Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Shiver

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Publisher: Scholastic

Year: 2009

Genre: Fantasy/Romance

Age: YA 13+

Pages: 390

Rating:

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I am shocked that I haven't read this book before now! I discovered it when I was looking at lists online for books that you want to read after reading Twilight. I remember this book getting checked out a lot when I was a school librarian but it was never on my radar until this last month. I'm happy I finally read it & I'm going to finish the series this month hopefully, if not definetly next month.

The book is a good size page wise & the story is told from multiple points of view. We get Grace's point of view & Sam's; Sam is the werewolf & Grace is the girl he saved & has been in love with since. But Grace has also been watching Sam in his wolf form, hiding in the woods.

The concept of Sam changing based on the weather is something I have never heard of before. Then when Grace & her friends decide to try & find a cure for being a werewolf that is really where the story started insteresting me. Unfortunately that was about 300 pages in. But that has me hooked enough to read the rest of the books. I think that this book could have been a standalone based on the way it ended & maybe the author was going to do that, I'm not sure???

I will say that the beginning of the book was slow, I wasn't really hooked right away. I was interested enough to keep going & I'm happy I did, but if you decide to read this book just stick with it becase it does get better. The ending & the way that they decide to try & cure the wolves is INSANE! I'm not gonna give it away but WTF! That was what really kept me reading because I didn't think it was gonna work & it kinda didn't...it's hard to explain but I'm satisified with the ending & the book overall.

I also like that the words are printed in the color of the cover, this is true for all of the books. The 2nd one that's green looks espically pretty. The covers are also interesting, there's a progression shown on them that kinda gives away the story maybe? We start with this one seeing who I'm assuming to be Sam as a wolf staring at the reader. Then on the next one we see Sam I think as the wolf & Grace walking away into the woods. Then on the final one we see Sam as a human & Grace as a wolf I think, once again all of this is speculation just from looking at them. I'll include a picture of them down below so you can decide for yourself. I'm also interested in trying to find an audio version of the book & see if it has different readers.

Brownies & Broomsticks by Bailey Cates

Brownies and Broomsticks

Author: Bailey Cates
Publisher: Berkley
Year: 2012
Genre: Mystery
Age: Adult 18+

Rating:

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This is the first book in a series called the Magical Baking Mysteries. This author also writes 2 other series under different names for each one. This was our October Cook the Books book discussion book. The meeting will be October 22nd & one of the participants will be bringing a recipe from the book to share with the group.

I enjoyed this book much better than the last book we picked for the first book club meeting. This book was short but interesting & I didn't know who the killer was until the end. The main character Katie Lightfoot is fun, along with her Aunt Lucy & the "coven" of other ladies that are witches, the characters were well rounded. There is a few cute men included in the story too, a firefighter named Declan & a journalist named Steve. There's even a few magical animals including the namesake of the bakery, Honeybee. Overall I would recommend this book to someone that likes these baking or sewing mysteries. I'm going to look into reading the rest of this series.

The recipes that are included are for Peanut Butter Brownies & Cheddar & Sage Scones. I wish there was a few more recipes because Katie makes some great sounding stuff for the bakery.

The one trend I've noticed between all of these cooking mysteries I've read so far including next month's is that all the main characters are red heads, what's up with that?

Sea Witch by Sarah Henning

Author: Sarah Henning
Publisher: Harper Collins
Year: 2018
Age: YA 13+
Genre: Fantasy/Fairytale Retelling

Rating:

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WOW!!!!

This book was not what I expected at all!

I gave it 4/5 stars because the ending comes up really quickly, I think the timing could have been a little better. I also think the different perspectives is a good idea but they could use some more finesse. But overall I am very impressed considering this is her first book.

I have never read the original story of The Little Mermaid by Hans Christan Andersen but this book  makes me what to know more. I remember this summer there was a movie that was coming out called The Little Mermaid that was kinda dark & weird but I never saw it, this book reminded me of that too. More research is needed!

This story is part romance, part magic, part history, & part dark fantasy. All that crammed into only 348 pages packs a serious punch on paper. The charcters are interesting & different in their own way. The setting is beautiful & romantic but deadly next to the sea.


The princes sounded like people you could actually relate to in real life. Nik was the younger, slightly shy one. But he was still handsome & strong, leading his future people, like a prince should be. Then Iker was devilish & cunning, hard working, sexy. Two sides of a coin to complete the story.

I'm interested in the audio now that I've read it, I'm wondering if there is multiple readers since there s multiple points of view. I'll have to investigate that sometime.

Doing this kind of review style that is more about my thoughts & feelings as opposed to the summary of the story makes reading more enjoyable instead of me taking notes the entire time & trying to remember every detail. One thing I did have to do while reading this book was stop to look up some of the Danish words because their meaning wasn't in context or described well.

In the end I'm just blown away by the ending of this story, it was so good, there isn't much else to say. 

