Bout of Books wrap-up

I enjoyed participating in this read-a-thon. I wish I could have done more challenges and kept more regular update posts, but maybe next time. I did finish The Strange Case of Finley Jayne and Persuasion, which surprises me. I should probably do more read-a-thons, because I tend to read more during these events. Thanks to  Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal for hosting the event!

Persuasion by Jane Austen thoughts

 I did finish Persuasion today, but will save most of my review for when I finish For Darkness Shows the Stars. This is the first Jane Austen book I have ever read. I know, I know, how could I have not read Jane Austen before! I have watched Pride and Prejudice (mini-series and movie) and Emma (movie), but never actually read the books. I had one friend tell me I started with the worst one, but I really liked Persuasion. The romance seemed mature and well developed and I enjoyed the characters. Anne and Captain Wentworth have a relationship that stood the test of time and influence. I liked the setting and I love reading books from this time period when people worried about silly things like social standing and talked about poetry. There are some great quotes in this book as well. I hope to read more Jane Austen at a later date, but for now I have other books waiting to be read.

The Strange Case of Finley Jayne by Kady Cross

Finley Jayne wonders if she will ever be employed again, after punching out the governess at her last place. Granted Finley was only protecting the little boy the governess was continually abusing, but no one will want a girl with superhuman strength. At least that is what she thinks until meeting Lady Morton. Lady Morton needs a companion for her daughter Phoebe and even though she knows Finley's past, she wants her. The job is one seems to be too good to be true, and it just might be as Finley finds out the upper class has problems of its own.

This is a unique twist on the story of Frankenstein and Finley is a take on Jekyll and Hyde. I loved seeing more into Finley's character and learning how deep her loyalty runs. I also liked seeing her with her mother without the feelings of betrayal that were in The Girl in the Steel Corset.

Favorite Character: Finley is a great character, both strong and loving.

Favorite Quote:"'If there's anyone in here, just clear your throat and I'll go back where I came from,' she said. Better to feel foolish for talking to an empty room than accidentally spy a gentleman's naked backside."

I liked this novella and the insights into Finley's past. I give it 5 bars of chocolate, because I do like the character of Finley.

Bout of Books update

So I should never say the week will not be busy, as busy, etc. I ended up having three late nights this week in a row, but tomorrow is the last one. I did however finish the novella for the read-a-thon. I also did the book word search at The Musings of ALMYBNENR. I enjoyed it and it took longer than I originally thought. I love word searches though. Hopefully I can review The Strange Case of Finley Jayne tomorrow. I have made progress in Persuasion, but not much. However, now it is time to go to sleep!

Bout of Books 5.0

This is a read-a-thon hosted by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal and can be found at this blog. Technically I am supposed to be reading books for my other challenges, but this looked like fun. So the challenge is to read more books than you usually would in a week, but to go at your own pace. I am going to use at least one of my other challenge books in this one. I usually do not even finish a book a week, so I think I will make my goal two books for this week. I want to read Persuasion by Jane Austen as the first book. I am having a hard time getting into it, so I think using it for the read-a-thon will help. The other one I am choosing is a novella and that is the Strange Case of Finley Jayne by Kady Cross. I really enjoyed The Girl in the Steel Corset, so I would love to learn more about Finley. Hopefully I can finish these, since this week is not as busy as last week.

Reading Stack #19

I finished my Summer Reading Wrap-up books and one of those was also my Dusty Bookshelf Challenge book. I also read Holding on to Zoe and I will review this soon. I am trying to figure out my thoughts on this book, because I am not for sure what I thought about it. I like to take a few days to think about the difficult to review books to try to decide if what I thought was bad is really bad, or if I didn't get it at first. This one is difficult, because the main character had so many problems and at times I felt like there were too many to try to tie up at the end. For now though, I am going to keep reading Tiger Lily, Princess Academy: Palace of Stone, and Persuasion, which I have neglected. I have so many others I would love to add, like some series books and new e-galleys, but I am just lucky to have finished what I had started. I will be choosing another book for the Dusty Bookshelf Challenge very soon, so I will add that on when I have decided.

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

This is my final review for Summer Reading Wrap-up. I can't believe I was able to finish both books. This is also my first review for the Dusty Bookshelf Challenge.

The cover first attracted me to this book. I love how the font looks alive, like it is part of a tree. Since the book was described as a gothic romance, I thought I would give it a try.

Ethan Wate's one goal in life is to leave Gatlin and go anywhere else. His mother has recently died, his father has become a recluse, and Amma, their housekeeper, is the closest thing to a parent he has. Amma practices her form of magic, using bones to talk to her ancestors, and leaving protective charms around the Wate's house. Ethan eagerly awaits graduation, although he is only a sophomore, so that he can escape his life. However, Ethan begans being haunted by a dream and a girl he cannot save. When a new girl, Lena, comes to town, Ethan sees her as the girl from his dreams, but she is the daughter of the town's "Boo Radley," Macon Ravenwood. Despite Lena being shunned by the town, Ethan is drawn to her and she is drawn to him. If their only problem was town prejudice, the relationship might last, but Lena has a bigger problem. Lena is a Caster, a family that uses either Dark magic or Light magic, and she is almost sixteen. For Casters, sixteen is the year they choose their paths, or in Lena's branch's case their destiny is chosen for them. Lena and Ethan must find a way to break her sixteen year curse or risk losing each other.

I loved the setting and the way Garcia and Stohl described Gatlin and its residents. Ethan is also a great narrator and it was nice to read from a male point of view, since lately many of the series I have read are from the girls'. The romance was sweet and innocent and although it was a little love at first sight, the authors gave the characters time to grow together by starting the story over 170 days before Lena's birthday.

Favorite Character: Ethan was my favorite. He really wants to get out of his small town, which is what most of us from a small town dream about doing. He is also very loving and loyal to his family, his best friend, and Lena.  His best friend Link was also a great character and very funny.

Favorite Quote: "'Just because you live in the middle of nowhere, doesn't mean you can't know where you live.'" This was said by Marian the librarian of Gatlin and another really neat character.

I loved the characters of this book and its setting and I can't wait to visit it again with the next book! This was another 5 bars of chocolate book for me!