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Thursday, September 19, 2013
Which Language Do You Speak?
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Since I'm probably the last person on Earth to read this one, I'll try not to get too wordy with the "plot" description of Dr. Gary Chapman's popular book, The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts. Basically, Chapman—a long-time pastor and marriage counselor—believes that each person receives love most meaningfully through one of five approaches: Touch; Words of Affirmation; Acts of Service; Receiving Gifts; and Quality Time. This is his or her Primary Love Language. The next most appealing one is their Secondary Love Language. This means that while a wife may enjoy receiving jewelry or hearing how amazing she is, if the things that really melt her heart are her husband's offers to make dinner when she's too tired to do it herself or to fold the laundry so she doesn't have to, her Primary Love Language is probably Acts of Service. Other "languages" may speak to her, but this is the one that really lets her know she's loved and appreciated.
Why is knowing your own and other people's love languages so important? As Chapman explains, this information can literally transform your relationships. Speaking specifically to married couples, the author urges spouses to discover their own Primary Love Language as well as their partner's so that they can show love to each other more effectively. Want to really show your husband how much he means to you? Try doing it in his love language, not your own. For such a simple concept, it's actually quite revolutionary. Chapman offers numerous examples of how this knowledge helped couples he worked with create happier, more fulfilling marriages. He offers suggestions on how to apply the same principles in your own home. In subsequent books Chapman also discusses how this approach can be used in parenting young children and teenagers; dating; getting along with others in the workplace; and in dealing with a military marriage.
The 5 Languages is quick, readable and uplifting. It offers not just practical tips for improving relationships, but also hope that even the rockiest marriages can be saved with the unselfish application of the principles in the book. Since even the most solid unions need strengthening sometimes, the book's information applies to all of us. It truly is an easy, inspiring read and one I highly recommend.
For lots of free, online information about The 5 Love Languages, visit: http://www.5lovelanguages.com/
(Readalikes: Hm, I can't think of anything. Guess I should read more relationship-y books, eh?)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for references to sex
To the FTC, with love: I purchased a copy of The Five Love Languages from Amazon with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger. Ha ha.
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
TTT: What I'm FALLing For This Autumn
It's Tuesday again and, although I'm feeling a little under the weather, I'm excited for this week's TTT. Especially since we've got a nice, easy topic this time around. Sometimes, I can't think of one item that fits the weekly prompt, let alone ten, but when it comes to books I'm planning to read, that's easy as pie (although I don't even attempt to make pie because it's way too hard, so that's probably a crap analogy ... whatever). So, without further ado (Wait! One quick ado—Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely ladies over at The Broke and the Bookish), I give you Top Ten Books on My Fall TBR List:
1. Monsters by Ilsa J. Bick—This is the final book in Bick's dystopian Ashes trilogy. I adored the first installment in the series, was a little less impressed by the second, and can't wait for the third. If you like zombie novels, definitely give these a try.
2. More Than This by Patrick Ness—Ness' Chaos Walking series is one of my very favorites, so I was excited to learn that the author published TWO new books this year. While The Crane Wife, an adult magical realism novel, sounds interesting, it's the YA novel that really interests me. In it, a boy who's pretty sure he drowned wakes up in a strange, alternative world that vaguely resembles the place he lived as a child. It's up to him to figure out what in the world is going on. Sounds good, right?
3. Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein—Like lots of other readers, I found Code Name Verity a unique and compelling read. The author's much-anticipated new book is another WWII thriller that's supposed to be just as amazing as her debut novel.
4. A Spark Unseen by Sharon Cameron—I just finished The Dark Unwinding, the first novel in Cameron's YA steampunk series about a girl who discovers the strange, but intriguing world her eccentric grandfather inhabits. The next installment sounds just as entrancing. I can't wait to read it!
5. Blackmoore by Julianne Donaldson—I enjoyed Donaldson's debut novel, Edenbrooke, and am glad to see that her newest is getting rave reviews. Good, clean reads are difficult to find, so I'm excited about this one.
6. SYLO by D.J. MacHale—This one's been out for a little while now, but I haven't gotten a chance to dive into it just yet. It's about a boy living on an isolated island who witnesses several cold-blooded murders that lead him to try to escape. It's supposed to be a "high-octane," apocalyptic thriller—how could I not be drawn to this one?
7. The Clockwork Scarab by Colleen Gleason—Bram Stoker's sister and Sherlock Holmes' niece team up to solve the mystery of disappearing debutantes in this YA mystery/steampunk/romance. Sounds fun, no?
8. Frozen by Melissa de la Cruz and Michael Johnston—I just received an invitation to be on the blog tour for this one. This dystopian thriller is about a young blackjack dealer who risks it all to flee post-apocalyptic Las Vegas for the mythical "Blue," a place where beauty still exists—if only she can survive to see it. Sounds a little cliché, but still intriguing.
