Book Trailer Monday Index

Initially I was just going to have a link to the label for all my Book Trailer Monday posts but then as time moved on I released that I'd never be fully satisfied with that. I like lists and so here is an alphabetical listing by title of the trailers that have been featured so far. If you know of a book trailer that you would like to see featured then please send me an email at irisheyz_5 AT yahoo DOT com with the link - old, new, yet to come - it doesn't matter as long as the trailer is interesting I want to know about it.

The Absolute Value of -1 by Steve Brezenoff (#30)
Across the Universe by Beth Revis (#55)
Alexis by Alexis Singer (#46)
Alive and Well in Prague, NY by Daphne Grab (included in review post)
Bad Girls Don't Die by Katie Alender (#15)
Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver (#22)
Black is for Beginnings by Laurie Faria Stolarz (#21)
The Book of Awesome by Neil Pasricha (#28)
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (#7)
The Bride Will Keep Her Last Name by Jan Goldstein (#37)
Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas (#24)
Escaping the Tiger by Laura Manivong (#5)
Eternal by Cynthia Leitich Smith (#34)
Faithful by Janet Fox (#31)
Forget-Her-Nots by Amy Brecount White (#19)
Give Up the Ghost by Megan Crewe (#42)
Going West by Maurice Gee (#20)
Green by Laura Peyton Roberts (#41)
Hate List by Jennifer Brown (#2)
His Eyes by Renee Carter (#49)
Hold Still by Nina LaCour (#3)
Incarceron by Catherine Fisher (#16)
The Iron King by Julie Kagawa (#18)
Island Sting by Bonnie J Doerr (#17)
La Petite Four by Regina Scott (included in review post)
The Liar's Diary by Patry Francis (#11)
Mistwood by Leah Cypess (#36)
A Most Improper Magik by Stephanie Burgis (#4)
My Soul to Read by Courtney A Moulton (#25)
North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell (#53)
Nothing Like You by Lauren Strasnick (#47)
Plain Kate by Erin Bow (#52)
Praefatio by Georgia McBride (#8)
Pretty Little Liars Series by Sara Shepard (#35)
Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink (#45)
The Rise of Renegade X by Chelsea Campbell (#1)
Room by Emma Donoghue (#51)
Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Jane Austen and Ben H Winters (#6)
Shadow Hills by Anastasia Hopcus (#40)
The Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon (#9)
The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nance (#23)
Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers (#14)
Stalker Girl by Rosemary Graham (#48)
Stranded by J.T. Dutton (#44)
Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow (#10)
Stud Club Trilogy by Tessa Dare (#32)
Tension of Opposites by Kristina McBride (#29)
Ten Things I Love About You by Julia Quinn (#33)
A Wallflower Christmas by Lisa Kleypas (#12)
The White Cat by Holly Black (#27)
Willow by Julia Hoban (#43)
Undiscovered Gyrl by Allison Burnett (included in review post)


Non-Book Title Specific Trailers
75 Years of Fabulous Women Writers (#38)
Banned Books Week (#50)
Breathless Reads (#54)
Meet the Class of 2010 & The Tenners (#13)
The Tenners (April - May - June) (#26)

The Shape of Mercy by Susan Meissner

Publisher: WaterBrook Press

Publication Year: 2008

ISBN: 1400074568

Format: Paperback

Pages: 320

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

The Shape of Mercy by Susan Meissner is the story of Lauren Dorough, only daughter of a rich and powerful man who wanted a son. Her father expected one as a daughter hadn't been born into the Dorough family in generations. Yet despite the fact that Lauren isn't the son he wanted he still raises her as he would a son and fully expects her to take over the family real estate business. But Lauren has other plans for her life. She decides to forgo the ivy league school that her father wants her to go in favor of a state school. She decides to try and be more ordinary by living in the dorms. And at the start of this book she decides to stop living off her families money and decides to get a job. This leads her to Abigail who is looking for someone to transcribe a family heirloom....the diary of Mercy Hayworth, a girl Lauren's age who was tried and convicted as a witch during the time of the Salem Witch Trials.

