Heat Wave by Richard Castle

#1 in the Nikki Heat Series
Published in 2009 by Hyperion
3 Stars

Goodreads Review
A New York real estate tycoon plunges to his death on a Manhattan sidewalk. A trophy wife with a past survives a narrow escape from a brazen attack. Mobsters and moguls with no shortage of reasons to kill trot out their alibis. And then, in the suffocating grip of a record heat wave, comes another shocking murder and a sharp turn in a tense journey into the dirty little secrets of the wealthy. Secrets that prove to be fatal. Secrets that lay hidden in the dark until one NYPD detective shines a light.

Mystery sensation Richard Castle, blockbuster author of the wildly best-selling Derrick Storm novels, introduces his newest character, NYPD Homicide Detective Nikki Heat. Tough, sexy, professional, Nikki Heat carries a passion for justice as she leads one of New York City's top homicide squads. She's hit with an unexpected challenge when the commissioner assigns superstar magazine journalist Jameson Rook to ride along with her to research an article on New York's Finest. PulitzerPrize-winning Rook is as much a handful as he is handsome. His wise-cracking and meddling aren't her only problems. As she works to unravel the secrets of the murdered real estate tycoon, she must also confront the spark between them. The one called heat.


Review:  Heat Wave is a fun add on that will certainly delight fans of the TV show Castle.  This book is a great tie in for the show and adds an interesting perspective.


I really enjoyed this light mystery.  Since I am a fan of the show it was great to read parts of the book that were also mentioned in the series.  I also loved the fact that it was written as if Richard Castle was a real person.  It includes a picture of Nathan Fillion as Castle as well as an author bio.  


As far as mysteries go Heat Wave isn't the best.  The story line is fairly predictable and lacks a lot of detail that a stand alone mystery would have.  However the charms of the TV show come across in the book.  There's a lot of the witty banter and sexual tension that the viewers of the TV show have come to love.  


Overall Heat Wave is a great book to add to the experience of the TV show Castle.  Fans of the show are sure to enjoy as well as any read who enjoys a light and humorous mystery.

A Little Bit Wicked by Kristin Chenoweth

Published 2009 by Touchstone
4 Stars

Goodreads Review
In this frank and funny memoir, the Tony Award-winning star of stage and screen shares her journey from small-town Oklahoma to big-time Broadway.


Review:  A Little Bit Wicked is an adorable autobiography about Kristin Chenoweth that is sure to please the fans of this Broadway diva.  This book is filled with hilarious anecdotes about the star's early career and Broadway mishaps but also has some very touching reflections on loss, faith, and love.  


I really enjoyed reading this book because I'm a HUGE musical theater fan, and in particular I am a Kristin Chenoweth fan.  I liked reading about her life and the positive outlook she has on the difficult things she has gone through and how they have made her the person she is today.  In particular I loved reading about all of the relationships she has formed with her cast mates from the various musicals she has worked on as well as parts of her life I didn't know about like her adoption and her run on the pageant circuit.  The book does a wonderful job capturing the Kristin Chenoweth's bright spirit and vivacious attitude.  There was a lot of wonderful humor in this book that was just so totally Kristin.


I was already familiar with her religious affiliation and though we d0 not agree on theology, I never felt like this book was preaching to me or trying to convince me to think a certain way.  Rather, her faith is approached as just another important factor in her life that has influenced her career and personal choices.  I found that take to be refreshing and open minded.


Overall A Little Bit Wicked is a great book for fans of Kristin Chenoweth who want get a deeper insight into the star's background or just for anyone who enjoys musical theater or reading humorous memoirs.


Sidenote:  The audiobook is read by Kristin and since the best part of Chenoweth is her voice, picking up a copy would probably be a good idea.

Insurgent Cover Reveal!

Today is the cover reveal for Veronica Roth's Insurgent, the followup book to Divergent and the second in the trilogy!  It was revealed by Entertainment Weekly along with a great interview.

Isn't it beautiful?  I am SO in love with this cover.  I can't believe I have to wait until May to read it!  I want this on my shelf right now.  The tree is so great, obviously Amity will have a bigger role in this book for which I am really excited.

For funsies, let's do a side by side.

Awesome.  That is a good looking series.  I almost wish there were going to be 5 different books so each faction could get their own cover.  Now THAT would be cool.  Come on Veronica, make that happen.

And We're Off!

The book-a-thon has begun!  I will be starting with Blood Promise, book 4 in the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead.  I have to go to bed early tonight for work, so I doubt I'll finish.  We'll see how far I get ;)

For Snackage:

beer

No seriously, that's it.  Haha I'll probably fall asleep.

Where I'm vegging out:

My bed.  Yep.  I'm definitely falling asleep before I get very far.

Sign up for the giveaway at The Bibliophilic Book Blog! And leave a comment if you're participating. If not, leave comments of encouragement! :)

Another Book-a-Thon!

Back in June I participated in my first book-a-thon and managed to read 2.5 books in 20 hours.  I had so much fun connecting with other readers and seeing how many books others were reading.  Lately I've been craving another book-a-thon and was contemplating starting one myself when the lovely ladies at ieatwords posted that The Bibliophilic Book Blog was hosting a book-a-thon this weekend!  YIPPEE! 

The basic rules of this book-a-thon are to read the books you own and that you've been wanting to read but haven't had the chance yet.  It starts today, Thursday 9/15 at 9:00PM EST and runs until Sunday 9/18 at 9:00PM EST.  Everyone whose interested should go sign up at their blog because not only will we read awesome books, but THERE WILL BE PRIZES!  YAY I love prizes!  (but seriously, I just wanted a read-a-thon, so I would have participated even if there weren't prizes).

