Book Recommendations Part 6

I think it's about time for some more book recommendations, don't you? Because as you all know, I love to read and I love sharing my favourites with others so that we can all suffer together at the hands of a stack of paper. I mean, because I want you all to have a pleasant reading experience. Yeah, that one.

So here are two more YA lit books, both at the beginnings of series, that I think some of you might enjoy.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

This book is the first in The Lunar Chronicles and is probably some of the best re-invented fairytale lit I have ever read. I'd heard a lot about this series long before I picked up Cinder and I had been keeping it in the back of my head. Finally, a few months ago, I decided to give it a go and I was sucked in immediately. Meyer's world-building is superb and her characters are interesting and exciting.

Summary: Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future. (via goodreads)

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Graceling is the first in the Graceling Realm books, which is a YA fantasy series. This is another great example of excellent world building and truly fantastic characters. I got really into the story and incredibly attached to the main character, Katsa, as well as Po. I actually just finished the last book in this series a week or so ago and was so upset when it was over. It's one o those worlds I wish I could stay in longer.

Summary: Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight - she's a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king's thug. When she first meets Prince Po, Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change. She never expects to become Po's friend. She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace - or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away. (via goodreads)

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My Book Recommendations Part 5

I love doing these posts and I'm super excited to share two more of my favourite books with you guys today. I hope I'm not the only one who loves these recommendations, but even if I am, oh well. Take a look and maybe find something new to read!

Deathless by Catherynne M. Valente

This book is one of the best things I have ever read, hands down. I mean, I obviously only share my favourites here with you guys, but this is close to the top of the list. It is beautifully written, dark, gritty, and romantic (in all sorts of twisted ways) while also being a sort of social commentary on Soviet Russia. Valente recently announced that she is coming out with a companion novel for it and I am ecstatic!

Summary: Koschei the Deathless is to Russian folklore what devils or wicked witches are to European culture: a menacing, evil figure; the villain of countless stories which have been passed on through story and text for generations. But Koschei has never before been seen through the eyes of Catherynne Valente, whose modernized and transformed take on the legend brings the action to modern times, spanning many of the great developments of Russian history in the twentieth century.

Deathless, however, is no dry, historical tome: it lights up like fire as the young Marya Morevna transforms from a clever child of the revolution, to Koschei’s beautiful bride, to his eventual undoing. Along the way there are Stalinist house elves, magical quests, secrecy and bureaucracy, and games of lust and power. All told, Deathless is a collision of magical history and actual history, of revolution and mythology, of love and death, which will bring Russian myth back to life in a stunning new incarnation. (via goodreads)

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman never disappoints me. This isn't a very long book, but it's absolutely brilliant. Gaiman's writing is on point, per usual, and the story is captivating and magical and a little scary in all the right ways. If you're a Gaiman fan and you haven;t read this yet, you really should.

Summary: Sussex, England. A middle-aged man returns to his childhood home to attend a funeral. Although the house he lived in is long gone, he is drawn to the farm at the end of the road, where, when he was seven, he encountered a most remarkable girl, Lettie Hempstock, and her mother and grandmother. He hasn't thought of Lettie in decades, and yet as he sits by the pond (a pond that she'd claimed was an ocean) behind the ramshackle old farmhouse, the unremembered past comes flooding back. And it is a past too strange, too frightening, too dangerous to have happened to anyone, let alone a small boy.

Forty years earlier, a man committed suicide in a stolen car at this farm at the end of the road. Like a fuse on a firework, his death lit a touchpaper and resonated in unimaginable ways. The darkness was unleashed, something scary and thoroughly incomprehensible to a little boy. And Lettie—magical, comforting, wise beyond her years—promised to protect him, no matter what. (via goodreads)

There you go, some more reading material for you all. Both of which I can guarantee you are excellent, as far as I'm concerned at least.

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My Book Recommendations Part 4

Alright, I have done a book recommendation post in forever, which is crazy because I read so much and I have so many books that I think other people should read. So today I have three recs for you, all which are the first books in a series, all urban/fantasy young adult literature. Because young adult lit is probably my favourite thing to read.

So first we have...

