Consider This Classic: Leah Recommends

Consider This Classic: Leah Recommends

Jun 12, 2014

Consider This Classic is a monthly feature where bloggers highlight and recommend their favorite classic. They'll tell you when they first read it, why they love it and where to go from there. If you'd like to participate in Consider This Classic, click here to sign up.

I had been hoping that Leah from The Pretty Good Gatsby would participate in Consider This Classic, especially since her blog name made her seem like the perfect person to offer a classic recommendation! I love checking out Leah's blog, particularly because she has great taste in adult fiction and often highlights books that sound right up my alley; I haven't read anything by the author she's highlighting today, but Waugh is now on my TBR because of her recommendation. If you're interested in The Loved One after today's post, be sure to also check out her review of the book!

The Loved One by Evelyn Waugh

Publication Date: 1948
Originally Published In: United Kingdom
Amazon | Goodreads

Summary (from Goodreads)

Following the death of a friend, the poet and pets' mortician Dennis Barlow finds himself entering the artificial Hollywood paradise of the Whispering Glades Memorial Park. Within its golden gates, death, American-style, is wrapped up and sold like a package holiday-and Dennis gets drawn into a bizarre love triangle with Aimée Thanatogenos, a naïve Californian corpse beautician, and Mr. Joyboy, a master of the embalmer's art. Waugh's dark and savage satire on the Anglo-American cultural divide depicts a world where reputation, love, and death cost a very great deal.

For the longest time I swore off authors like Waugh. While I love writers like Hemingway and Fitzgerald, I had so many preconceived notions about Evelyn Waugh (mainly that his writing was stuffy and boring with language that would be difficult to understand) that made reading his work seem like far too great an effort. It wasn't until just last year that I finally picked up a copy of The Loved One and wound up tearing through it in a single sitting.

Those preconceived notions I had? They were completely, thoroughly, 100% false. A few months after reading The Loved One I wrote a post called Why aren't YOU reading Evelyn Waugh? and in it mentioned that he came from a period where wit was a weapon. Waugh's wit shines through in The Loved One and multiple times I had to pause because I was giggling far too hard.

In 160 pages (throw away your belief that classics = long!) Waugh tells a tale of two employees at rival funeral homes (one for humans, one for pets) and the romance that blossoms between them. Sounds like a riot, right??

The Loved One is a hilarious and extremely quick read: the perfect starting point for newcomers. Also, this novel turned Waugh into an Auto-Buy author - pretty high praise from me!

P.G. Wodehouse (particularly his Jeeves series) immediately came to mind. Wodehouse was one of Waugh's contemporaries and I'm positive fans of one will be fans of the other.

Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut - While these two aren't all that similar in terms of themes or story, I think Vonnegut's humor and wit will definitely appeal to fans of Waugh. Breakfast of Champions was my first Vonnegut novel, though really, any of his books could work. He was fantastically funny and sharp and his books are among my favorite comfort reads.

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The Pressure Is On

The Pressure Is On

Jun 11, 2014

Full Steam Ahead by Karen Witemeyer

Release Date: June 3, 2014
Publisher: Baker Publishing | Bethany House
Pages: 352 pages
Source & Format: Publisher; Paperback
Amazon | Goodreads

Summary (from Goodreads)

Nicole Renard returns home to Galveston, Texas, to find her father deathly ill. Though she loves him, Nicole's father has always focused on what she's not. Not male. Not married. Not able to run Renard Shipping.

Vowing to find a suitable husband to give her father the heir he desires before it's too late, Nicole sets out with the Renard family's greatest treasure as her dowry: the highly coveted Lafitte Dagger. But her father's rivals come after the dagger, forcing a change in Nicole's plans.

After a boiler explosion aboard the Louisiana nearly took his life, Darius Thornton has been a man obsessed. He will do anything to stop even one more steamship disaster. Even if it means letting a female secretary into his secluded world.

Nicole is determined not to let her odd employer scare her off with his explosive experiments, yet when respect and mutual attraction grow between them, a new fear arises. How can she acquire an heir for her father when her heart belongs to another? And when her father's rivals discover her hiding place, will she have to choose between that love and her family's legacy?