Anyway, here's a list of the top ten books I hope (key word hope) to read.  I am going to a play Saturday night, I have to work on Friday, and I promised my friend Joe I'd play some xbox with him, so we'll see how much I actually read.

1. Blood Promise by Richelle Mead
2. Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead
3. Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead
4. The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa
5. Sweep Vol. 1 by Cate Tiernan
6. Sweep Vol. 2 by Cate Tiernan
7. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
8. Ruined by Simone Elkeles
9. The Morganville Vampires Vol. 1 by Rachel Cain
10. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

So who knows how many of these I'll get finished, but I hope to put in 24ish hours?  We'll see.  I'm not making any promises, but if you want to join in with me, let me know in the comments and go sign up at The Bibliophilic Book Blog! 

BBAW 2011: Readers

This week is book blogger appreciation week!  If you want to check out more visit here.  Today we're talking about readers and how they have influenced our blogging, reviewing, and personal reading habits.  There's a series of questions that are really awesome, so I thought I'd share my opinions as well.

Has book blogging changed the way you read?

YES!  I used to read all of the time, but once I got into college my reading for fun really tapered off in favor of reading text books, studying for tests, and drinking (hey I was in college what did you expect lol).  However once I graduated and moved away from all of my friends to live on my own I fell back in love with reading. 

I didn't get really into reading though until I discovered the book vlogging community on youtube.  It all started with me watching book videos about Battle Royale and The Hunger Games.  I had been a fan of the Battle Royale movie for years, so I decided I wanted to read the books and make my own judgements.  Then I started finding different channels that introduced me to new books and it took off from there.  I had been using goodreads for a few months already, but it wasn't until I started being more active on youtube that I figured out the awesomeness of that site.

Now because I blog and vlog about books I find myself reading a much greater variety of books and with a lot more frequency.  I feel like I need to catch up because I took five years off and now there are so many amazing books I need to read.

Have you discovered books you never would have apart from book blogging?

Oh my gosh yes!  I think that being active in the online book community has really introduced me to new books.  Goodreads is my number one source for new reading material, but I also rely heavily on youtube reviews and hauls.  Pretty much every book I've reviewed on here I wouldn't have heard of if it weren't for youtube.  Before I got involved in this community I didn't really read YA beyond Harry Potter and I know I wouldn't have started if I hadn't met some awesome people.

How has book blogging affected your book acquisition habits?

Holy hell.  My book buying habits are getting out of hand.  The wonderful world of book blogging introduced me to an amazing store called Half Price Books.  Oh man.  I spend WAAAYYY to much time in there.  Since I've started blogging I've probably bought 500 books.  I haven't read them all, but I plan on reading them, so that has to count for something right?  I would love to get an e-reader so I can sell some physical books and get a little more space in my apartment.

Have you made new connections with other readers because of book blogging?  

I totally have!  I've met some amazing people because I started blogging.  I hope to continue to grow my blog and youtube channel and eventually go to BEA and other conventions.  I have started to go to book signings, but very few are in Ohio.  I drove to Indiana to a John Green signing though, and that was sweet.  I have made some awesome friends and I hope to continue to make more in the future. 

I wanted to take a moment and thank all of the authors, bloggers, and readers that make this community so special.  I have felt so welcomed since I started blogging a few months ago, and I really love everyone I have met.  Bloggers have made a difference, both in the publishing world and in my life.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Published December 2, 2010 by Dutton
4 Stars

Goodreads Review

Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris—until she meets Étienne St. Claire: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.

As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near-misses end with the French kiss Anna—and readers—have long awaited?

Review:  Anna and the French Kiss is just a cute story.  It's a story about a girl who is thrown into a completely new setting where she is exposed to new experiences, meets new people, and even falls in love.

I really enjoyed this story.  The flirtatious interaction between Anna and Etienne was just adorable and so much fun to read.  The romance is certainly the strong point in this book, and it's done very well.  The character interactions and development were very well done as well.  I thought all of the characters were relate able and believable.  No one was completely bad and no one was perfect either, which I really appreciated.  Finally I LOVED the setting.  I've never been to the Paris part of France (I have been to the Riviera area like Toulon and Nice) and Anna and the French Kiss really made me want to travel there.  Everything was described so well I thought I was actually there.  I just wanted to stroll down the street visiting various monuments while eating a delicious baguette. 

My only real criticism has nothing to really do with the book or the writing, but just my general frustration with the characters themselves.  I think that if they had all just sat down and talked a lot of the drama could have been avoided.  I kept thinking, oh my gosh, why didn't you just TELL her/him/them!?  Also, I know a lot of people are head over heels for St. Claire, but I was not attracted to him.  His description was not my type and the picture of him in my head wasn't attractive, so I didn't have that attraction to him like most people.  I think that if I knew Etienne in real life I wouldn't have been attracted to him or been friends with him.

On the other hand, I LOVED Anna.  I loved her love for old movies, we could have totally bonded over that.  I am a movie freak too and it would be so much fun to have a movie marathon with Anna.  She goes through a lot of drama and a lot of really crappy things happen to her, but I loved reading about her growing as a person and learning from her mistakes.  She is not a perfect person, and I can really relate to her. 

Overall, Anna and the French Kiss is an adorable book set in the romantic streets of Paris.  It's a perfect light romance that is sure to charm and become a favorite.