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

This is probably one of the most beautifully written books I have ever read. Laini Taylor is a master of words and this books drags you in and has you completely enthralled within minutes of starting it. It'll have you laughing and crying and practically cooing at the characters as you go along. The moment I finished it I had to get the second one and start reading it. And the third comes out this April!

Summary: Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky. In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grown dangerously low. And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war. (via goodreads)

Other Books in the Series: 2. Days of Blood & Starlight; 2.5. Night of Cake and Puppets; 3. Dreams of Gods and Monsters

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Okay, I know I have talked about this book before. The Raven Cycle is one of my favourite books series ever, hands down. I love it. Maggie Stiefvater's writing is incredible, the story is original and enchanting, and the characters are amazing. Characters are what really do it for me when it comes to books, and Maggie's are always great. Seriously, if you only ever read one thing I recommend, make it this one.

Summary: “There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive. Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her. His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

Other Books in the Series: 2. The Dream Thieves (which is even better than the first); 3. TBA

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

This is a fantasy book and one of my favourites to date. It's beautifully written, funny, dark, full of love and magic and evil. Everything you need to make a fantastic story. This is another book series where the characters really make it something special.

Summary: The Shadow Fold, a swathe of impenetrable darkness, crawling with monsters that feast on human flesh, is slowly destroying the once-great nation of Ravka. Alina, a pale, lonely orphan, discovers a unique power that thrusts her into the lavish world of the kingdom’s magical elite—the Grisha. Could she be the key to unravelling the dark fabric of the Shadow Fold and setting Ravka free?

Other Books in the Series: 1.5. The Tailor; 2. Siege and Storm // short stories: The Witch of Duva & The Too-Clever Fox

So there you have it, some excellent books to read if you're itching for some magic in your life. If you pick any of them up let me know what you think. These are all books that I love to talk about at any given opportunity.

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Books I Read in 2013

I didn't read quite as many books in 2013 as I wanted to, but I did put a decent dent in my reading list and I am hoping to make an even bigger one in the year to come. I've decided to share everything I've read this year with a simple star rating to let you know how much I enjoyed each read. Most everything is a part of a series and I'll make sure I give you the book numbers so you know.

The Hollows Series by Kim Harrison

• 5. For a Few Demons More ****
• 6.  The Outlaw Demon Wails ****

The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Claire

• 3. Clockwork Princess ****

Night World Series by LJ Smith

• Night World, No1 (Books 1-3) ****
• Night World, No2 (Books 4-6) ****
• Night World, No3 (Books 7-9) ****

Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor

• 1. Daughter of Smoke and Bone *****
• 2. Days of Blood and Starlight *****
• 2.5. Night of Cake and Puppets *****

House of Night Series by PC & Kristin Cast

• 10. Hidden ***

Sweep Series by Cate Tiernan

• 7. The Calling ***
• 8. Changeling ***

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

• 1. Vampire Academy ****
• 2. Frostbite ****
• 3. Shadow Kiss ****
• 4. Blood Promise ****
• 5. Spirit Bound ****
• 6. Last Sacrifice ****

Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

• 1. Bloodlines ****
• 2. The Golden Lily ****
• 3. The Indigo Spell ****
• 4. The Fiery Heart ****

The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater

• 1. The Raven Boys *****
• 2. The Dream Thieves *****

Wolves of Mercy Falls by Maggie Stiefvater

• 1. Shiver ****
• 2. Linger ****
• 3. Forever ****

Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth

• 1. Divergent ***
• 2. Insurgent ***
• 3. Allegiant ***

The Grisha Series by Leigh Bardugo

• 0.5. The Witch of Duva (fairytale) *****
• 1. Shadow and Bone *****
• 1.5. The Tailor (novella) ****
• 2. Siege and Storm *****
• 2.5. The Too-Clever Fox (fairytale) *****

Penryn & the End of Days by Susan Ee

• 1. Angelfall *****
• 2. World After *****

Mara Dyer Series by Michelle Hodkin

• 1. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer ***/*

Greywalker Series by Kat Richardson

• 2. Poltergeist ****

Stand Alone Books

• Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen *****
• American Gods by Neil Gaiman *****
• Good Omens by Neil Gaiman & Terry Prachett *****
• The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater *****
• Looking for Alaska by John Green *****
• The Fault in Our Stars by John Green *****
• How to Be an Explorer of the World by Keri Smith ****
• Women Who Run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes *****
• Getting a Life, Even if You're Dead by Beth Watson **/*

Out of this list I 100% recommend: The Daughter of Smoke and Bone books, The Raven Cycle books, The Grisha books, Good Omens, and The Scorpio Races.

