tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14809635615149617792024-02-07T04:14:09.526+01:00Le chat de bibliothèqueA blog to review and record the various (e)books that pass through my hands every year.Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10180742524958883048noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1480963561514961779.post-65638008889620625432014-02-05T00:30:00.000+01:002014-02-05T11:22:27.295+01:00Wishlist Wednesday #6<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIzqrm9UTfs1g058PdGePuaRnEqGcv0FivxHO3Bzb4oxPV3rJ1d-RCnjeVaaT8up86bFkjngsvjt0nSJ1S7ErrcBmJFJB80SEaeerkYcbVVZRR-LsVWyoAm8KgeQb_UPlo419hno6YNTM/s1600/Wishlist+Wednesday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIzqrm9UTfs1g058PdGePuaRnEqGcv0FivxHO3Bzb4oxPV3rJ1d-RCnjeVaaT8up86bFkjngsvjt0nSJ1S7ErrcBmJFJB80SEaeerkYcbVVZRR-LsVWyoAm8KgeQb_UPlo419hno6YNTM/s200/Wishlist+Wednesday.jpg" height="128" width="200" /></a><br />
Wishlist Wednesday is a book blog hop hosted by <a href="http://www.pentopaperblog.com/search/label/wednesday">Pen to paper</a>, where we will post about one book
per week that has been on our wishlist for some time, or just added
(it's entirely up to you), that we can't wait to get off the wishlist
and onto our wonderful shelves. </div>
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Laini Taylor has confirmed that the third and final instalment of the <span style="color: #0b5394;">Daughter of Smoke and Bone</span> trilogy will hit the libraries on April 8,2014, so the final countdown has begun. {64 days left, in case you were wondering}<br />
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The gorgeous cover is what led me to pick up the first book of the series but once I started reading it, I just couldn't put it down. Luckily for me, I read <span style="color: #0b5394;">Daughter of Smoke and Bone</span> just before the publication of <span style="color: #0b5394;">Days of Blood and Starlight</span>, so I didn't have to wait more than a week for the rest of the story. Sadly a year has passed since and I am still waiting for the wrap up for this story. The wait has been way too long, considering the clifhanger book #2 ended on but I guess we should give authors the time to write something good and not quickly throw something together.<br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Dreams of Gods and Monsters</b></span> by Laini Taylor will have to meet the high expectations set by her previous novels, but I am eagerly awaiting the final chapter of the story of Karou and Akiva..<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdWYCDxTH3MK-W-_ZwTIA0yOpWWJSuXVVwUNLrxz9MvF1C6VZt65wAqogGBla1aaes32Fn7silSST93g_ohXpGa9ab_opvOxXlsX45_vi9MbI17mFXw_fIymQVBZxLYcEZryTduiGjNtY/s1600/dreams-of-gods-and-monsters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdWYCDxTH3MK-W-_ZwTIA0yOpWWJSuXVVwUNLrxz9MvF1C6VZt65wAqogGBla1aaes32Fn7silSST93g_ohXpGa9ab_opvOxXlsX45_vi9MbI17mFXw_fIymQVBZxLYcEZryTduiGjNtY/s1600/dreams-of-gods-and-monsters.jpg" height="320" width="214" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: blue;"> </span>Add to <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13618440-dreams-of-gods-monsters">Goodreads</a></span></span></b></td></tr>
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<span id="freeText1537973134602138542">By way of a staggering deception, Karou has taken control of the chimaera rebellion and is intent on steering its course away from dead-end vengeance. The future rests on her, if there can even be a future for the chimaera in war-ravaged Eretz.<br />
Common enemy, common cause.<br />
When Jael's brutal seraph army trespasses into the human world, the unthinkable becomes essential, and Karou and Akiva must ally their enemy armies against the threat. It is a twisted version of their long-ago dream, and they begin to hope that it might forge a way forward for their people.<br />
And, perhaps, for themselves. Toward a new way of living, and maybe even love.<br />
But there are bigger threats than Jael in the offing. A vicious queen is hunting Akiva, and, in the skies of Eretz ... something is happening. Massive stains are spreading like bruises from horizon to horizon; the great winged stormhunters are gathering as if summoned, ceaselessly circling, and a deep sense of wrong pervades the world.<br />
What power can bruise the sky?<br />
From the streets of Rome to the caves of the Kirin and beyond, humans, chimaera and seraphim will fight, strive, love, and die in an epic theater that transcends good and evil, right and wrong, friend and enemy.<br />
At the very barriers of space and time, what do gods and monsters dream of? And does anything else matter?</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />Source : Goodreads.com</span></blockquote>
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Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10180742524958883048noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1480963561514961779.post-5168409493701793252014-02-04T00:30:00.000+01:002014-02-04T00:30:01.694+01:00Teaser Tuesday #4<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtFPRKzbSwvMa0BDCI5LzTfgzGcGicVohPMWkuy0fcM0hWEqnp_iJwiVz-rVVmcB25ZdXH5brCoFG7z0D79gaeUI3HbeNbJHc_KKkm_K2lYfwg57xTYoiTWianoLnUSLDzPTuvdCJzJYk/s1600/teaser+tuesday.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtFPRKzbSwvMa0BDCI5LzTfgzGcGicVohPMWkuy0fcM0hWEqnp_iJwiVz-rVVmcB25ZdXH5brCoFG7z0D79gaeUI3HbeNbJHc_KKkm_K2lYfwg57xTYoiTWianoLnUSLDzPTuvdCJzJYk/s1600/teaser+tuesday.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
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<b>Teaser Tuesdays</b> is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of <span style="color: black;"><a href="http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/"><i>Should Be Reading</i></a>. Anyone can play along! See the rules at the end of this post.</span></div>
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First of all the teaser of the week :</div>
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<b><span style="color: #660000;"><i>(...) </i></span></b><b><span style="color: #660000;"><i>"What would you like?"<br />
"A skinny decaf latte."<br />
This is a ridiculous form of coffee, but I did not point it out. (...)</i></span></b></div>
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This teaser comes from a one of my current reads, <b>The Rosie Project</b> by Graeme Simsion. Based on the synopsis alone, this is a book I wouldn't have picked up on my own as I am not into love and romance novels. One of the groups I am participating in over at Goodreads however, picked this one as the monthly read and that's how I ended up downloading this book to my e-reader. And frankly, despite my apprehensions, I quite like it. So even if you're not the love and romance type, give it a try anyway :o) Stay tuned for the review once I finish it.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ1LLSybptzDroQ3aEu2sNqaIjwcubAUS-svVPtfnIbny98KIY6MWVbR_GWsG8OpDVN19yqBJE5NSLb-Yh8-HO-USHqPEKn0jYCN_c0rQCKENtRVjSuucfyh0OIY1Lp3ZBeFxNNXSUfDc/s1600/Beauty_Queens.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvALWwBsNsxg0EGSLbmygiCd49KkUKvao8bDPE9poUHITwItfuFkAHWy9FzV-Lm49uHkWf5VjRAtR2AKspZD6MnZAX9sejageuhHTFyROp1lPF0DNDIDjyKyGDUe5_esT_qV3HNTHdN-M/s1600/rosie.jpg" height="320" width="199" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #660000;"><i><span style="color: blue;"> </span><b>Add on </b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17281240-the-rosie-project"><b>Goodreads </b></a></i></span></span></div>
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An international sensation, this hilarious, feel-good novel is narrated by an oddly charming and socially challenged genetics professor on an unusual quest: to find out if he is capable of true love.
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Don Tillman, professor of genetics, has never been on a second date. He is a man who can count all his friends on the fingers of one hand, whose lifelong difficulty with social rituals has convinced him that he is simply not wired for romance. So when an acquaintance informs him that he would make a “wonderful” husband, his first reaction is shock. Yet he must concede to the statistical probability that there is someone for everyone, and he embarks upon The Wife Project. In the orderly, evidence-based manner with which he approaches all things, Don sets out to find the perfect partner. She will be punctual and logical—most definitely not a barmaid, a smoker, a drinker, or a late-arriver.
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Yet Rosie Jarman is all these things. She is also beguiling, fiery, intelligent—and on a quest of her own. She is looking for her biological father, a search that a certain DNA expert might be able to help her with. Don's Wife Project takes a back burner to the Father Project and an unlikely relationship blooms, forcing the scientifically minded geneticist to confront the spontaneous whirlwind that is Rosie—and the realization that love is not always what looks good on paper.
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The Rosie Project is a moving and hilarious novel for anyone who has ever tenaciously gone after life or love in the face of overwhelming challenges.
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Source : Goodreads</span></blockquote>
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If you want to join in with Teaser Tuesdays, these are the rules set forth by MizB of <span style="color: black;"><a href="http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/"><i>Should Be Reading</i></a> :</span><br />
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• Grab your current read<br />
• Open to a random page<br />
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page<br />
• <span style="color: #990000;"><b>BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!</b> (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)</span><br />
• Share
the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the
book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!<br />
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Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10180742524958883048noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1480963561514961779.post-40528232638740670852014-01-30T14:36:00.000+01:002014-01-30T14:55:37.272+01:00Review : And the Mountains Echoed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsS7-Z-pcS4YpYJ03RORexspVR02eUkLPb-79XhRXtK9YULsZ8-_nRnCCC5N96Wb4xDZmCf13wOPBVWC5YtDjFeFbEfv8am95SSQ77RpApZ08rHwL99Xz_koyADvBFIoTKhEPDDqxxnME/s1600/night+circus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCcBeraPR8wjRbYFKum8euKRff2rZHp9Vy9gMC3dX7CeqOjF-tPBKwl4YWjNcFIcsegX7SM2xJTGOXSrkeP6ivCFCxCPtQ2x_39wJYpBeStPLy1RrEhK6Fae9ZZIZbh_az0KUQKwlHSJY/s1600/9781408842447.jpeg" height="200" width="128" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaTk3wa5bADC95dqupa8T5jTBH2X5SKScdZ_BwoWE6BItka8B-atJPjbri5SEpRAdqRgj1r6fevx0kqxfi2V1CyOWmtj_ANLt4hE5lWZRC1uPESwyOGl2ZhWvLiJQWOwQHdLhuUfn1cIQ/s1600/04half.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaTk3wa5bADC95dqupa8T5jTBH2X5SKScdZ_BwoWE6BItka8B-atJPjbri5SEpRAdqRgj1r6fevx0kqxfi2V1CyOWmtj_ANLt4hE5lWZRC1uPESwyOGl2ZhWvLiJQWOwQHdLhuUfn1cIQ/s1600/04half.png" /></a>Author : Khaled HOSSEINI<br />
Title : And the Mountains Echoed<br />
Format : ebook<br />
ISBN : 978-1-4088-4244-7<br />
Published : 21/05/2013<br />
Publisher : <a href="http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/and-the-mountains-echoed-9781408842447/">Bloomsbury</a><br />
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An unforgettable novel about finding a lost piece of yourself in someone else.<br />