Thoughts on Full Steam Ahead

Whenever I need a change of pace, I love diving into a light, fun Christian historical fiction. This was actually what I primarily read in high school, so there's always a bit of nostalgia in returning to these familiar stories. They're typically a bit predictable, but I almost always enjoy the diversion. I'd been reading a number of thrillers and heavier stories, so it was perfect timing when Full Steam Ahead arrived in the mail for review.

This story focuses on Nicole Renard and Darius Thornton. Nicole is an only child - a smart spitfire who is constantly reminded of the fact that she's not a boy. When her father falls deathly ill, Nicole returns home from school to be with her family. Suddenly, it's even more important that her father have an heir. With plans to travel to New Orleans to find a suitable husband, Nicole secretly takes along her family's prized possession and her dowry: the Lafitte Dagger. This treasure has special meaning to her father, and his rivals would like nothing more than to have it for themselves.

Darius Thornton, on the other hand, is a man with a mission. A steamship accident two years ago has left him obsessed with finding a way to find out what keeps causing boiler explosions. He's moved to a secluded farm and become a bit of an eccentric, separated from his family and the rest of the world. Their paths cross when Nicole's trip to New Orleans takes an unforeseen turn. She needs to hide out for a few weeks and earn a little money before she's on her way, so she jumps at the chance to be Darius's secretary.

I'm a little torn on Full Steam Ahead. I liked that the characters didn't seem like the standard hero and heroine. Darius is obsessive and has hidden himself away with a single-minded focus. Nicole is feisty, really intelligent and not afraid of a challenge. I think the two of them paired nicely together, and I'm always a sucker for stories where the characters butt heads a little bit. The book moved quickly, and there was just enough action to keep me turning the pages and looking forward to whatever would happen next.

However, there were some things I didn't really understand in the story. Nicole had a wonderful relationship with her father, but she's always aware of the fact that it would have been better if she'd been a boy. While I understand that the desire/need for a son as the heir is historically accurate, I did find it a bit hard to believe that there wasn't more tension in their relationship. A child wants to feel that they are loved unconditionally by their parent, and it seemed strange to me that there weren't more repercussions to that "you're not a boy" undercurrent between them.

The events of the book also take place over a very short period of time - just two weeks. It made everything, including the relationship between Darius and Nicole, feel very rushed. I know that couples wouldn't have dated in the way they do now, but it still made things seem off in the book. Because their relationship starts on false pretenses (Nicole doesn't tell Darius who she really is or what she's doing there), I struggled to root for them. They're declaring strong feelings for one another without really knowing anything about each other. Their physical attraction to each other seemed like it got more attention than them actually talking to each other. Even near the end, the action seemed to wrap up too quickly and their problems were resolved too easily.

I really enjoyed the book while I was reading it, but I think I started to notice more issues with it after I finished. I flew through the book and was engaged with the story and characters, but I realized I had some problems with the relationships (between Nicole and her father and Nicole and Darius) after I spent some time thinking about it. I'd probably recommend it with some reservations to people who already love this genre, but it wouldn't be a book I'd likely hand to someone who was new to Christian historical fiction.

So Quotable

"The work you are doing is important, and I believe God led you to it. It is one of the ways he is working good in your life. But when you continue clinging to your feelings of guilt, this God-given mission becomes nothing more than self-imposed penance."

*I received a copy of this book from Bethany House in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated in any way for my review.

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Finding New Favorites in 2014

Finding New Favorites in 2014

Jun 10, 2014

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. Every week they post a new topic/top ten list and invite everyone to share their own answers. I'm so obsessed with lists - so it makes perfect sense that I'd love this feature!

So, I've been on a reading streak this year and have somehow already read 81 books. I know, it's a little bit insane that I've devoured so many books. Typically, I'd have hit some sort of a slump by now. I can't believe I haven't gotten even a little burned out on books this year. However, it made it almost impossible to choose just 10 books for this list! I still can't be believe that I (kind of) did it.

