Book Blogger Hop: February 7th - February 13th

This Week's Question:

What is the highest number of books you received in one day either in the mail or from UPS or FED EX?

My Answer:

Probably five or six books. I don't really like ordering books online, I like to the bookstore and walking down the isles just admiring all of the books. And I find more interesting books that way to, when you go online you know what you want to buy and you just buy that. In the store you get to peruse and look for new things that you wouldn't have other wise found. Do you prefer shopping online or in stores? Because there's definitely benefits to both of them.

Book Review: The Dark Lady by Irene Adler

I received this book as an eARC from NetGalley, and it was published February 1st, 2014.

While on summer vacation, little Irene Adler meets a young William Sherlock Holmes. The two share stories of pirates and have battles of wit while running wild on the sunny streets and rooftops. When Sherlock’s friend, Lupin, joins in on the fun, they all become fast friends. But the good times end abruptly when a dead body floats ashore on the nearby beach. The young detective trio will have to put all three of their heads together to solve this mystery.

This book was very interesting, and fun to read. It grabbed my attention from the cover to the synopsis to the words on the page. I loved the idea of seeing a young Sherlock Homes and Irene Adler (I had to look up Arsène Lupin, I admit it). Nonetheless, I thoroughly enjoyed the characters, though Irene felt too perfect sometimes. This book takes place in a small town called Saint-Malo, and gossip travels at lightning speed in Saint-Malo. 

The story line was very enjoyable, with lots of action and tons of mystery. Sherlock, Lupin, and Irene are always getting into dangerous situations, and everything in the story had a little bit of mysterious flare to it. At the beginning of each chapter there is a drawing that ties into the chapter. This was fun because it was a sneak peak of sorts into the chapter before you read it, and it made me try to guess how the picture ties in. 

I enjoyed the story, although I would've liked to see a few things tied up for us (How did Julien get Mrs. Holmes card? If I'm just being unobservant about that part please let me know in the comments). This book is a middle-grade book, but it wasn't oversimplified making it a good read for people of any age. Not having read any Sherlock Holmes stories before, I might've missed any allusions to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's stories. Without much background knowledge of Sherlock Holmes (Everything I learned, I learned from the BBC's Sherlock) I still found this book highly enjoyable, giving it 4 out of 5 stars, and I recommend it to anyone looking for a good mystery novel.

"Well, I think they're wrong. William is very boring. Sherlock suits you better. I've decided from now on I'm going to call you Sherlock!"

"'Everything's all right!' 'Let's hope so,' Lupin whispered, giving the worried butler a long look. 'He's very big and very angry'"

"My head was spinning with thoughts of nothing but shady deals and criminals. I'd never dreamed that there were secret organizations at work behind the scene in a pretty little tourist town like Saint-Malo."

"Sitting beside me, Sherlock was wearing a sneer that I eventually came to loathe. He wore it every time he'd discovered something before anyone else had."

Book Blogger Hop: January 31st - February 6th

This Week's Question:

When you receive new books in the mail, do the older ones get moved to the bottom of your list or do go strictly "by the book" and keep your list with older books first and then the new ones? 

My Answer:

When I receive new books I will be more likely to read them than books I already own, just because they're new and fresh in my mind. But it also depends. If there's a book I really want to read, I'll read it even if I just got a bunch of new books. Do you do that too, or am I the only one who does that? I try to read books as I buy them though, so I don't end up with a huge shelf of books that I haven't read...

Yea, that doesn't really work very well... I have lots of books that I need to read. 

That's all for today, Happy Reading!

Saturday Reads - 2/1/14

Hello, and welcome to my blog! Today I would like to share with you what I'm reading. The reason I'm doing this is because I'm in a bit of a reading slump, and I just wanted to read some books for myself and not review them. But I also want you guys to know what I think about them, and whether I recommend them or not. I'm currently reading two books, and I haven't finished either one of them so I can't give you my rating or recommendation really. If you would like I can do a mini-review of these books when I finish them, just be sure to comment below.

First Book: The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima.

An epic battle between good and evil...

Before he knew about the Roses, 16-year-old Jack lived an unremarkable life in the small Ohio town of Trinity. Only the medicine he has to take daily and the thick scar above his heart set him apart from the other high schoolers. Then one day Jack skips his medicine. Suddenly, he is stronger, fiercer, and more confident than ever before. And it feels great - until he loses control of his own strength and nearly kills another player during soccer team tryouts.

Soon, Jack learns the startling truth about himself: he is Weirlind, part of an underground society of magical people who live among us. At their helm sits the feuding houses of the Red Rose and the White Rose, whose power is determined by playing The Game - a magical tournament in which each house sponsors a warrior to fight to the death. The winning house rules the Weir.

As if his bizarre heritage isn't enough, Jack finds out that he's not just another member of Weirlind - he's one of the last of the warriors - at a time when both houses are scouting for a player.

I'm 210 pages in and so far I really like it. The synopsis of the book reminded me of Wendy Wu's Homecoming Warrior, specifically the part about soccer try-outs. I'm about half-way through and I can't wait to finish it. I found this book through Regan at PeruseProject on the YouTube, and I've found lots of fantasy books that I want to read through her channel. So if you like fantasy novels go check out her channel.

Second Book: Fifty Shades of Feminism edited/complied by Lisa Appignanesi, Rachel Holmes & Susie Orbach

The antidote to the idea that being a woman is all about submitting to desire. There are many more shades than that and here are fifty women to explore them. 

Fifty years after the publication of The Feminine Mystique, have women really exchanged purity and maternity to become desiring machines inspired only by variations of sex, shopping and masochism - all coloured a brilliant neuro-pink?

In this volume, fifty women young and old - writers, politicians, actors, scientists, mothers - reflect on the shades that inspired them and what being woman means to them today.

Contributors include: Tahmima Anam, Joan Bakewell, Bidisha, Lydia Cacho, Nina Power, Shami Chakrabarti, Lennie Goodings, Linda Grant, Natalie Haynes, Siri Hustvedt, Jude Kelly, Kathy Lette, Kate Mosse, Bee Rowlatt, Elif Shafak, Ahdaf Soueif, Shirley Thompson, Natasha Walter, Jeanette Winterson - alongside the three editors.

After recently watching a video about women authors, I was inspired to learn more about women's rights and feminist movements. This book explores different aspects of feminism, and I don't know much more because I'm only about 15 pages in. But so far it's really interesting, and I think I'm gonna like this book. Also, just know that there will be a post coming soon about women authors, and gender roles in society, but it might take a little while. If you have any books that are similar to Fifty Shades of Feminism comment below, because I'm really interested in this topic and would love to read more about it. 

So those are the books I'm reading right now. Comment below what you guys are reading, and if you have any books you think I would enjoy. I hope you all have a great Super Bowl weekend, and Happy Reading!

The Fault in Our Stars Movie Trailer

I just wanna give a shout-out to The Fault in Our Stars movie trailer that was released today! If you don't know the Fault in Our Stars is a book by John Green (review here) that is being made into a movie starring Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort. The movie is set to premiere on June 6th, and I can not wait to see it! Without further ado, here's the trailer...

I hope you all enjoy this trailer as much as I did, because the feels are reals. This movie looks so good, and I'm really excited especially with all of the vlogbrothers videos that were on set. If you missed any of them here they are for your enjoyment:

Okay, that's all I have to say. I will have another post up soon, leave a comment below if you liked these videos or want more posts like this in the future. Happy Reading!