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Khaled Hosseini, the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, has written a new novel about how we love, how we take care of one another, and how the choices we make resonate through generations. In this tale revolving around not just parents and children but brothers and sisters, cousins and caretakers, Hosseini explores the many ways in which families nurture, wound, betray, honor, and sacrifice for one another; and how often we are surprised by the actions of those closest to us, at the times that matter most. Following its characters and the ramifications of their lives and choices and loves around the globe—from Kabul to Paris to San Francisco to the Greek island of Tinos—the story expands gradually outward, becoming more emotionally complex and powerful with each turning page.<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">source : khaledhosseini.com</span></blockquote>
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I didn't plan to read <span style="color: #0b5394;">And the Mountains Echoed</span> this year. If I am completely honest, I have to admit that the release in 2013 of Khaled Hosseini's last novel never even registered on my radar. Which is something I can't quite explain, because he is a great author and <span style="color: #0b5394;">The Kite Runner</span> is undoubtedly one of my favourite novels. So, it is rather fortunate that <span style="color: #0b5394;">And the Mountains Echoed</span> happened to be the group read of the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/58421-2014-reading-challenge">2014 Reading Challenge Group</a> on Goodreads, because otherwise I would have missed out on a great novel.</div>
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Hosseini is proving yet again to be an excellent storyteller, who reels you in to a world of well developed characters and exotic locations, grabbing your attention from the first page and not releasing you until you close the cover with regret, shedding a few tears along the way. </div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0PP5RA1OruOm1qLg71fnDQ4wKDWz0BBZNKnCRJJZrFMJHyCVXHKW8YCI-2lMNgKTECzCYAFgc-b27tHeM0_fpP3G9Hrrp9cMlngkhUmVdlawEBBGqdpbldrmWqi6hHbL-J1LH8pTH3d0/s1600/398193_485830858116603_799404340_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0PP5RA1OruOm1qLg71fnDQ4wKDWz0BBZNKnCRJJZrFMJHyCVXHKW8YCI-2lMNgKTECzCYAFgc-b27tHeM0_fpP3G9Hrrp9cMlngkhUmVdlawEBBGqdpbldrmWqi6hHbL-J1LH8pTH3d0/s1600/398193_485830858116603_799404340_n.jpg" height="201" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Women in Kabul 1970's - Source : <a href="http://magiapequenascosas.wordpress.com/2012/11/15/kabul-antes-de-los-talibanes/">La Magia de las Pequeñas Cosas</a></td></tr>
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Just as in his previous novels, the key to the story of <span style="color: #0b5394;">And the Mountains echoed</span> lies in Afghanistan, the country it was before it became the playground of superpowers and religious extremists, before a time when the mere mention of the country's name evokes images of intolerable cruelty and violence. On a side note, whenever I think of pre-war Afghanistan, I have this image popping up in my mind. It is a picture taken by an unknown photographer that I happened to come across a few years ago. </div>
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The set-up from <span style="color: #0b5394;">And the Mountains echoed</span> is different from most novels in so far that it doesn't follow a linear timeline nor does it narrate from a single point of view. In theory, this could make it difficult for the reader to relate to the protagonists, but on the contrary, because every chapter took me into the mind and life of another character, in another time and another location, all fleshed out in detail with strong points and flaws, I couldn't help but feel connected to a character, whom I loathed in a previous chapter. And although the individual stories could be considered stand alone stories, there is always a seemingly unimportant detail that links them all together, which is clear for the omniscient reader but remains just out of grasp of the chapter's protagonist : an multi-centennial oak tree, a scorched picture, an old tin tea box ...</div>
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“I found a sad little fairy<br />Beneath the shade of a paper tree.<br />I know a sad little fairy<br />Who was blown away by the wind one night.”<br />― Nursery rhyme sung by Pari & Abdullah (And the Mountains Echoed) </blockquote>
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It is a story of about the choices people make out of necessity, vanity or moral duty and the
rippling effect those choices have on the lifes of those directly
involved as well as those who just happen to be passing through, expanding outward across decades and generations. This beautiful and moving novel left me with a incredible feeling of sadness when I reached the end of it. Although I wasn't expecting a Hollywoodian happy ending, the final chapter felt like an injustice to the struggles and hopes the main characters had lived through to reach that point. "Life's unfair" is one way to put it.</div>
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Is it really better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all ? I wonder ...<br />
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Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10180742524958883048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1480963561514961779.post-44068946225591649332014-01-29T00:30:00.000+01:002014-01-29T09:58:16.873+01:00Wishlist Wednesday # 5<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIzqrm9UTfs1g058PdGePuaRnEqGcv0FivxHO3Bzb4oxPV3rJ1d-RCnjeVaaT8up86bFkjngsvjt0nSJ1S7ErrcBmJFJB80SEaeerkYcbVVZRR-LsVWyoAm8KgeQb_UPlo419hno6YNTM/s1600/Wishlist+Wednesday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIzqrm9UTfs1g058PdGePuaRnEqGcv0FivxHO3Bzb4oxPV3rJ1d-RCnjeVaaT8up86bFkjngsvjt0nSJ1S7ErrcBmJFJB80SEaeerkYcbVVZRR-LsVWyoAm8KgeQb_UPlo419hno6YNTM/s200/Wishlist+Wednesday.jpg" height="128" width="200" /></a><br />
Wishlist Wednesday is a book blog hop hosted by <a href="http://www.pentopaperblog.com/search/label/wednesday">Pen to paper</a>, where we will post about one book
per week that has been on our wishlist for some time, or just added
(it's entirely up to you), that we can't wait to get off the wishlist
and onto our wonderful shelves. </div>
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I never heard of Alan Brennert before a couple of weeks ago, when I fell head over heels in love with the cover of his novel <i>Moloka'i</i> (have a look on yesterday's <a href="http://chatdebibliotheque.blogspot.com/2014/01/teaser-tuesday-3.html">Teaser Tuesday</a>) and decided right there and then that I had to read it. <i>Moloka'i</i> is truly a gem and I will be posting my review of it shortly. Moloka'i led me to reading his subsequent novel <i>Honolulu </i>(another review in the pipeline) and taken in by his style and stories, I set out to look for other things he wrote. And that's how I ended up with this book on my wishlist. <br />
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<b>Palisades Park</b> by Alan Brennert promises to be as much an enjoyable read as the previous novels. I can't wait to get my hands on this one.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisM3Q6QJjnnVxB4fEg5SXHV165chGNqJ3G8EqPPdKIqBDLS82ehJ_2tt6lUShguNJS0GRkZMHGd5tyq3Nk0BU1QmHByAnR1HyfWanWFcKUxRPVQxW8lmUb3wQYK8ESzbwb807ANxQjOYE/s320/TSG-UK-Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWdZ3L_ArdOvOT1MJTSMjq5p_Fk3Z4Kbq5YaMO83LQExA54BSYi7RCFaIl4OYiAfEwiY4yHS_mu2ezmKhZNS2EpChcQLXybmIFdzoB2h6nEMrmHHyuxXo6O7zsYtrkKZ1hAD2SF6Jrt-0/s1600/palisades.jpg" height="320" width="205" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: blue;"> </span>Add to <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15787946-palisades-park">Goodreads</a></span></span></b></td></tr>
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<span id="freeText1537973134602138542">Growing up in the 1930s,
there is no more magical place than Palisades Amusement Park in New
Jersey—especially for seven-year-old Antoinette, who horrifies her
mother by insisting on the unladylike nickname Toni, and her brother,
Jack. Toni helps her parents, Eddie and Adele Stopka, at the stand where
they sell homemade French fries amid the roar of the Cyclone roller
coaster. There is also the lure of the world’s biggest salt-water pool,
complete with divers whose astonishing stunts inspire Toni, despite her
mother's insistence that girls can't be high divers.<br /><br />But a family
of dreamers doesn't always share the same dreams, and then the world
intrudes: There's the Great Depression, and Pearl Harbor, which hits
home in ways that will split the family apart; and perils like fire and
race riots in the park. Both Eddie and Jack face the dangers of war,
while Adele has ambitions of her own—and Toni is determined to take on a
very different kind of danger in impossible feats as a high diver. Yet
they are all drawn back to each other—and to Palisades Park—until the
park closes forever in 1971.<br /><br />Evocative and moving, with the
trademark brilliance at transforming historical events into irresistible
fiction that made Alan Brennert’s Moloka'i and Honolulu into reading
group favorites, Palisades Park takes us back to a time when life seemed
simpler—except, of course, it wasn't.</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />Source : Goodreads.com</span></blockquote>
</div>
</div>
Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10180742524958883048noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1480963561514961779.post-74699789270555059512014-01-28T00:30:00.000+01:002014-01-28T00:30:02.404+01:00Teaser Tuesday #3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtFPRKzbSwvMa0BDCI5LzTfgzGcGicVohPMWkuy0fcM0hWEqnp_iJwiVz-rVVmcB25ZdXH5brCoFG7z0D79gaeUI3HbeNbJHc_KKkm_K2lYfwg57xTYoiTWianoLnUSLDzPTuvdCJzJYk/s1600/teaser+tuesday.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtFPRKzbSwvMa0BDCI5LzTfgzGcGicVohPMWkuy0fcM0hWEqnp_iJwiVz-rVVmcB25ZdXH5brCoFG7z0D79gaeUI3HbeNbJHc_KKkm_K2lYfwg57xTYoiTWianoLnUSLDzPTuvdCJzJYk/s1600/teaser+tuesday.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Teaser Tuesdays</b> is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of <span style="color: black;"><a href="http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/"><i>Should Be Reading</i></a>. Anyone can play along! See the rules at the end of this post.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
First of all the teaser of the week :</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="color: #660000;"><i>(...) </i></span></b><b><span style="color: #660000;"><i>"What's it like? Being married?"<br />"Cold feet. (...) Middle of the night
you're sleeping, suddenly, wham, you've got ice cold feet warming
themselves on the back of your legs." (...)</i></span></b></div>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: justify;">
This teaser comes from a novel I read at the beginning of 2014 and which will receive a more in depth review by the end of the week : <b>Moloka'i</b> by Alan Brennert. Stay tuned for the review.</div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ1LLSybptzDroQ3aEu2sNqaIjwcubAUS-svVPtfnIbny98KIY6MWVbR_GWsG8OpDVN19yqBJE5NSLb-Yh8-HO-USHqPEKn0jYCN_c0rQCKENtRVjSuucfyh0OIY1Lp3ZBeFxNNXSUfDc/s1600/Beauty_Queens.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg96s4DCUf1k6We-dCY2xrZHmS_CgPKvtYt2joSFkW-b5uCJcGjmJTeQ2YH62xlRvdjjxxIyLmbFyrwTeBy5mAs0d3pwaaQRrKGsP1f1NxA0_mZBTvAdL7Lu-kJV2RmPs1_oF5IMZSYR0A/s1600/Molokai-book-cover.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #660000;"><i><span style="color: blue;"> </span><b>Add on </b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3273.Moloka_i"><b>Goodreads </b></a></i></span></span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This richly imagined novel, set in Hawai'i more than a century ago, is an extraordinary epic of a little-known time and place---and a deeply moving testament to the resiliency of the human spirit.
Rachel Kalama, a spirited seven-year-old Hawaiian girl, dreams of visiting far-off lands like her father, a merchant seaman. Then one day a rose-colored mark appears on her skin, and those dreams are stolen from her. Taken from her home and family, Rachel is sent to Kalaupapa, the quarantined leprosy settlement on the island of Moloka'i. Here her life is supposed to end---but instead she discovers it is only just beginning.