9. Dead Girls Don't Lie by Jennifer Shaw Wolf—I love novels about the terrible secrets that tear people apart (I'm just sadistic like that), so this one, about a girl who's trying to figure out how her friend really died, sounds like it will be right up my alley.
10. Where the Stars Still Shine by Trish Doller—Stories about kids raised in unique situations (cults, remote villages, etc.) trying to integrate into the "normal" world always intrigue me. This one, about a girl who's been raised off-the-grid by the mother who kidnapped her and is released to her father after her mom is arrested, sounds super compelling.
What do you think? Any of these sound good to you, too? What's on your Fall TBR list?
* Book images from Barnes & Noble
Monday, September 16, 2013
Can a Newbie Author Pull Off Such an Ambitious Plot? Well, No, Not Really.
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
School and 17-year-old Tyler MacCandless don't get along very well. It's not that he doesn't try. He does. And it's not that he isn't smart enough. He is. It's just that his ADHD makes it difficult to sit still, impossible to concentrate. It's a whole lot easier to pretend he doesn't care. Blowing off class to spend quality time with his game console is more to Tyler's liking anyway. And, if he does it well, it might even lead to a real job. That's what Rick Anderson, an Air Force vet who's become Tyler's mentor and father figure, says. He's given Tyler an amazing new game to test—if Tyler can reach a high enough score, he can earn his way into flight school. At the very least, the game keeps his mind off his other problems: failing grades, his workaholic mother, and an older brother who's in rehab trying to get clean.
Ani Bagdorian is a brilliant, 16-year-old computer programmer from L.A. A freshman at Yale, she's feeling just a little out of place. At least her secret job designing software for a mysterious company called Haranco pays for most of her tuition. Even if the whole situation makes her feel a little uneasy. Still, she doesn't dare quit, not if she wants to keep herself out of jail.
When Tyler and Ani meet, the two are instantly attracted to each other. Not that they're allowed to have any kind of relationship. Haranco won't allow it. But the more the two learn about the dangerous game they're both playing, the more sure they are of one thing: something screwy's going on. And they're going to get to the bottom of it, whether Haranco likes it or not. With a powerful corporation tracking their every move, the pair will have to use every ounce of smarts, sense and courage they've got to solve the mystery before people get hurt—people who include not just themselves, but everyone they love.
While the premise behind Playing Tyler, a debut YA thriller by T.L. Costa, sounded intriguing, it also seemed ambitious. Maybe too ambitious for a newbie author. Turning a plot that already sounds far-fetched into something believable—well, I just wasn't sure Costa could pull it off. And she didn't, not really. Still, there were things the author did right, things that surprised me, things that made the novel more entertaining than I thought it would be. Tyler, for one—the thoughts constantly pin-balling around in his head, echoed in the stacatto rhythm of his narration, as well as his hot-tempered, half-baked ideas and actions just seemed right-on for a teenage boy with ADHD. After reading a few chapters of the book, I actually said aloud to my husband, "Wow, no wonder [a kid we know]'s the way he is, if this is what goes on in his head all day." So, that at least seemed authentic to me. The rest? Not so much. Costa's prose definitely impressed me more than I thought it would, but Playing Tyler's still full of contrived plot twists, under-developed characters and a storyline that should have been trimmed in order to create a stronger, tighter narrative. I ended up enjoying this one, more or less, but it's still a pretty average thriller, in my (oh, so humble) opinion. And yet, Costa is an author on which I'll definitely be keeping me eye.
(Readalikes: Reminded me of The Kill Room by Jeffery Deaver)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for strong language, sexual innuendo/content, depictions of underage drinking/illegal drug use, and violence
To the FTC, with love: I received a finished copy of Playing Tyler from the generous folks at Strange Chemistry via those at BookSparks PR. Thank you!
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Bookish Me, From A to Z
Author you’ve read the most books from:
I'm not a frequent enough user of Goodreads to look there for help with this one, so who knows if this answer's accurate or not, but I would guess Jodi Picoult. I've read every book she's written except the two or three newest. She's definitely one of my faves!
Best Sequel Ever:
I'm going to go with Scarlet by Marissa Meyer. I loved Cinder so much that I was a *little* bit afraid to read the sequel. Turned out, I had no reason to fear. In Scarlet, Meyer introduced a whole new set of characters with their own storyline, which was disorienting for a second. But only a second. Then, it was awesome! The new cast was just as compelling as the old, plus Meyer kept the action going strong and used the continuing plot from Cinder as a parallel, then intersecting, storyline in Scarlet. I think I just made it sound a whole lot more confusing than it is. Just trust me on this one, Scarlet's a fine example of a sequel that gets everything right.
Currently Reading:
The Dark Unwinding by Sharon Cameron. Why didn't I pick this one up earlier? I'm devouring it.
