Annette's Book Spot

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Book Review: Dust & Decay, by Johathan Maberry

Where do I begin with Dust & Decay? First of all, I loved Rot & Ruin so much that I was willing to read Dust & Decay on my computer! That doesn’t happen very often – I’m not a fan of staring at my computer for hours. But it was worth it. I didn’t even notice – I literally flew through this book.

There’s so much tension and non-stop action that when I finished each reading session, my muscles were tight, and this wasn’t because I was looking at the computer. I just got so anxious for these characters, that I got caught up in the story and felt like I was fighting those battles myself. When Maberry described the physical discomfort, I felt it!

Benny and Nix are still bound and determined to leave Mountainside to see what they can find to the east. They, along with Lilah (the Lost Girl), Chong, and Morgie have been training hard with Tom to prepare for the journey.

They are finally ready, but their journey doesn’t turn out at all as they had planned. They encounter one horrible thing after another, culminating in another trip to the new Gameland, where kids are still being kidnapped and forced to fight the zoms.

They find out that things in the Rot & Ruin have changed – for the worse – and begin to wonder if all their training will be enough for them to survive.

Its action packed, but the characters are so loveable that you want them to conquer these obstacles so badly! I also love that Maberry has created all of these colorful zom hunters. Each one is unique, creative, and entertaining. And...the villains are just as unique and horrible!

I love that there is an ending to the book. This episode is over, and there is closure. But, the journey isn’t over, and now they must decide whether to go back to Mountainside or continue on to the east.

I don’t have anything bad to say about this one. This is a must read for zombie lovers, but I would recommend it to anyone who likes adventure and heart-pounding action books. (I realize I said "love" a lot in this review -- sorry -- I just can't think of a better word.)

Published by Simon & Schuster, August 30, 2011

Ebook ARC provided by the published for review (through Galley Grab)

528 pages (qualifies for my 350 Page Book Challenge!)

Rating: 5/5

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Interview with Kendare Blake, author of Anna Dressed in Blood

Anna Dressed in Blood will be available in less than a week, so I thought it was a great time for an author interview.

Thanks Kendare, for answering some questions for the readers of my blog. I really enjoyed Anna Dressed in Blood, and would like to know more about the author!

Hey, no problem. Thanks so much for having me on the Book Spot!

When did you know you wanted to be a writer? What steps have you followed to become such a great writer?

Ha ha, okay, first off, “great” is pushing it. But thank you. I’m very glad you liked Anna Dressed in Blood! So when did I know I wanted to be a writer…Well, I knew as soon as I could physically write that I liked to write stuff. Then in junior high I started seeing if I could write novel-length. But it wasn’t until after college that I got serious about it.

The steps I followed…I read. A lot. Probably the most important thing. I listen to teachers, to other writers. I did do an MA in Creative Writing, which was excellent. Learned a lot about the method, and analysis, and met a ton of really great writers in a workshop-cooperative environment. That’s not necessary for everyone. But it was hella fun. And let me live in London for a year.

What is a typical “writing day” like? How many hours do you write? Do you have a schedule of how far you want to get each day? Do you have any writing rituals? Where do you write?

I write wherever my laptop, Daniel-san is. Yes, I named my laptop. When I’m drafting a novel, it’s rare for me to put more than a few hours in on it a day. An average word count is 1 to 3k. I don’t worry so much about writing a set number of words. I think in scenes. “I need to make it through this scene today.” The interesting part comes in when I need to make it through a scene, but have no idea what comes after.

Who are your favorite authors? Favorite books?

Favorite authors: Joe Hill, Caitlin R Kiernan, Bret Easton Ellis, Milan Kundera. Favorite Books: The His Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman, The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley, Jane Eyre, Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles. Recently, I’ve enjoyed Original Sin by Lisa Desrochers, Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton, The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder and I just started A Song of Ice and Fire series.

What do you like to do when you aren’t writing? Hobbies?

Read! Also, hike. And eat food. Mmm. Food. I love to travel, try to do a major trip every other year with minor domestic trips yearly. I enjoy deep-sea fishing, horseback riding, and arcade video games.

Do you believe in ghosts? Have you ever seen a ghost?

Sure I believe in ghosts. But I’ve never actually seen one. I try to believe in just about everything, in sort of an agnostic sense. Can’t really prove or disprove much in the world.