With a vibrant cast of vividly realized characters, Moloka'i is the true-to-life chronicle of a people who embraced life in the face of death. Such is the warmth, humor, and compassion of this novel that "few readers will remain unchanged by Rachel's story"</div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Source : Goodreads</span></blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
If you want to join in with Teaser Tuesdays, these are the rules set forth by MizB of <span style="color: black;"><a href="http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/"><i>Should Be Reading</i></a> :</span><br />
<br />
• Grab your current read<br />
• Open to a random page<br />
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page<br />
• <span style="color: #990000;"><b>BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!</b> (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)</span><br />
• Share
the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the
book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10180742524958883048noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1480963561514961779.post-13838231541048550642014-01-27T16:10:00.000+01:002014-01-30T15:06:30.238+01:00Reading Challenges 2014<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.babiesbooksandbeyond.com/2012/12/a-to-z-book-challenge-2013.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnXKb_78mMIXNn2rAmdv0KL0ohE35yYBb9SLejryMzCcEzhfMEbJ4DmuojcWDtywILYpNisJ2xVHhnrZ-3p0Y_v0V0Se4XV3_lWP9LrmMyp_fTP7Q84qZXhwA2lDYBG5GjzTBuPhfEP1w/s1600/PicMonkey+Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnXKb_78mMIXNn2rAmdv0KL0ohE35yYBb9SLejryMzCcEzhfMEbJ4DmuojcWDtywILYpNisJ2xVHhnrZ-3p0Y_v0V0Se4XV3_lWP9LrmMyp_fTP7Q84qZXhwA2lDYBG5GjzTBuPhfEP1w/s1600/PicMonkey+Collage.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Although the new year celebrations are still fresh in my mind, the first month of 2014 is already drawing to a close. But as they say, time flies when you're having fun and really, when was reading a book anything but fun (the occasional mishap i.e. getting fooled into buying a book based on a gorgeous cover or a catchy synopsis, being the proverbial exception to the rule).<br />
<br />
Although I have been absent from the blog for a very long time (I know, bad, bad me), I never stopped reading and before January is really over, I should officially sign up for the reading challenges I have decided to enter this year.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
The Reading Challenges I will be participating in this year are:</div>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1480963561514961779#AroundtheWorldin12books">Around the World in 12 books</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1480963561514961779#BooktoMovieChallenge">Book to Movie Challenge</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1480963561514961779#MountTBRReadingChallenge">Mount TBR Reading Challenge</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1480963561514961779#HistoricalFictionReadingChallenge">Historical Fiction Reading Challenge</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1480963561514961779#MonthlyKeyWordChallenge">Monthly Key Word Challenge</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1480963561514961779#MonthlyMotifChallenge">Monthly Motif Challenge</a> </li>
</ul>
<br />
Instead of making separate posts for every challenge, I decided to
regroup them all below and make a new tab on top where they can all be
found.<br />
<br />
<ul>
</ul>
<span style="color: #660000;"><b><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="AroundtheWorldin12books">Around the World in 12 books</a></b></span><br />
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.giraffedays.com/?p=18795" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOX0BOdpsExXR1m6bL63SlzafFQY_kgTzMXRIYGx07nerk0pz2HssFrB1-xETbTvvzJI96bGpiP4ynCZDv2OyQUmdtQjOe470g_VBsQO3xbIKRLacCjvCDZwxs0OM9zLpDngW4nBXsH0I/s1600/around-the-world-2014.jpg" height="320" width="232" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The title of <a href="http://www.giraffedays.com/">GiraffeDays</a>' challenge says it all : read books set in different parts of the world, becoming a globetrotter by means of the written word. Doesn't that sound interesting? It combines my love of books and reading with my curiosity about countries, I have yet to visit in person.</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div>
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6zdsT4KiUcrsxa1hLNB2pVk-gwjhIk93jr3X-Ake92dlhFKquIRJrFpIJDDRW5uZygu_La9j6jti4vdd43W_veBb52DOpZPh7L6q4RtJg_NtYYYy4xVg3Cqoux7dT41pD5iAiwqM2Znc/s1600/Seasoned-Traveller-20141-300x134.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6zdsT4KiUcrsxa1hLNB2pVk-gwjhIk93jr3X-Ake92dlhFKquIRJrFpIJDDRW5uZygu_La9j6jti4vdd43W_veBb52DOpZPh7L6q4RtJg_NtYYYy4xVg3Cqoux7dT41pD5iAiwqM2Znc/s1600/Seasoned-Traveller-20141-300x134.jpg" /></a>I decided that for this year I would try and become a <b>Seasoned Traveller </b>(level 4)<b>, </b>meaning
I'll have to read 12 books over the course of the year, each set in a
DIFFERENT country and they should include ones set in Africa, Asia,
Europe,
Australia+New Zealand, North America and South America ( The Middle East
is a bonus). I will try to read two books for each continent.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
Asia is already set with China and Japan being among my already completed January reads, but I'll have to do some research about the other continents, as I can't think of any book on my TBR pile that meets those requirements. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
If you feel like participating as well, head over to <a href="http://www.giraffedays.com/?p=18795">GiraffeDays</a> for the rules and the registration link. See you <a href="http://www.giraffedays.com/?p=18795">there </a>:o)</div>
</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
===============</div>
<br />
<b><span style="color: #660000;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="BooktoMovieChallenge">Book to Movie Challenge</a></span></b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://doingdeweydecimal.com//2013/12/06/book-to-movie-challenge-the-sequel/"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtI0q57W39W5sbG5pyEMihAnkVoi4AmtbDo1NeRagNPRtb4N99FPySL1I-S20AXZbceDl7LzIvd0Fu6UczOczVrnJ9G97lThFXZ3o5ZDinu8EyphEVrN9VW0UtC57TQr3gW7BxE9EyFlk/s1600/poster3.jpg" height="320" width="256" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Looking for a new challenge for 2014, I came across this one from <a href="http://doingdeweydecimal.com/">Doing Dewey</a>. I took the "read it first" pledge last year, but reading the book ahead of the movie has always been one of my goals. I have more often than not, been disappointed by the screen versions of books I loved, but that doesn't stop me. :o)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
My aim for this year will be to reach level 1 <b>Movie Fan </b>with 3 books. As I am member of the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/55275-readit1st-book-club">Goodreads read it 1st group</a>,
I should be able to read more then just three "soon to be movies" books but watching all the related movies might
prove to be a bit trickier. I am therefore deliberately keeping a low
goal. After all, should I find time to watch more movies I can always up the ante later on.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
If you feel like participating as well, head over to <a href="http://doingdeweydecimal.com/2013/12/06/book-to-movie-challenge-the-sequel/">Doing Dewey</a> for the rules and the registration link. See you <a href="http://doingdeweydecimal.com/2013/12/06/book-to-movie-challenge-the-sequel/">there </a>:o)</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
===============</div>
<br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="MountTBRReadingChallenge">Mount TBR Reading Challenge <span style="color: #660000;"></span></a></b></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://myreadersblock.blogspot.be/2013/11/2014-mount-tbr-challenge.html"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk-giareyNzCgmpKX6i3p0bxMcJQ0ZPHRv6dMW2bUPnjSHdcwpQPNF-3ZODKrX9_MhNSiUgVBY0-ZHqmd9dZYyq5S0LfYTroDhhEMuv-NQZ_ZG6MiCjg0-L0bJJiSoUAUhQf0VxnRcVGI/s1600/Mount+TBR+2014.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://myreadersblock.blogspot.be/">My reader's block</a>, host of this challenge, seems to have the same problems as I do. Being a compulsive bookbuyer, I have always piles of books waiting for me in every corner of the house. If you were to check out my Goodreads to-read shelf, you'd see than I have more than 180 books patiently awaiting their turn. Some of those books are obviously wishlist items, but the vast majority are already up and ready to be taken in hand.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Because I would like to clear out that shelf at least a bit over the coming year, I will be aiming for the snowy peaks of <b>Mount Vancouver</b>, which stands of 36 books from the TBR pile :o)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
If you feel like participating as well, head over to <a href="http://myreadersblock.blogspot.be/2013/11/2014-mount-tbr-challenge.html">My reader's block</a> for the rules and the registration link. See you <a href="http://myreadersblock.blogspot.be/2013/11/2014-mount-tbr-challenge.html">there</a> :o)</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: arial;">=============== </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #660000;"><b><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="HistoricalFictionReadingChallenge">Historical Fiction Reading Challenge</a></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://historicaltapestry.blogspot.fr/2013/12/2014-historical-fiction-reading.html"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhngY3UdCSvy-dG63vxClZ0hZx8FD3pM942Y2o8B_H0ygMvaEZPpHGcRQoZgi1ad9Y_MuCJ3U60RLqsXj5RP2Za5nOLyI_VoBWYlUeuDXneM27OT8jmb1Tr104HdmLltuXccIVuRf53zdQ/s1600/historical+fiction.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This challenge is hosted by <a href="http://historicaltapestry.blogspot.fr/">Historical Tapestry</a>. If you would have asked me to join a historical fiction challenge last year, I would have declined the offer as 2013 was all about YA dystopia books for me. Don't get me wrong, I do love historical novels but somehow I got sucked in the endless numbers of trilogies and I just lacked the motivation of stray into another genre. This year however I will try to broaden my reads and historical fiction has come back with a vengeance. I have read hardly anything other than historic novels since the beginning of the year and those most enjoyable reads have rekindled my love for the genre.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Considering
I have already reached the second level, by the time I joined this
challenge at the end of January, I will set my goal at becoming a <b>Medieval Reader</b> this year, which consists of a total of 15 books. If I read more, I'll change my goal accordingly. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
If you feel like participating as well, head over to <a href="http://historicaltapestry.blogspot.fr/2013/12/2014-historical-fiction-reading.html">Historical Tapestry</a> for the rules and the registration link. See you <a href="http://historicaltapestry.blogspot.fr/2013/12/2014-historical-fiction-reading.html">there</a> :o)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
===============</div>
<br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><b><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="MonthlyKeyWordChallenge">Monthly Key Word Challenge<span style="color: #660000;"></span></a></b></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://bookmark2blog.blogspot.be/2013/11/2014-monthly-key-word-reading-challenge.html"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOrqNUn7o0EL959-O_L18f3si72T-p_Prj4YlAUlBjk0fxSyyr-urJkaBNy9Ga6P5u8lvS7YgyEg4IpIQWGZH_LU2NzCAE_7Q9kDJQ9HCHo_aH3U7TVj6HFtt3bQtEgeMrKlufg65JiYM/s1600/keyword+challenge.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div>
This challenge (hosted by <a href="http://bookmark2blog.blogspot.be/">Bookmark to Blog</a>) has a completely different approach to my usual method to chosing which book to read next, so I thought it might be fun to give it a try as a way of pushing myself out of my comfort zone.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Every month of 2014 has been linked to 6 (random) words and the goal would be to read one book each month whose title includes one
or more of the key words for that month.</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
If you feel like participating as well, head over to <a href="http://bookmark2blog.blogspot.be/">Bookmark to Blog</a> for the rules and the registration link. See you <a href="http://bookmark2blog.blogspot.be/2013/11/2014-monthly-key-word-reading-challenge.html">there</a> :o)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<center>
===============</center>
<span style="color: #660000;"><b><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="MonthlyMotifChallenge">Monthly Motif Challenge<span style="color: #660000;"></span> </a></b></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://bookmark2blog.blogspot.be/2013/11/2014-monthly-motif-reading-challenge.html"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdzkmIMf5_8bBSXhhf79MnD7JAw5YHy65VOckEnwXPUWxWZe87bFXmJasuHTYJ5f_tDmkCfG3kfZoWNEqax1pTZPcrqSIBaqlHX_wviEWdSDKioporcosTPPP2LPwzNY703PHRdWyadqI/s1600/motif+challenge.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This is another challenge hosted by <a href="http://bookmark2blog.blogspot.be/">Bookmark to Blog</a> where each month is assigned a certain motif or theme and the task is to read one book per month that fits in with the motif for that particular month. I liked the sound of the themes (<i>Around the world</i> - <i>Mystery, Murder & Mayhem</i> - <i>The Witching Hour</i> - ... ), so I'll be giving this one a go as well :o)<br />
