The Bookshelf Scavenger Hunt Tag

So on Youtube the other day, polandbananasBOOKS (she's a great book Youtuber, you should check her out) posted this video:

It looks like fun! Now I don't make Youtube videos, so I thought I'd write a little post about it. If you can't tell from the name of the tag, the aim is to find a book on your bookshelf that fits each of the criteria. So lets give it a go!

1. Find a book where the title or the authors name contains a letter 'Z'.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

2. Find a classic.

Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers - this would be considered a classic, right?

3. Find a book with a key on it.

NADA - I couldn't find anything with a key on it :(

4. Find something that's not a book.

Oh lots of stuff - photos, candles, moneybox, signature bear, DVDs, sporting trophies, etc etc 

5. Find the oldest book on your shelf.

Time Stops for No Mouse by Michael Hoeye

6. Find a book with a girl on the cover on it.

The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross; Wither by Lauren Destefano; Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon; Slide by Jill Hathaway; Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza...nailed that one :D

7. Find a book with an animal on it.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen...it's got an elephant in the background, so it counts

8. Find a book with a male protagonist.

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

9. Find a book with only words on it. 

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 

10. Find a book with illustrations in it.

Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith

11. Find a book with gold lettering. 

Rumors by Anna Godbersen 

12. Find a diary (truth or fictional).

Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison 

13. Find a book written by someone with a common name. 

Splintered by A.G. Howard

14. Find a book that has a close up of something on it.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (close up of hands with an apple); L.A. Candy by Lauren Conrad (close up of candy); Cinder by Marissa Meyer (close up of a foot) - just to name a few

15. Find the book on your shelf that takes place during the earliest time period. 

The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory (1500s?)

16. Find a hardcover book without a jacket.

Luuurve is a many trousered thing... by Louise Rennison

17. Find a teal/turquoise coloured book.

The Alchemyst by Michael Scott

18. Find a book with stars on it.

This Charming Man by Marian Keyes

19. Find a non-YA book.

All my Marian Keyes novels, of which I have 10

Annnnd that's the end of the tag. I WAS SO CLOSE - IF ONLY I HAD A BOOK WITH A KEY ON IT! Oh well, 18 out of 19 ain't bad either. 

Think you can defeat the Bookshelf Scavenger Hunt Tag - have a go for yourself!

Book Review: Fatal Voyage (Tempe Brennan #4) by Kathy Reichs

Fatal Voyage (Tempe Brennan #4) by Kathy Reichs
Release Date: 25th June 2002

Publisher: Random House
Format: eBook
Pages: 448
Rating: 4.5/5.0

This book was read as part of the 2013 OTS, 2013 ODY, 2013 EBC and 2013 BSR

Summary from Amazon:

"She has a passion for the truth . . . and this time, it's taking her down.

A commercial airliner disaster has brought Tempe Brennan to the North Carolina mountains as a member of the investigative agency DMORT. As bomb theories abound, Tempe soon discovers a jarring piece of evidence that raises dangerous questions -- and gets her thrown from the DMORT team. Relentless in her pursuit of its significance, Tempe uncovers a shocking, multilayered tale of deceit and depravity as she probes her way into frightening territory -- where someone wants her stopped in her tracks."

Review:

**This review has spoilers! (Sorry, I couldn't help myself). Read at your own risk!**

These books never cease to be fascinating. Yet again Kathy Reichs has pieced together a complex murder mystery that will keep you guessing until the last page. I will admit, I was convinced that the centre of our mystery would be the place crash. We opened with it, it was established pretty early on that a bomb could have been involved, and they were following lots of leads. Then Tempe leads us to the cabin, and I was sure that whoever lived at the cabin had something to do with downing the flight. It wasn't until I was quite a fair bit in that it because pretty obvious that the cabin had nothing to do with the plane crash, but involved something else entirely. 

And boy, that storyline. I have to hand it to Reichs, she writes some of the most compelling, but also disturbing, mysteries that I've ever read. (That being said, I'm sure there's more disturbing stuff out there). This is the fourth Tempe Brennan book I've read, and I still can't figure out the ending until it happens - Reichs is good a throwing you red herrings, which send you down the wrong path. 

Whilst I immensely enjoyed this read, it was confusing at times. Lots of people involved, lots of details to remember - if too much is thrown at me at one point, I can get confused quickly. That being said, Reichs is pretty good at explaining things as she goes. Another thing that bothered me was the excessive description at times - Reichs wants to make sure that you understand everything completely, but a full description of a diner isn't really neccesary if nothing of importance if going to happen there. Also, I've read the description of the Laboratoire des Sciences Judiciaires et de Médecine Légale (where she works in Montreal) 4 times now. I guess with the books being able to be read as stand alone novels with little back story confusion, Reichs feels the need to include these descriptions everytime in case someone picks up a novel midway through the series. All the same, it bugs me. 

