I’m on the hunt for new books to read for 2018. I know this is thinking too far ahead, but I want to have ample time to do research. I have some books in mind already but I’m looking for new titles I’ve yet to discover/gotten to read. I would like to post a tentative 2018 TBR list in mid- or late December.
I am looking for books in the following genres (or cross-genres):
Genre: Children’s Fiction, Picture Book Rating: 5/5 Recommend to Others?: Yes
Book Summary (via NetGalley): Sometimes the unlikeliest friends form the greatest friendships. A funny, charming picture book from a dynamic duo.
Friends Yak and Dove are complete opposites. Yak is large and Dove is small. Yak has fur and Dove has feathers. Yak is polite. Dove is ill-mannered. Yak likes quiet. Dove likes noise. One day as Yak and Dove list their differences they come to the conclusion that maybe they aren’t meant to be friends. In the hope of finding a new best friend, Yak holds auditions. But when a small feathered contestant sings Yak’s favorite song, the two begin to think that maybe they are alike after all . . .
Yak and Dove whimsically captures the highs and lows of friendship through the three interconnected tales of two very different friends.
I love love LOVE books but still bookish pet peeves that, as Peter Griffin from Family Guy once said, really “grinds my gears.” These range from small annoyances to oh-my-goodness-I-can’t-even. As much as these things may grind my gears, they don’t dictate what I read or the reading experience (well…depends…maybe just a teeny-tiny bit).
In no particular order, here is a list of my bookish pet peeves:
ripped pages
folded pages
pages that are written on or highlighter marks (I’ve slowly begun caved on this as it’s helped me process information in tougher classes)
dog-eared pages (I prefer a bookmark or sticky note)
stained pages from previous readers
fingerprints on book covers (unavoidable? yes; bothersome? yes)
store stickers covering important parts of a book cover (why!?!)
deckle-edged printed books (unnerving!)
cliffhangers (such teases!)
when I have to wait a year or more for the next book of a series to come out
the cost of hardcover books (especially when you really want the book now and that’s the only format available)
super-long chapters
too many pages with no dialogue
long paragraphs (visually unappealing and not good for my attention span)
characters who make cheesy speeches to motivate/amp-up others (sometimes awkward)
cliché romantic dialogue exchanges (the cringe is real!)
tiny font
This is all I could think of off the top of my head. Do you have any bookish pet peeves that are or aren’t on this list? I’d love to hear your thoughts. And, as always,happy reading!
Thank you to NetGalley and XC Publishing for providing me with an e-ARC to read and review. The King’s Champion by Xina Marie Uhl is expected to be released October 15, 2017.
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy Series: The King’s Champion, book 1 Rating: 3/5 Recommend to Others?: Maybe
Book Summary (via NetGalley): The first book in a fantasy series of swords, sorcery, and adventure.
A generation ago, a great war convulsed Cantwin. Amidst blood-soaked battles the Stormlifter kings rose up to save the kingdom by imprisoning the dark god Moleck in hell for all eternity.
Or so they thought.
Seventeen-year-old Lance thinks his life is just about perfect now that the prettiest girl in the village wants him. Sure, he dreams of fighting far off battles, but that’s nothing more than a fantasy. Until the elders order him away to find a name for himself.
In the dazzling capital, Lance navigates court intrigues with Prince Kieran’s unlikely friendship. Yet the glitter and gold obscures a dark conspiracy. Soon the two friends find themselves propelled to the edges of the world on a desperate quest. The stakes: Lance’s life, Kieran’s throne, and the survival of the Land itself.
Hunted by assassins, and haunted by the awakening of a strange and frightful power within them, they must find proof of Kieran’s claim to the throne before a dark god’s vengeance destroys them all. For the Power is summoning a champion, and it will not be denied.
~~~~~~~~~~~
My Review:
This was an interesting read – okay but not what I expected. The material here is good but could be even better.
We have two great main characters – Lance and Kieran – whose adoring friendship I haven’t seen much of in YA. The story goes by quick, which, unfortunately, forces the friendship/brotherhood – and other events – to develop quickly. Lance and Kieran are very much alike with their upbringing the only stark differentiation. But I don’t feel what we get is enough to truly distinguish them as individuals.
I like the premise and setting but the pacing doesn’t help me become fully engrossed in the story. Things “skipped around” or were “cut out” a lot as if I was reading a condensed version of the story. This often made me think that there had to be more than what I was reading.
I liked that what “magic” we see seems to come from the Land in a kind of one-with-nature feel. But it’s effect leaves several questions for me and, I would have thought, from the characters.
Post-read I’m not 100% sure I will read the next book because it seems like I’d being going into book 2 still very much in the dark. But a part of me wants to read more of Lance and Kieran’s story because I love their friendship. I think the premise of book 2, Trials by Sword, will largely dictate my decision.
Genre: Paranormal Romance Series: A Mission Novel, book 1 Rating: 4/5 Recommend to Others?: Yes
Book Summary (via NetGalley): Enter a world of immortal danger and desire—and discover an incredible fate borne of blood.
Tendra: One minute, I’m a bartender in gritty Mission City; the next, I’m whisked away by a vampire named Athan who tells me that I’m the lifeblood of his clan. It sounds unbelievable, but he’s got evidence I can’t deny. Turns out, Athan belongs to an underground society of vampires who feed only on humans with their consent. Their enemies have no such qualms, and they want me dead. The only thing standing in their way is strong, sexy Athan. And the closer we get, the more tempted I am to let Athan feed. . . .
Athan: How could I have known when I snatched this snarky, beautiful human off the streets that she would change my destiny? As a loyal soldier, I must deliver Tendra to our future king—my brother. Empowered with the blood of ten generations of the Gregorie breed, she is fated to rule as our queen. But there’s something between us that’s so intoxicating, so carnal, I can’t help wanting Tendra for myself . . . even if it’s treason.
