose said…
Yay! A giveaway! You always giveaway the best books!
1. I recently read Knife by R.J.Anderson and loved it. It was one of the books that I shared with my husband as I was reading it. He liked it too.
2. Islands of Chaldea is my current choice. I really want to read it.
3. I'm on twitter as @PeppermintRose_ right now.
June 29, 2014 at 10:27 AM
Anonymous said…
1) Some of my favorites this year are It Happened One Wedding by Julie James, The Chocolate Temptation by Laura Florand, Medair and Touchstone by Andrea K. Host and Black Dog by Rachel Neumeier.

2) I'm really curious about A Matter of Souls and The Islands of Chaldea!

I think no need to answer no. 3, right? :P
June 29, 2014 at 10:53 AM
K said…
So many! Thanks for hosting a giveaway!
1. I recently read two third books in a series that were particularly wonderful. Cress by Marissa Meyer, which lived up to all the hype and more. And Goliath by Scott Westerfeld, which was an EXCELLENT trilogy ender. That romance will live with me forever.
2. I'm really curious to read Pointe. I was in a professional ballet company for a while and I want to get into this one. I'm picky with ballet books though so we'll see.
3. I'm on twitter as @kateriransom
June 29, 2014 at 2:49 PM
Kristen said…
Yay! A giveaway! :) A lot of those look really good!>
1) I read Fangirl a month or so ago and LOVED it. I'm going to cheat and talk about Ready Player One - I just finished it a week ago and I loved it as well.
2) I think either of Jones' books really interest me, I'm not sure which I would want to read more!
3) @bookgoil on Twitter.

Thanks!
June 29, 2014 at 3:58 PM
Celeste said…
Thanks for the chance!
1) Eleanor and Park :) I loved it.
2) I´m interested in A Matter of Souls and Pointe :)
3) e-mail: celeste_257@hotmail.com
June 29, 2014 at 4:06 PM
Anonymous said…
yay! A giveaway!
1. Reign Rain was really good.
2. Umm. Homeward Bounders since it's hard to fond elsewhere.
3. @mrbenjimartin on twitter
June 30, 2014 at 8:23 AM
Unknown said…
Ooo!

1. SIDEKICKED, definitely. It makes me so happy, Brandy.
2. I think it'd be more fun if you chose the book. :) You know me, and I like having books pushed on me.
3. @ShaelynCherie

Thanks for the giveaway, Brandy!
June 30, 2014 at 11:23 AM
Brandy said…
Oh I LOVE R.J. Anderson's Faery books.They are all so good.
July 1, 2014 at 9:40 AM
Brandy said…
Chachic who? :-)

YES to Chocolate temptation and Black Dog. I still need to read Host.
July 1, 2014 at 9:42 AM
Brandy said…
I still haven't read Cress. I've owned it since it came out but things keep getting in the way. I'm going to try to get read soon.

I would be really interested in your perspective on Pointe then. It isn't really a ballet book. Ballet is just a central component of the main character's life.
July 1, 2014 at 9:44 AM
Brandy said…
I really enjoyed both Fangirl and Ready Player One when I read them too.

Both Jones books are good, but I like The Homeward Bounders more and it's not in print in the US anymore so harder to get a hold of. :)
July 1, 2014 at 9:51 AM
Brandy said…
Eleanor and Park is a great book!

July 1, 2014 at 9:52 AM
Brandy said…
Benji, I will be completely honest: I don't really want to read Reign Rain. I know I will have to because people will want to talk about for Newbery but nothing about it appeals to me. Your endorsement has me slightly more interested though.
July 1, 2014 at 9:54 AM
Brandy said…
Well now I'm going to feel all this pressure if you win. :)
July 1, 2014 at 9:56 AM
Natalie V said…
1. Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes, The Thickety: A Path Begins, Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library, and Codename Zero have all been big hits for me this month.
2. I would love to win The Night Gardener! :)
3. My twitter handle is @MrsVanDusen223

Thanks!
July 4, 2014 at 1:34 PM
Jessica said…
1. Um, this is hard to just list one book! I think my favorite MG from the past few months would be A snicker of Magic, and my favorite YA would be Broken Hearts, Fences, and other Things to Mend! :)
2. I think probably The Last Best Kiss! It looks fun! :)
3. My twitter handle is @bookgeek2872

