Giveaway!! (Malice by Chris Wooding)

In honor of Bookish's debut and an awesome review from Rae, I'm going to be giving away a new copy of Malice by Chris Wooding. Just fill out the form at the bottom and we'll shoot you an email if you win. Giveaway ends 9/24.
     Summery by Goodreads.com;
Everyone's heard of it, but nobody's read it...Seth and Kady have heard all the stories about MALICE - a secret comic about a strange and awful world full of traps and tricks, overseen by a sinister master of ceremonies, Tall Jake. But if rumours are to be believed, the children in this comic are real...

And, as promised, review it from my viewpoint as well. ;)

     Malice is a fantastic example of beautiful writing. Although the scattered comics suggest childish presentation, the writing was superb and the transitions close to flawless. I was alarmed at how fiercely I was pulled into the novel so quickly and how eagerly I awaited the resolution, (with none to be had).
     I agree with Rae as she described the romance as down-played, but in a good way, and yet, I longed for the story to be about Kady and her epic adventures on both sides of the world.
     Beyond all this, the most difficulty I had with the book was its chilly proportions. I disliked it very thoroughly and suggest that those already suspicious or easily frightened abandon this book or re-gift it.
      Visit Here for Rae's review. ;)


All winners are selected using random.org. ;)

And the winner is...

*drumroll*

Nikki @ Close Encounters with the Night Kind!!

Congrats Nikki! We've sent an email your way; if you don't respond within 48 hours we'll select another winner. ;)

Good luck to everyone in future giveaways. :)

 
     Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teasers:

     "Whatever Shay thought of Tally now, she couldn't deny that Zane had earned the right to join Special Circumstance.
      After all this, Tally wouldn't take no for an answer." (pg 216, Specials by Scott Westerfeld)

Thanks for all the comments last week! Leave your thoughts on the book and teaser and links to your TT in the comments and please check out the rest of our blog! Thanks so much! -C

Musing Mondays (8/29 / 8/30)

Hey everyone! I just want to apologize for the late post. Even though this is our first Musing Monday, I'm going to go ahead and launch it late. I was uber sick yesterday, and I hope you, as our viewers, will forgive me. ;)

This week’s musing is… a book meme! (Hosted by Should be Reading)

What was the last book you…

• borrowed from the library?
     "Elsewhere" by Gabrielle Zevin and "Peter and the Starcatchers" by Dave Barry 
     Don't forget to look for their reviews in the upcoming weeks, ;) 
• bought?
     "Malice" by Chris Wooding and "Specials" by Scott Westerfield
     Don't forget to look for their reviews also in the upcoming weeks, ;) 
• cried over?
     Probably  "Will Grayson, Will Grayson" by John Green and David Levithan (some of my favorite authors)
• disliked and couldn’t finish?
     Honestly, "Son of a Witch" by Gregory Maguire but rest assured, it's on my TBR list. ;)
• read & loved?
     "Specials" by Scott Westerfield (Just finished reading it today. While I didn't exactly LOVE it, it changed my entire view on the series. :) ) 
• got for review? (or: got in the mail?) 
     Hmm,  currently nothing but shoot me an email if you're interested in sending one; I'll always get back to you within 24 hours. ;)
• gave to someone else?
     I cannot reveal because it has not reached it's destination yet and it's a surprise. :p
• stayed up too late reading?
     "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins ;P

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT sharing your feelings on any of the books up here or linking to your blog, you'll never be ignored! -C

Tuesday review from Rae

“You’re being a child, she told herself. Malice, Tall Jake . . . it’s all just a story.” –Heather from Malice by Chris Wooding pg.7

I can still remember the day I found Malice. I was searching for fiction in my local Borders (which is now shut down). The search was beginning to become hopeless because I had looked over those shelves numerous times in search of a good read. Finally I picked up Malice, now I know you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover but the cover played in its favor. The cover is like a pop-up book except in plastic, I have to admit it was very neat. When I picked up this book I was afraid it was going to be a pre-teen book because of the clips of comics in the book but to my surprise it wasn’t.

Malice makes you question fiction. The story Malice begins as Luke a friend of Seth’s begins to wonder if the story of Malice is true if you can perform the ritual and Tall Jake will take you away to Malice.  Malice is a mechanical world where teens believe they are finding an escape from their homes only to enter their worst nightmares. Other kids only enjoy reading it to see if the characters live from comic to comic. Luke being curious does the ritual and nothing seems to happen but he hears scratching noises just as he thinks he isn’t going to be taken away , Tall Jake captures him and he is taken to Malice. Seth and his other best friend Kady start a search for Luke; they uncover many secrets as they reveal the leaders of Malice. Also there is a cute relationship between Kady and Seth they are basically together but Chris Wooding did us the favor of not making the romantic scenes too nasty so we can enjoy them.

