Still on my Mind

Lately, I have had like zero time to read. I just finished my community theater's production of Into the Woods and now I'm left with all this time to do nothing but read. Typically I have some sort of idea what I want to read next while I'm reading a book... but I've been so preoccupied lately that I finished Stardust and had no idea what I wanted to read next. I didn't even have like a shortened list... Ultimately I decided on Possession by Elana Johnson, but because I haven't been reading lately I've been noticing myself thinking about other stories fairly often. YA-Aholic hosts this lovely little meme called Still on my Mind where I can talk about precisely that... stories that I still find myself thinking about.

So what book has been making multiple cameo appearances in my brain lately?

It's no secret that I'm crazy in love with this series, but Rapture having just been released about a month ago the story is still fresh in my mind. I love the way that Lauren Kate chose to end the series, it's just so perfect for the story. Plus, I was totally blind-sided to the twist in this story. I really appreciate an author who can create such a beautiful story, with an unpredictable twist, AND still have an ending that leaves her readers happy... seriously miracle worker. I just adore this series! I can't get it out of my head.

Waiting on Wednesday

(Don't you just love the Waiting on Wednesday pic ^^ up there? :) I do). I just added a whole slew of books to my list of books that haven't come out yet but which I want to buy, so this decision was tough. However, Princess Academy by Shannon Hale was a classic for me; I loved it. So I had to talk about its sequel which is coming out August 21st (FINALLY!!!!). The cover is gorgeous and I imagine the plot and characters will be just as enthralling and captivating as they were in the first book. Needless to say, I am bouncing up and down in anticipation for this one. It should be an all-nighter, page turner in my opinion and I can't wait! So thank you Breaking the Spine for hosting this wonderful meme and for those of you who haven't read the first book yet, go get it!!! You won't be disappointed. Until next time!

 

Teaser Tuesday

I imagine that you have heard a lot about this book from Del but I don't believe she ever did a Teaser Tuesday on it. I recently started reading The Selection along with Ripple because they belong to Del and I need to get them back to her within the next few weeks. However, I haven't been able to put The Selection down! So I am going to continue where Del left off in her ravings over The Selection by doing today's Teaser Tuesday, hosted by Should Be Reading, on...

Title: The Selection

Author: Kiera Cass

"He pulled me in tight and kissed me - really kissed me - one last time. Then he disappeared into the night." p.52

This book is SO great!!! Del wasn't kidding when she said it was one of the most amazing books she's ever read. It has everything but it's written in a way so that it's not cliche and you don't know what's coming before it happens. It's wonderful. The characters are so unique and real and the story itself is brilliant and dreamable (yes, it's a word :)). I have nothing bad to say about it as of yet and that makes me super excited. This is fast becoming one of my top ten favorite books of all time.

Time Will Come

So for today's Time Will Come, hosted by Books for Company, I had a lot of trouble trying to decide what book to choose. There are SOOO many!!! I hate it and LOVE it at the same time. I hate it because books never stop being published so I know there will never come a day where I have read every book I want to read ever, while at the same time it makes me happy knowing that I will never be without a good book to read once I've finished the one I'm on :) My shelves are full to the brim with books that I want to read but haven't had time for yet, but lately I've had this particular book on my mind a lot so I think I shall focus today's post on it... I choose, PIKACHU! ha jk... I choose...

The Alchemy of Forever by Avery Williams!!

Technically I started reading this book about four months ago, but I had to put it down after I visited Del's place and stole about ten of her books to try and read over the summer. I only got three chapters in so I think this still counts for today. This book, so far anyway, was SO unbelievably fantastic! It's such an incredible idea; fresh and new and captivating. It's been on my mind a lot because it's the first one I think I'm going to pick up once I have returned all of Del's books back to her for the school year. PLUS! While at Barnes and Noble the other day, I discovered a new edition of this book that recently came out. It is now in paperback and has a lovely new cover (though I prefer the one I have honestly) but it also includes NEW MATERIAL for the beginning prologue section of the story!!! I started reading it right then and there in the store but when an employee started walking past me fairly and oddly consistently, I had to put it down to avoid getting in trouble. But anyway, this book is GREAT!!! I can't believe I ever put it down and I cannot wait for the day when I get to pick it back up again because I know I won't ever be able to put it down again until it is finished. It's a book that I love to sit and stare at and if you haven't read it, you seriously need to go get it especially now that there is bonus material out there!!
What's on your shelf that you're waiting to read??

