2011 December » Birdbrain(ed) Book Blog

New ways to subscribe to Birdbrain(ed)!

Posted by Anastasia on December 9, 2011 2 Responses »

Dec 092011

I’ve been trying out different things lately, and if you’ve seen the main page of Birdbrain(ed) Book Blog already you’ve probably noticed them. Now there are more ways to subscribe to Birdbrain(ed) than by feedreader or email! Yes!

You can:
1. Join via Google Friend Connect. Although technically Google is getting rid of this for non-Blogger blogs in March, so…maybe not the best way to subscribe if you’re worried about long-term connectivity.
2. Join via Networked Blogs. Basically this is like GFC but for Facebook?
3. Join via Bloglovin. Which is like a feedreader but slightly different.
4. Do something with Google+ circles? I’m still not entirely sure how this thing works, but I’ll figure it out eventually.
5. Follow me on Twitter? All my updates get sent there as links, so I suppose if you really hate feedreaders/emails/whatever (or if you’re on Twitter a lot) this is a good way to keep up with what I’m posting.

I know everyone has their own preferred ways of keeping up with a blog’s updates, and I figured I’d try to accommodate as many people as possible because I’m wonderful like that. Plus I really like seeing your little faces(/icons) in the Networked Blogs/GFC widgets. It’s like we’re having a little party here at my blog! Or…something.

What’s your favorite way to subscribe to blogs? I’m most used to feedreaders (I use Google Reader), so that what I like best.

Footnotes

REVIEW: Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

Posted by Anastasia on December 9, 2011 3 Responses »

Dec 092011

157. Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George
Publication: Bloomsbury USA Childrens (February 1, 2011), originally published 2009, ebook, 302pp / ISBN 1599904551
Genre: YA Fantasy

Read: November 23-29, 2011
Source: Singapore Public Library

Summary from Amazon:

Rose¹ is one of twelve princesses forced to dance through the night in an underground palace. The key to breaking the spell lies in magic knitting needles, an invisibility cloak, and-of course-true love. Inspired by “The Twelve Dancing Princesses,” this novel is as captivating as it is fresh. Enchanted readers are sure to clamor for the new companion, Princess of Glass, also published.

Review

Like Inside Out, Princess of the Midnight Ball was one of those books where I was expecting great things from an author who I know does awesome books– but unfortunately, I was disappointed. Like Maria V. Snyder, Jessica Day George has amazing characters in her books. She also has a knack for turning conventional fairy tale stories into something REALLY INCREDIBLE. For instance, last month I read JDG’s Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow. In that book she changed up the story enough to take it beyond merely “interesting.” She got rid of the annoying things, she made the main female character seriously wonderful (without going over the top), and she made the romance actually, y’know, romantic. Continue reading »

Thursday Tea (Dec. 8): Cotillion

Posted by Anastasia on December 8, 2011 7 Responses »

Dec 082011

The book: Things you may not know about this book:
1. It is written by Georgette Heyer. GH and I had a bad time together before, but this is a Regency romance and not a mystery, and so it’s going much better.
2. It is FUNNY. Apparently not many of GH’s books are funny, but this one is.
3. It is populated by stupid people.
4. I have no idea who the couples will be at the end. I have an idea, but it might be wrong. This is actually kind of exciting.

I think this is the first Regency romance I’ve read that wasn’t actually written during the Regency period, too, so overall reading Cotillion is amazingly fun.

The tea: I don’t know if I should buy a new box of Earl Grey now or just wait until we get to California. On the one hand, if I space out my Super Secret Reserve Earl Grey Tea I’ll have enough to last me until we move. On the other hand, I want to drink more tea than that. So! I don’t know.

Do they go together? Yes! They do go together. Didn’t they drink a lot of tea in the Regency period? I don’t know if it was Earl Grey, but I bet it was something similar.

Other tea drinkers

Angela Renee is ALSO reading Cotillion and drinking Earl Grey!

Leave a link to your TT post in the comments and I’ll add you to the tea drinkers list!

Why the Singapore National Library is awesome

Posted by Anastasia on December 7, 2011 2 Responses »

Dec 072011

I’ve been a member of the Singapore National Library (or “National Library Board Singapore” or “Singapore Public Library”) for about a month now. I first learned about it at the Mobileread forums, but I didn’t think of actually joining until now. Probably having all my paper books packed away had something to do with that…

So! The Singapore National Library is free to join. Everything’s in English, including the website and books. You don’t need to be in Singapore to do it; you can register online from anywhere and have access to ebooks, audiobooks, and (I think) videos. The procedure for joining the SNL can be found here, so read that first. Continue reading »

Birdwatching: Retro reads for a winter wonderland!

Posted by Anastasia on December 6, 2011 6 Responses »

Dec 062011

Haven’t done one of these in a while! Sorry about that; I, er, kept forgetting. Anyway! Since I did a list about retro reads for the summer, I thought it might be a good idea to do one for the winter as well (especially since I already did a Christmas-with-a-twist list last year. Dang!).