As Lauren and Abigail's friendship unfolds so to does Mercy's. Mercy's story is told through diary entries interwoven throughout the book as Lauren transcribes them. During this time Lauren and Abigail become friends and begin to learn to deal with and overcome prejudices that they never realized they had.

This was a book that I picked up on impulse one day when I was getting ready to check out some other books at the library. I enjoyed reading the diary installments of this book and watching as Lauren grew into the person she thought that she was. However, there is nothing overly deep in this book or memorable about this book. It was a quick read with simple language. At times there was some good prose but it never lasted. If you are looking for a quick read then this one might be worth your time. If you are looking for something more then you might want to pick up something else.

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Publication Year: 2008
ISBN: 0316068047
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 624

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Amazingly. This did not suck. It wasn't good either but unlike Twilight this didn't leave me wanting to slit my wrists after the complete and utter badness. The writing is still poor and Meyers REALLY REALLY needs a better editor. Her habit of using twenty words when only five are need really drags things out...and definately not for the better. The plot is very similar to The Day the Earth Stood Still (DTESS) with a small twist. Aliens see that humans are of a violent nature and think that they can do better. So they take control. Although unlike the Alien Klaatu in DTESS these aliens do not give an ultimatum. They just systematically start taking control of human 'hosts'. The book takes place many years after the majority of humans have been transplated. There is no real reason given for how the aliens discovered earth or why they chose them without giving a warning. You do learn that this isn't the first time that this species - a long silver centipede look thing - has done this and the explaination for how this species can do so leaves much to be desired.

From the description I also expected a lot more internal battle between Melanie (the host) and Wanderer (the parasite). There really isn't that much stuggle. Wanda (as Wanderer comes to be called) gives in to Melanie's desires to return to her boyfriend and brother. After which Melanie becomes a relatively silent and passive voice. Only seeming to exert energy to speak when the uber passive Wanda doesn't act as quickly or as violently as Melanie would like. As with Bella Swan, Wanda is a very passive and weak will character. She tends to bow down to the men in her life rather then to stick up for herself. There is little in the Jared-Melanie-Wanda interaction that shows that Jared is worthy of the love and devotion that Melanie has for him. He is abusive...both physically and mentally...and yet Wanda/Melanie are drawn to him and make excuses for his behaviour.

With all this weak willed subserviant women in Meyer's books it makes me wonder how much of herself is reflected in her characters. She can't seem to write a strong female character to save her life. And I worry at the impression that this has on the teen girls that flock to her novels. I also feel the need to mention again that Meyer's really needs an editor. So much of the book could have been edited out as it was superflous and long winded. Although if the finished version topped out at 600+ pages I can only imagine what the drafts looked liked! I also didn't like how the book was left with clear indication for a sequel. Is this another series that is going to drone on for longer than necessary? Probably.

Overall the book was meh...about the only good thing I can say about it was that it was better than Twilight. And well, if you've read what I've thought about Twilight you know that, that isn't saying much at all.

Tithe by Holly Black

Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Year: 2004
ISBN: 0689849249
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 320

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I first heard about Tithe by Holly Black from my LibaryThing friend Caspettee. I immediately had to run to my local library and check it out. Initially I was put off by it. The prologue left me a little cold and wary if it was a glimpse of things to come. Thankfully though the main part of the novel started off on a much better note. Tithe tells the story of Kaye, a 16 year old girl who has always been in tune with the world of Faerie. As a child this set her apart because she'd talk about things and people that weren't there. As a teen she thinks that she has outgrown this ability. That is until she returns with her mother to her grandmother's house and the Faeries return.

Overall I really enjoyed this book it was a good introduction to a new series and didn't shy away from some of the darker things that go on in the lives of teens...such as drug use and drinking. Is this a book that I'd recommend to a young teen? No. But to an older teen who enjoys fantasy I would. Kaye is a remarkable character who is smart and imperfect. She doesn't always make the right choices but nor is she always wrong. She has lived a rough life with a mother who is less then responsible. I think that the novel would have lost nothing if the prologue had not been included. In my opinion, I think that it takes a bit away from the novel. To me it felt rushed and the events seemed to come from out of nowhere. I feel that the events in the prologue could have been incorporated in a different way.

