Stacking the Shelves ~ Thanks to Armchair BEA

Just a quick post to thanks the people that put together Armchair BEA (learn more here) and the publishers/ authors that donated books for the event. I was lucky enough to win three books this year.

Luring Shadows by Kristina Rienzi
(Goodreads) Author Website (here)
**The author also sent a bunch of swag plus the book was signed.

The Pages of The Mind by Jeffe Kennedy
(Goodreads) Author Website (here)

Wonder Women: 25 Innovators, Inventors, and Trailblazers Who Changed History by Sam Maggs
(Goodreads) Author Website (here)
**Received from Quirk Books (publisher)

Armchair BEA 2016 ~ Surviving Fictional Worlds

Armchair bea website

Today we'll talk about surviving fictional worlds. We all know that sometimes, the worlds we love in fiction can be dangerous. Which fictional worlds would you want to live in? Which worlds do you never want to dive into? Which worlds are you content to stay behind the glass, so to speak, rather than wishing to dive through the page? And once you get there, what would you do?

**I think I wouldn't mind Kenyon's Dark Hunter world. It's modern day but with the addition of supernatural beings. At the same time not sure I would want to live in NOLA in her world.

They are watching
by Nightscream 452 (DeviantArt)

I wouldn't mind exploring Hogwarts. Maybe not as a student but I'm sure I could find plenty to do and see.

Back at Hogwarts
by Alea Lefevre (deviantArt)

Sticking with the UF/ Fantasy theme. I was reading a Jim Butcher graphic novel from his Dresden Files series and realized I wouldn't want to live in his Chicago. Between the mafia, councils, vampire courts and everything else you can think of there is nowhere you can turn to get away from it all.

The Dresden Files: Your Story
by charro art (DeviantArt)

Have a Happy and Safe Reading Weekend!

Armchair BEA 2016 ~ Beyond the Books & Beyond the Blog

Armchair BEA website 

Here on Day 3, we are moving our focus beyond the traditional format of the media we consume and create!
Beyond the traditional form of the novel, what are your favorite alternative forms (graphic novels, audiobooks, webcomics, etc)? Do you have any favorite works within these alternate forms? How do you think the changing format affects the reading experience?

**I've tried a couple of audiobooks but haven't really been able to focus when they are playing. If I don't have something in my hands I feel like I should be doing something and forget that I'm supposed to be listening. I should probably try one when I'm walking or something.
**Of the things listed the one I read the most are graphic novels. I'm even more picky with these than regular books. If I don't like the graphics it does not matter how good the story is, I cannot get into it. For me it started with some of my favorite UF book series, Jim Butcher's Dresden series (Goodreads) and Patricia Briggs's Mercy Thompson series (Goodreads).

This branched out into other types of graphic novels. The first and still one of my favorites is the  Fables series (Goodreads) by Bill Willingham. The last volume came out in 2015.

Another set I read for the first time this year is the Runaways by Brian K Vaughn (Goodreads). I'll admit to not liking his Saga series as much as everyone else did but I did like Runaways. The graphics and story just worked better for me in this one than in Saga.

Armchair BEA 2016 ~ Aesthetic Concerns - Books & Blogs

Armchair BEA home

Welcome to day 2 of Armchair BEA. To find out more click the link above.
Today is all about aesthetics! The first part of this topic is concerned specifically with the books, the second with our blogs.

Books: I've found lately that I judge books by the cover a lot more than I used to. If I'm turned off by the cover I won't even read what it is about. This also comes into play with styles/genres. If it looks like a contemporary novel I tend to skip over it. I've been coming across more uf/fantasy (especially YA) that have more contemporary cover. An example is Melissa Marr's Seven Black Diamonds

Nothing about this cover say Faerie. Not only that but a war between the fae and humans. If it hadn't been for the author's name I wouldn't have read the blurb to see what it was about.

These are a couple of examples of what I think of when looking for UF or Fantasy.

Blog: I don't know if it is because this is more of a hobby for me or not but I don't really brand my blog. The only thing I really do is use the same pic across social media sites but that is about it.
My reviews tend to change as I do. Sometimes I want something simple and others a more detailed review. Lately, I've been featuring books more than reviewing them. I find it easier to talk about why I picked a book to read rather than what I liked or disliked about the same book.

Armchair BEA 2016 ~ Introductions

Armchair BEA Home

1.  What is the name you prefer to use? Kristina D

2.  How long have you been a book blogger? A little over 5 years. I have always done this as more of a hobby or just a place to vent and keep track of thoughts on the books I'm reading.