Overall, a strong 4th book for the series, and a really interesting read. I would highly suggest this series. 

Book Review: Beautiful Darkness (The Caster Chronicles #2) by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

Beautiful Darkness (The Caster Chronicles #2) by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Release Date: 12th October 2010

Publisher: Little Brown Books
Format: Paperback 
Pages: 503
Rating: 4.5/5.0

This book was read as part of the 2013 OTS, 2013 ODY and 2013 BSR

Summary from Amazon:

"Ethan Wate used to think of Gatlin, the small Southern town he had always called home, as a place where nothing ever changed. Then he met mysterious newcomer Lena Duchannes, who revealed a secret world that had been hidden in plain sight all along. A Gatlin that harbored ancient secrets beneath its moss-covered oaks and cracked sidewalks. A Gatlin where a curse has marked Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals for generations. A Gatlin where impossible, magical, life-altering events happen.

Sometimes life-ending.

Together they can face anything Gatlin throws at them, but after suffering a tragic loss, Lena starts to pull away, keeping secrets that test their relationship. And now that Ethan's eyes have been opened to the darker side of Gatlin, there's no going back. Haunted by strange visions only he can see, Ethan is pulled deeper into his town's tangled history and finds himself caught up in the dangerous network of underground passageways endlessly crisscrossing the South, where nothing is as it seems."

Review:
Boy did I enjoy this book. Whilst I will say that there were some things wrong with this book, I thought that it was a solid follow up to Beautiful Creatures. 

I really am enjoying having the story told from a male POV. What with YA fiction dominated by female narrators, having Ethan tell us the story is something different. I also think it's a clever choice. Ethan is a mortal who is just being introduced to the Caster world, just like us. He learns as he goes along, and we're right there with him. I think having Ethan as our narrator is more effective than having Lena might be, so smart move by Garcia and Stohl.

I've heard that some people found Beautiful Darkness a bit hard to get through. But I absolutely loved it - I just couldn't get enough! I thought the plot did well in following up what was established in Beautiful Creatures. I thought it tied in well with both Lena's caster problems, but also the problems of teenage love - I liked reading both problems side by side. And overall, we moved forward, finding out more information of Lena's problems and her indecision over the most important decision in her life.

I have to say, some parts of the plot didn't make sense. Especially involving Macon - I tried to wrap my head around that one, but I honestly don't see how that would have worked. And then there's Lena's decision at the end. I have a hard time believing that the well being of the entire Caster world rests of the decision of one girl. I also have a hard time believing that Lena is the only caster ever to have issues with deciding to be dark or light. So yes, some parts of the plot didn't make sense, but overall, I really, really enjoyed this book, and am excited to continue on with the series soon!

Allegiant UK Cover Revealed

The UK cover for Allegiant had been dropped online! I'm particularly interested in this because this will be the book I own, since I have Divergent and Insurgent with UK editions. 

I have to say, I really like this cover. It's got some of the same features as the US edition - the water and the Chicago cityscape. I love that its blue - I just love the colour blue. And the feathers, I like those feathers. I just really like this cover, which is good considering I will own it.

Allegiant comes out on the 22nd October this year. 

Catching Fire Movie Poster Revealed

Just the other day, Lionsgate unveiled the Catching Fire movie poster on Instagram

How cool does it look! Katniss, her bow and arrow, the cloud shaped as a mockingjay - it all looks so good! And the tagline, taken straight from the book itself: "The sun persists in rising, so I make myself stand". Just perfect. 

Anyone else eagerly awaiting it's release, because I know that I sure am!

Wishlist Wednesday (7)

Wishlist Wednesday is a weekly Meme hosted at Pen to Paper

Yes, yes, I know I'm a day late, but I got very busy yesterday and just didn't get around to this. Better late than never?

This week I'm wishing for...

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Summary from Amazon:
"What if your whole world was a lie?
What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything?

What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?
The explosive conclusion to Veronica Roth's #1 New York Times bestselling Divergent trilogy reveals the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent." 

Why I'm Wishing for It:
I don't think this pick is much of a surprise. After all I have posting about the Divergent series over the past couple of weeks, I think it's pretty clear that I am one major fan of the series. And I just cannot wait to read the final chapter in this trilogy. Insurgent left us on a cliffhanger, where something very very important had just happened, and I am so keen to see what happens next. Cannot wait until October! 

What about you? What are you wishing for this week?

Musing Mondays (23)

Musing Mondays is a weekly Meme by Mizb @ Should Be Reading

This weeks musing asks...Tell us what book/s you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those books.

I got another pre-order in the mail today! A couple of weeks ago I was on the Book Depository, eager to buy some books, and I noticed that a version of Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo, due to be released on the 7th May 2013, was only $8.52 - bargain! So I pre-ordered the book and today it turned up in the mail! I'm excited to start this series, considering all the great things I've heard about it.

What about you? What books/s have you recently bought?