The style of this book is very weird. The chapters are cut up into little sections but the stranger the better with the story being about Malice. I think the writing is as best as it can be, Malice is a difficult place to describe even using the countless words in the dictionary. Malice is a place that you must imagine not describe. Perhaps that is the reason for the comics in this book, for the reader to see the action in Malice. In Malice at first it seems hard to understand because of the rituals and passageways but Kady and Seth make it easier to understand since they both sneak around and learn so much about Malice themselves.

As I said Malice is hard to describe but this book is deeply engaging. I myself have performed the ritual but nothing has happened yet I promise. If a reader is searching for a wild ride through Chris Wooding’s fantastic imagination pick Malice up I completely recommend it to teens and pre-teens. However I do not believe this book would be good for adults because it’s very imaginative and might seem foolish to someone older. In conclusion I believe this book is beyond wonderful and I think it should be added onto your must read list.

If you would like to share something pertaining to this review just leave it in the comments box, or you can leave a link to your blog and I’d gladly check it out and leave a comment. Thanks! -Rae

Pride and Prejudice, review by Caressa (August 25)

 

          “ “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” So begins Pride and prejudice, Jane Austen's witty comedy of manners—one of the most popular novels of all time-- that features spendidly civilized sparring between the proud Mr. Darcy and the prejudiced Elizabeth Bennet as they play out their spirited courtship in a series of eighteenth-century drawing-room intrigues. Renowned literary critic and historian George Saintsbury in 1894 declared it the, “most perfect, the most characteristic, the most eminently quintessential of it's author's works,” and Eudora Welty in the twentieth century described it as, “irresistible and as nearly flawless as any fiction can be.” “The wit of Jane Austen has for partner the perfection of her taste.”--Virginia Woolf.”-Goodreads.com

         

          I give it: 6 out of 5 stars.

         Good for a: down day.

          Reviewed by: Caressa.

          Several years ago a great friend of mine (Karly, if you're reading this ;) ) read Pride and Prejudice and absolutely loved it. She urged me to read it, as we often shared books, and I ordered it. When I finally did receive the book, it was difficult for me to make it through the first one hundred pages. After a certain amount of time, I set aside the book and resolved to read it later. There were more pressing and interesting books on my bookshelf as I perceived it at that time.

          Recently, however, I resolved to finish my classics. As a child, I was never much interested in them, and I had not read what I call the 'Boomer Books' of my generation (as a child, I noticed my grandfather's bookshelf had much more advanced and beautiful books in his own literary collection then my school, and I made the assumption POPULAR literature was a terrible, terrible thing, only recently growing out of it). I decided to start with the book I so long ago set aside, Pride and Prejudice.

          However, I will admit, the first two hundred and fifty some pages were alluring only because of the beautiful, witty language with which they were presented. It took me three days to read up to this point, an extremely long amount of time against my usual pace. It was difficult, until one became acquainted with the characters, to identify one Miss Bennet from one another as they all attended the same events and were referred to, often, in this manner. It was also difficult to discern to whom the dialog belonged.

          However, after those pages, I finished the book in less than a day; the plot became to me beautiful, flawless, and enchanting. I rooted for the characters avidly and found myself more pleased with Darcy sometimes then Elizabeth.

          When I finished the book I was so deeply satisfied, I was able to sit for many minutes reflecting on the skillful ending and writing skills. I was not displeased, uneasy, nor did I feel the desire to jump directly into another book because my thirst for literature has been so well quenched. This in itself is not an easy accomplishment.

          Although I can only reflect on how wonderful I perceived this book, I would not at all recommend it to those who are impatient readers. If you are in the habit of reading the last page of a book before you start, you could not satisfactorily summarize the plot nor gain its content. However, if you are an avid book "nerd" desiring a book like this or to recover some yet unknown opinions of the classics, this is the perfect book to start on. While possibly dissatisfied with the beginning, you cannot doubt its craftsmanship and you walk away with a very satisfied feeling.