Top Ten Books I've Read So Far This Year

Top 5 Standalones

1. I Shall Be Near to You by Erin Lindsay McCabe

"Rosetta became one of my all-time favorite characters by the time I closed the book. I could imagine all the real, flesh-and-blood women like her who risked it all. And it's the biggest compliment I can give this book to tell you that it made the past come alive for me. This book is exactly why I love historical fiction. I can't recommend I Shall Be Near to You enough!" | My Thoughts

2. A Mad, Wicked Folly by Sharon Biggs Waller

I love historical fiction, but I don't feel like I've read much of it in the young adult genre. So, I was really excited when A Mad, Wicked Folly got on my radar. I absolutely loved how the suffragette movement was depicted through an unconventional, sassy heroine like Victoria Darling. The research that went into this book was evident, as was the passion for this story and its characters! | Review to Come

3. Open Road Summer by Emery Lord

"In Open Road Summer, Emery Lord has written a story about loyalty, love and loss... and all the complicated things in between. This book has so much heart, and you don't want to miss it! I was enchanted by the characters and their stories, and I can't wait for more readers to discover this talented author in her incredible debut." | My Thoughts

4. The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay

"I closed this book with a huge grin on my face, and I immediately wanted to read it again. I haven't re-read it yet, but I totally will before the end of the year. The Sea of Tranquility is emotional, romantic, heartbreaking, infuriating, hilarious, amazing, intense and just downright wonderful. Adjective overload? Maybe. But it's totally deserving!" | My Thoughts

5. Forever, Interrupted by Taylor Jenkins Reid

"Well, this book completely surprised me. I loved the way it was written: flipping between flashbacks telling Ben and Elsie's story and Elsie's present-day life without Ben. Reid's writing really made me fall in love with the characters and connect emotionally to the story. This is one of my more recent favorite adult fiction favorites, and I'm looking forward to more from Reid in the future." | My Thoughts 

Honorable Mentions: Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen and Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson

Top 5 Books in a Series

1. The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutowski

"I almost didn't write a review for The Winner's Curse because it's already gotten so much buzz, and I'm not sure if I can even do it justice. But I do want to put my two cents in and tell you something very important: for me, this book absolutely surpassed all of my expectations for it." | My Thoughts

2. Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi

"The series is consistent overall: world-building and plot take second stage to characters, writing and emotion. To be completely honest, there isn't a huge change or shift in the final book when it comes to those aspects of the books. Ignite Me picks up right where Unravel Me (or Fracture Me) leaves off and ends in a way that remains true to the story Mafi started telling in the first place. It might not be the story everyone wanted, but I think it's a story worth reading and a discussion worth having." | My Thoughts

3. Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers

I pre-ordered Dark Triumph before it released, but I always intended to re-read Grave Mercy before diving in. Somehow, before I knew it, an entire year had passed. I finally got my head on straight and read Sybella's story. While the tone is much darker than the first book, I only fell more in love with this series in these pages. Sybella is a fierce, richly drawn character, and I loved seeing her meet her match and find healing from her past. | Review to Come

4. The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas

I'm almost surprised that a group of novellas is making my list of top ten books I've read so far this year, but I'm learning to never doubt Sarah J. Maas. With a deft hand, she portrays the events before Throne of Glass and shows how Celaena became the skilled, fierce woman that readers have come to know and love. Each story shows you an aspect of Celaena's past that has led to her present and will likely influence her future. | Review to Come

5. Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor

"With evocative writing, a richly imagined world and epic characters, there's so much to fall in love with in these pages. Seriously, I can't even do Taylor's writing justice - it's so gorgeous! Be prepared to lose yourself in this world and fall head over heels in love with these characters as the battle between good and evil divides friends and foes." | My Thoughts 

Honorable Mentions: The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons, To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han, These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

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BEA 2014: All the Books

BEA 2014: All the Books

Jun 9, 2014

It's now time for final part of my epic BEA recap - THE ONE WITH ALL THE BOOKS! If you missed it, check out BEA 2014: All the Adventures, Pt. I and BEA 2014: All the Adventures, Pt. II.

I love finding out what people picked up at BEA because it always puts new books on my radar, and I'm really hoping this will do the same for you. If you regularly read my blog, you probably know that my taste in books is all over the place. I love books for all ages and across so many genres. You'll see that reflected in what I grabbed at BEA - a pretty good mix of adult and young adult titles. 

For the photos below, I divided the books into adult and young adult titles, sorted by publisher within those two categories and then took photos where you can see the covers (instead of the spines) because I always like the covers better! I've included links to Goodreads for all titles in case any catch your eye.