<br />
<br />
If you feel like participating as well, head over to <a href="http://bookmark2blog.blogspot.be/2013/11/2014-monthly-motif-reading-challenge.html">Bookmark to Blog</a> for the rules and the registration link. See you <a href="http://bookmark2blog.blogspot.be/2013/11/2014-monthly-motif-reading-challenge.html">there</a> :o)</div>
Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10180742524958883048noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1480963561514961779.post-85331077111667556392013-05-15T00:30:00.000+02:002013-05-15T00:30:01.287+02:00Wishlist Wednesday #4<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIzqrm9UTfs1g058PdGePuaRnEqGcv0FivxHO3Bzb4oxPV3rJ1d-RCnjeVaaT8up86bFkjngsvjt0nSJ1S7ErrcBmJFJB80SEaeerkYcbVVZRR-LsVWyoAm8KgeQb_UPlo419hno6YNTM/s1600/Wishlist+Wednesday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIzqrm9UTfs1g058PdGePuaRnEqGcv0FivxHO3Bzb4oxPV3rJ1d-RCnjeVaaT8up86bFkjngsvjt0nSJ1S7ErrcBmJFJB80SEaeerkYcbVVZRR-LsVWyoAm8KgeQb_UPlo419hno6YNTM/s200/Wishlist+Wednesday.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
Wishlist Wednesday is a book blog hop hosted by <a href="http://www.pentopaperblog.com/search/label/wednesday">Pen to paper</a>, where we will post about one book
per week that has been on our wishlist for some time, or just added
(it's entirely up to you), that we can't wait to get off the wishlist
and onto our wonderful shelves. </div>
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I discovered this book thanks to a post from the BookDepository that appeared on my Facebook wall on Monday and the blurb immediately caught my attention. A crime novel with a timetravelling twist? This has the ingredients for an awesome read.<br />
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For me, <b>The Shining Girls</b> by Lauren Beukes awakens the same feelings as a horror movie does: scary but at the same time, I can't help but keep watching/reading, attracted as a moth to a flame. I can't wait to get my hands on this one.<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisM3Q6QJjnnVxB4fEg5SXHV165chGNqJ3G8EqPPdKIqBDLS82ehJ_2tt6lUShguNJS0GRkZMHGd5tyq3Nk0BU1QmHByAnR1HyfWanWFcKUxRPVQxW8lmUb3wQYK8ESzbwb807ANxQjOYE/s320/TSG-UK-Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisM3Q6QJjnnVxB4fEg5SXHV165chGNqJ3G8EqPPdKIqBDLS82ehJ_2tt6lUShguNJS0GRkZMHGd5tyq3Nk0BU1QmHByAnR1HyfWanWFcKUxRPVQxW8lmUb3wQYK8ESzbwb807ANxQjOYE/s320/TSG-UK-Cover.jpg" width="205" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: blue;"> </span>Add to <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17284460-the-shining-girls">Goodreads</a></span></span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The girl who wouldn’t die, hunting a killer who shouldn’t exist…<br />
A terrifying and original serial-killer thriller from award-winning author, Lauren Beukes.<br />
1930’s America: Lee Curtis Harper is a delusional, violent drifter who stumbles on a house that opens onto other times.<br />
Driven by visions, he begins a killing spree over the next 60 years, using an undetectable MO and leaving anachronistic clues on his victims’ bodies.<br />
But when one of his intended ‘shining girls’, Kirby Mazrachi, survives a brutal stabbing, she becomes determined to unravel the mystery behind her would-be killer. While the authorities are trying to discredit her, Kirby is getting closer to the truth, as Harper returns again and again…<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Source : Goodreads.com</span></blockquote>
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And to sharpen your interest, here's a glimpse of the book's trailer. Check it out :o)<br />
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<center>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/gzsJ4kI0s8Y" width="560"></iframe></center>
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And if you need more, you can even read an excerpt of this novel over at <a href="http://www.mulhollandbooks.com/2012/10/11/start-reading-the-shining-girls-by-lauren-beukes/">Mulholland Books</a>.</div>
Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10180742524958883048noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1480963561514961779.post-81986844826643042172013-04-17T00:30:00.000+02:002013-04-17T16:42:18.260+02:00Wishlist Wednesday #3<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIzqrm9UTfs1g058PdGePuaRnEqGcv0FivxHO3Bzb4oxPV3rJ1d-RCnjeVaaT8up86bFkjngsvjt0nSJ1S7ErrcBmJFJB80SEaeerkYcbVVZRR-LsVWyoAm8KgeQb_UPlo419hno6YNTM/s1600/Wishlist+Wednesday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIzqrm9UTfs1g058PdGePuaRnEqGcv0FivxHO3Bzb4oxPV3rJ1d-RCnjeVaaT8up86bFkjngsvjt0nSJ1S7ErrcBmJFJB80SEaeerkYcbVVZRR-LsVWyoAm8KgeQb_UPlo419hno6YNTM/s200/Wishlist+Wednesday.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
Wishlist Wednesday is a book blog hop hosted by <a href="http://www.pentopaperblog.com/search/label/wednesday">Pen to paper</a>, where we will post about one book
per week that has been on our wishlist for some time, or just added
(it's entirely up to you), that we can't wait to get off the wishlist
and onto our wonderful shelves. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: justify;">
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On my Wishlist Wednesday for this week is a book, that has been on my wishlist for what seems like ages. <b> </b><br />
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<b>New Amsterdam</b> by Elizabeth Bear was released for the first time back in 2007 and had been out of print for ages. Yes, I used the past tense because I just found out that it was finally (!) released as an e-book by SubTerranean Press. My elation was short-lived though, but I'll explain below. First something about this book, which reminds me of Dan Abnett's <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6719241-triumff">Triumff: Her Majesty's Hero</a>.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpXRdyvtD1yWFbe7dDew1bVSKW50wiRQr4EYhLEwq2-1MWo2vT3IxXpB3_K4LHJ08JmBz7YyHuzKbIF7PAKUgT0rcf3h_UcSMDEDUjIBEP6elteAsrG2X176XALoU3H_WqmuZEqHNLo3E/s1600/na.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpXRdyvtD1yWFbe7dDew1bVSKW50wiRQr4EYhLEwq2-1MWo2vT3IxXpB3_K4LHJ08JmBz7YyHuzKbIF7PAKUgT0rcf3h_UcSMDEDUjIBEP6elteAsrG2X176XALoU3H_WqmuZEqHNLo3E/s320/na.jpg" width="205" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: blue;"> </span>Add to <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/185636.New_Amsterdam">Goodreads </a></span></span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Abigail Irene Garrett drinks too much. She makes scandalous liaisons with inappropriate men,
and if in her youth she was a famous beauty, now she is both formidable and notorious! She is a forensic sorceress, and a dedicated officer of a Crown that does not deserve her loyalty. Sebastien de Ulloa is the oldest creature she has ever known. He has forgotten his birth-name, his birth-place, and even the year in which he was born, if he ever knew it. But he still remembers the woman who made him immortal. In a world where the sun never sets on the British Empire, where Holland finally ceded New Amsterdam to the English only during the Napoleonic wars, and where the expansion of the American colonies was halted by the war magic of the Iroquois, they are exiles in the new world - and its only hope for justice!<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Source : Goodreads.com</span></blockquote>
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Sounds fabulous right? Alternate history, magic, Victorian sleuths, vampires and steampunk, all in one? Subterranean's punchline is "<i>Readers who like the grit of Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake novels and the historical heft of Chelsea Quinn Yarbro’s vampire tales will find similar pleasures here.</i>" If that doesn't make you start googling for the book, I don't know what will. :o)</div>
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However ... there is just one small but significant detail the publisher forgot to mention on their site. According to Kobo and Amazon, this e-book is "<i>not available for customers in Europe</i>". What !? *insert cry of exasperation* What is the point of making a novel available in e-book format after it has been out of print for God knows how long, and then restrict it to a limited audience? :o(</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV0MhQzQ7IOKK6bm-OO9VvekUATvVep7qDbLMxhI11ficx_ffoiBrCGqUu-OcdOrTMzjgSvsG2T1C83bBl5DtLAj2DZR8DfbkjYrivpPf2C3r31etlfsfkDAw79s66bGQQrRpuD9KZI7s/s1600/New+A.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="351" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV0MhQzQ7IOKK6bm-OO9VvekUATvVep7qDbLMxhI11ficx_ffoiBrCGqUu-OcdOrTMzjgSvsG2T1C83bBl5DtLAj2DZR8DfbkjYrivpPf2C3r31etlfsfkDAw79s66bGQQrRpuD9KZI7s/s400/New+A.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />
I wrote an e-mail to the publisher on April 3, asking them whether they planned to release the international rights to this book any time soon and how, in the meantime, non US residents could purchase it, but they haven't even bothered to answer me. So I strayed off the legal path this week and Google led me to a Polish site where I did find the book for download. I feel bad for bending the rules, because I think that every author deserves to be paid for his or her work, but this idiotic geographical restriction and the unresponsive publisher didn't leave me with much choice if I wanted to read this book. :o(</div>
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Have you ever come across this type of restrictions as well? And if so, did you abandon any hope to read the book or did you try by all means to have it nonetheless?</div>
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<br />Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10180742524958883048noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1480963561514961779.post-43468252071515520722013-04-16T00:30:00.000+02:002013-04-16T00:30:02.914+02:00Teaser Tuesday #2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtFPRKzbSwvMa0BDCI5LzTfgzGcGicVohPMWkuy0fcM0hWEqnp_iJwiVz-rVVmcB25ZdXH5brCoFG7z0D79gaeUI3HbeNbJHc_KKkm_K2lYfwg57xTYoiTWianoLnUSLDzPTuvdCJzJYk/s1600/teaser+tuesday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtFPRKzbSwvMa0BDCI5LzTfgzGcGicVohPMWkuy0fcM0hWEqnp_iJwiVz-rVVmcB25ZdXH5brCoFG7z0D79gaeUI3HbeNbJHc_KKkm_K2lYfwg57xTYoiTWianoLnUSLDzPTuvdCJzJYk/s1600/teaser+tuesday.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Teaser Tuesdays</b> is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of <span style="color: black;"><a href="http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/"><i>Should Be Reading</i></a>. Anyone can play along! See the rules at the end of this post.</span></div>
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First of all the teaser of the week :</div>
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<b><span style="color: #660000;"><i>(...) She watched his eyes on the road and a strange thought came to her – that for the first time in her life she’d done something as a partnership. An ugly, perverse, unthinkable thing, but it had been done by equals. (...)</i></span></b></div>
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As I am still halfway through Beauty Queens, from last week's Teaser Tuesday, I couldn't pick up my current read for this meme; This teaser comes from <b>Hanging Hill</b> by Mo Hayder, a book I picked up at the airport before boarding a plane last September and that I recommend to anyone looking for a good crime novel. I couldn't put down. I'll be on holiday next week and have downloaded a couple of her other books to bring along, because she is an excellent crime writer.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ1LLSybptzDroQ3aEu2sNqaIjwcubAUS-svVPtfnIbny98KIY6MWVbR_GWsG8OpDVN19yqBJE5NSLb-Yh8-HO-USHqPEKn0jYCN_c0rQCKENtRVjSuucfyh0OIY1Lp3ZBeFxNNXSUfDc/s1600/Beauty_Queens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOVqee7OKu8RT6zt-yQPF96M_eZhchqg_gPselr-OZGuan_a05c7i_k-HNrtiNqT6hyphenhyphen_5XVEdiqwiqF6wk-IdQNHqZ-A0d1sAs5_EHHJlnllzHVYBrgWSapVF6aMvf6wM35T0fJy3H3AU/s1600/hanging-hill-mo-hayder.jpg" width="208" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #660000;"><i><span style="color: blue;"> </span><b>Add on </b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9302814-hanging-hill"><b>Goodreads </b></a></i></span></span></div>
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</tbody></table>
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What if you found yourself divorced and penniless? With no skills and a teenage daughter to support? What if the only way to survive was to do things you never thought possible, to go places you never knew existed …</div>
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These are questions Sally has never really thought about before. Married to a successful business man, she’s always been a bit of a dreamer. Until now.
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Her sister Zoe is her polar opposite. A detective inspector working out of Bath Central, she loves her job, and oozes self-confidence. No one would guess that she hides a crippling secret that dates back twenty years, and which – if exposed – may destroy her.
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Then Sally’s daughter gets into difficulties, and Sally finds she needs cash – lots of it – fast. With no one to help her, she is forced into a criminal world of extreme pornography and illegal drugs; a world in which teenage girls can go missing.