Drink of Choice While Reading:
Most of the time, I go with a nice, big glass of ice water. I'm just boring like that.
E-reader or Physical Book?
I used to rage endlessly against e-books. Then I got a Kindle Fire. And I didn't hate it. In fact, I sorta loved it. I still read more *real* books than e-books, but I like the flexibility that owning a Kindle gives me. This quote from Stephen Fry sums up my feelings on the subject exactly: "Books are no more threatened by [e-readers] than stairs by elevators."
Fictional Character You Probably Would Have Actually Dated In High School:
I don't know, probably someone sweet and nerdy, like Simon from The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare.
Glad You Gave This Book A Chance:
Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer. This swashbuckling YA novel really didn't sound like my kind of thing, but lots of bloggers were raving about it, so I decided to give it a try. It ended up being a huge favorite.
Hidden Gem Book:
Can I cheat and use the answer above for this one, too?
Important Moment in your Reading Life:
I didn't realize it at the time, but deciding to keep an online reading journal changed my reading life forever. It was the earliest incarnation of this blog. Creating BBB opened up my reading world in ways I couldn't even fathom back in the day.
Just Finished:
Not A Drop To Drink by Mindy McGinnis -- It's one of the most frightening YA dystopians I've read in a long time because it presents a scenario that could actually happen. Plus, it's intriguing, well-written and peopled with compelling characters.
Kinds of Books You Won’t Read:
Erotica -- just, no thanks
Poetry -- usually I'm too dense to understand it
Boring Non-Fiction -- zzzzzzzzz
Longest Book You’ve Read:
Hm, I don't know for sure. Probably something by Stephen King. Or Brandon Sanderson.
Major book hangover because of:
A couple years ago, I had a thyroidectomy, followed by two rounds of iodine radiation therapy. While radioactive, I couldn't leave my bedroom, so I spent lots of time reading. During the first round, I read the first three books in The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare back-to-back. The story definitely kept me entertained, but man, I was in some pain afterward: my eyes stung, my head throbbed and my hands hurt from holding those big, ole tomes.
Number of Bookcases You Own:
I have bookcases all over my house, but there are 5 main ones. I haven't posted pictures of my brand new, 9 feet tall x 12 feet long beauty, but heck, there's no time like the present. Here's the unfilled version:
I'm about 5'5", so that gives you an idea of this bookcase's crazy bigness. I LOVE it! I'll post the filled and frou-frou-ed version later.
One Book You Have Read Multiple Times:
I'm not much of a re-reader, although I've read both Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins twice—does that count?
Preferred Place To Read:
My reclining couch or in my adjustable bed. Yes, I am a senior citizen.
Quote that inspires you/gives you all the feels from a book you’ve read:
I can't think of a book-specific quote, but I like this one from Stephen King: "Books are a uniquely portable magic."
Reading Regret:
I regret not having re-read the Harry Potter books yet. I enjoyed them all as they came out, but haven't gone back to re-enjoy them yet. I definitely need to do that—and soon!
Series You Started And Need To Finish(all books are out in series):
It would take me years to list all the series I've started and haven't finished yet. 'Course, most of them are still being written. So, for this question, I'll choose ... the original Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan.
Three of your All-Time Favorite Books:
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Unapologetic Fangirl For:
The Hunger Games series. Even if the movie didn't quite capture its essence and my husband now thinks I'm a cold-hearted monster for loving the story, even then, I adore it.
Very Excited For This Release More Than All The Others:
I've been waiting and waiting to get my hands on The Shade of the Moon, a new entry in Susan Beth Pfeffer's YA dystopian series. The story officially ended with This World We Live In, but we fans pressured her to continue the story and voila, she did! The good folks at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt recently sent me an ARC and I can't wait to dive into it.
Worst Bookish Habit:
Probably eating while I read. I can't count the number of times I've dripped something on a page or marred it with a greasy fingerprint. Unforgivable, I know.
X Marks The Spot: Start at the top left of your shelf and pick the 27th book:
Since I have about a bajillion bookcases, I chose the behemoth that houses all my adult review books (see photo above). The top left section houses non-fiction, so the 27th is Ree Drummond's The Pioneer Woman Cooks. I've had this cookbook since it came out and haven't even cracked the spine yet. What's wrong with me??
Your latest book purchase:
Probably The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. I love his quirky, creepy stories, but this one's getting mixed reviews so I've been hesitating to read it. I'll get to it eventually.
ZZZ-snatcher book (last book that kept you up WAY late):
Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts. The book wasn't even that good, I just wanted to finish it, even though I knew reading it late at night was going to give me nightmares. Which it totally did.
So, what do you think? Did you learn anything new about me? Have you done this survey on your blog? If so, let me know as I'd love to come learn more about you and your bookish life. If you haven't done the A to Z survey yet, do, it's a whole lot of fun!
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