You can check out what I plan to read next year here. Now what about you guys -read anything good this year? I am always open to recommendations!

2013 Reading List Update

So back in January I made myself a reading list for the year. Since then I have added ad removed books from that list as well as, you know, read some of them. So I thought it would be fun to share a little update about what's on my list and what I've gotten through so far. 

The List:

[to read / read / reading]

1. The Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling

2. My Name is Will by Jess Winfield

3. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett

4. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

5. How to be an Explorer of the World by Keri Smith

6. Women Who Run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes

7. Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

8. Night World, No 1 by LJ Smith

9. Night World, No 2 by LJ Smith

10. Soul Between the Lines by Dorothy Randall Gray

11. The Vampire Armand by Anne Rice

12. For A Few Demons More by Kim Harrison

13. The Outlaw Demon Wails by Kim Harrison

14. Looking for Alaska by John Green

15. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

16. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

17. The Spiral Dance by Starhawk

18. American Gods by Neil Gaiman

19. Hidden by PC & Kristin Cast

20. I Was a Teenage Fairy by Francesca Lia Block

21. Changeless by Gail Carriger

22. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

23. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

24. The Calling by Cate Tiernan

25. Changeling by Cate Tiernan

26. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

27. Hit List by Laurell K Hamilton

28. Kiss the Dead by Laurell K Hamilton

29. Stardust by Neil Gaiman

30. A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

31. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

32. A Game of Thrones by George RR Martin

33. Poltergeist by Kat Richardson

-find this list on goodreads-

A lot of the books on this list are parts of series. I'm really big into urban fantasy series -I love vampires, don't judge me- as well as some similar type young adult ones. Because young adult is for everyone and anyone who thinks that ya lit is childish and not worth their time is stupid. Sorry not sorry if that sounded rude if you are one of those people. Books snobs are just annoying, you know?

via my instagram

Anyways, currently I am engrossed in Inkheart. I've seen the movie a bunch and found the book on my mom's bookcase and snatched it from her (don't worry I'll return it... eventually) for my next read. I am about 3/4 done with it and absolutely love it. I'm hoping to find the other two sometime soon as well.

And if you're looking for something to read, I definitely recommend American Gods or Good Omens. Both were phenomenal (I do love Neil Gaiman) and relatively quick reads. And if you're into urban fantasy you should check out the Kim Harrison books I listed (those are middle of the series books, but the link will bring you to a goodreads page where you can locate the full list) or the Night World books for urban fantasy young adult books.

What have you been reading lately? Any suggestions for me?

Manda Rave

My Book Recommendations Part 3

So this is part 3 of my book recommendation series! I call it the "kids edition" because I am going to share some novels I love that are geared towards kids. I may be 22 years old, but I am not one to pass up a good book, regardless of the age group it is meant for.

Up first is....

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

I saw the movie for this before I read the book. I loooved the movie (even though the Other Mother freaked me out) so when I found the book at Goodwill for 50 cents I snatched it up. I loved it, and it's even creepier than the movie.

Summary: Coraline's often wondered what's behind the locked door in the drawing room. It reveals only a brick wall when she finally opens it, but when she tries again later, a passageway mysteriously appears. Coraline is surprised to find a flat decorated exactly like her own, but strangely different. And when she finds her "other" parents in this alternate world, they are much more interesting despite their creepy black button eyes... (via Goodreads)

and next we have...

The Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket

The cover above is for the first book in this series. There are 13 in total. I read this awhile back and I absolutely adore them. Lemony Snicket's writing is fun and quirky and the way he weaves everything together is just masterful. I cannot praise these books strongly enough.

Summary: A Series of Unfortunate Events is a series of children's novels which follows the turbulent lives of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire after their parents' death in an arsonous house fire. The children are placed in the custody of their distant cousin Count Olaf, who begins to abuse them and openly plots to embezzle their inheritance. After the Baudelaires are removed from his care by their parents' estate executor, Arthur Poe, Olaf begins to doggedly hunt the children down, bringing about the serial slaughter and demise of a multitude of characters. (via Wikipedia)

There you have it, some wonderfully fantastic novels geared for kids but honestly great for any age.

