On My Nightstand: Books, Ebooks, Audiobooks and Graphic Novels

May 16, 2016 by Leave a Comment

onmynightstandMay-16_2016

Hey!! How are you doing? I have been away for quite some time. I have been working on spring cleaning projects around the house and loving the results. I have come to realize that I attach way too much sentimental thoughts to “things” in my home and this year, I am turning it on it’s head with my spring cleaning efforts. I began a few weeks ago and cleaned out my craft room and restructure it’s layout and I am more than half way complete and love the energy when I enter the space.  More on that later.

Despite my “Cleaning bug” I still have managed to keep my reading up. I am in love with all things books so it is easy for me to fit time even if it’s 15 minutes here or there.  So I thought I would update you with what’s “On My Nightstand”:

onmynightstandMay-16_2016b

While in college I first came across literature that taught me about the Japanese Internment camps here in the US. I never came across this information prior to then and I was surprised. I had this first book on my TBR list for a while and while in New Jersey last month, I purchased it. The book is called, “When the Emperor was Divine” by Julie Otsuka. It is a historical fiction following a family to an internment camp in Utah.  The second book called, “Gaijin: American Prisoner of War” is a graphic novel I came across at the library and decided it would be nice to see another approach to the topic.

onmynightstandMay-16_2016cMy third read is a brand new science fiction release by Sylvain Neuvel called, “Sleeping Giants“. I put myself on the wait list for this book a while back and was so thrilled when it came in last week. I am really enjoying this story and just found out it is the beginning of a series. So if you don’t like long waits, then I would hold off a while since the next book is slated for the summer of 2017.

onmynightstandMay-16_2016dMy final book is an audiobook by Tessa Harris and is called, “The Anatomist’s Apprentice“. It is a the beginning of a mystery series set in eighteenth-century England featuring an anatomist and the first forensic detective. It sounds very interesting and I just started listening to it today at work. So I will keep you posted.

So those are what’s on my nightstand.  What are you reading right now?

Happy Reading!

Belinda

Filed Under: Belinda's Book Nook Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Belinda’s Book Nook Review: A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray

November 21, 2014 by Leave a Comment

 

Athousandpiecesofyou

Title: A Thousand Pieces of You
Author: Claudia Gray
Copyright: November 4, 2014
Genre: science fiction, young adult
Format: paperback Pages: 357

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Every Day meets Cloud Atlas in this heart-racing, space- and time-bending, epic new trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray.

Marguerite Caine’s physicist parents are known for their radical scientific achievements. Their most astonishing invention: the Firebird, which allows users to jump into parallel universes, some vastly altered from our own. But when Marguerite’s father is murdered, the killer—her parent’s handsome and enigmatic assistant Paul—escapes into another dimension before the law can touch him.

Marguerite can’t let the man who destroyed her family go free, and she races after Paul through different universes, where their lives entangle in increasingly familiar ways. With each encounter she begins to question Paul’s guilt—and her own heart. Soon she discovers the truth behind her father’s death is more sinister than she ever could have imagined.

A Thousand Pieces of You explores a reality where we witness the countless other lives we might lead in an amazingly intricate multiverse, and ask whether, amid infinite possibilities, one love can endure. 

My Thoughts on A Thousand Pieces of You:

Last night I finished reading A Thousand Pieces of You By Claudia Gray.

I meant to go to bed but you know when your almost done, you just have to see it through.  Waiting another day seemed cruel. So I stayed up and finished it.

This is my first Claudia Gray book although I currently own one other of her books but never read it.

I would classify this book as a Young Adult Science fiction. It was a light science fiction so for people who don’t particularly jump for joy at that genre, I think this would be a pleasant read.  It’s premise is around dimensional travel not to be confused with time travel.  For example, there are dimensions that run simultaneously with ours and in many there are other versions of us that exists.  Sounds a little crazy but I liked thinking about it while reading the story.

I enjoyed reading about the different dimensions and different versions of the main character, Marguerite. In one, she was a grand duchess in Russia. Of course there was a love triangle and I found myself routing for one guy over the other. But it wasn’t a lot of romance just enough to keep me pleased.

After getting about half way through this book, I realized it is a trilogy and this is the first which means I will be anxiously waiting a while.  I typically like to read trilogies either after all have been written or the final is coming very soon.  So a bit frustrated because I like to read them back to back.

I felt the pacing was good and really picked up about half way in and then I just wanted to plow through and see where it went. I like when that happens, getting pulled into the story.

Quotes on Love:

“I meant it when I said I didn’t believe in love at first sight. It takes time to really fall for someone.Yet I believe in a moment. A moment when you glimpse the truth within someone, and they glimpse the truth  within you. In that moment, you don’t belong to yourself any longer, not completely. Part of you belongs to him; part of him belongs to you…”

“Every me loves every you…”

I would definitely recommend reading the book but if you are like me, wait until they at least release book 2 so you don’t have to wait long.

I gave this book 4 butterflies.

4ratingA

Happy reading my friends!

Belinda

Filed Under: Belinda's Book Nook Tagged With: , , , , ,

Belinda’s Book Nook Review: The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

October 22, 2014 by Leave a Comment

The5thWave

Title: The 5th Wave
Author: Rick Yancey
Copyright: May 7, 2013
Genre: fiction, science fiction
Format: ebook Pages: 497

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker.

Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother—or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

My Thoughts on The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey:

I kept on hearing about this book on book tube and thought that I might need to see what the fuss was about. First, I would like to say that I think of myself as a big fan of science fiction. I love finding science fiction movies to watch. I especially love to see a team work together to solve/overcome problems. I enjoyed movies like, Mission to Mars, Aliens, Terminator and many more. Last night, I just watched the movie, “After Earth” starring Will Smith and his son. I thought it was good too.  I like the ideas of science fiction writers and I love the mystery and thrills I get thinking of the possibilities.

So when I heard about this book and it came available on my library’s Overdrive system. I took it out and began the journey with Cassie the main character as she experienced each “wave” of the Others'(alien) invasion.  I really enjoyed how the author made you wait to find out what exactly what was going on and who the aliens/others were. It made me think about what we would do if we were invaded in such a way. And that is the thing I love most about science fiction is it tickles my curiosity and a lot of ‘what ifs’ find there way into my mind.

I felt the pacing of book was nice and he used multiple narrators to give you multiple perspectives which carried the book along nicely while filling in the pieces to the mystery. I found myself moving through this book very fast and when he would switch narrators it would be at the precise moment something momentous was happening and I felt compelled to keep reading.

I liked Cassie as the strong female lead at times I struggle with her strength at such a young age but then Yancey would incorporate some indecisiveness that I feel was appropriate for a girl her age and appeared more realistic.

There was some romance and at times a little cheesy but not enough to take away from the story. I do enjoy a little romance in stories and I think it was overall fine in this book.

I stayed up to finish this book and look forward to reading book two which was just released this September. I am not sure if this is a trilogy but I definitely enjoyed book one and look forward to reading the next book in the series called, “The Infinite Sea”.

This was a good size book but I went through it so fast which means it took me on the journey and I love that.

For these reasons, I gave this book 5 butterflies.

5ratingHappy Reading!

Belinda

 

Filed Under: Belinda's Book Nook Tagged With: , , , , ,
« Previous Page
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox

Join other followers: