Review: The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line

Title: The Thousand Dollar Tan Line
Author: Rob Thomas & Jennifer Graham
Publisher: Random House
Published: March 25th 2014
Series: Veronica Mars #1
How I Served It: Audiobook (Read by Kristen Bell)
How I Got It: Purchased (Barnes and Noble)

"The first book in an original mystery series featuring twenty-eight-year-old Veronica Mars, back in action after the events of Veronica Mars: The Movie. 

With the help of old friends—Logan Echolls, Mac Mackenzie, Wallace Fennel, and even Dick Casablancas—Veronica is ready to take on Neptune's darkest cases with her trademark sass and smarts." -- Goodreads


So, maybe it's a bad sign or a bad showing of my loyalty to the franchise or whatever, but my hopes for this book were not especially high.  I just didn't see how a book could live up to the show (and I loved the show, and the movie too - LoVe was/is/always will be my OTP).  Even with Rob Thomas behind the wheel I just wasn't sure how good it could possibly be.  I think I was actually thinking in terms of how bad it was going to be.


Let's be straight, this is NOT Veronica Mars the TV show.  There is no Jason Dohring. In fact, Logan is barely in this, which bounces from a little to a lot disappointing.  That said, this is by no means bad.  In fact, I thought it was really good for what it was.  I listened to the audiobook which was read by Kristen Bell, and I think that helped make it feel more real to me.  Otherwise I think I would have had a hard time adjusting to accepting that this story is really what happens after the movie and not just someones very well-written fan fiction.  I really hope she does the second one too - it really added to the noir feeling legitimately hearing everything in Veronica's voice... plus it was super amusing listening to Bell's attempts at putting on her costars' voices.

Review: These Broken Stars

Title: These Broken Stars
Authors: Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Published: December 10th, 2013
Series: Starbound #1
How I Served It: Hardcover
How I Found It: Purchased (work book sale)

Summary (From Goodreads):
"It's a night like any other on board the Icarus. Then, catastrophe strikes: the massive luxury spaceliner is yanked out of hyperspace and plummets into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive. And they seem to be alone. 

Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a young war hero who learned long ago that girls like Lilac are more trouble than they’re worth. But with only each other to rely on, Lilac and Tarver must work together, making a tortuous journey across the eerie, deserted terrain to seek help. 

Then, against all odds, Lilac and Tarver find a strange blessing in the tragedy that has thrown them into each other’s arms. Without the hope of a future together in their own world, they begin to wonder—would they be better off staying here forever?

Everything changes when they uncover the truth behind the chilling whispers that haunt their every step. Lilac and Tarver may find a way off this planet. But they won’t be the same people who landed on it."

Review So at work they have this big quarterly book sale (to get rid of all the free books the hosts acquire).  They basically give books away, $8 for hardcovers that have never been opened, less for kids books (more for cookbooks).  It's a poor post-grad's best and worst nightmare. And it's where I found this book.  I bought it solely for the cover - I do that.  I judge books by their covers.  I know it's a bad habit but, I mean, it's steered me pretty well so far! It found me this, after all.

I've had These Broken Stars on my shelf since early September (and by shelf I now mean floor since I've moved out of my parent's house and am holing up in Bushwick at least for the month).  I would pick it up, read the description, shrug and put it back down.  SO MANY WEEKS WASTED!  On Saturday night at like 10 I was like, I'll read a chapter and then go to bed (let's not talk about what I do with my Saturday nights, 'kay?).  One chapter turned into the entire novel and suddenly it was 1 AM and I was staring at my ceiling half crying, half beaming because this novel was beautiful.

Review: The Poison Study

Title: Poison Study

Author: Maria V. Snyder
Publisher: Mira
Published: March 1st 2007
Series: Chronicles of Ixia #1
How I Served It: Paperback
How I Got It: Purchased (YA Fest in Easton PA, April 2014)

"Choose: A quick death…Or slow poison...

About to be executed for murder, Yelena is offered an extraordinary reprieve. She'll eat the best meals, have rooms in the palace—and risk assassination by anyone trying to kill the Commander of Ixia.

And so Yelena chooses to become a food taster. But the chief of security, leaving nothing to chance, deliberately feeds her Butterfly's Dust—and only by appearing for her daily antidote will she delay an agonizing death from the poison.