I was thinking of doing urban fantasy recommendations for the next post. Or perhaps classics that I really adore. Thoughts or preferences?

Lady Unlaced

My Book Recommendations Part 2

Getting Gothy

I love dark and "gothic" literature. A lot. I was a goth chick in high school and although I have grown out of my morbid, angsty teen years, there's not much I love more than a good vampire book. For today's book recommendations post I thought I would stick with a delightfully dark theme and share three of my favourite gothic must-reads.

Dracula by Bram Stoker

The most well-known vampire novel in history without a doubt, Dracula by Bram Stoker, is one of my favourite books of all time. I read it when I was about 14 and have loved it ever since.

Summary: Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to relocate from Transylvania to England, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor Abraham Van Helsing. (via Wikipedia)

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

I read this book for a summer reading project in high school and couldn't put it down. Wilde's writing is magnificent and the story is incredibly compelling. 

Summary: [The] story of a fashionable young man who sells his soul for eternal youth and beauty is the author’s most popular work. The tale of Dorian Gray’s moral disintegration caused a scandal when it first appeared in 1890, but though Wilde was attacked for the novel’s corrupting influence, he responded that there is, in fact, “a terrible moral in Dorian Gray.” (via Goodreads)

Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice

I absolutely love Anne Rice. She is a master of her craft and has written some of the most interesting and well-developed vampires in literary history. According to me at least, and seeing as these are my recommendations, my opinion is what we're going with here, haha. This is the first in The Vampire Chronicles and I highly suggest it for any vampire fan out there. 

Summary: In a darkened room a young man sits telling the macabre and eerie story of his life - the story of a vampire, gifted with eternal life, cursed with an exquisite craving for human blood. (via Goodreads)

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There you go! Three necessary reads to satiate your inner goth!

Lady Unlaced

More book recommendations? Check out Part 1 of this ongoing blog series.

2013 Reading List

Although I am not completely finished with my schooling, my time as a college student is reaching it's end. I couldn't be happier about this, because while I have enjoyed much of my time studying and living on campus, I am more than ready to start a new chapter in my life. And with the end of schoolwork comes more free time to devote to the things I love, like reading!

I have compiled a list of books that I am hoping to read this year with all my extra time. I made the list first on my goodreads account as a shelf. It is a rather long list that I know I will deviate from a bit, perhaps take things off of, and undoubtedly add to. But I wanted to share a few of the things on it that I am definitely cracking open this year.

1. Women Who Run With The Wolves

I'm actually already in the process of reading this one and have been for awhile. It's really good and I highly recommend it for all women.

2. The Casual Vacancy

I am a huge Harry Potter fan so J.K. Rowling's new book is a necessary read for me, even if it's not my usual type of read.

3. Hit List

Hit List is #20 in my favourite urban fantasy series and it has been out for awhile (#21 is even out now!) so the fact that I haven't read it is a bit ridiculous. I need to catch up!

4. Good Omens

I've heard nothing but great things about this book and I am excited to finally read it. I love Neil Gaiman so I'm sure it's an ace read.

5. The Fault in Our Stars

I haven't read any John Green yet and that seems like some kind of crime within the literary community so I plan to rectify this folly. Looking for Alaska is also on the list.

Those are the top at the moment. I'll keep you updated with my reads, or at least I will try to. Remind me!

Lady Unlaced

My Book Recommendations Part 1

I like to read. Books are my solace and provide me windows into worlds I'd never have access to otherwise. Sounds cliche, I know, but everything they say about reading taking you to new places and expanding your mind is true. That's why they keep saying it.

Because of my love of books I decided to start posting some book recommendations. Just a few per post, with a book title, cover image and a brief summary, that kind of thing. I'm not saying you should go out and buy it and read it and love it. My taste is not for everyone, but at least it gives you something to think about when you're at the library next or just aren't sure what your next read should be.