          I would like, very much, if you disagree with me to leave your opinions in the comments or leave a link to your blog; I'll be sure to check it out and comment or reblog your post. :)

Teaser Tuesdays (Aug. 23)

 
     Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

      My teasers:

      "Let's start with something more basic. Isn't it strange that I know you'd risk your life to save mine... but I don't know what your favorite color is?" he says.
     A smile creeps onto my lips. "Green. what's yours?" (pg 52, Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins)



     Because that was more than two sentences, I'll just leave it at that. :p

     On a different note, I just wanted to let everyone know we'll be producing reviews on Tuesdays and Thursdays every week. Rae will grace us on Tuesday, and I'll pick up on Thursdays; we're hoping to participate in a lot of activities.
     Leave your comments below about the teaser or your thoughts on The Hunger Games series. ;P
-C

The first review from Rae

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte is a book full of struggles and romance. As Jane Eyre grows up you begin to feel for her through the struggles she faces. I think the writing style is gorgeous. It is hard to decipher because of all the added French and from the various phrases used in the Victorian age (which have changed over the years) but after I found out what these words truly meant I felt that even though the story is from the Victorian age the meanings in the writings were very modern to my heart.  I was so surprised.

 I was assigned this book as an assignment from my English teacher. I dreaded to read it and in addition, I read the first couple pages and laid the book down till I absolutely had to pick it back up again. I tend not to like books on selected reading lists but this book completely changed my view on the reading lists for teachers to read with their students. This book has a little bit of everything romance, faith, gore, and knowledge. I believe this book was deeply reviving, it had been a long time since I flooded myself with a classic. Although I do warn the reader of this book that I am a fast reader and this book took me about two months to finish. The reason for this delay is because of the first eight chapters. Overall this is definitely not the best book I have ever read, but I do recommend this book to people searching for a good read or if you’re stuck in fiction and keep on stumbling upon distasteful books; this might be a good refresh.

 If you  would like to share something pertaining to this review just leave it in the comments box, or you can leave a link to your blog and I’d gladly check it out and leave a comment. Thanks! -Rae

dun Dun DUN! Intros!

          Greetings Bookworms! My name is Rae and welcome to Bookish. I was interested in starting a book blog because books are, not just a hobby, but a passion in my life. Cassandra Clare, Chris Wooding, Lisa McMann, and many other authors have inspired me through my teen years. I hope other authors brighten my horizons with books as I begin to grow older. I have traveled through many characters on my journey and some have been more favored than others, yet there is not one book I regret reading. I have speed through many a book in excitement, gasped at climaxes, and yelled at endings. I hope you, as our reader, will enjoy this blog as much as I do. May your journeys into books be marvelous. -Rae.

          Hey, everyone! Welcome to Bookish; I'm Caressa and I want to welcome you to our book blog. While occasionally, Rae and I will race in opposite directions of the literature spectrum, I hope you'll find something on the site to enjoy. Literature is one of the most amazing art forms in the world. There are so many forms and avenues of writing it's impossible to explore them all. Stephen King once said, “What is writing? Writing is telepathy.” Occasionally, reading a book, you feel you are discovering things as the author writes them although the book is not a constant live stream. It's difficult to not acknowledge reading and writing as an art in those moments. I hope you'll allow us to share our interpretations of the author's visions and I also hope you'll share your own in the comments or by linking your blog. Your efforts and communication will never be ignored! :)

          I hope you can forgive me, doubtless, as I am sure to bring up many controversial issues in my reviews and book choice (respectably, E rated). I am on a quest to read all my classics (as explained in my first review) and I also have not, but am in a quest to, read all the “Book Boomers” of my generation and the generation before my own (books and usually series that are exceedingly popular and followed by large communities of nerds such as Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Twilight, and many others). This is not to label me as a new reader, As a child (also further explained in my first review), I had quite a distaste for popular literature, deemed it rejected on my own agenda, and am only recently free of this disposition. I find many of the popular “Book Boomer” series have the first book geared towards younger readers and I do not always feel inclined to continue the series.

          Regardless, I enjoy many authors. I usually enjoy a particular book or series much more than the author in general who wrote them. I'm really, Really, REALLY excited to co-host this blog with Rae and share the beautiful realm of literature with it's participates. I hope we can hold lots of activities that encourage you to share your opinions with us. :)

          We'll be posting up a basic schedule sometimes soon and sharing some reviews with you. Don't be discouraged by reviews from high school English assignments. We're required to read them for schooling purposes, and it's a great opportunity to explore some foundations of literature around us.

          Until next time, Au Revoir! -C