How long did it take to write Anna Dressed in Blood? How long to get it published?

Anna took about six months to write. I signed with Tor Teen in April 2010, and she’s finally coming out in August 2011.

Why Thunder Bay?

It really suited the story. And beautifully, it was close enough to my Minnesota home that I could go there to do a bit of hands-on location research (and stay in a fantastic B&B. Stuffed French toast and broiled grapefruit!). Thunder Bay was urban and wild at the same time. Seated on the edge of a sinister lake. I love it.

How did you research the witchcraft part of the story?

Well I have a background in it. Sort of. I’ve known a few cool wiccan and pagan folks, so it wasn’t hard. I wanted to keep it as grounded in realism as I could. Cas’s kitchen-witch mom was absolute fun to write.

What are you writing now? Is it another ghost story? What can you tell us about it?

Right now…I’m writing nothing! I wrote a novel last summer from May 2010 to August 2010 that I hope will kick off my next series, but I can’t say much about it yet. I can tell you that the second book in the Anna series is called GIRL OF NIGHTMARES, and should release next summer.

Is there anything else you would like to tell us that I didn’t ask about?

Can’t think of a single thing. Thank you for having me! And thanks for spreading the love of books. Oh wait, did you know there are going to be two Hobbit movies? Why wasn’t I told? I thought it was just one!

Here's my review of Anna Dressed in Blood.

Monday, August 22, 2011

Book Review: Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

It’s been a while since I’ve read a ghost story as good as Anna Dressed in Blood. The ghosts are creepy, and the characters are interesting. There’s some witchcraft, telepathy, a little voodoo, some romance, and really, the book is about friendship.

Cass Lowood kills ghosts. He inherited this job, as well as his athame, from his dad, after his dad was killed by a ghost. If you are wondering, an athame is a witch’s knife. (I had to look it up.) So, Cas travels from place to place, after he finds out about a bothersome ghost that won’t stay dead and has decided to kill people. It helps that Cas’s mom is a witch, who can help keep him safe. Cas is never in one place very long, and therefore doesn’t have any friends. When he gets summoned to Thunder Bay, in Canada, he tries to lay low and doesn’t attempt to make any contacts other than finding out about the ghost, Anna.

But, this time it’s different. First of all, there’s a girl, Carmel, who is very popular and has her sights on Cas. Then, there’s Thomas who can read Cas’s thoughts – sometimes – so he figures out what Cas is up to. And Thomas’s grandfather, Morfran, who is an experienced witch, will also become a friend.

The ghost, Anna Dressed in Blood, was murdered in 1958, and has been wreaking havoc ever since. Cas’s first encounter with Anna is violent and deadly. He realizes that she is unlike any ghost he has ever dealt with, and he will need lots of help to send her away. What Cas doesn’t realize is that Anna is only the beginning. Something else is after Cas, and it’s big, and bad, and might possibly be the end for Cas.

Cas grows up during the book and realizes he doesn’t have to be such a loner, that other people can care about him and will be willing to help him. Blake’s story is creepy, violent, scary, and tense. But she also writes great characters to identify with and there’s some personal growth by the end of the story.

I’ll recommend this to teens who like a creepy ghost story and can handle a little gore, but also like a story about teens working through problems, whatever they may be.

Published by Tor, August 30, 2011

ARC obtained from Banned Book Tours for review

316 pages

Rating: 4/5

Bonus: Watch for my interview with Kendare Blake on the blog tomorrow!

Sunday, August 21, 2011

In My Mailbox - surprises!

I only received a few things this week, but they were good things!

Won:

ARC of Forever, by Maggie Stiefvater, signed!!! from Tahleen's Mixed-Up Files (I'm so happy that Tahleen won one of my giveaway books yesterday!)

For Review?:

Circle of Fire, by S.M. Hall, sent by 45th Parallel Communications, unsolicited, I think?

Goliath, by Scott Westerfeld, ebook from Simon & Schuster Galley Grab

So, all in all, I'm pretty excited about this week's new books. I also went to Borders and got nine books (8 hard covers) for $84 for my school library. Very excited about that deal......

Thanks to Kristi, The Story Siren, for hosting IMM. Make sure you got check out a bunch of other mailboxes. I'm sure you'll find lots to add to your TBR!