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Two sisters intent on survival. Until one does something so terrifying that there’s no way back …</div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Source : MoHayder.net</span></blockquote>
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<br />
If you want to join in with Teaser Tuesdays, these are the rules set forth by MizB of <span style="color: black;"><a href="http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/"><i>Should Be Reading</i></a> :</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span>
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• Grab your current read<br />
• Open to a random page<br />
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page<br />
• <span style="color: #990000;"><b>BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!</b> (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)</span><br />
• Share
the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the
book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10180742524958883048noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1480963561514961779.post-87207872291738204782013-04-10T00:30:00.000+02:002013-04-10T17:21:31.591+02:00Wishlist Wednesday #2<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIzqrm9UTfs1g058PdGePuaRnEqGcv0FivxHO3Bzb4oxPV3rJ1d-RCnjeVaaT8up86bFkjngsvjt0nSJ1S7ErrcBmJFJB80SEaeerkYcbVVZRR-LsVWyoAm8KgeQb_UPlo419hno6YNTM/s1600/Wishlist+Wednesday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIzqrm9UTfs1g058PdGePuaRnEqGcv0FivxHO3Bzb4oxPV3rJ1d-RCnjeVaaT8up86bFkjngsvjt0nSJ1S7ErrcBmJFJB80SEaeerkYcbVVZRR-LsVWyoAm8KgeQb_UPlo419hno6YNTM/s200/Wishlist+Wednesday.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
Wishlist Wednesday is a book blog hop hosted by <a href="http://www.pentopaperblog.com/search/label/wednesday">Pen to paper</a>, where we will post about one book
per week that has been on our wishlist for some time, or just added
(it's entirely up to you), that we can't wait to get off the wishlist
and onto our wonderful shelves. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<a name='more'></a><div style="text-align: justify;">
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On my wishlist for this week is the second book of the Selection Series. <b>The Elite</b> by Keira Cass will be released on April 23, 2013 so my patience will not be tested for too long. :o) First something about the novel : </div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Thirty-five girls came to the
palace to compete in the Selection. All but six have been sent home. And
only one will get to marry Prince Maxon and be crowned princess of
Illea.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht_9sX-3N8fzjndFQop32zvk6i44jIKbz05nocQONBxP5si8fIJ5_ONEEDBRw2Tp5ee5FhcnpRjoV0hpxAxvj3Y3jEAUVaJNWKkorBRk2GAx3U3IaynzD_kWlhGullSC_bDQDSNPXXYpI/s1600/Elite_final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht_9sX-3N8fzjndFQop32zvk6i44jIKbz05nocQONBxP5si8fIJ5_ONEEDBRw2Tp5ee5FhcnpRjoV0hpxAxvj3Y3jEAUVaJNWKkorBRk2GAx3U3IaynzD_kWlhGullSC_bDQDSNPXXYpI/s320/Elite_final.jpg" width="210" /></a>America still isn’t sure where her heart lies. When she’s
with Maxon, she’s swept up in their new and breathless romance, and
can’t dream of being with anyone else. But whenever she sees Aspen
standing guard around the palace, and is overcome with memories of the
life they planned to share. With the group narrowed down to the Elite,
the other girls are even more determined to win Maxon over—and time is
running out for America to decide.<br />
<br />
Just when America is sure
she’s made her choice, a devastating loss makes her question everything
again. And while she’s struggling to imagine her future, the violent
rebels that are determined to overthrow the monarchy are growing
stronger and their plans could destroy her chance at any kind of happy
ending.<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Source : KeiraCass.com</span></blockquote>
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I read the first book of the series, <b>The Selection</b>, as well as its in-between novella, <b>The Prince</b>, last month. I have yet to draft the reviews for them as I haven't made up my mind whether I loved the books or just liked them. The key element of this series, romance, might be what keeps me on the fence. In general, I am not a fan of romance fiction as such. I won't deny that romance can serve a purpose in the whole of a story (although I do cringe whenever faced with yet another YA insta-love), but what attracted me to this series was the dystopian aspect of the story (the citizen classes, the creation of Illea, ...), an aspect which unfortunately ended up on the backburner quite rapidly. Moreover the fact that I can't seem to relate to one of America's love interest, Maxon, isn't really helping neither. </div>
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I can hear you thinking, "If that's how she felt about book 1, why does she put this second book on wishlist then?". I guess I want to give the series the benefit of the doubt. I want to know what happens next to the main characters, although I have a feeling I already know how it will play out. And lastly, when I start a series, I like to see it through to the end (unless the pilot book was really that appalling that I can't bring myself to pick up the sequel).</div>
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Who else has started on this series and wants to get his/her hands on the sequel?<br />
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PS For those of you who have yet to discover the series, I give you the official book trailer.<br />
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<center>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/fzYBBPjWIIU" width="560"></iframe></center>
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And spoilers for Book 2 by the author herself (she's a strange one though :o))<br />
<br /></div>
<center>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/TWHuIbSPQPI" width="560"></iframe><br /><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/zHO1IVuMSsU" width="560"></iframe></center>
Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10180742524958883048noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1480963561514961779.post-25486086142070594972013-04-09T00:30:00.000+02:002013-04-09T00:30:02.193+02:00Teaser Tuesday #1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtFPRKzbSwvMa0BDCI5LzTfgzGcGicVohPMWkuy0fcM0hWEqnp_iJwiVz-rVVmcB25ZdXH5brCoFG7z0D79gaeUI3HbeNbJHc_KKkm_K2lYfwg57xTYoiTWianoLnUSLDzPTuvdCJzJYk/s1600/teaser+tuesday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtFPRKzbSwvMa0BDCI5LzTfgzGcGicVohPMWkuy0fcM0hWEqnp_iJwiVz-rVVmcB25ZdXH5brCoFG7z0D79gaeUI3HbeNbJHc_KKkm_K2lYfwg57xTYoiTWianoLnUSLDzPTuvdCJzJYk/s1600/teaser+tuesday.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Teaser Tuesdays</b> is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of <span style="color: black;"><a href="http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/"><i>Should Be Reading</i></a>. Anyone can play along! See the rules at the end of this post.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
First of all the teaser of the week :</div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><i>"Oh my gosh, I bought the cutest Indian beaded bag at the gift shop in the Best Western outside Sedona."</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><i>"I'm not that kind of Indian," Shanti said, her practised smile never leaving her face, though it faltered just a bit, and in that slight wobble was something hard and angry, something that looked like centuries of colonial oppression boiling up into an I'm-going-to-kick-your-ass-in-this-pageant-and-then-take-over-all-your-beauty-out-sourcing-needs hatred</i>. </span></div>
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<a name='more'></a>This teaser comes from <b>Beauty Queens</b> by Libba Bray, a book I discovered thanks to last week's Wishlist Wednesdays :o)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ1LLSybptzDroQ3aEu2sNqaIjwcubAUS-svVPtfnIbny98KIY6MWVbR_GWsG8OpDVN19yqBJE5NSLb-Yh8-HO-USHqPEKn0jYCN_c0rQCKENtRVjSuucfyh0OIY1Lp3ZBeFxNNXSUfDc/s1600/Beauty_Queens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ1LLSybptzDroQ3aEu2sNqaIjwcubAUS-svVPtfnIbny98KIY6MWVbR_GWsG8OpDVN19yqBJE5NSLb-Yh8-HO-USHqPEKn0jYCN_c0rQCKENtRVjSuucfyh0OIY1Lp3ZBeFxNNXSUfDc/s1600/Beauty_Queens.jpg" height="320" width="208" /></a>From bestselling, Printz award-winning author Libba Bray comes the
story of a plane of beauty pageant contestants that crashes on a desert
island.<br />
<br />
Teen beauty queens. A “Lost”-like island. Mysteries and dangers. No
access to email. And the spirit of fierce, feral competition that lives
underground in girls, a savage brutality that can only be revealed by a
journey into the heart of non-exfoliated darkness. Oh, the horror, the
horror! Only funnier. With evening gowns. And a body count.<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Source : LibbaBray.com</span></blockquote>
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This book isn't exactly literature but it is a fun read if you can keep the different characters straight. Right now, I still have a bit of trouble knowing who's who :o)</div>
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If you want to join in with Teaser Tuesdays, these are the rules set forth by MizB of <span style="color: black;"><a href="http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/"><i>Should Be Reading</i></a> :</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"></span>
<br />
• Grab your current read<br />
• Open to a random page<br />
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page<br />
• <span style="color: #990000;"><b>BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!</b> (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)</span><br />
• Share
the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the
book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10180742524958883048noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1480963561514961779.post-85944090119233617652013-04-07T23:27:00.001+02:002013-04-07T23:35:06.892+02:00Review : The Torturer's Daughter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Vkl-EG0lpnG4eQdmMynXME8C-2bLEPnrBPinl3hHL6DAuUMQmdybHeINxPFZ-kI3hAfbKlTnVB3GTn6l1V5O085BuASsprWE4sCWvWJutg199JibYFvweJPIQkWDfUPJzefI91US9oI/s1600/ttd-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Vkl-EG0lpnG4eQdmMynXME8C-2bLEPnrBPinl3hHL6DAuUMQmdybHeINxPFZ-kI3hAfbKlTnVB3GTn6l1V5O085BuASsprWE4sCWvWJutg199JibYFvweJPIQkWDfUPJzefI91US9oI/s1600/ttd-cover.jpg" height="200" width="131" /></a></div>
<a href="http://imageshack.us/a/img703/6669/04half.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://imageshack.us/a/img703/6669/04half.png" /></a>Author : Zoe CANNON<br />
Title : The Torturer's Daughter<br />
Format : e-book <br />
Published : 22/10/2012<br />
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When her best friend Heather calls in the middle of the night, Becca assumes it’s the usual drama. Wrong. Heather’s parents have been arrested as dissidents – and Becca’s mother, the dystopian regime’s most infamous torturer, has already executed them for their crimes against the state. </div>
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To stop Heather from getting herself killed trying to prove her parents’ innocence, Becca hunts for proof of their guilt. She doesn’t expect to find evidence that leaves her questioning everything she thought she knew about the dissidents… and about her mother. </div>
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When she risks her life to save a dissident, she learns her mother isn’t the only one with secrets – and the plot she uncovers will threaten the lives of the people she loves most. For Becca, it’s no longer just a choice between risking execution and ignoring the regime’s crimes; she has to decide whose life to save and whose to sacrifice. </div>
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It’s easy to be a hero when you can save the world, but what about when all you can do is choose how you live in it? THE TORTURER’S DAUGHTER is a story about ordinary teenage life amidst the realities of living under an oppressive regime… and the extraordinary courage it takes to do what’s right in a world gone wrong.</div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">source : ZoeCannon.com</span></blockquote>
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A lot of dystopian fiction has passed through my hands over the months but this book is really one of the best I've read so far. The only reason it falls a half point short of the 5 flowers, is that I had a little dip halfway the novel which made me wonder if I wanted to read it to the end or not. And a truly amazing novel should grip me from start to finish ...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_t5C5lysmWoxG3dgELl9Ja69yPvV70fP00E1JvlqGKGTJRDiILWfxTUHG9Olzx90pmp96gKBKU0HRQt5l1Gd3bbbf86ozPyMGZY8R2WM1u9Q7meBGtYvbDaayncD7Gz8ETP7o4qW_1fA/s1600/sleep-easier-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_t5C5lysmWoxG3dgELl9Ja69yPvV70fP00E1JvlqGKGTJRDiILWfxTUHG9Olzx90pmp96gKBKU0HRQt5l1Gd3bbbf86ozPyMGZY8R2WM1u9Q7meBGtYvbDaayncD7Gz8ETP7o4qW_1fA/s1600/sleep-easier-4.jpg" height="200" width="166" /></a></div>
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The book is set in a totalitarian regime, where even a offhand comment on the gouvernment is enough to be hauled into Processing for questioning and be branded a dissident. Once the dissident has outlived his usefulness for the regime, he inevitably meets an untimely end either in a private or a publicly broadcasted execution. The society created by the author is incredibly oppressive and realistic in all its horror. It takes the adage "Trust No One" to a whole new level, where cameras and obedient citizens are constantly keeping an eye on every move one makes. The book follows Becca in her quest to help her friend Heather, whose parents have been arrested and executed. While trying to prove their guilt, she discovers truths that rock her world and make her question everything she believes in and everyone she cares about.</div>
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<i>I will not be someone who abandons my principles as soon as they become inconvenient. I will not be someone who says that certain things have to be done… as long as somebody else does them. </i><br />
<i>- Becca in The Torturer's Daughter</i></blockquote>
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<br />
Unlike in a lot of other young adult dystopian books, the characters of the books can't be categorised in pure black or white, and their different shades of grey make them all the more human. The good guys have their parts of darkness and flaws and I ended up warming up to some of the "evil" characters as well. I could really relate to the main character of Becca and like her, I began to question everyone's possible ulterior motives. Living in that kind of environment would make, slowly but surely, even the mentally strongest person paranoid. The book may not be action packed in Hunger Games style, it is nevertheless fastpaced and it keeps the reader on his toes, until the unpredictable finale.<br />
<br />
This novel was really thought provoking. What would I do if I were faced with the situation Becca is in? Who would I be willing to sacrifice? How would I balance out the lives of the people I care about? Making up your mind is "easy" when it only involves yourself, but every decision you make, whether to act or not, has consequences on the world and the people around you. And finally, what matters is that at the end of the day, you have to be able to look at yourself in the mirror and not hate the person you see.<br />
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<i>Living by your principles will always be the harder path. But you have to do it anyway. You have to do what’s right no matter how hard it gets, or one day you’ll find out you’ve become somebody you can’t live with.<br />- Raleigh Dalcourt in The Torturer's Daughter</i></blockquote>
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I quite liked the fact that it was a standalone novel, as opposed to the other dystopian fiction works which usually come in trilogies, but I just discovered through Zoe Cannon's website that there will be sequel published in the near future. It will be hard to beat or equal the first instalment, but I look forward to hearing more from Becca.</div>