3.  Have you participated in ABEA before? Yes, I think this will be the third time.

4. What is your favorite genre and why? Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy. Really any fantasy. Why, because when I read it is to escape everything around me at the moment. I want something I can get lost in that doesn't have a bunch of real world problems.

5.  If you could choose three characters to have lunch with, who would they be and why? Acheron from Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunters, he has been around forever and I'm sure has plenty of stories to tell.
Bran from Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson and Alpha & Omega series. Same reason as above. My favorite character from these series and would have plenty to talk about.
Alexia from Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate (or Lord Akeldama)They both just seem like they would be a lot of fun to spend some time with.

6. Do you have a favorite book? If you cannot choose a favorite book of all time, pick your favorite book today - just this second.
Not a specific book but Kenyon's Dark Hunters series is my favorite series. There have been a few along the way that I haven't enjoyed as much but this is one of the few that I still buy right away. Another favorite is J.D. Robb's In Death series.

7. What book are you most excited for on your TBR? What are you most intimidated by? 

Excited to read This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab. I've liked most of her books and look forward to when she releases a new series.
Most intimidated: Not sure if intimidated is the right word but I tend to put off finishing series. I just cannot bring myself to read the final book in some of my favorite series. Usually this is because I've read too many that just end badly and don't want the same fate for my faves.

Stacking the Shelves ~ Armchair BEA

 

Just a quick post to thanks the people that put together Armchair BEA (learn more here) and the publishers/ authors that donated books for the event. I was lucky enough to win three prizes this year. Two were for daily posts and then one during a twitter party.

From Julie Wetzel and Crimson Tree Publishing
On The Accidental Wings of Dragons (Goodreads)

It was dragons and the first book in the series so I couldn't resist choosing this as one of my picks.

From David Stabler (author) & Doogie Horner (Illustrator)
Kid Athletes: True Tales of Childhood from Sports Legends (Goodreads)
published by Quirk Books

Picked this one out for my son. He is a huge sports fan and loves non fiction books. Anything that keeps him reading is good with us.






 
I also was lucky enough to get the Chronicle Books tote pack. Love the fact that the tote has a little pocket at the top. I'm always just throwing my keys into the bottom of totes when we take them places, so it's nice to have someplace to put them.
Came with three Arcs:
*A History of Glitter and Blood by Hannah Moskowitz (Goodreads) It's about Fairies!
due out August 2015
*The Chess Queen Enigma by Colleen Gleason (Goodreads) This was the reason I picked this. It is the third book in the Stoker & Holmes series.   due out Sept 2015
House Arrest by K.A. Holt (Goodreads) This is a middle grade, think it is a contemporary which I don't normally read but may give it a try. Hubby is also going to try it. due Oct 2015

NetGalley
Warren the 13th and The All-Seeing Eye by Tania Del Rio (netgalley)

I saw this book while looking at the books Quirk had available with Armchair BEA. I was reading Gris Grimely's Frankenstein at the time and this cover reminded my of it for some reason.

Armchair BEA 2015 ~ Character Chatter

Today's topics are Character Chatter and Blogging 101.
I fall more into the basic blogger category so nothing really to give in the way of advise. My thing lately is if it's becoming a chore then take a break or cut back. I've only been doing about 3 posts a week this year and with all the real life problems this month I've been lucky to get 1 posted. I do use NetGalley for e arcs when something catches my eye. Just be sure not to get click happy. They add up quick.

Characters: Favorites Love or Hate
I've always loved the quirky side characters. Sometimes even more than the main character/s. The first to come to mind is Nick from Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter series. He eventually got his own YA series The Chronicles of Nick. I'm still waiting to see how the two series are going to meet up and make sense, and hoping that it works.

She doesn't really fall under quirky or maybe a different type of quirk is Meg from Anne Bishop's The Others series. I love this series and all the characters but Meg is what keeps me reading them.

I can't really think of any one character that I hate enough to remember but I'm sure they will all come to me tomorrow when I see everyone's posts.

Armchair BEA 2015 ~ Visual Expressions

 

Today's topics are Visual Expressions and Social Media. I am horrible at the social media thing so I'm focusing on the visuals.
Graphic Novels
I'm still exploring and finding my way around the world of graphic novels but am enjoying the search.

Fables by Bill Willingham is still a favorite. It is ending/has ended this year but there are so many offshoots that I'll be reading for a while.