Adult

Hachette

The Secret Wisdom of the Earth by Chris Scotton 

Reunion by Hannah Pittard

Neverhome by Laird Hunt 

HarperCollins

The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton 

The Story of Land and Sea by Katy Simpson Smith 

The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy by Karen Abbott 

Macmillan

Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth

Island of a Thousand Mirrors by Nayomi Munaweera

The Accidental Highwayman by Ben Tripp (YA)

Penguin
Mrs. Hemingway by Naomi Wood
The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters
This Is How I'd Love You by Hazel Woods

Random House
I Take You by Eliza Kennedy
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

Simon & Schuster
We Are Not Ourselves by Matthew Thomas
Before I Go by Colleen Oakley
Accidents of Marriage by Randy Susan Meyers
Your Perfect Life by Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke

Moody
In the Field of Grace by Tessa Afshar

Harlequin
The Winter Guest by Pam Jenoff

Sourcebooks
The Magician's Lie by Greer Macallister

Young Adult

Bloomsbury
Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas
The Fire Artist by Daisy Whitney

Hachette
The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black
Salt & Storm by Kendall Kulper
Famous in Love by Rebecca Serle
Wildlife by Fiona Wood

HarperCollins | Penguin

HarperCollins
Falling Into Place by Amy Zhang
The Jewel by Amy Ewing
Exquisite Captive by Heather Demetrios
Anatomy of a Misfit by Andrea Portest

Penguin
Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer
I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers

Algonquin

Jackaby by Wiliam Ritter

Merit Press

Madame Tussaud's Apprentice by Kathleen Benner Duble

Spot anything you're dying to read? Discover something new?

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BEA 2014: All the Adventures, Pt. II

BEA 2014: All the Adventures, Pt. II

Jun 8, 2014

I intended for this recap to be in a single post, but I realized I was (as usual) talking too much. So, check out BEA 2014: All the Adventures, Pt. I - with highlights from Wednesday and Thursday - if you missed it.

FRIDAY

My first stop on Friday morning was the BEA shipping area - BYE MONEY! I wasn't even shipping that many home because I packed so well that I was able to fit most of my books in the one bag (carry on size cuz I've got skills) but the BEA shipping center has only one size box with a flat rate. It was great if you were packing it to the brim... not so much if you had a measly ten pounds. From there, I made my way to the Sarah J. Maas signing line for Heir of Fire.

Sarah signing is the ONLY legit picture I took during the BEA day.

My entire morning was dedicated to the wonderful Sarah J. Maas. The line was insane, which I kind of expected but not really to that degree. Although I can't lie, it was amazing seeing so many people lined up for and passionate about a book that I also love. I talked to the lovely Jaime and Erin (Fic Fare) and Charlee (I can't remember if she blogged!) while in line, which made the time pass pretty quickly. I also spotted the adorable Sash (Sash and Em), but I didn't get to chat with her until I found her again on the floor later that day. She also wins the cutest outfit award because she looked so stylish!

After finally getting my most desired book (note: it didn't leave my tote the rest of the trip), I had to make up for spending all morning in a line. I kicked into high gear and made my way around the BEA floor. At that point, I knew the layout of the floor pretty well so I felt like I was more confident in where I was going and what I was doing. I snagged fewer books than the day before, but a lot of them were titles that were higher on my priority list. I also felt like I waited in more lines on Friday, but I'm not sure if that's true or I was just so tired that I was more conscious of standing around.

The one thing I didn't really do, aside from take pictures (obviously), was pass out business cards or network. As much as I enjoyed BEA, I did feel that the expo was geared more towards getting books than networking. Each booth was so busy throughout the day that there was hardly time to really chat with the publicists working at each one. You could ask a question or two, but the environment wasn't really conducive to making connections and building relationships. That's not a complaint really, but I was surprised because I felt like so many posts discussed making contacts, handing out business cards, etc. For me, those moments were few and far between because there were just so many people around with so much going on. A few publicists were so kind and grabbed me books that I had missed out on, but I didn't have many "making contacts" moments. But maybe I was just too nervous to try!

We finished a little earlier on Friday, freshened up at the hotel and headed to the Book Blogger Picnic, which was organized by Alexa (Alexa Loves Books), Katelyn (Tales of Books and Bands), Jen (YA Romantics) and Andrea (The Overstuffed Bookcase). We weren't there very long before it started to rain, so Betty, Gaby (Queen Ella Bee Reads), Lauren (Love Is Not a Triangle) and I made our way to a diner to get some food.