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Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10180742524958883048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1480963561514961779.post-31445928414690896512013-04-04T00:30:00.000+02:002013-04-04T00:30:02.077+02:00Reading Challenge 2013 {Part 4}<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.bookstacksondeck.com/2012/12/2013-books-in-series-reading-challenge.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v133/heatherdw/2013SeriesChallengeButton_zps3b3c40c9.jpg" /></a></div>
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I stumbled upon the Books in a Series Reading Challenge hosted by <a href="http://www.bookstacksondeck.com/2012/12/2013-books-in-series-reading-challenge.html">BookStacksOnDeck</a> while surfing, and since I have been reading almost nothing but series this year, I thought I could squeeze in an extra challenge.</div>
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<a name='more'></a>The rules are simple :<br />
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* Participate anytime between January 1st, 2013 - December 31st, 2013<br />
* Books can be from any publication year<br />
* This includes e-books, physical books, graphic novels, audiobooks, & re-reads(as long as they are part of a series)<br />
* Choose as many books for your challenge as you like (you can read 1
book from one series, 2 from another series, just 1 book from four
different series, etc)<br />
* No need to list all the books you are planning to read now; You can just list them as you read them if you like<br />
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As for the dystopian challenge, the follow-up will be done in the Reading Challenges 2013 tab.<br />
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If you feel like participating too, the sign-up is over <a href="http://www.bookstacksondeck.com/2012/12/2013-books-in-series-reading-challenge.html">here</a>. </div>
Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10180742524958883048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1480963561514961779.post-16573274643251658412013-04-03T12:20:00.001+02:002013-04-08T10:43:13.850+02:00Wishlist Wednesday #1<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIzqrm9UTfs1g058PdGePuaRnEqGcv0FivxHO3Bzb4oxPV3rJ1d-RCnjeVaaT8up86bFkjngsvjt0nSJ1S7ErrcBmJFJB80SEaeerkYcbVVZRR-LsVWyoAm8KgeQb_UPlo419hno6YNTM/s1600/Wishlist+Wednesday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIzqrm9UTfs1g058PdGePuaRnEqGcv0FivxHO3Bzb4oxPV3rJ1d-RCnjeVaaT8up86bFkjngsvjt0nSJ1S7ErrcBmJFJB80SEaeerkYcbVVZRR-LsVWyoAm8KgeQb_UPlo419hno6YNTM/s200/Wishlist+Wednesday.jpg" width="200" /></a>Thanks to Ula from <a href="http://blogoferised.blogspot.be/">Blog of Erised</a>, I discovered the weekly blog hop meme "<i>Wishlist Wednesday</i>" hosted by <a href="http://www.pentopaperblog.com/">Pen to paper</a> and as I have over 100 books on my wishlist, I'll have plenty of material to fill this weekly column :o)<br />
<br />
Wishlist Wednesday is a book blog hop where we will post about one book
per week that has been on our wishlist for some time, or just added
(it's entirely up to you), that we can't wait to get off the wishlist
and onto our wonderful shelves. </div>
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Ever since I read, Dan Abnett's <b><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6719241-triumff"><i>Triumff: Her Majesty's Hero</i></a></b> back in 2011, I have been on the look-out for further adventures of the extraordinary character of Rupert Triumff, the sharp tongued swordsman and paramour. Dan Abnett has an incredible rich vocabulary and a way with words that keeps me on my toes (and I have been told that this isn't solely due to the fact that I am not a native English speaker). <i>Triumff </i>challenged me on a linguistic level, but what I liked above all was the setting of the book : an world, set in modern times but with an Elisabethan twist, where Magick has made any technological or industrial innovation redundant and has therefore contributed to leaving the world as it was at the time of Virgin Queen.</div>
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Browsing the web, I found a possible sequel to this favourite of mine but strangely enough <i>Triumff: The Double Falsehood</i> seems to be a ghost book. Although it is referenced on <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14758743-triumff">Goodreads</a> and has an <a href="http://www.abebooks.com/9780062021762/Triumff-Double-Falsehood-Abnett-Dan-0062021761/plp">ISBN</a> number linking it to Harper Collins and its subsidiary <a href="http://angryrobotbooks.com/our-authors/dan-abnett/">Angry Robot Books</a>, it is featured on neither of the publisher sites and even a google search yielded no information. And unsurprisingly, this coverless mystery book is unavailable on the major bookselling sites it is referenced on.</div>
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So there you go : on my wishlist for almost a year, I have a <span style="color: #990000;"><b>Triumff: The Double Falsehood</b></span>, no cover, no synopsis and not a clue on how to get my hands on it. Isn't this the ideal novel to start off Wishlist Wednesdays?</div>
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Should you come across this book somewhere, please, please, please drop me a line. You'll have my eternal gratitude.</div>
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<br />Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10180742524958883048noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1480963561514961779.post-43643467178865746332013-03-28T15:01:00.000+01:002013-04-10T17:29:51.803+02:00Review : The Pledge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtRY61gXpiGkVbZXqeHSnYqsn4pMWpo6l9Q6Ui0CSuCTxBQ4nYXRqmfInQIPDBA7EsPEM77DdG6e_i5FiwZyo_DYOtawHCbCfgBCYRb_GHqZLuSU2vUynrQMpWtLU2IjDebUTlX5EHlOE/s1600/the+pledge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtRY61gXpiGkVbZXqeHSnYqsn4pMWpo6l9Q6Ui0CSuCTxBQ4nYXRqmfInQIPDBA7EsPEM77DdG6e_i5FiwZyo_DYOtawHCbCfgBCYRb_GHqZLuSU2vUynrQMpWtLU2IjDebUTlX5EHlOE/s1600/the+pledge.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
<a href="http://imageshack.us/a/img255/5132/03half.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://imageshack.us/a/img255/5132/03half.png" /></a>Author : Kimberly DERTING<br />
Title : The Pledge<br />
Format : e-book <br />
ISBN : ISBN 9781442422032<br />
Published : 15/11/2011<br />
Publisher: <a href="http://books.simonandschuster.com/Pledge/Kimberly-Derting/9781442422032">Simon & Schuster</a><br />
Series : The Pledge (#1)<br />
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In the violent country of Ludania, the language you speak determines
your class, and there are harsh punishments if you forget your
place—looking a member of a higher class in the eye can result in
immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina (Charlie for short)
can understand all languages, a dangerous ability she’s been hiding her
whole life. The only reprieve from oppression is within the drug-filled
underground club scene. There, she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy
who speaks a language she’s never heard, and her secret is almost
exposed. As the violent clashes between the totalitarian monarchy and
the rebel forces escalate, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to
something much bigger: her country’s only chance for freedom from the
terrible grip of a deadly regime. </div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">source : Sim<span style="font-size: x-small;">on & Schuster</span></span></blockquote>
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I initially gave this book 4 flowers before downgrading it to 3,5 again. It is really a very good book, but there are a few things that annoyed me too much to be able to brush them aside and give it a full 4. I'll get back to those later on but first the good parts.<br />
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Ludania is a queendom where language is the key around which life is organised, a matriarchal totalitarian regime with a linguistic take on the classic <i>divide et impera,</i> that has proofed successful, both in fiction as in real life. Every group in society has their designated tongue, which they are permitted to use only among themselves. The universal language is Englaise, which can be understood by all and is used by the serving class. The Vendors, standing above the Servants, have their own language Parshon and the elite counsel class expresses itself in Termani. The whole society is segregated along those classes and the languages rules are applied strictly, as a mere glance at a higher member of society while he is speaking his own tongue is punished by a one way trip to the gallows. The fact that this series heroine Charlie can understand all languages, makes her an abomination in the eyes of her compatriots and it is a talent she has been taught to keep secret from a very early age. Then she meets a boy/man who speaks an unknown language, which she understands and that's what puts the wheels in motion of a story that although it has a rather predictable ending once you understand the plot, still manages to have a few unexpected twists and turns. <br />
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The thing I missed in this society though, is the explanation of how things became that way. How did the queendoms come into existence, where did queen Sabara come from, who came up with the language rules, how where they created and implemented? There is a reference to the Revolution of Souvereigns, which marks this society's timeline (as a before and after) as well as a short explanation of it taken from a history book but it didn't satisfy my hunger for knowledge about Ludania as a society. As this is the first book in a series, it might have been deliberatedly left vague in order to be elaborated in later instalments, but having read the second book, I am not really convinced. The second point that made me downgrade this book is something that is a recurring thing in young adult (dystopian) novels : the instalove factor. Don't get me wrong, I do believe in love at first sight but sometimes you really can have too much of a good thing : Max is <i>and </i>mysterious <i>and </i>handsome <i>and </i>interested in the main character he finds "fascinating" <i>and </i>obviously, the feeling is mutual. It might have worked out if I could have felt some sympathy for the guy, but I just found him to be bland and beside his "mysteriousness" he didn't have a lot going for me.<br />
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Still, this dystopian novel with a few fantasy elements was a easy and entertaining read and, if you are like me, you'll want to read The Essence immediately after it. <br />
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Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10180742524958883048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1480963561514961779.post-56646860423978544722013-03-27T00:30:00.000+01:002013-04-10T17:24:06.094+02:00Review : Before I fall<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBIxwltCuFByKU0-ed8pAYxpCBc5I39A1HR6ei1XaPjkrI2wt2g9vNmcKse1dHwkesg_NNr6PlZ6jO3gzQMkTX3SjXl-HNAGQthcAs9dwIgVq089uSd-oSe9qhgSfo09AWnZtnc2fQVhY/s1600/before+i+fall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBIxwltCuFByKU0-ed8pAYxpCBc5I39A1HR6ei1XaPjkrI2wt2g9vNmcKse1dHwkesg_NNr6PlZ6jO3gzQMkTX3SjXl-HNAGQthcAs9dwIgVq089uSd-oSe9qhgSfo09AWnZtnc2fQVhY/s200/before+i+fall.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
<a href="http://imageshack.us/a/img255/5132/03half.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://imageshack.us/a/img255/5132/03half.png" /></a>Author : Lauren OLIVER<br />
Title : Before I Fall<br />
Format : e-book <br />
ISBN : 9780061987496<br />
Published : 03/02/2010<br />
Publisher: <a href="http://www.harpercollins.com/books/Before-I-Fall/?isbn=9780061987496">Harper Collins</a> <br />
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What if you had only one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?
Samantha Kingston has it all: the world's most crush-worthy boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and first pick of everything at Thomas Jefferson High-from the best table in the cafeteria to the choicest parking spot. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life.
Instead, it turns out to be her last.
Then she gets a second chance. Seven chances, in fact. Reliving her last day during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death-and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing. <br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">source : Harper<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span>Collins</span></blockquote>
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Having finished the Delirium trilogy (of which reviews will also be posted in the coming days or weeks), I wanted to read Lauren Oliver's debut novel, <i>Before I fall</i>, before moving on to other authors. Even though I longed to read it, I was slightly apprehensive of the setting of the whole book i.e. highschool. Unlike others I don't have a lot of memories, good or bad, attached to my highschool years. And I am always left bewildered when I see the way highschool is depicted in books or movies. It makes me wonder if I spent my teenage years in a protective bubble or if highschool in the US is really such a different place than its European counterpart. I guess it is a bit of both. On one hand, having had my education in an all girls, catholic school has undoubtedly sheltered me (compulsory uniforms tend to smooth out to some extent the social differences between students for one thing). On the other hand, US co-ed schools and their habits of clubs and social events with king & queen crownings, are probably more conducive to the forming of cliques, popularity contests and the like. But anyway ...</div>
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If this book were a movie, it would be a something like "Mean Girls on Groundhog Day". The day is Feb 12 (Cupid Day at T. Jefferson High) and the book follows It-girl Samantha Kingston from the moment her alarm goes off on that ordinary Friday, up to the moment she meets an untimely end when the car, driven by Queen Bee Lindsay, swerves off the road on their return from a booze fuelled party. She spent the last day of her life as usual, being her obnoxious self and bullying her co-students, while moving along with her clique. Can you tell I really didn't care for the main character on Day 1?</div>
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Just after the accident, Sam wakes up in her bedroom. It's Friday morning again and the whole day plays out in a kind of macabre déjà-vu. And for seven consecutive days, she relives Cupid Day, moving through all the stages of grief from disbelief, over anger to acceptance. With every renewed day, she sheds layer after layer of pettiness, evolving from the spoiled, self-centered and narcissistic it-girl to a more humble girl who realises that just maybe the price she paid for popularity was too steep. Through the different decisions she takes, we catch glimpses of the kind and ordinary girl she used to be and understand how all the characters of the book were changed and formed through their respective pasts. Every action, every decision has consequences. While revisiting her last day on earth, Sam tries to find ways to save herself and at the same time, the persons around her. <br />
<br />
The thing I liked most about this book was that it reminded me that you never know what life can bring and that you shouldn't wait until it is too late to say "I love you" to your family and to show kindness to others.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>My favourite quote from the book</b> : <br />
<br />
"Maybe you can afford to wait. Maybe for you there's a tomorrow. Maybe
for you there's one thousand tomorrows, or three thousand, or ten, so
much time you can bathe in it, roll around it, let it slide like coins
through you fingers. So much time you can waste it.<br />
But for some of us there's only today. And the truth is, you never really know."
