Monday, May 24, 2010

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Finished Reading:

Frostbite & Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead

Brief thoughts: Could this series be more addictive? I don't know how it took me ages to stumble across the Vampire Academy series, but I was completely hooked by the middle of the first book. I stayed up late reading Frostbite one night last week, then promptly rushed out to buy Shadow Kiss the next day (immediately putting the rest of my reading on hold). One sleep-deprived night later, and I hurried back to the bookstore to pick up Blood Promise. Eeek! I had grand plans for catching up on a few book reviews over the weekend, but somehow every spare minute was stolen away by Rose & Dimitri.

Kenny & the Dragon by Tony DiTerlizzi
Brief thoughts:  Such a cute book!  My daughters loved this sweet story, which is strongly inspired by Kenneth Grahame's The Reluctant Dragon.  Unlike the human cast of the original story, Kenny & the Dragon is brought to life by a wonderful cast of woodland animals, much like Kenneth Grahame's other classic The Wind in the Willows.  Tony DiTerlizzi's illustrations have long been favorites in our household, and Kenny & the Dragon features some of his most charming work.  We read this book together (meaning that I read the odd-numbered chapters aloud & our six year old read the even-numbered chapters aloud).  Occasionally, that can be a slow process if her interest in a book wanes halfway through one of her chapters.  But this book not only captured her interest, it had her volunteering to read my chapters aloud too!  Fun!  Definitely a 10/10 flower review from Primrose.  :-)

Currently Reading:
Blood Promise by Richelle Mead
Brief thoughts:  Reading this series one book right after the other has been really fun, and I am already beginning to dread the seven month wait that is approaching once I finish Spirit Bound and have to wait until December to read The Last Sacrifice.








The Lost Conspiracy by Frances Hardinge
Brief thoughts: The Lost Conspiracy is such a richly-woven and original story. I love Frances Hardinge's beautiful imagery & clever characterizations. I started reading this book aloud to the whole family last week, and we are still thoroughly enjoying reading it this week.  It is definitely the kind of book you want to take your time with and savor.  Three sample quotes:

"For a moment Skein wished that he did not know that every town was really a thriving hive of bitter, biting two-legged animals, full of schemes and resentment and hidden treachery." (page 3 of Frances Hardinge's The Lost Conspiracy)
"As it happened, the girl supporting Arilou had a name too. It was designed to sound like the settling of dust, a name that was meant to go unnoticed. She was as anonymous as dust, and Skein gave her not the slightest thought.
Neither would you. In fact, you have already met her, or somebody very like her, and you cannot remember her at all."  (page 5 of Frances Hardinge's The Lost Conspiracy)
"Both thought that they could use words to make people do what they wanted, and one of them was right. The younger man with the scarred face tried to gust people along with a fussy logic, pelting them with reasons like fistfuls of feathers. The lean older man with the plausible smile used words to gloss and slope the ground so that people slithered quite naturally in the direction he wished, not even knowing why." (page 217 of Frances Hardinge's The Lost Conspiracy)




Brief thoughts:  My husband and I love this series and were pleased that Primrose chose this as our next 'read together' chapter book after finishing Kenny & the Dragon.  It has been many years since we first read this book, and so far I am enjoying the reread as much as Primrose is enjoying discovering the story for the first time.


Up Next in my TBR (to-be-read) pile:  
Perchance to Dream by Lisa Mantchev
Brief thoughts:  I cannot wait to pick up a copy of Perchance to Dream when it is released tomorrow!  In fact, I may be stalking the bookstore shelves this afternoon just in case they happen to put out their new releases a little early.  ;-)

The Demon's Covenant by Sarah Rees Brennan
Brief thoughts:  My pre-ordered copy of  The Demon's Covenant still has not arrived.  *pout*  I am trying to be patient but can't help watching our mailbox with eager eyes.  
                                       
What are you reading today?  What's up next in your TBR pile?



This fun meme is hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey Through a World of Books.

15 comments:

Candace said...

Oh man! I'm going to have to catch up on my reading so I can continue The Vampire Academy books before I completely forget what happened in the first one! Kenny and the Dragon has such a cute cover! And so does Once Upon a Marigold. I'll keep my eyes open for these at the library. Looks like you've got some great reading going on!

Laurie T said...

That's funny, I just finished Blood Promise on Saturday and started in on Spirit Bound. I have loved the series since VA first came out but I held onto Blood Promise until Spirit Bound came out so I could read them back-to-back. It's my favorite YA series. I'm glad you're enjoying them too.

Leah Marie said...