Other than that though I enjoyed this story. It was a quick read and I look forward to reading the other books in series.

Teaser Tuesdays: On a Wednesday! (17 Dec 08)

Teaser Tuesdays asks you to:

1. Grab your current read.
2. Let the book fall open to a random page.
3. Share with us a couple of “teaser” sentences from that page.
4. You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
5. One final thing...please avoid spoilers!

My sentences are:

"Fury surged up in her. The cup flew from her hand, hitting the shoulder of the man with the knife, spotting his coat with droplets of wine it had contained before falling ineffectually to the dirt floor, where it rolled in helpless circles."

~ pg 138 of Tithe by Holly Black

Princeps' Fury by Jim Butcher

Publisher: Ace Hardcover
Publication Year: 2008
ISBN: 0441016383
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 400

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I have loved the Codex Alera Series ever since I first read Furies of Calderon at the end of last year. I quickly made my way through the series and was very sad when I hit the end of the published novels and had to wait for this installment. So the moment that it was out in stores I rushed over to my local borders and quickly made it my own. I then spent the next several days immersing myself in the world of Alera.

Priceps' Fury continues to expand on all the characters in the series. Tavi continues to show amazing depth and smarts and I loved him even more. Even the characters of Amara and Isana didn't annoy me as much as they normally do...which was a total shocker. Lots of things are going on throught Alera in this book. Tavi and friends have journeyed across the ocean to escort the Canim back to their homeland. When they arrive they find that Cania (is that the right name? I forget) is not as Varg left it. The Vorde have invaded and Tavi finds himself in another fight against the odds. Meanwhile back in the Alera the Vorde have begun to attack there as well.

This novel was filled with all the detail, action and witty remarks that I have come to expect from Jim Butcher. My one complaint with the book was the end battle with the Vord in Alera. There Butcher failed to give it the detail and attention that I've come to expect from him. The whole thing seem rushed and unsatisfying. Overall though I was pleased with this installment and I can't wait until the next book comes out to see what happens when Tavi returns to Alera. If you like Jim Butcher or fantasy then this is a series that I highly recommend.

Quoted by Random House!

This is a post that I've been meaning to write for awhile now...but for whatever reason time has just been slipping by and I haven't gotten to it until now. Anywho, as some of you might recall I received an Advanced Copy of The Translator by Daoud Hari from LibraryThing's early reviewer program back in February. I read the book loved it and posted my review on LT, here and sent off a copy to the email address that was included in the letter from Random House that came with the book. I never heard anything back from that email and forgot about it. Well, apparently the person at the other end saw it....or say my review on LT....liked what I wrote and put a portion of my review on their website. You can see me quoted by going here. Interested in my full review? Then click here.

The Other Queen by Philippa Gregory

Publisher: Touchstone (hardcover), Simon & Schuster Audio

Publication Year: 2008

ISBN: 1416549129 (Hardcover); 0743571061 (Audio)

Format: Audio

Pages: 448 (Hardcover)

Audio Length: 5 discs (6 hrs)

Narrators: Bianca Amato, Dagmara Dominczyk, and Grame Malcolm

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

First things first I must say that Bianca Amato has got to be my favorite narrator of audio books. I first heard her on the audiobook The Thirteenth Tale and just loved her tone of voice. She did another remarkable job here with the voice of Bess of Hardwick. The story itself was another story. The last few installments of Philippa Gregory's Tudor series have been kind of hit or miss with me and this one was more of a miss. As with The Boleyn Inheritance the story is told in multiple voices, Mary Queen of Scotts, Bess of Hardwick and her husband. Bess and her husband are charged with keeping the Scots Queen during her many years of imprisonment in England. At first this is a great honor but as the years pass the toll on the families finances as well as their marriage is put under considerable strain.

I enjoyed the character of Bess. She was a strong and brilliant women who managed to do so much in a time when women were considered to be little more than chattel. Mary's character was much more annoying. She was written in a way that was little different from that of Katherine Howard in Gregory's Boleyn Inheritance. She was selfish and interjected the word Voila! a little too much for my sake. The character of George Talbot oftentimes seemed so unecessary. His scenes never really advanced the plot much. I would have much preffered to see the third voice go to someone outside of the Talbot household....Queen Elizabeth or William Cecil. Both of whom who mentioned a lot but rarely seen.