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner

Author: Stephenie Meyer
Publisher: Hachette Book Group
Year: 2010
Genre: Fantasy
Audio Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio
Audio Reader: Emma Galvin
Audio Length: 4 hours & 10 minutes

Rating:

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This is a novella book that pairs with the third book in the Twilight Saga "Eclipse". We briefly get to see Bree in the Eclipse movie before her life comes to an end at the hands of Volturi. This short story tells of life in the new born coven created by Victoria & led by a boy named Riley. Overall the story was interesting & I was glad that it was short. I was able to finish it in 2 sittings & the reader for the audio is good. I do wish that it had chapters or sections so that I could find my place again after going between the book & the audio. This book didn't add anything or take away anything from the original story so I don't feel like it was absolutely necessary to read but I don't regret doing it. You can tell from the original book that Riley is definetly being played by Victoria, it's more obvious in the movie, & it kinda makes me feel bad for these poor kids, just created to kill then be killed themselves. The one thing that stood out to me at the end & is still slightly confusing is that Bree describes a vampire with the Cullen's as red headed. Then later she says the red headed mind reader...that must be Alice? But Alice doesn't have red hair, even in the books. The only red head in the story was supposed to be Victoria, so not sure what was up with that. This is my last Twilight Saga review. Coincidentally the first Twilight book was oublished October 5, 2005, perfect timing.

October 2018 TBR

So I have a confession...I'm an addict...I'm addicted to checking out books & not reading them! I have 17 items checked out right now. Two of the items are audiobooks & one of them is a movie but the rest are books & a lot of them are NEW books!!! So I'm going to return some of the items that I will definetly not read right now & try & read the rest. This is a list of the items I will be keeping to read...I hope...don't judge me! 

Sea Witch by Sarah Henning

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36502054-sea-witch?ac=1&from_search=true 

I have had this book for like 2 months & I finally started reading it this week. I am going to have to finish it this weekend because it has a hold on it. Nothing like a hold on a bok to make you want to read it more, right?

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7937462-the-short-second-life-of-bree-tanner?ac=1&from_search=true 

I'm also currently reading this book & I alsohave the audio but it is so short I will definetly finish it this week too.

Brownies & Broomsticks by Bailey Cates 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12035966-brownies-and-broomsticks?ac=1&from_search=true 

This is our book club book for October & I was hooked by the tag line...Easy Bake Coven! I can't get over how cute it sounds. Maybe a new fav series???

The Tomb by S.A.Bodeen 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36952564-the-tomb?ac=1&from_search=true 

I read all of this authors books & our library just got this in so I snagged it. Luckily it is very short so I should be able to finish it in one sitting. 

The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Schaffer

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39832183-the-guernsey-literary-and-potato-peel-pie-society?ac=1&from_search=true 

This book is so popular right now! I need to read it while I have it or I may not have a chance for a while. Once again it is short, I'm noticing a pattern this month. 

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6068551-shiver?from_search=true

I came across this book when I was looking up similar books to Twilight this past month. Werewolves & romance seems right up my alley lately. 

The Host by Stephenie Meyer 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1656001.The_Host?ac=1&from_search=true

I have this bok on audio & I want to read it for my reading challenge. I think I only need like 4 more books & I'll complete the challenge this year!

Decluttering at the Speed of Life by Dana White

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35540769-decluttering-at-the-speed-of-life?ac=1&from_search=true 

HAHAHAHA!!!!! Ok I'm laughing thinking about me even checking this book out. If you know me you know exactly why this is so funny. 

The Rise & Fall of the Dinosaurs by Stephen Brusatte

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35068612-the-rise-and-fall-of-the-dinosaurs 

I have had this book since like June...but I really want to read it. Maybe I will return it to give some others a chance & come back to it later in the winter? Or try to get it on audio???

In reality even if I finish Sea Witch & Bree Tanner this week/end there is no ay I can read all these books this month! Help me!!! Have you read any of these? Should I ditch something else & go for a great book that I may not get to on this list? Do you want to know about the books I'm returning so I can potenitally read these? Let me know :)

September 2018 Wrap-Up

So I managed to read 5 books in September! I think that's pretty good. I'm hoping to read at least that many again in October so we'll see. These are the books I finished in September:

Cook the Books by Jessica Conant-Park 

My review is here. 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6676477-cook-the-books 

This was the book that I picked for our newest book club at the library. It wasn't great but it wasn't the worst book I've ever read either. I'm looking forward to this month's book more though.

The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer

My reviews are here: Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn

https://www.goodreads.com/series/45363-twilight
I'm really happy I finally reread this series.Then doing a book/movie comparison on them was great!

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

Breaking Dawn

Author: Stephenie Meyer
Publisher: Hatchette Book Group
Year:2008
Audio Publisher: Penguin Random House
Audio Length: 20 hours & 28 minutes
Audio Reader: Ilyana Kadushin & Matt Walters
Genre: Fantasy/Romance
Age: YA 13+

Rating:

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This is the last book in the Twilight series & I can't believe I read them all in one month!!! I was cleaning out my closet this weekend & I found my old Eclipse movie world premiere t-shirt in the closet...SCORE! But it doesn't fit which is not surprising considering it was more than 10 years ago.