</blockquote>
</div>
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Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10180742524958883048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1480963561514961779.post-1947326964062615052013-03-26T00:30:00.000+01:002013-04-08T09:51:27.318+02:00Review : Je n'ai pas peur<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoZGCAHPy0T6mqRBI-gImyuC7gYz1B2L3JeHfweQ8gedy407GYQpajk_FJYvYTLW8Unr_spt6BxTvk9o8M6PFLtIFJltSt9prpqxxepMv5wyQpCZTnldoKcgEkpp1OQc5BRUzmPhfvdBk/s1600/pas+peur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoZGCAHPy0T6mqRBI-gImyuC7gYz1B2L3JeHfweQ8gedy407GYQpajk_FJYvYTLW8Unr_spt6BxTvk9o8M6PFLtIFJltSt9prpqxxepMv5wyQpCZTnldoKcgEkpp1OQc5BRUzmPhfvdBk/s200/pas+peur.jpg" width="128" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfjhmF4DtdYfsbesXBtRwWyW1CLBlzcgKCvYmAukq25-dwdEy9ALAj80Ufp3SGkwaFsbQMKyUgCa9K6Xf-yxc5xMYr4DyLQ8lrR6L6o1_A2x2OuODED6-gGFfHdrA4TCtFHmDapa9oapQ/s1600/04.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfjhmF4DtdYfsbesXBtRwWyW1CLBlzcgKCvYmAukq25-dwdEy9ALAj80Ufp3SGkwaFsbQMKyUgCa9K6Xf-yxc5xMYr4DyLQ8lrR6L6o1_A2x2OuODED6-gGFfHdrA4TCtFHmDapa9oapQ/s1600/04.png" /></a><br />
Author : Niccoló AMMANITI<br />
Title : Je n'ai pas peur<br />
Format : e-book <br />
ISBN : 222113348X<br />
Published : 23/08/2012<br />
Publisher: <a href="http://www.laffont.fr/site/je_n_ai_pas_peur_&100&9782221133484.html">Robert Laffont </a><br />
Original title : Io, non ho paura (2001)<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">English version below</span></i></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
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Italie, été 1978. L’été le plus chaud du siècle. Dans un petit hameau de
la région des Pouilles, alors que leurs parents s’enferment toute la
journée pour se protéger des assauts du soleil, un groupe d’enfants en
vadrouille s’amuse dehors, jouant à se donner des gages. Au cours d’un
de ces jeux, dans une maison abandonnée, Michele tombe accidentellement
dans un trou pratiqué dans le sol. Le petit garçon de neuf ans fait
alors une découverte sinistre qui va bouleverser sa vie : il se retrouve
nez à nez avec un enfant nu, à l’air malade et faible, enchaîné là
comme un animal. Des milliers de questions et de craintes assaillent le
petit Michele. Pourtant, il ne dit rien à personne et organise en secret
des expéditions solitaires pour rendre visite au prisonnier mystérieux
et le nourrir. Coup de théâtre, Michele finit par découvrir que ses
propres parents, aidés de leurs amis, ont kidnappé cet enfant dans un
but terrible… Cette révélation va changer pour toujours sa vision des
adultes.</div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">source : Robert Laffont</span></blockquote>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Ce n'est qu'après la lecture du livre que j'ai appris qu'il avait été porté au grand écran en 2003, donc sans même le vouloir j'ai à nouveau fait honneur au <a href="http://www.readit1st.com/">serment</a> de lire le livre avant de regarder le film qui en a été tiré. J'aimerais bien visionner le long métrage à présent, même si je redoute être déçue par les éventuelles libertés artistiques prises par le réalisateur. A voir donc ...</div>
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Ayant étudié l'italien et l'histoire de l'Italie dans le cadre de mes études supérieures, j'étais déjà familière avec <i>gli anni di piombo</i>, les années de plomb où les actes de terrorisme et kidnapping étaient monnaie courante en Italie. Le thème abordé n'était donc pas une découverte en soi mais le point de vue d'un enfant de neuf ans offre une perspective plus innocente et différente sur cette sombre histoire, sans toutefois en devenir enfantin.</div>
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L'histoire se déroule dans le sud de l'Italie, dans le hameau imaginaire de Acqua Traverse, où la pauvreté est endémique et où en cet été 1978, la vie semble paralysée sous un soleil de plomb. Le hameau est constitué de seulement quelques maisons et les enfants, étant plus ou moins tous de la même tranche d'âge, se retrouvent donc ensemble à faire les 400 coups. Le narrateur de l'histoire, Michele, est rendu de manière très touchante : il prend soin de sa petite soeur, adore sa mère, idolâtre son père parti travailler au Nord et est sincère dans ses amitiés. Lors d'une escapade, un gage l’amène à la découverte d'un trou servant de cachot à un garçon de son age. Troublé par cette découverte, son premier instinct est de prendre la fuite et son imagination débordante prend rapidement le relais. Néanmoins, la curiosité le tenaille et le mène à revenir sur les lieux, mais chaque visite ne fait surgir que d'autres questions auxquelles du haut de ses 9 ans, Michele tente de trouver des explications rationnelles. Quand il finit par découvrir la triste vérité sur l'origine de l'enfant dans le trou et face aux agissements plus que douteuses des adultes, y compris son père, Michele suit son coeur et sa conscience qui ne sont pas encore altérés par le monde adulte.</div>
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En résume, un lecture agréable d'un livre à l'écriture légère qui rend bien les états d'âme d'un jeune enfant confronté à un évènement hors du commun. Le seul (petit) point négatif à ce livre est sa fin, qui reste assez ouverte. Personnellement, je préfère être fixée sur le sort des personnages quand je referme un livre et ce n'est pas le cas ici.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGh14SO5w-Dw1LKvdao3MltRYzYkknCttlfCXsJVKzU2VACtpbVYXB8DrBtrt9cfx6cCwaEjfSmMvhkYq3iCexkAAzTIIWg5kOxRHBwhLWG6J56VaYsYURzaszDHY0CoKdqEDtdbU0XnE/s1600/decorative-line-divider1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="45" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGh14SO5w-Dw1LKvdao3MltRYzYkknCttlfCXsJVKzU2VACtpbVYXB8DrBtrt9cfx6cCwaEjfSmMvhkYq3iCexkAAzTIIWg5kOxRHBwhLWG6J56VaYsYURzaszDHY0CoKdqEDtdbU0XnE/s320/decorative-line-divider1.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
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A sweltering heat wave hits a tiny village in Southern Italy, sending the adults to seek shelter, while their children bicycle freely throughout the countryside, playing games and getting into trouble. On a dare, nine-year-old Michele Amitrano enters an old, abandoned farmhouse, where he stumbles upon a secret so terrible that he can’t tell anybody. As the truth emerges, Michele learns that the horror in the creepy old house is closer to home than he ever imagined.
A widely acclaimed international bestseller, I’m Not Scared is a spine-tingling novel that combines a coming of age narrative with a satisfying, enthralling story of suspense..</div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">source : Goodreads</span></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
It is only after having read the book, that I learned it had been turned into a movie back in 2003. Hence unknowingly, I again upheld the <a href="http://www.readit1st.com/">pledge</a>
to read the book first. I look forward to watching the film now, even if I fear that the possible artistic liberties taken by the director will let me down. To be seen ...</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Having studied Italian as well as Italian history during my college years, I was already familiar with <i>gli anni di piombo</i>,
the years of lead when a wave of terrorism and kidnappings swept over Italy. The theme of this novel was therefore not a discovery, but the narrative from the point of view of a nine year old boy offers a more innocent perspective on this dark period, without ever becoming childish.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The novel is set in Southern Italy, in the imaginary village of Acqua
Traverse, where poverty is endemic and where in the summer of 1978, the sweltering heat paralyses all life. The village is composed of only a few houses and the children, all about the same age, regroup to get into all kind of trouble. Michele, the narrator of this story is rendered in a very touching way : he takes care of his little sister, adores his mother, worships his father, who went North to work, and is true to his friends. During one of their getaways, a dare leads him to discover a hole in the ground where a boy of his age is kept chained to a wall. Troubled by this discovery, his first instinct is to run and his vivid imagination soon gets the better of him. Curiosity eats away at him though and soon he returns to the old farmhouse, but every visit to the prisoner only leads to more questions, that he tries to answer with all the logic a nine year old is capable of. When eventually he learns the sad truth about the child in the hole and faced with the foul acts of the adults, amongst which his own father, Michele follows his heart and conscience which have not yet been tainted by the grown up world.</div>
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In short, a nice read that renders well the state of mind of a young child confronted with an extraordinary event. The only negative point to this novel is its rather open ending. Personally, I prefer to know what happens when I close a book and this one left me wanting.</div>
Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10180742524958883048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1480963561514961779.post-50708599331529630362013-03-25T00:30:00.000+01:002013-04-08T09:51:47.477+02:00Review : Cyanure<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEdIL2Uk0WQcPdpuambVc-HyJOuQzEw8R0rW1h017jLrdKbvK2AkkoYog7uf1RWpN9xgA2clQtfkYyochx5z99t0hli10o_aGoWqzRGdyQeGPaE6miG7m5missGsskDE5Oc2qGNDBspuY/s1600/02.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEdIL2Uk0WQcPdpuambVc-HyJOuQzEw8R0rW1h017jLrdKbvK2AkkoYog7uf1RWpN9xgA2clQtfkYyochx5z99t0hli10o_aGoWqzRGdyQeGPaE6miG7m5missGsskDE5Oc2qGNDBspuY/s1600/02.png" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMqZQcEFyWepLSlk17Ck8gqrKOF3cVzvA9TlFoKeL8Jgs55vXUMYMtNJjYmpn6lsPVLgUkNx2kU6XTJjCro33xZzz50YaB_50oVgH8SCj07bOrsaTC1kKED5U_I9Ja25rBAoFh__KX46Q/s1600/cyanure.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMqZQcEFyWepLSlk17Ck8gqrKOF3cVzvA9TlFoKeL8Jgs55vXUMYMtNJjYmpn6lsPVLgUkNx2kU6XTJjCro33xZzz50YaB_50oVgH8SCj07bOrsaTC1kKED5U_I9Ja25rBAoFh__KX46Q/s200/cyanure.jpg" width="115" /></a>
Author : Camilla LÄCKBERG<br />
Title : Cyanure<br />
Format : ebook<br />
ISBN : 9782330004590<br />
Published : 11/2011<br />
Publisher : <a href="http://www.actes-sud.fr/catalogue/e-book/cyanure-epub">Actes Sud</a><br />
Original Title : Snöstorm och mandeldoft (2007)<br />
Series : Fjällbacka / Erica Falck (side story)<br />
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<h3>
</h3>
<div>
Martin Molin accompagne sa petite
amie Lisette sur l’île de Valö pour une réunion de famille juste avant
Noël. Mais au cours du premier repas, le grand-père, un magnat
industriel, meurt étouffé, juste après avoir annoncé à ses enfants qu’il
les a déshérités. Martin se rend vite compte qu’il a été assassiné au
cyanure. Une tempête de neige fait rage, l’île est isolée du monde et
Martin décide de mener l’enquête. Offrant une pause à Erica Falck,
Camilla Läckberg tisse un polar familial délicieusement empoisonné.</div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>source : Actes Sud</i></span></blockquote>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
Ce n'est pas le premier livre que je lis de Camilla Lackberg mais c'est le premier qui ne m'a pas emballé. Je ne sais pas si cette absence d'enthousiasme est liée au personnage principal (Martin est ennuyeux et insipide) ou à l'intrigue (quelque peut prévisible) mais en tous cas, bien que ce livre soit très mince, j'ai du me forcer à le finir. Je suis néanmoins contente d'avoir acheté ce livre en format numérique, parce que sur une étagère de ma bibliothèque il volerait de l'espace à des livres bien plus intéressants. </div>
Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10180742524958883048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1480963561514961779.post-5554828593593097012013-03-24T00:21:00.000+01:002013-04-08T09:52:10.693+02:00Review : The Night Circus<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsS7-Z-pcS4YpYJ03RORexspVR02eUkLPb-79XhRXtK9YULsZ8-_nRnCCC5N96Wb4xDZmCf13wOPBVWC5YtDjFeFbEfv8am95SSQ77RpApZ08rHwL99Xz_koyADvBFIoTKhEPDDqxxnME/s1600/night+circus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsS7-Z-pcS4YpYJ03RORexspVR02eUkLPb-79XhRXtK9YULsZ8-_nRnCCC5N96Wb4xDZmCf13wOPBVWC5YtDjFeFbEfv8am95SSQ77RpApZ08rHwL99Xz_koyADvBFIoTKhEPDDqxxnME/s200/night+circus.jpg" width="125" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaTk3wa5bADC95dqupa8T5jTBH2X5SKScdZ_BwoWE6BItka8B-atJPjbri5SEpRAdqRgj1r6fevx0kqxfi2V1CyOWmtj_ANLt4hE5lWZRC1uPESwyOGl2ZhWvLiJQWOwQHdLhuUfn1cIQ/s1600/04half.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaTk3wa5bADC95dqupa8T5jTBH2X5SKScdZ_BwoWE6BItka8B-atJPjbri5SEpRAdqRgj1r6fevx0kqxfi2V1CyOWmtj_ANLt4hE5lWZRC1uPESwyOGl2ZhWvLiJQWOwQHdLhuUfn1cIQ/s1600/04half.png" /></a>Author : Erin MORGENSTERN<br />
Title : The Night Circus<br />
Format : paperback<br />
ISBN : 9780099570295<br />
Published : 24/05/2012<br />
Publisher : <a href="http://www.vintage-books.co.uk/books/0099554798/erin-morgenstern/the-night-circus/">Vintage Books</a><br />
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<a name='more'></a><blockquote class="tr_bq">
The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is
simply there, when yesterday it was not. The black sign, painted in
white letters that hangs upon the gates, reads:<br />
<i>Opens at Nightfall</i><br />
<i>Closes at Dawn</i><br />
<br />
As
the sun disappears beyond the horizon, all over the tents small lights