Dinner at the diner  | Photo from Betty

We had a great meal and even better conversation, and I was so thankful for the opportunity to grab dinner with these girls. It's so nice to have a moment where everything slows down and you just get to chat without being pulled in a million directions. While the meal was delicious, the dessert is what stole the show...

INSOMNIA COOKIES! | Photo from Betty

Gaby took us to Insomnia Cookies, and I fell in love. I adore anything with sugar, honestly, but I definitely can't pass up on a cookie. I had two: M&M and Snickerdoodle! Mmm... I wish I could have another right this minute. We headed back to hotel after that, and I was already getting sad thinking about how I'd be heading home the next day.

SATURDAY

At that point, I felt like I had more than enough books. I didn't know what to expect with the addition of BookCon, but I didn't have much of a schedule because all I really wanted to do was hang out with Cassie (Books with Cass). Betty and I packed up the night before, and we headed over to the Bloomsbury offices that morning so Betty could go to that breakfast. Cassie met us there, and we loved on each other out front.

Book Best Friends! | Photo from Betty

Betty then headed in to the breakfast, and Cassie and I sat down at a Starbucks across the street. Honestly, I'm so thankful that this morning worked the way it did. Betty and I had debated what we wanted to do that morning earlier in the week since we weren't sure on the timing of everything, and I didn't want Cassie to be really late to BookCon. Well, I think it all turned out perfectly!

She and I had got to spend awesome one-on-one time together, and I liked her even more in person than I did in all of our Twitter, text and video conversations. Seriously, spending time with her at Starbucks was one of the best parts of the whole trip. I MISS THIS TINY TATER TOT.

Finally together! | Photo from Cass

We made our way back to the Bloomsbury office as the breakfast wrapped up, and I got to meet the lovely and delightful Estelle (Rather Be Reading)! I'd hoped to see more of her during the trip, but I was so glad that I at least got to see her smiling face in person (even if it wasn't nearly enough time together). 

Yes, I'm super tall. | Photo from Estelle

Alexa and Cassie headed over to BookCon, and Betty and I grabbed our bags from the hotel so Mr. Betty could pick us up right at Javits once we were done for the day. As soon as we made it over there, Betty got in a crazy long signing line. I stayed on the BEA-only side for just a bit and had one of my favorite conversations of BEA with a publicist at HarperCollins. At the end of our conversation, she grabbed me one of the few books I'd been sad about missing out on - The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton. YAY! 

I then went to the BookCon side of BEA and rescued Cassie from the insanity. It was packed at BookCon, and we were both frustrated with the way everything was (un)organized on that side. Betty made her way out and declared herself done for the day. I got to meet Linz (The Kid: A Book Devotee) in the lobby - she'd come in for BookCon and was also disappointed by the day. At that point, it was close to the time when Mr. Betty was going to be getting us anyway so we talked a little more, said our goodbyes, grabbed our bags and waited out front.

Mr. Betty AND the Baby Bettys soon arrived, but Cassie called Betty and told her that we HAD to wait just one minute before leaving. She managed to charm her way into the display copy of one of the titles I'd really hoped would be given out at BEA - Wildlife by Fiona Wood. It was originally published in Australia, so you know it's basically guaranteed to be AMAZING. Such a surprise and the perfect way to end my last BEA day!

An unexpected BEA surprise!

I got to sit in between the Baby Bettys in the backseat during the ride to the airport. We played with their sticker books, and they told me all about their adventures that week. They also gave me my favorite swag from the whole trip:

Bracelet from the Baby Bettys - WHAT WHATTT?!

I hugged their sweet mama, blew the girls kisses, thanked Mr. Betty and headed into the airport. As tired as I was, it was so sad to head home! I knew that I'd be in heaven once I could put on my pajamas, look at my books and snuggle up in my own bed, but it was a bittersweet goodbye because I just wish they all lived closer to me.

I enjoyed a delicious cheeseburger at a restaurant in the airport and wasted time before my flight. It ended up being delayed taking off and then couldn't land on time in Atlanta because of bad weather, so I was more than ready to be home by the time I finally got off the plane. But Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers was the perfect way to pass the time - I couldn't put it down!

Nick picked me up, noted that increased weight of my carry on and probably got scared when he saw the maniacal grin on my face. As tired as I was, I wasn't too tired to tell him about ALL THE BOOKS!

BEA 2014: All the Books

coming soon...

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