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Announcing the WINNERS of my Giveaway!

The winner of Across the Universe is:

Tahleen @ http://tahleenreads.blogspot.com

The winner of A Need So Beautiful is:

NC/Truly Bookish @ http://trulybookish.blogspot.com

The winner of Paranormalcy is:

Maggie Armstrong @ http://www.audiobookfans.com

Winners have been notified. They have until Monday night (8/22) to get back to me with their addresses.

Congratulations to the winners, and thank you to everyone who entered. I wish I could give all of you some books!

Friday, August 19, 2011

TGIF-and I MEAN That! (One week of school down!)

I'm especially happy for Friday this week. I started school on Monday and it's been a bit stressful. Things are starting to get a little easier, so next week should be a piece of cake!

The TGIF question from Ginger this week is:

The Reviews We Don't Write: Have you ever read a book and not wanted to review it? Are some books too personal that we want to keep our thoughts our own?

The only time I don't review a book is if I didn't finish it. Some of them I do review, but sometimes I don't finish a book because I"m not in the mood, and I intend to get back to it some day. If I DNF because I didn't like the book and never intend to read it then I usually write a short review explaining why. I do think some books are harder to review than others. Sometimes my reviews are shorter than others. I can always find something to say, even if I have personal feelings that I don't want to talk about.

Parajunkee's question this week:

Q. If you could write yourself a part in a book, what book would it be and what role would you play in that book?

This is tough. Princess Mia (Princess Diaries, etc.) would be fun. I would like to be the character that gets the three wishes, or gets kissed by the handsome prince. You know, a fairy tale!

So, I hope you all have a great weekend, and make sure you go stop by some of the other blogs participating in these memes this week! Thanks for stopping by. My GIVEAWAY ends at midnight tonight -- so enter if you haven't yet!

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Book Review: The Revenant, by Sonia Gensler

The Revenant is an interesting mix of historical fiction, romance, mystery, and paranormal that was very satisfying.

It’s 1896 and seventeen-year-old Willie has stolen an identity and a teaching certificate and taken a job at a school in the Indian nation. Her mother and stepdad have asked her to leave her boarding school to come home and help with their farm, her twin little brothers, and the new baby that her mother is now carrying. To avoid this fate, she runs away to what is now Oklahoma to teach Cherokee girls at their Female Seminary.

Not only does she have to keep up her deception, she finds her teaching duties to be much more challenging than she anticipated. There’s also a mystery surrounding this school. A student drowned the previous year and her death has yet to be explained. Willie is staying in the dead girl’s room, and when she is plagued by a knocking at her window night after night, she starts to wonder if the stories about the school being haunted by the dead girl might be true.

Then there is Eli, a student from the boys’ seminary that Willie is strangely attracted to. And, Eli was in love with the dead girl at one time. When unexplained accidents begin happening to some of the students, the tension mounts and Willie, along with her friend Olivia, begins to believe this is paranormal activity. And, they are determined to do something about it.

The story is slowly paced, but I enjoyed learning about this unique setting and the historic time period as it relates to the characters. I was surprised by the eventual solution to the mystery, and enjoyed the resolution at the end of the book.

The prose is easily understood, and girls who enjoy historical fiction with a little mystery and romance will want this one.

Published by Alfred A. Knopf, June 14, 2011

Copy won from Shannon@ Stalking the Bookshelves

315 pages

Rating: 3.5/5

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Book Review: Misfit, by Jon Skovron

I absolutely LOVED Misfit. I didn’t think it was my kind of book, but it was so well written that it grabbed me and wouldn’t let go.

Jael is celebrating her 16^th birthday when the book begins, but it doesn’t even seem like her dad has noticed. Her mother died when she was a baby, so she and her dad are all each other has. It has been hard for Jael to make friends, because they have moved so often because her father keeps getting different teaching jobs at Catholic schools.

But everything changes when she gets home from school and her father gives her a gift from her mother. He tells her that her mother was a demon, and was killed by a very evil demon who was trying to kill Jael because she is half demon, half human. Wow. Pretty much to take in all at once. And there’s her uncle – her mother’s brother – who is also a demon that has now agreed to help teach Jael about being a demon.