begin to flicker, as though the entirety of the circus is covered in
particularly bright fireflies. When the tents are all aglow, sparkling
against the night sky, the sign appears.<br />
<i>Le Cirque des Rêves</i><br />
The Circus of Dreams.<br />
<br />
Now the circus is open.<br />
Now you may enter.<i><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">source : Vintage Books</span></i></blockquote>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>The Night Circus</i> came highly recommended by several of my goodreads friends and I don't regret having followed their advice when I placed my order at the BookDepository. </div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
In general, I am not too kind in my ratings when books have a very slow storyline but I have to make an exception for <i>The Night Circus</i>. Unlike other slow stories, I remained caught up in the story, wanting to know what would happen next with the Circus and the main characters, Celia and Marco. Morgenstern succeeds in creating this magical and compelling athmosphere, using the fantasy element of magic on the background of a victorian circus, while exploring the feelings between the two protagonists. If you are expecting a Harry Potter style magic with potions and incantations, battles and action scenes, you will be disappointed by this novel. If, on the other hand, you can enjoy a slow read like you savour a exquisite wine, you will be spending a wonderful time.</div>
Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10180742524958883048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1480963561514961779.post-4753495278833714752013-03-23T23:06:00.000+01:002013-04-08T09:52:31.092+02:00Review : Tout ce qu'il voudra - 1<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx2fabtKvF32zpF0u8p6rQzx6MRT93tCcrrf0WJo4BfPj9K8OEU78YwtFHd1yDhbaLWtYpbqHwVVh36OZrsCHtzyazZvt0Z9t8CSDg7K_ezJF2JfDeK6mrMmdfBOc1fVyFDeCgEfGmEH8/s1600/01.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx2fabtKvF32zpF0u8p6rQzx6MRT93tCcrrf0WJo4BfPj9K8OEU78YwtFHd1yDhbaLWtYpbqHwVVh36OZrsCHtzyazZvt0Z9t8CSDg7K_ezJF2JfDeK6mrMmdfBOc1fVyFDeCgEfGmEH8/s1600/01.png" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFEtnrYKzMpava3Ec0AM0Xjr5MUbzYDngnhtkw-0K8WWULlROFkE0mD8S7rmBgGpwc_qX0p2wCQzCClIh6Vw63YsnmbrYVsflKJ42W-sUktqp88fxm_T1WiFQS5p23uigxXr4s7K3Hyv8/s1600/tout-ce-qu-il-voudra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFEtnrYKzMpava3Ec0AM0Xjr5MUbzYDngnhtkw-0K8WWULlROFkE0mD8S7rmBgGpwc_qX0p2wCQzCClIh6Vw63YsnmbrYVsflKJ42W-sUktqp88fxm_T1WiFQS5p23uigxXr4s7K3Hyv8/s200/tout-ce-qu-il-voudra.jpg" width="140" /></a>
Author : Sara FAWKES<br />
Title : Tout ce qu'il voudra - 1<br />
Format : e-book<br />
Published : 31/10/2012<br />
Publisher : <a href="http://www.marabout.com/livre-tout-ce-qu-il-voudra-1-sara-fawkes-472306.html">Marabout</a><br />
Original Title : Anything he wants (2012)<br />
Series : Tout ce qu'il voudra (orig : Dominated by the billionaire)
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Le poste d’intérimaire de Lucy dans une grande entreprise new-yorkaise
n’est pas le job de ses rêves, mais il lui permet de payer ses factures.
Le point culminant de sa journée ? Prendre l’ascenseur le matin en
compagnie d’un bel inconnu.<br />
Sa vie bascule quand elle se laisse
séduire par l’étranger, cédant sans aucune résistance à un homme dont
elle ne connaît même pas le nom. Lucy découvrira très vite que cet homme
n’est autre que Jeremiah Hamilton, le PDG milliardaire de la compagnie
pour laquelle elle travaille, qui lui propose alors un contrat très
particulier : devenir son assistante personnelle et se soumettre à tout
ce qu’il voudra…<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br />source : amazon.fr</i></span>
</blockquote>
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Vu
que tout le monde dans mon groupe de lecture semblait en extase devant
ce (genre de) livre, j'ai voulu tenter l'expérience. Heureusement que
cet ebook m'ait été prêté et que je n'ai pas déboursé un centime. A
défaut d'être une perte d'argent, cela n'a été qu'une perte de temps.<br />
<br />
Comme
je ne comprends déjà pas l’engouement pour la trilogie 50 Nuances, ce
bilan était prévisible mais quand même. Je ne sais même pas par où
commencer. L'histoire (si on peut qualifier cela comme telle) est
tellement irréaliste qu'elle frise le ridicule : petite intérimaire
fantasme sur un bellâtre qu'elle croise tous les jours dans l'ascenseur,
ils ne se sont même pas encore adressé la parole mais voilà qu'il
arrête l'ascenseur, la plaque contre la paroi et la mène à l'orgasme en
deux/trois mouvements dans un concert de gémissements. Le soir venu, le
désaxé du matin attire la demoiselle dans un réduit dans le parking au
sous-sol où elle ne se fait pas prier pour lui faire une gâterie avant
de s'envoyer à nouveau en l'air, tojours avec les vociférations d'usage.
Et le lendemain on remet cela ... mais alors elle sait enfin que
l'obsédé sexuel n'est autre que le PDG de sa boîte, qui décide de la
virer avant de l'engager comme "assistante personnelle". Franchement,
cela fait fantasmer quelqu'un? Le fil de l'histoire n'est qu'une excuse
pour relier les scènes de cul entre elles. Je croyais naïvement qu'un
livre (même érotique) laisserait de la place pour l'imagination, mais
pour l'utilisation du cerveau on reviendra. Ce n'est rien d'autre qu'un
film X sur papier, tout le développement se fait au niveau de
l'entrejambe.<br />
<br />
Si certaines adorent ce genre, tant mieux pour
elles. Après tout, il faut de tout pour faire un monde.
Personnellement, mon temps est trop précieux pour le perdre à ce genre
d'écrits.
</div>
Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10180742524958883048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1480963561514961779.post-7385588816809665042013-03-19T15:44:00.000+01:002013-04-03T17:11:26.166+02:00Reading Challenge 2013 {Part 3}<a href="http://bookdout.wordpress.com/challenges/eclectic-reader-challenge-2013/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img585.imageshack.us/img585/9966/2013eclecticreader.jpg" /></a><br />
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As they say in Dutch "<i>Driemaal is scheepsrecht</i>", and therefore I couldn't stick to just two challenges this year. I looked around the interwebs and found several other challenges that sounded tempting (like paranormal fiction challenges etc) but I was looking for one that would push me out of my comfort zone. It's not really a challenge if you don't have to make any effort, is it? :o)</div>
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<a name='more'></a>After some consideration, I opted for <a href="http://bookdout.wordpress.com/challenges/eclectic-reader-challenge-2013/">Book'dOut's Eclectic Reader Challenge</a>. If the dystopian, historical and translated fiction are undoubtedly up my street, the categories <i>Memoirs </i>and <i>Action Adventure</i> are not what you would call regulars on my bookshelves. Joining this challenge will nudge me to stray out of my usual sections at the library and start expanding my reading horizon.<br />
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So what is this challenge all about? Quite simple : during 2013, you should select, read and review one book for each of the different categories, i.e. Translated fiction; Historical mystery; Romantic suspense; Made into a movie; New Adult; Urban Fantasy; Dystopian; Memoir; LGBT; Action Adventure; Humour and Published in 2013.</div>
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If you feel that this challenge fits you like a glove, don't hesitate to register your participation over <a href="http://bookdout.wordpress.com/challenges/eclectic-reader-challenge-2013/">here</a>.</div>
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As of today, I already read one work of translated fiction but the review will go up over the weekend when I have a bit more time on my hands and I am (unsurprisingly) in the middle of a dystopian novel that will fit in perfectly in this challenge as well. </div>
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Like for all other challenges, this one will be updated in its dedicated tab.</div>
Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10180742524958883048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1480963561514961779.post-6883695290009106302013-03-18T22:26:00.001+01:002013-03-19T14:09:40.423+01:00Reading Challenges 2013 {Part 2}<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.babiesbooksandbeyond.com/2012/12/a-to-z-book-challenge-2013.html" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img src="http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a9/GiddyUpMunky/ID-10095975_zpsd2a19cd0.jpg" /></a></div>
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Still searching for a few other challenges to join, I came across an A to Z challenge (hosted by <a href="http://www.babiesbooksandbeyond.com/2012/12/a-to-z-book-challenge-2013.html">Babies, Books and Beyond</a>) that seemed particularly appealing. The goal is simple : read 26 books during 2013, one per letter of the alphabet.</div>
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<a name='more'></a>What I liked especially about this challenge, is that host allows for an easy/lazy option i.e. completing the letters whenever you read a new book. Because I often choose the books I want to read in the spur of the moment, I find this easier than pinpointing months in advance the books I am going to read.<br />
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The only problem I have is that I read in a number of languages, so I was wondering what title to pick for the challenge. After some discussion here at home, I have decided that the most coherent option would be to use the original title no matter what the original language is. As for the dystopian challenge, the follow-up will be done in the Reading Challenges 2013 tab.</div>
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If you feel like participating too, the sign-up is over <a href="http://www.babiesbooksandbeyond.com/2012/12/a-to-z-book-challenge-2013.html">here</a>. </div>
Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10180742524958883048noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1480963561514961779.post-13827128559208051992013-03-18T17:30:00.000+01:002013-03-18T21:02:59.604+01:00Reading Challenges 2013 {Part 1}<div style="text-align: justify;">
After joining challenges in the kitchen area, I thought it might be a good idea to do the same for the books I read in order to keep me focused and motivated (as I am easily sidetracked into all other kinds of fun activities - like the aforementioned cooking and baking challenges - to the detriment of my ever growing TBR stack).</div>
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<a name='more'></a>Since last year, I have been reading mainly dystopian fiction and hence, it comes as no surprise that the first challenge I decided to join was the <i>Dystopia Reading Challenge</i>, hosted by <a href="http://blogoferised.blogspot.be/2012/11/dystopia-reading-challenge-2013.html">Blog of Erised</a>.</div>
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<a href="http://blogoferised.blogspot.com/2012/11/dystopia-reading-challenge-2013.html"><img border="0" src="http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y183/Masai666/DCRBanner.png" /></a></center>
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The goal of this challenge is to read 24 dystopian novels during 2013. I have already read 7 books this year towards that challenge, so even the fact that I am jumping onto a train that left the reading station over two months ago, I am confident that by December 31, 2013 I will have reached the level of <b>Revolutionist </b>that I have set as my objective. </div>
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I created a separate page for my reading challenges and will be updating my entries over there.</div>
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Some of the books I want to read this year (for this challenge) :</div>
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* The Pledge & The Essence by Kimberly Derting</div>
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* The Selection by Kiera Cass</div>
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* Legend by Marie Lu</div>
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* Divergent book 3 by Veronica Ross (to be published in Oct. 2013)</div>
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* Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer</div>
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* Eve series by Anna Carey </div>
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If you feel like participating as well, head over to <a href="http://blogoferised.blogspot.be/2012/11/dystopia-reading-challenge-2013.html">Blog of Erised</a> for the rules and the registration link. See you there :o)</div>
Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10180742524958883048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1480963561514961779.post-23705267997478852382013-03-17T23:03:00.001+01:002013-03-17T23:03:57.983+01:00Welcome<div style="text-align: justify;">
Welcome to yet another book blog on the www. :o)</div>
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<i>Le chat de bibliothèque</i> is the place were I will be writing about the different (e-)books I have read and plan on reading in the coming months. So feel free to browse my shelves, grab a seat and spend some time with me in the wonderful world of the written word.</div>
Ingridhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10180742524958883048noreply@blogger.com0