This book is probably the most different from the movie overall which I will talk about a little later. One of the things that creeps me out about this book is the whole imprinting thing with Jacob & Renesmee. I know that she will grow up fast & Jacob can finally be happy & everyone is ok with it but...it still creeps me out thinking that was what was attracting Jacob to Bella. I am happy that Jacob also gets a happy ending so everyone gets what they want in the end.

The wedding in this story is brief but when it's done in the movie it is breathtaking. I always cry when I watch Bella walk down the aisle. I also can't believe the birth scene. The description in the book does not completely encompass what is happening. So then the scene in the movie is amazing & disguisting & beautiful all at the same time.

The audio of this series I think is better than the book, espically this last one because we get part of the story from Jacob's POV. What really attracts me about the books is the font & the covers. I was also happy that the reader was the same for all the books. 

This is my scale from my most favorite to my least for the books & movies:

Books
1. New Moon
2. Eclipse
3.Breaking Dawn
4. Twilight

Movies
1. Eclipse
2. New Moon
3. Breaking Dawn
4. Twilight

I plan on reading The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner next & then I hope to read her other book The Host this year too for my reading challenge. 

Now on to the book & movie comparison...
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Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1

The wedding is very different between the book & the movie. I think it's because there was so much to fit into the book & there was time for everything in the movie because it was broken down into 2 parts. The book opens with Jacob being gone, he's "missing" but really he took off because he was mad at Bella after what happened in Eclipse. He gets an invitation to the wedding & Edward has written him a note. Bella doesn't know anything about the wedding, she doesn't even look at herself until the reception. He surprises Bella at the reception but doesn't really go to the party & definetly not the ceremony. In the movie Jacob gets the wedding invitation then takes off & comes to the reception but Edward seems to be in on it. Bella also gets to be involved a little in the planning etc.

In the book Bella is having weird dreams about a vampire child after Carlisle tells her about the Denali coven & their mother with the immortal child. In the movie she just has a dream that Edward kills everyone at their wedding & the story about the immortal child comes later once Renesmee has been born.

Edward also tells Bella about his rebellious streak in the movie before his bachelor party. This is a cool addition that is different from the story.

One of the thoughts that crossed my mind during the wedding was how to vampires get married? They have to have paperwork & birth certificates etc. Someone must forge that stuff? Or they have special paperwork or people that perform the ceremonies, I'm not sure but I think it would be interesting to find out.

As I said before all the details of the wedding & the honeymoon & just everything is beautiful. Her dress, the ceremony, the cake, the house, all of it is over the top!

During the honeymoon in the movie the book is represented by the chess game between Bella & Edward.

One of the things that is a little freaky in the book that they never show or talk about in the movie is when Jake finds out Bella is pregnant & he is talking with Edward, Edward says that if Jake can talk Bella into aborting the baby then he would agree to let her have a baby with Jake as long as she agrees & lives through this. Jake of course is all for this but he doesn't talk Bella out of having the vampire baby.

As the story progresses the tesion between the pack & the Cullens gets worse. In the movie though there is a big fight scene after the baby is born that doesn't occur in the book. This seems to be a pattern with the movies, creating fight scenes that look cool on screen but never actually happen in the story.

In the book Jacob's struggles with imprinting are even worse then in the movie. At one point in the book he leaves & goes to a mall to try & meet people & imprint on someone. It is discussed in the movie because Leah is struggling with it too but the issue is more pronounced in the book.

Another difference that I think was happening from the beginning is in the movies the pack can hear eachothers thoughts all the time. But in the book they can only hear eachother when they are in wolf form. This practice really comes to light when Jake seperates himself from Sam & the others.

In the movie we get to see the crazy birth then Bella's transformation take place. It's really cool in the movie to see her body parts changing. Then she is beautiful when she opens her red creepy eyes. In the book this is where the shift from Jacob's POV back to Bella's takes place. It also happens to be when the first movie ends.
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Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2

This movie is a lot closer to the book than the first part is. There is some minor differences between them but overall the movie follows the story showing us more places & details but ending at the same point.

The biggest difference between this movie & the book of course is the crazy fight scene at the end with the Volturi. I think fans of the movie were really happy to see this go down in the end but it NEVER happens in the book. There is some tension & a little action when Irina gets killed but nothing big ever happens.

Getting to see the other vampires is one of the main focuses in this movie. We also get to see Renesmee more & she starts to grow up. I feel like in the book she is slightly younger than in the movie but maybe not a significant amount.

The movie also has a great montague at the end showing the whole series in a fly by from Bella to Edward. Then the credits for everyone in all the movies which is a good ending. There is actually a lot of famous faces in this series that you don't always recgonize until they are lined up next to eachother.

I will also say that Renesmee is creepy when she is a baby. They have a CGI face thing going on that is unsettling to look at, so it's a good thing she grows up quick!