In My Mailbox

This has been quite the successful week for me as far as attaining books goes! Every summer in my hometown the library has a great sale and I always end up buying at least a bagful of books. This summer was no exception. Add to the fact that a friend of mine was getting rid of books and so gave me several of hers that I wanted AND that there have been a lot of great garage sales going on recently and you get a VERY successful week for books. However a fair amount of said books were not young adult so today I shall only include the young adult/fantasy ones because those are the books that we talk about here at DeLibrarie. So thanks to the Story Siren for hosting this fabulous meme because I enjoy it immensley. Now, on to the books!

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Now, I know that this is a children's book, however Neil Gaiman is a genius and Coralina is creeeeeepy. So since I think you should all go out and read it, I'm including it in today's post!

Gossip Girl All I Want is Everything by Cecily Von Ziegesar

I love the show and so far I love the books. This is number three in the series and I'm only on book one yet, but I'm looking forward to reading this one!

The Bromeliad Trilogy by Terry Pratchett

Terry Pratchett is amazing and this book looks hilarious. It has all three books in it so I couldn't resist! It's about gnomes escaping into the world. Now doesn't that sound fun?

The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett

This is the first book in the Discworld series so I'm pumped to read it! I realize that Terry Pratchett is more adult fantasy, but he's still hilarious and I think everyone should at least give him a try at one point or another.

Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett

This is the first of Pratchett's books that I read and while it took me a while to get into it, once I did I loved it and I've been a fan of his ever since. And now I finally have my own copy!!

The Shakespeare Stealer Series by Gary Blackwood

Again, I realize that this is a children's series, but I read these when I was younger and it's because of these books that I became such a fan of Shakespeare's. It taught me a lot and now I have them all in my personal library. If you haven't read these by now, you really ought to already :)

Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz by L. Frank Baum

Now, until recently, I never knew that there was a whole series of Oz books. I thought there was just Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz but to my astonishment one day, I was told that there are a whole slew of Oz books! So I immediately bought this to begin collecting the entire series. These are classics and I can't wait to find them all and then to read them all in order.

The Last Summer (of You and Me) by Ann Brashares

I love Brashares' work; always do. I got this from a friend and she said it was amazing, especially for a summer read. Can't wait to sit down and start this one.

Exploring Harry Potter by Elizabeth D. Schafer

This isn't fiction, but it's about Harry Potter so I'm letting it count. It looks like a great way to supplement reading the Harry Potter series (which I am currently doing AGAIN) so I'm looking forward to making new discoveries along the way with this at my side.

The Telling Pool by David Clement-Davies

Haven't heard much about this one but I've seen it around so I picked it up!

A Kiss in Time by Alex Flinn

I've borrowed this one from Del before but always ran out of time to read it and so had to return it to her. I've always been intrigued by this book and so I HAD to get it when I came across it last weekend. The cover is gorgeous and the premise of the story sounds interesting. When I have some time I hope to read this asap.

The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu

This is definitely not young adult or fantasy, but it is the one that I am most excited for. It's one of the first books ever written; it was written in 900 BC or so in Japan and it is one of the best books I have ever read. I haven't finished it yet because I had to return it to the library. But if you enjoy Japanese culture, you will LOVE this book just as much as I do. It's fantastic!! I can't wait for the day when I can find a good edition to buy for myself.