As Yelena tries to escape her new dilemma, disasters keep mounting. Rebels plot to seize Ixia and Yelena develops magical powers she can't control. Her life is threatened again and choices must be made. But this time the outcomes aren't so clear..." -- Goodreads

This series has been on my 'To Read' shelf for basically forever, so when I heard the author was going to be at the YA Fest in Easton PA I was pretty pumped.  It's not exactly an easy book to find (in print I mean, I know Amazon has a great bundle deal on the kindle), and I dig having my books signed.  So I bought my copy of The Poison Study when my (totally awesome) creative writing professor brought me to the fest and then put it in my book box which is where it sat through Finals and Senior Week and Graduation and the first half of summer.  It became 'that book I was going to read next' for months.  Kind of like Dreams of Gods and Monsters (Laini Taylor, I swear I'm going to read it eventually...).  I don't know why I had such issues cracking the spine.  I live for medieval-y assassin books - the third books in the His Fair Assassins and Throne of Glass series are legit my most longed for reads of 2014.  Poison Study should have been something I was super excited to crack open... but I basically had to force myself to sit down and read it.

Review: The House of Hades

Title: The House of Hades
Author: Rick Riordan
Publisher: Listening Library
Published: October 8th 2013
Series: Heroes of Olympus # 4
How I Served It: Audiobook
How I Got It: Library

Summary: "At the conclusion of The Mark of Athena, Annabeth and Percy tumble into a pit leading straight to the Underworld. The other five demigods have to put aside their grief and follow Percy's instructions to find the mortal side of the Doors of Death. If they can fight their way through the Gaea's forces, and Percy and Annabeth can survive the House of Hades, then the Seven will be able to seal the Doors both sides and prevent the giants from raising Gaea. But, Leo wonders, if the Doors are sealed, how will Percy and Annabeth be able to escape? 

They have no choice. If the demigods don't succeed, Gaea's armies will never die. They have no time. In about a month, the Romans will march on Camp Half-Blood. The stakes are higher than ever in this adventure that dives into the depths of Tartarus." -- Goodreads

The hardcover edition of this book has been sitting on my shelf since October 8th, 2013.  It was at the point where I'd forgotten I bought it!  Call me a wimp but Riordan's hardcover books are a commitment and, frankly, my purse isn't big enough to squeeze them into.  So for the past summer every time I've thought about reading The House of Hades, I'd end up opting for a smaller book or a book that my library had in e-book form instead.  I know, I know, wimpy.  But then suddenly it was late August and The Blood of Olympus already had cover art and I knew it was time to suck it up and... the library had it on audiobook. Audiobook is actually how I experienced all five of the original Percy Jackson books, so in many ways it felt like coming home.

Boil the Water and Sharpen the Quill

Dear World,

Hi! This is the awkward first blog post!  Let's get it done!

So, the way I see it, there are two people in this blog.  There's you, the great big world (or probably just my mom), and me.  I don't know much about you.  Maybe I will soon.  Maybe we'll become friends over books or TV shows or Zelda.  As for me, I'm a tall girl (I should say young woman, but that's a mouthful) on Long Island.   . Very recently graduated from Lafayette College over in Easton and currently living with my, yup you guessed it, parents. Not for long though, I hope!  I work in NY in the television industry. Nothing exciting (yet), my job is pretty much just administrative... but I do tend to knock over late-night hosts in the elevators, so there's that.  Television doesn't pay though, so if I ever want to move of my parents' house (and believe me, I do), I need to save every scrap of a dollar... which means a lot of Ramen and not a lot of else.

Living with my parents on LI also means that I am commuting to work.. and it's a long journey.  So that's a lot of time to read, and I read a lot.  Thing is, I don't really have anyone to talk to about a lot of the books I read.  Coming out of college where talking about books and ideas took up a lot of my classes (I was a double major in Econ and English), it's kind of a harsh fall. I want to talk and think about books; with people, at people... and this want is birthing this blog.  That was an awkward phrasing, but you get the idea.  I'm going to read a lot of books and talk at you about them.  Hopefully some of you will talk back.  I'm mostly going to read YA because, well, that's my dream.  Someday I want to write YA novels and inspire the next generation of girls to kick-ass like so many writers have inspired me.  But, I like adult books too, so maybe I'll explore some of them with you.  I just like to read.

I don't know where this blog is going to go.  Maybe it'll be just books.  Maybe we'll get deep and talk about our feelings.  Maybe not.  I just want it to go somewhere... so... take a trip with me?

Always,
Vicky!

PS.  You can check me out on goodreads if you want to get a feel for what I like to read!