The rest of the book is about Jael learning about demons, hell, and developing her powers. And of course it is expected that there will be a huge showdown at the end when Jael has to face Belial, the Grand Duke of Hell, who killed her mother. But it’s also a coming of age story. Jael grows up a bit. She develops a closer relationship with her father, and she learns about building real friendships.

I loved Skovron’s descriptions of hell, of Jael’s powers, of her parents’ escape, of her entering souls, and of the big battle at the end. Everything was so creative, and so well-described that I was literally mesmerized. To me, this was the best part of the book. Ok, there is Rob, the heart-throb-sweetest-boyfriend-ever character. When she told him about her demonic heritage, I thought he was a little too understanding – I would have expected at least a little disbelief or suspicion, but other than that, I have no complaints.

You really just have to read this one. The story is good, but it’s special because of the writing. I just felt like I was inside Jael. She was so strong that I never doubted she would prevail even though she had doubts herself.

I would recommend this to all fantasy, mythology, thriller, and paranormal readers. I think both boys and girls would like this one. I’ve put Struts & Frets on my list (Skovron’s other book) just because I have to read some more of his writing!

Published by Amulet, August 1, 2011

eBook received for review from NetGalley

384 pages (qualifies for my 350 Page Book Challenge!)

Rating: 5/5

Monday, August 15, 2011

Monday Memories - The Lord of the Rings

Welcome to my meme, Monday Memories, where I feature favorite books we've loved from the past. You can link to an old review, or write something new about a beloved book from your past. Really, what's important is not the book, but why it is memorable to you. So, have fun reminiscing, and leave a comment below, so we can all enjoy your memories.

I also wanted to let you know about another wonderful blog that you should check out. Ashley @ Books from Bleh to Basically Amazing does a weekly post called Memory Monday. She has been posting about her childhood memories of books. What's great about Ashley's site is that she is asking for guest posts for her Memory Monday event! So hop on over there and check it out. I'm hoping to do a guest post for her soon!

I've posted in a previous Monday Memories how much I loved The Hobbit when a teacher read it to us in 7th grade. After that, I really wanted to read The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. These books were probably the longest, most complicated books I had read at that point. But I was determined. I remember there being so many characters, and it took me so long to get through all three books (I didn't read them all in a row) that I forgot some of the beginning by the time I got to the end. But I persevered. I really would like to read these again sometime. I know I would enjoy them, and probably get a bit more out of them. I have seen the movies and enjoyed them (my reading of this trilogy was from the editions you see pictured above, way before the movies came out.) I'm still not a huge high fantasy fan, but these books were special. I think I liked them because they were so epic. Certainly the first epic books I had ever read. They do hold up over time, too. If you haven't read these, you should try The Hobbit and see what you think. It's a bit easier to read. And since that movie is coming out too, you probably want to read the book first!

Share one of your cherished book memories!

You can do a Monday Memories post on your blog. Copy my button and link back here, so others can see all the other posts. Leave a comment below with the link to your post.

Or, just leave one of your Monday Memories right here in the comments.

Be sure to visit some other blogs that have posted their links. Thanks!

Sunday, August 14, 2011

IMM--It's all Borders' Fault!

I've been to Borders twice this week -- and I'm going to go back again this week -- since they upped the discount again. This is a bad, bad thing, but I'm getting ahold of some books I've wanted for quite a while.

I actually did get ONE book in my mailbox, I won this one!

The Revenant, by Sonia Gensler won from Shannon @ Stalking the Bookshelves

For Review:

Misfit, by Jon Skovron from NetGalley

And finally, Purchased from Borders:

The Opposite of Me, by Sarah Pekkanen

The Violets of March, by Sarah Jio

The Love Goddess' Cooking School, by Melissa Senate

Madame Tussaud, by Michelle Moran

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, by Anne Fadiman

The worst thing about all these new books, is that I have to go back to WORK Monday -- so that's not going to be very conducive to my reading or blogging habits! I've been posting three to four reviews per week, and that pace will definitely slow down considerably. I've really enjoyed my summer, though, and I love my job so it's not the worst thing to have to go back.

Thanks for visiting. I have a giveaway going on, so make sure you go enter if you haven't!

Thanks again to Kristi, The Story Siren, for hosting the fun once again. Go over there and find some more great blogs!