2011 September 14 » Birdbrain(ed) Book Blog

MINI-REVIEWS: Bliss, Feed, Storm Glass

Posted by Anastasia on September 14, 2011 18 Responses »

Sep 142011

Click on a book’s cover to go to its Amazon page!

101. Bliss by Lauren Myracle
Publication: Amulet Books; Reprint edition (January 1, 2011), originally published 2008, Paperback, 480pp / ISBN 0810940728
Genre: YA Horror/Paranormal

Read: August 22-23, 2011
Source: Bought

Review

I grabbed this book from a Borders in California because a) I was desperate for a paper book for some reason and b) it looked potentially entertaining. It is, in fact, a really good book.

Basically, Bliss is a bit like The Craft but set in the late 1960s and with ghosts and blood magic instead of something vaguely Wicca-ish. It’s scary, it’s dark, and it’s SO FRICKIN’ AWESOME. I just. I really love this book, y’all. It’s creepy and spooky and really tense in that someone-may-die sort of way, and the writing is just so good– and if you need a book for RIP VI or if you just want a scary-awesome YA book for some reason, definitely get this book. DEFINITELY GET IT. I’ll stop yelling in capslock if you promise to read it!

I know the cover makes it look like it’s more Carrie than Craft, but listen to me and all will be well.

Rating

There’s also a red herring that you don’t really figure out until nearer to the end!

102. Feed by Mira Grant
Publication: Orbit; Original edition (May 1, 2010), ebook, 608pp / ISBN 0316081051
Genre: Sci-fi/Horror

Read: August 24-25, 2011
Source: Bought

Review

This is another book that makes me want to capslock with how AMAZING it is, although it’s not YA and it’s got zombies instead of ghosts and it’s more about the freedom of the press and the importance of blogs/family/friendship than it is about anything else. Also, it’s set in the future. It’s got action and drama and a conspiracy, and there’s fantastic characters, and even if there’s a little too much infodumping at times I still think the writing is really great.

If you’re a blogger who likes sci-fi and post-apocalyptic things and zombies and books about blogging, you’d like this book. If you like character-driven stories where people actually love each other and aren’t perfect and yet are still very likable, you’d like this book. I think even if you’re more of a political thriller sort of person, you might like this book! It’s just. so. good.

Rating

The ending was so sad, but I got through it okay.

103. Storm Glass by Maria V. Snyder
Publication: Mira; Original edition (May 1, 2009), ebook, 448pp / ISBN 0778325644
Genre: YA Fantasy

Read: August 25-26, 2011
Source: Bought

Review

So when I bought this I didn’t realize it was a sequel series to another trilogy. So that’s kind of a bummer. On the other hand, even though I felt like I’d missed a huge chunk of the backstory, it talks about what happened in the other books enough that I felt like I mostly understood what was going on re:the past, and the rest of it is set so much in the present anyway that it turned out not to be that big of a deal that I’d missed the first trilogy.

Got that? Good.

I really love this book. I know this post is full of LOVE and AWESOME and AMAZING already but just bear with me because this book is all those things and more. You like strong female characters that nevertheless make mistakes? This book’s got that! You like a bit of romance in your fantasy, but nothing too overwhelming? This book’s got that! You like adventure and action and yet, at the same time, character development? This book’s got that!

I read this in the car on the way back from California and I basically completely missed the middle bit of Arizona because I was so into it. ♥

Rating

I’m so happy the emphasis was on Opal’s character development rather than her romantic attachments!

2011 BBAW Daily Topic #3: Community Part II

Posted by Anastasia on September 14, 2011 40 Responses »

Sep 142011

Today’s discussion topic is about community again:

The world of book blogging has grown enormously and sometimes it can be hard to find a place. Share your tips for finding and keeping community in book blogging despite the hectic demands made on your time and the overwhelming number of blogs out there. If you’re struggling with finding a community, share your concerns and explain what you’re looking for–this is the week to connect!

To be honest, I’ve been struggling to dig myself deeper into the blog community. I volunteer for stuff, sure, and I try to comment/Tweet at people/etc., but I still kind of feel like an outsider. Probably part of that comes from the fact that I don’t have a defined niche for my blog. I’ve got lots of crossover interests but I don’t really fit into any one defined kind of blog, you know? So I’m left sort of floating out in space while (it seems) everyone else is in their YA/classics/non-fiction/paranormal romance spaceships of amazingness.

I mean, I guess I could make my own spaceship, but it’d be a party of one in there and that kinda sucks. Even sending out messages to other spaceships isn’t all that fun when they go off to explore Saturn or something and I’m not invited to tag along.

I think the key to feeling more included might be to bring more community stuff back to my own blog, but I haven’t really worked out how to do that besides discussion posts (which I’m rubbish at). More events, maybe? (Also rubbish at that, by the way.) Videos, maybe! I don’t know, really.

Or maybe the key to feeling more included is in offline community stuff. Like, should I join a book club? Go to more book events? Meet up with book bloggers for coffee or something? That might work! I’m going to try doing some of that when I move to California. Not only will I be nearer to more book stuff but I’ll probably also feel like actually leaving the house once in a while.

What about you? Do you feel like you’re a crew of one in your own lonely spaceship? How do you keep from feeling lonely out in the vastness of book blogging space?