Not sure how new this is but my local library has started stocking a bunch of autobiographies in graphic form. I don't normally read this genre but I find them more enjoyable in this format. Currently reading Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel. I've also read The Complete Persepolis by  Marjane Satrapi (review)







WebComics
I came across this list(website) that has at least 40 webcomics (that they feel everyone should read). I liked the breakdown they used; finished, rarely updated, etc. I will say I found more plus other opinions in the many many comments of this article. Girl Genius is one that I would recommend (Webcomic)

Fan Art/ Cover Art
I love art of most kinds. Even though we shouldn't, I know I always look at the cover first when deciding on what to read.
One of my favorite cover artists is Tony Mauro (website). He has done many covers for many UF series. These are some of my favorites.

Nalini Singh's
Guild Hunter series

Yasmine Galenorn's
Indigo Court series

Jennifer Estep's
Elemental Assassin series

I also love when I come across great fan art for a book/series I love. DeviantArt is a time suck for me.

A Darker Shade of Magic fan art
by ECALA (deviantArt)

Harry Dresden
by  thegryph (deviantArt)

Armchair BEA 2015 ~ Introductions

Tell us a bit about yourself: How long have you been blogging? Where are you from? How did you get into blogging?
**Hi, Kristina here. I've been here sorta blogging for about  5 yrs. This started and sometimes is still a place where I could vent about a book. Also, since I love series, it helps me keep track of my thoughts on the old books so I don't have to do a reread when the new one comes out.

Why do you loving reading and blogging?
**Reading has always been an escape for me. Which is why you won't see many if any contemporary books on here. I have enough real life in my life don't need to read more.

What is your theme song?
Don't know that it's a theme song but I'm really enjoying Carrie Underwood's newest song "Little Toy Guns". I also love the fantasy aspect of the video.


What is your favorite genre and why?
This depends on my mood. The main ones are Fantasy, UF (Urban Fantasy), and PNR (Paranormal Romance). It doesn't matter if it is adult, YA, or MG as long as it's a good book I'll read it.

What book are you reading right now?
Many. I was having trouble settling on one and started many. I seem to be going more with The Grendel Affair but trying to finish Fun Home by the end of the week. The last is Gris Grimly's Frankenstein. There may be a few more that I looked at when trying to decide :)

Armchair BEA 2014 ~ Middle Grade/ Young Adult

Today's prompt: YA/MG: If you do not normally talk about this genre on your site, maybe you want to feature books that you remember impacting you during this stage in your life. If this is where you tend to gravitate, maybe you want to list your favorites, make recommendations based on genres, or feature some titles that you are excited to read coming later this year.

**This was probably my hardest one to think of something for. I read both YA and MG but would not call them my preferred genres. I find if I read a book in either of these I then need to read an adult book next. That being said some of my favorite reads over the years have been either YA or MG.
I originally started reading YA when I was looking for more books by some of my favorite Adult authors. I read Rachel Caine's Weather Warden series and came across her Morganville series when I was looking for more. Myrnin is one of my favorite vampires in any book and I enjoyed the world and characters as a whole. It was the same with Richelle Mead. I read her Georgina Kincaid series and eventually ended up loving her Vampire Academy books.

Some other favorites are: Cinda Williams Chima's Seven Realms and The Heir Chronicles (Goodreads)

Cassandra Clare's The Mortal Instruments (first 3 books) and The Infernal Devises. (Goodreads)

Victoria Schwab's The Archived and The Near Witch (Goodreads)

Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson, The Kane Chronicles, and Heroes of Olympus (Goodreads) 

Maria V Snyder's Glass series, Insiders series, and Healers series (Goodreads)

Brandon Sanderson's The Rithmatist (Goodreads)

J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series (Goodreads)

I'm sure I could keep going so just going to stop now. Hope everyone had a Great Armchair BEA week!

Armchair BEA 2014 ~ Beyond the Borders

*Find out more about Armchair BEA here

Today's prompt: Tell us about the books that transported you to a different world, taught you about a different culture, and/or helped you step into the shoes of someone different from you. What impacted you the most about this book? What books would you recommend to others who are ready or not ready to step over the line? In essence, let’s start the conversation about diversity and keep it going!

For me the first books that jumped into thought when I read this were The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. Even though I usually don't venture into contemporary for my reading time, I really enjoyed these books. There was just something about them that grabbed my attention and even when I found them uncomfortable I had to continue reading.

On the lighter side, I've always enjoyed reading books set in Ireland. From many Nora Roberts books (romance or PNR) to Karen Marie Moning's Fever and Highlander series, I love the settings almost as much as the stories themselves.
Another set I enjoyed was Eon and Eona by Alison Goodman. They are fantasy but based on and in Asian astrology.

I know there are others I'm forgetting and will probably see them as I'm visiting other blogs today but here are just a few of the ones I've read.