So: these books don’t necessarily take place in the winter, but they all do something similar: they provide comfort and entertainment when you’re snowed in and can’t go anywhere, not even outside because your nose will freeze and fall off. Or, if you don’t have snow in your winters, they at least make you less bored during family gatherings when every but you seems enormously tall and they’re all talking about their ulcers or something.

Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder (1932-1974ish). These books always made me hungry for some reason. Remember the part where Laura’s mom makes donuts? YUM.
The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper (1974). I think I’ve put this book on a fair number of lists by now, but whatever, it’s great. AND it takes place in the winter! Bonus!
Night Flight by Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1932). This is sort of like Roald Dahl’s Going Solo but set during WWI and with less overtly funny stuff going on.
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster (1961). I can totally put this on multiple lists, what are you talking about.
Elephi, The Cat With the High IQ by Jean Stafford (1962). Does anyone else know about this book? Well, it’s totally cute. It’s about a really smart cat who goes around being smart and making friends with snowed-in cars and stuff.
Blubber by Judy Blume (1976). This is probably my favorite Judy Blume book, tbh. I love how it’s got an anti-bullying message without being overly sappy.
Watership Down by Richard Adams (1976). Maybe this book is more horrifying than comforting, but whatever, I like it. Bunnies!
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle (1976). One day I’ll be able to read this and understand it completely.

Do you have any favorite books you like to read in the winter?

Thanks to Once Upon a Bookshelf for the list-y inspiration!

REVIEW: Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder

Posted by Anastasia on December 5, 2011 4 Responses »

Dec 052011

156. Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder
Publication: Harlequin Teen (March 30, 2010), ebook, 320pp / ISBN 037321006X
Genre: YA Sci-fi, Dystopia

Read: November 26-28, 2011
Source: Singapore National Library

Summary from Amazon:

“Imagine every space in this room filled with people. Constantly being jostled and pushed. In the lower levels there is no quiet place. No peace. To a scrub, this room is paradise.”

I drew a deep breath. I’d spoken more in one burst to this stranger whose room I’d invaded than anyone else in weeks. And with a single word he could alert the Pop Cops and send me to the Chomper. We stared at each other for a few heartbeats.

Before I could retreat he said, “My name’s Riley Narelle Ashon. Any time you need peace, you’re welcome to use my hideaway.”

I’m Trella. I’m a scrub. A nobody. One of thousands who work the lower levels, keeping Inside clean for the Uppers. I’ve got one friend, do my job and try to avoid the Pop Cops. So what if I occasionally use the pipes to sneak around the Upper levels? The only neck at risk is my own…until I accidentally start a rebellion and become the go-to girl to lead a revolution.

Review

Let’s be honest here: I was disappointed with this book. After the amazingness that was Storm Glass, I expected something similar with Inside Out, only dystopian-y and more sci-fi than fantasy. While the basic story is good, and while the characters aren’t terrible, I just don’t think that Inside Out is the same level of awesomeness that Storm Glass is. Continue reading »

The Sunday Salon (Dec. 4): High expectations and disappointments

Posted by Anastasia on December 4, 2011 4 Responses »

Dec 042011

I’ve got two reviews coming up this week which tell basically the same story: I thought I was going to read an amazing book, and then it turns out the book wasn’t so amazing after all (to me). As it turns out, both of the books are by authors I’ve read before– and the previous books are what gave me such high expectations in the first place.

I’ve been burned before by books not living up to my high expectations, but usually those books are by new-to-me authors. Somehow it’s almost worse to have read a mediocre book by an author whose books I’ve enjoyed before. And! Now I’m worried about reading other books by those authors, because what if they stink, too?

On the one hand, maybe my newly lowered expectations is a good thing, so I don’t go into those books expecting them to be equivalent to a 5 bird rating. On the other hand, I don’t think having high expectations for a book– whether because it’s by a favorite author or because it’s gotten a lot of positive hype– is necessarily a bad thing, either. Sure, it sucks when a book fails to live up to those high expectations, but when it does! That’s an amazing feeling. Plus, why wouldn’t I expect an otherwise-awesome author to have awesome books all the time? You know?

Oh, the drama of being a bookworm (and of someone who sees at least three sides to everything. Ugh).

What do you do when a book by one of your favorite authors kind of…stinks? I was thinking of taking a break from the author’s books for a while, to sort of recharge my love for them, but one book (which I had on reserve at the library) just came in, so I kind of need to read it now. Um.

Other news: all the Book Blogger Holiday Card Exchange emails have been sent out! If you didn’t get yours, let me know. There’s a new reader poll in the sidebar. And I’ve added in a Networked Blogs widget thing, so if you prefer using that to GFC or a feedreader or something, there you go. Continue reading »