So, that's it for now. A lot of books, I know, and these are maybe only half of what I've gotten my hands on this past week! While I'm excited to read them all, I'm also a little perturbed for my bookshelves are officially filled up once again... an unending predicament I'm afraid. But I hope you have enjoyed checking out what books have come into my ownership as of this week and we hope to hear what all of you have been up to this past week as far as book 'buying' goes, so leave us a comment or link to your own post!!! Happy Book Buying everyone!

The Library of My Dreams

Hello all!! So I have gotten myself into another one of my predicaments. I just got a new bookshelf from my Grandparents a couple of months ago. Now, I was moving rooms so I had to get rid of a smaller bookshelf because it didn't fit, but still! You would think that a nice big bookshelf would do the job since all of my books fit on shelves before the move. However, after my recent acquirement of a LOT of books (to be shown this upcoming Sunday!), I am once again out of room on my shelves for my books... I hate it when this happens. It's times like these when I wish that I could just have a nice big library for all of my books. Like the library in Disney's The Beauty and the Beast or the library in the PS2 game Kingdom Hearts II. Just a nice big room, with plenty of shelf space, big windows which overlook some beautiful landscapes like gardens or forests or somesuch, soft squishy chairs, a fireplace maybe, some tables with sweet smelling candles on them, bookshelf ladders, flowers and old epic artifacts interspersed between the books, some window seats, some staircases to reach the second level, and then moving bookshelves so that you can literally get lost amidst the wonderful stories of literature. I dream of the day when I can attain such a magical room (and yes, I realize the moving bookshelves part will forever stay in my dreams but hey, I can hope right?). Pretty sure I would spend the majority of my time in there. Although I think I would come up with a different name for it. Whenever I think of 'library' I think of a public library where you can only check out a book for a certain amount of time and you have to wait for others to return books. Now don't get me wrong, I adore libraries, but for my own 'library' I think I would have to come up with something new....like My Escape or something...but regardless of the name, a room full of my favorite books would be a dream come true. (Sorry I couldn't find a picture of the Kingdom Hearts library for those of you who haven't played the game) Below are some pictures of some BEAUTIFUL libraries. Enjoy!

So my question for you, is what is your dream library like? Or do you already have your own dream library? If you're an avid reader, then I know you've imagined what your own library would look like. So let us know!!  We'd love to hear from you :)

Review'd: Shattered Souls by Mary Lindsey

Book Review:
Title: Shattered Souls
Author: Mary Lindsey
Published December 8th 2011, by Philomel/ Penguin

Goodreads Summary:

Lenzi hears voices and has visions - gravestones, floods, a boy with steel gray eyes. Her boyfriend, Zak, can't help, and everything keeps getting louder and more intense. Then Lenzi meets Alden, the boy from her dreams, who reveals that she's a reincarnated Speaker - someone who can talk to and help lost souls - and that he has been her Protector for centuries.

Now Lenzi must choose between her life with Zak and the life she is destined to lead with Alden. But time is running out: a malevolent spirit is out to destroy Lenzi, and he will kill her if she doesn't make a decision soon.

DeLibrarie Review: 
Take a moment and just look at that stunning cover!! It's it perfect!! (sigh) This was a great book. I was sucked in almost immediately. Things I loved: The LORE. I loved the Protector/Speaker/Hindered mythology. It was a really unique idea, and I was really into it. I also really adored Alden. I mean how can you not?! Thing I didn't love: Zak, Mary Lindsey starts to set you up to believe that there is more to Zak than just him being an overprotective, clingy boyfriend... and I was left a little disappointed with his addition to Lenzi's story. I felt like he could have played such a big role... and he just didn't. I was a little underwhelmed there. I also wasn't a fan of the developing relationship between Alden and Lenzi. I understand him being in love with her, he's had lifetimes to do so... but Lenzi doesn't remember Alden and then all of a sudden she's like magically SO in love with him that she can't imagine life without him. It was a little bit of a stretch for me. I'm a fan of stand alones... I am... but I feel like this could have been a big epic series and it was all squeezed into this one book. There is going to be a second... but from what I understand, it is just going to be a companion novel. I'm anxious to read it, and I really hope that Lenzi and Alden still make an appearance.