I think that because this book remained firmly rooted in the goings on of the various locations where Mary was being kept that the story dragged and suffered because of it. There was so much political intrigue going on during the time of Mary's incarceration. That I would have liked to have seen more that history brought into the story. Without it the story fell a little flat. Mary came across as whiny and overbearing. George had little depth and Bess turned into a horrible shrew as the years droned on. This book ends before Mary's actual execution and throughout most of the book you here Mary say over and over that she is a Queen, her person is sacred, she can never be put to death. To which I often thought...did you not see the Queen's who came before her that were put to death by her Uncle? Henry set precidence and Elizabeth had already shown that she was her father's daughter.

The execution of Mary was brought into the final chapter of the book and it was this horrible ackward scene that just had no basis in reality. And only served as a disapointed end to a less than stellar book.

The Abbess of Crewe by Muriel Spark

Publisher: New Directions Publishing Corporation

Publication Year: 1995

ISBN: 0811212963

Format: Paperback

Pages: 106

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

The Abbess of Crewe by Muriel Spark is a lukewarm satire that uses a nunnery to retell the events of Watergate. Its a short book and yet I found a hard time getting into it. Maybe I just hard a hard time picturing Nixon as an Abbess. I don't know. The plot and writing were solid but this wasn't a book that I was able to lose myself in. Not a book that I would recommend. Nor am I sure if I'll try another book by this author.

Sabine's Notebook by Nick Bantock

Publisher: Chronicle Books
Publication Year: 1992
ISBN: 0811801802
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 48

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Sabine's Notebook is the continuation of the story begun in Griffin & Sabine. As with the first this is an epistolary novel with letters and postcards exchanged between Griffin and Sabine. Again like the first the thing that makes this story are the drawings. They are beautiful works of art. An enjoyable, quick read that I'd recommend.

The Arrival by Shaun Tan

Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books
Publication Year: 2007
ISBN: 0439895294
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 128

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Wow. For a book that has no words this one sure was a power 'read.' The Arrival by Shaun Tan is the story of a man who leaves his home and family and moves to a new place. The place is strange and foreign and he doesn't speak the language. Yet he must find a way to fit in, to adapt to his surroundings if he's to survive.

As said this is a powerful story about what it means to be an immigrant. Many in America are descendants from people just like the man in the story. People who pack a bag and leave everything they know behind in the hopes for a better life. But its not the 'story' that make this book. Its the amazing and so very detailed drawings. As said there are no words. The colors are all muted sepia tones for the most part...and yet they are all so vivid. I spent hours lingering over each page absorbing every detail. This is a book that I highly recommend to people of all ages.

The Lost Thing by Shaun Tan

Publisher: Lothian Publishing Company
Publication Year: 2002
ISBN: 1894965108
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 32

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The Lost Thing by Shaun Tan is a short but very delightful graphic novel that engages the eye as well as the brain. It starts when a boy finds a strange object on the beach...it looks lost and out of place and yet no one around it seems to notice its there. This is a wonderful book that engages the imagination and has an adult reader remember what its like to be a child again. This is a story that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. Parents can read the story while the child follows along with the amazing drawings. Adults can lose themselves in both. This is a quick read but one that I would recommend.

Candles for Dewey

As many bloggers already know a great light has been put out. I first heard about Dewey's death from fellow blogger teelgee. Terri posted the following on her blog yesterday about Dewey "She was the force behind so many great book blogging ideas and challenges (Weekly Geeks, the Readathon) and managed to build an amazing community here. Her husband wrote of her death on her blog this morning. We'll miss you Dewey."

I also received an email from online publicist, Lisa Roe, about Dewey's passing. She has Dewey's family address as has offered to forward on cards from those bloggers that knew her. She's asked that I don't share her address publicly so if you are interested you can leave your email address in a comment and I will pass that along to Lisa...or ask me for my address. Send me the cards and I'll forward on all i get to Lisa who whill then forward on to Dewey's family.

Dewey was an amazing blogger. Her light shined brightly on us all. She'll be missed.