Thank you for doing this giveaway! :)
July 6, 2014 at 12:03 AM
Brandy said…
I recently read The Thickety and Codename Zero too and found both to be fun. I love Peter Nimble!
July 6, 2014 at 7:58 PM
Brandy said…
I want to read Broken Hearts, Fences, and Other Things to Mend. I'm glad to hear you liked it!
July 6, 2014 at 7:59 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Serafina and the Black Cloak

Serafina and the Black Cloak  by Robert Beatty is a thrilling tale of mystery and adventure set at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC in 1899. Having lived in Asheville and visited the house several times, there was no way I was going to pass up a chance to read this. (Also it's MG fantasy, always a bonus for me.) Serafina lives in secret in the basement of the Vanderbilt's spacious vacation home. She has lived there most of her life. Her father worked on the house as it was being built and is the mechanic who runs the massive generator and keeps the electricity going. Serafina is the chief rat catcher, slipping through the halls of her massive home secretly and quietly. She is light on her feet, sees well in the dark, and is quick enough to catch the vermin and keep them out. Serafina knows she if different and strange. Her father insists she stay hidden. But all that changes when one night Serafina witnesses a horrible crime. A little girl, a guest in the house, is fleein
42 comments
Read more

Shorter Musings MG Fantasy

Here are some shorter musings on recent MG fantasy reads. Anya and the Dragon   by Sofiya Pasternack This book is fun. It is a book full of adventure, an obvious bad guy, some more complicated morally gray area characters, and a strong, brave heroine. It is also a book about friendships, community, and fighting for what is right. All things that usually work for me really well. While I enjoyed this, I did feel it was a little overlong and there were certain plot points at the end I didn't love. However, there were things I thought were done really well, such as Anya's Jewish faith and the idea that power needs to be challenged. In the end it was a middle of the road read for me, but it is one I will certainly be recommending to dragon and fantasy adventure lovers I know! R is for Rebel   by J. Anderson Coats This is tough because I usually really like Coats's books. I had such a hard time with this one though on so many levels. It's difficult to get into because t
4 comments
Read more

Favorite Kissing Scenes

When thinking of a favorite things post I could do for February I decided it would have to be kissing. I've already done couples and I was feeling in the mood to do something fluffy and Valentine's related. So kisses it is. I read more MG than YA, and the YA I read tends to not focus on romance so this was actually harder than I expected it to be though a few jumped into my head right away. (And one of my choices does actually come from a MG book. One is adult. Gasp!) The actual scene from the book is quoted followed by my thoughts. The king lifted a hand to her cheek and kissed her. It was not a kiss between strangers, not even a kiss between a bride and a groom. It was a kiss between a man and his wife, and when it was over, the king closed his eyes and rested his forehead against the hollow of the queen's shoulder, like a man seeking respite, like a man reaching home at the end of the day . - The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner Turner doesn't write the
11 comments
Read more

Shadowshaper

Shadowshaper  by Daniel José Older is everywhere. Best of lists. Award buzz. Blogs everywhere. It's one of those books everyone is reading and talking about. I had it on my TBR but decided I definitely needed to read it before the year was out just so I could weigh in on one of the most talked about books of 2015 if asked. It is deserving of every good thing said about it. Every. One. Sierra was looking forward to a relaxing summer break. Her plans involved hanging out with her friends and painting. They did not involve being chased by zombie like creatures and threatened by a magical power connected to her family's heritage she has never heard of. When murals begin fading all over her Brooklyn neighborhood, Sierra is perplexed. When her grandfather, who had a stroke, begins to apologize and starts repeating strange phases and insisting Sierra get the help of a boy she barely knows to help her finish her mural, Sierra is concerned but mostly about her grandfather. Then at a
4 comments
Read more

The Field Guide to the North American Teeanager

The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe is a book I picked up on a whim at the bookstore when it first came out. I liked the cover. I thought it had an engaging premise. I went into it with a healthy does of trepidation because the execution could have gone so terribly wrong. Fortunately, Philippe is an excellent character writer, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent reading about Norris's adventures in Texas and high school. High school junior Norris Kaplan's life is ruined by his mother when she takes a job that requires them to leave the only home he has ever known in Montreal, Quebec. Moving is always hard, but Norris knows for him it will be harder than it's ever been for anyone else. Norris is moving to Texas. He will be a Canadian living in Texas. Not just a Canadian. A French Canadian who speaks fluent French. And not just your average run-of-the-mill French Canadian. A black son of Haitian immigrant parents French Canadian. If Norris has
1 comment
Read more