Off the Shelf #6

  Hello everyone and welcome to Off the Shelf!  This is my way of sharing any new books I receive or buy as well as let you all know what my reading plans are for the week and what I hope to get off my TBR shelf.

Finished Reading:

Blood Promise by Richelle Mead

Bad Taste in Boys by Carrie Harris

Currently Reading:

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Up Next:

The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

Read-a-Thon Wrap Up

Well, I have completed the read-a-thon at The Bibliophilic Book Blog but I have to say I was a little disappointed in myself.  I only finished two books :(  I was pretty busy this weekend though.  I had to work all day Friday and then when I got home I was so exhausted I went to sleep around 9 pm!  Then I had a bunch of stuff to do on Saturday and went to a musical (Next to Normal!!!) Saturday night.  And today I woke up with a migraine.  Oh my gosh!  Not a good weekend for book reading.  So anyway, here are the two books I completed.

Blood Promise by Richelle Mead

Bad Taste in Boys by Carrie Harris

In total I read 600 pages in around 7 hours.  Not the best book-a-thon, but I think I really only get a lot of reading done on weekend where I have absolutely nothing going on.  And when I don't get a migraine (stupid migraines...)

But anyway, I want to thank The Bibliophilic Book Blog for hosting this read-a-thon and everyone who participated!  I had a lot of fun and I really look forward to participating in another one soon!

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!