And I won't make a post about Harry Potter (this was a difficult decision to make) because everyone knows about it and I'm sure you've all made up your mind on whether or not to read it or not and your opinion on it. Personally, I love it. So so so much. I think everyone should read it. But anyways...

First book!

Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood

I read this book in high school and absolutely loved it. It's definitely weird, so if you're into strange distopian fiction you might enjoy this.

Summary: A viral catastrophe has wiped out most of the human race, leaving genetically modified animals to roam the earth and Snowman struggling to survive. Through his flashbacks, we discover how he ended up alone in this dismal future, solely responsible for a strange tribe he calls the Crakers. (via Book Drum)

And secondly...

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

I could stop turning the pages of this book. Neil Gaiman never lets me down with his amazing writing and imaginative mind. Great character, well-developed setting and plot, and funny to boot. That is my kind of book for sure.

Summary: Richard Mayhew is a plain man with a good heart -- and an ordinary life that is changed forever on a day he stops to help a girl he finds bleeding on a London sidewalk. From that moment forward he is propelled into a world he never dreamed existed -- a dark subculture flourish in abandoned subway stations and sewer tunnels below the city -- a world far stranger and more dangerous than the only one he has ever known...Richard Mayhew is a young businessman with a good heart and a dull job. When he stops one day to help a girl he finds bleeding on a London sidewalk, his life is forever altered, for he finds himself propelled into an alternate reality that exists in a subterranean labyrinth of sewer canals and abandoned subway stations below the city. He has fallen through the cracks of reality and has landed somewhere different, somewhere that is Neverwhere. (via Amazon)

There you have it, two awesome books you should consider adding to your to-read list. Hopefully I can remember to make more of these posts. Remind me if I don't!

Lady Unlaced

Book Nerd Moment

Finally remembered to go check my mail today and was soooo happy when the books I ordered from Amazon were waiting for me. I bought them last week and just kept either forgetting to go pick them up or it was just too hot to walk down to the mail center and get them.

Anyways, I am now in possession of these lovelies:

The Karen Chance book is kind of beat up, but I only paid a little over two dollars for it, so I can't really complain. I bought the both of the for just over six dollars. Not too shabby, especially considering the Patricia Briggs book is a perfect-condition hard cover copy complete with book jacket.

Both are kind of in the middle of different urban fantasy series. Silver Borne is a part of the Mercy Thompson books by Patricia Briggs and Embrace the Night is a part of the Cassie Palmer books by Karen Chance. If you're into urban fantasy as all then these are both series I highly recommend. So far I'm in love with them both and I am so happy to now have these books in my possession so I can continue indulging in these supernatural worlds.

Oh yeah, I'm an escapist reader, haha.

Anyone else reading anything good or get new books they're excited to start? Feel free to share or leave my recommendations. I am such a book nerd it's ridiculous, I own (literally) hundreds of them and I am always on the looks out for more.

Lady Unlaced

Summer 2012: Reading List

Summer is always the time I use to catch up on some serious reading. As an English Lit major in college I don't actually have much downtime to read for fun. Instead I get a stack of class reading for the semester that I get buried in for months, and by the time all my homework is complete for the day I just want to hang out with friends or go to bed.

But summer is different because despite the fact that I work and make tons of plans to see friends and go exciting places throughout the vacation from school, I still jam in tons of time to read what I want. I make a list that I tape to my wall and then add and cross things off as necessary. This year, however, I've decided to post my list online! And I've already finished one book and am well into my second. Hurrah!

This is my current read:

It's the third book in The Hollows Series by Kim Harrison. I highly recommend it to anyone into urban fantasy, which is my genre of choice hands down. I could live in that section of Barnes and Noble and be completely content. Just bring me coffee and scones periodically and I'm set for life!

Anyways.... I originally posted my list on tumblr, which you can find here.

Buuuuut, to make things even easier on myself, I revived my Goodreads account, which I then spent hours on rating books and putting things on my to-read shelf. I also made a shelf just for my summer reading list which you can check out here.

If you don't have an account on this site, I suggest you get one, especially if you're an avid reader like myself. And if you're not such a reader, you should be! Reading is important! 

Soooo, what is one everyone else's summer reading lists? Got any suggestions for me? I love fantasy/urban fantasy the most, but I'm open to just about anything!

Lady Unlaced