I've almost started reading Vampire Academy several times, but got distracted by something else. I need to remember to focus on it next time I'm in the bookstore. ;-)

Unknown said...

Every time I see the cover for Frostbite, I think it looks like one of the seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, lol. I swear they have that very pose on one of the DVD covers! It keeps me wanting to read that series, too :)

Have a great week!

Kelly said...

I really need to get a hold of the Vampire Academy books, they sound right up my street!

Hope you enjoy all of your books! :)

Athira said...

Wow .. I love the books in your list! So many of them are in my TBR! Have a good week! :)

The1stdaughter said...

Two fantastic books for the week ahead! I've heard amazing things about both Perchance to Dream and The Demon's Covenant, I hope you enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by my site as well!

Anonymous said...

I view Marigold as a 10 and up book, but when we read it with the girls book club at work -- we had girls from 1st grade to 6th who all enjoyed it.

Midnight Sapphire Books said...

Vampire Academy series is amazing one of my favorite YA series. I just finish Spirit Bound was awesome!!! I'm posting the review later today
= )

Mardel said...

I am impressed that your 6 year old is reading chapter books with you. all but one of my kids were early readers (all the boys), of which the last two I can thank Nintendo and their games for. They learned how to read instructions and game play before kindergarden. My daughter was too busy being a princess to learn to read.

Is the Kenny and the dragon author the same one that writes the Spiderwick chronicles?

I have Vampire academy here to read, but have been putting it off. I need to read it.

And one time, I HAD Once Upon a Marigold in my collection. Now that I think about it, I don't know what happened to it, I haven't seen it and never got a chance to read it. I wonder if I gave it to someone. I do that at times, just give books away to students who love to read.

Great looking reading list - I'm impressed also that your family sits in one spot for reading time. Nice going "mom". Good influences there.

Robby said...

I haven't read ANY of The Vampire Academy books. I know I know. Someday... :D

Jess said...

Loved, loved, loved A Series of Unfortunate Events -- enjoy!

Violet said...

Candace - Kenny and the Dragon really is cute & Tony DiTerlizzi's illustrations have so much personality.

llt806 - I can definitely see why Vampire Academy is your favorite YA series. :) I just finished Blood Promise a few hours ago & can't wait to start reading Spirit Bound! You were definitely smart to hold off on reading Blood Promise until Spirit Bound was released because the wait between the two books would have been torturous. As much as I am excited to start Spirit Bound, I beginning to be a little afraid I'll go into VA withdrawls during the long wait for The Last Sacrifice in December. :(

Leah Marie - It is a fun series & definitely hard to stop once you've read the first book.

Crystal - I totally agree about the Frostbite cover! It looks so much like the season two Buffy DVD! :)

Kelly - I hope you have a great week of reading too! Thanks for sharing a teaser from Fallen today & I hope you enjoy Kelley Armstrong's Darkest Powers books.

Aths - Thanks! Hope you have a wonderful week too!

The1stdaughter - I just picked up Perchance to Dream today & look forward to starting it tonight. :)

amcatoir - Once Upon a Marigold is such a sweet book, and I can definitely see it being enjoyed by all ages. :)

Midnight Sapphire - So glad to hear that you loved Spirit Bound!! Now that I've finished Blood Promise, I can't wait to read it. But I am also so nervous that it will have a cliffhanger ending that may torture me. I've been surprised by how many times this series has brought me to tears.

Mardel - Our six year old loves to read, and has always taken to books like a duck to water. She is happy to spend hours reading each day and can often be found with her nose in a book. Our four year old likes books, but she likes learn-to-read websites (like Starfall more. So I can definitely relate to your comment about your sons picking up reading skills from their videogames. :)

We love to read together as a family whenever the opportunity presents itself (while one of us cooks dinner, while the kids draw or paint, at bedtime, on long car drives, etc.) and always set aside some time for family books on weekends.

Yes, the author of Kenny & the Dragon is the illustrator & co-author of the Spiderwick Chronicles.

That is very sweet of you to have given your copy of Once Upon a Marigold away. Books are always best when shared! :)

Robby- You have lots of other fun books keeping you busy! :)

Jess - I love the Series of Unfortunate Events too!

Staci said...

I work in a middle school library so I'm really enjoying this post!! So many great books to add to the shelves! Kenny & the Dragon is one I will be ordering for sure! Once Upon, Lost Conspiracy, Series of Unfortunate Events already have places.

Violet said...

Staci - What a fun job! :) There are so many great middle grade books! It must be challenging to choose which ones to order.