Fantastic Flash

The Flash: Hocus Pocus by Barry Lyga

My Favorite Quotes/Lines:

“He would fix everything and paper over the hole in his heart.”

“And in the morning, things seemed different and not so bleak, as things in the morning so often do.”

“Overcaffeinated ADHD meets superspeedster. The two great tastes that taste great together.”

“But another part of him—a much bigger part, the part that was a dad and a cop—knew that anything was possible, that even the fastest man alive could be caught off guard. Barry wasn’t Joe’s biological son, but he had a claim on Joe’s heart just the same.”

“But she’d taken that moment. And to someone as fast as Kid Flash, that moment had lasted forever.”

“Dude’s obsessed with having people get their worship on. He needs a reality TV show or something.” “Or he could run for president,” Caitlin said. “Don’t even joke about that.”

“But what sets you apart from other people, Barry, is that when you get evidence to the contrary, you don’t just charge ahead with your original thought. You actually change your mind. And that’s a rare thing in this world.”

“Oh well. Life with superpowers means getting dirty sometimes.”

Review:

5 out of 5 gnomes

Wow, I really loved this book. After reading if you're anything like me you'll be wishing that the author Barry Lyga wrote for The Flash TV show. I adore the show too but his version of flashpoint not happening makes for some strong reading.

The author really seems to understand what makes these characters shine. Hocus Pocus is a great villain too. The tone, dialogue, etc… all felt legit to the series and characters.

The ending is To Be Continued, so here's hoping the next book is published ASAP. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Review - Dumplin’

Dumplin' by Julie Murphy

5 out of 5 gnomes

So much awesomeness packed into a tiny book package. I just couldn’t put this book down. I read at every free opportunity and just fell in love with it all. The characters, the humor, the crazy situations, the drama, it all equals one heck of a good time.

Willowdean/Will is quite a fierce and funny character. You’ll think she’s super confident at first and that’s definitely how the world sees her then she really starts to doubt herself. That’s when things start to implode with her friend and her mom.  

As you read you’ll probably start to miss Lucy as much as Willowdean does. Her aunt seems to be the glue that was holding the family together. It is great learning about her though especially when Willow and some friends check out a Dolly Parton night at a very entertaining club.

The other great aspect of this book is how Dolly Parton music permeates the story. Willow’s aunt loved Parton and it’s part of how she met her best friend Ellen too.

The Clover City pageant is crazy but I really like how it was betrayed and the mini revolution that forms around it this year.

Of course this book deals a lot with body image and I love seeing not the norm in characters from Willodean to her friends all of them are different. A lot of this hits close to home too especially Millie because like Willowdean I can remember thinking, well at least I’m fat but not that fat. That’s why I’m glad that this book is out there. It shows that you should really put yourself out there in the world and go for your dreams.

Whether you’re fat, skinny or somewhere in between this book should be a must read. I for one can’t wait to see this in movie form because if done right it would be a sight to behold.

The Book Blogger Buzz Tour! - Featuring a Guest Post from Terri of Second Run Reviews

Hello everybody and welcome to The Book Blogger Buzz Tour. This tour was put together by Rachel at Parajunkee.com.  Today I'm happy to feature a post from Terri at Second Run Reviews.

Terri M. LeBlanc, owner of Second Run Reviews and host of Rewind Review, has been an avid reader most of her life. She is grateful to her elementary school teachers for introducing her to Ramona, Laura Ingalls Wilder and the Pevensie children. In her spare time she is a photographer, a movie devotee, cowgirl & T.V. fanatic. She is currently helping to plan ICON 39, Iowa's Longest Running Sci-Fi & Fantasy Convention.

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Second Run Reviews's Top 10 Must Reads Or Books that Deserve More Attention

Read Me!
Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff,
Christ's Childhood Pal
by Christopher Moore
I have had a rough time sorting out my feelings about God and religion. Moore reminded that it's okay to laugh at God. I've shared this book with the conservatives and liberals in my life and all have found Moore's take on Jesus quite entertaining.

By the way, his name is Joshua. Jesus is the Greek translation of the Hebrew Yeshua, which is Joshua. Christ is not a last name. It's the Greek for messiah, a Hebrew word meaning anointed. I have no idea what the "H" in Jesus H. Christ stood for. It's one of the things I should have asked him. Me? I am Levi who is called Biff. No middle initial. Joshua was by best friend.

Read me! Outlander
by Diana Gabaldon
I've been a fan of Outlander since the early 2000s. I travelled a lot in my first job out of college and a co-worker recommended this book to me. Why do I love Outlander? It has a little bit of everything--historical fiction (American, British and Scottish), romance, science fiction (TIME TRAVEL!), medical fiction, and military fiction. I've probably purchased this book 3 or 4 times as I willing hand over my copy to anyone who is looking for something to read and doesn't know what to read. Oh, and this book goes across gender lines! I know men and women who have read it.

Oh, aye, Sassenach. I am your master . . . and you're mine. Seems I canna possess your soul without losing my own.

Read me! The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
by Avi
Avi's The Fighting Ground is the first book I remember doing a book report on in 7th Grade. It also introduced me historical fiction and I attempted to get my hands on every book Avi ever wrote. This is how I discovered The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle.
Charlotte's journey to America as the sole passenger on a sailing ship is harrowing. As a reader, you watch her grow and make the ultimate decision. One that takes courage and strength. With the high number of strong young women showing in YA fiction lately, it's great to share an older, award-winning novel with the same message.

A sailor chooses the wind that takes the ship from a safe port. Ah, yes, but once you're abroad, as you have seen, winds have a mind of their own. Be careful, Charlotte, careful of the wind you choose.

Read me! A Ring of Endless Light
by Madeleine L'Engle
While it is the only book I've ever read in L'Engle's Austin Family series, and it is the one L'Engle that has stuck with me. The novel has everything a teenage girl could want--sadness, two boys to fall in love with and dolphins. For me this book handles sickness, death and grief in a heartfelt and true way. The book is a good reminder that even in the face of tragedy, you need to remember who you are and let go.

It's hard to let go anything we love. We live in a world which teaches us to clutch. But when we clutch we're left with a fistful of ashes.

Read me!
Shade's Children
by Garth Nix
Probably the first dystopian book I've ever read. Shade's Children is gritty novel told in a series of normal chapters intercut with transcripts from archives. What stands out most about this novel, for me, is that it is so different from Nix's Abhorsen series.

If an action must be taken that will benefit the majority at the cost of the minority, is it morally indefensible?
If an action taken for the benefit of a majority occurs at the expense of a minority, is it moral action?

Read me! The Princess Series
by Jim C. Hines
Fairy Tale Re-Tellings are in vogue right now and I don't think enough people know about The Princess Series by Jim C. Hines. Hines takes Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Snow White and makes the warriors--strong women with modern sensibilities and kick-ass fighting skills. This series is for those who fell in love with Disney's Princesses, but want a bit more punch!
The last book in the series is a retelling of The Snow Queen! So take that Disney!

None of us live happily forever after. But we can choose to be happy today. Jim C. Hines, The Mermaid's Madness (Princess #2)

Read me! The Map of Time
by Felix J. Palma
This book was a complete and utter surprise. First off, I won a copy of this book via GoodReads First Read's program and I win so rarely, I stopped entering. The summaries for the book do not do this book justice. It took me on a wild ride through time that did not let up until the end. Is time travel real? What happens when you change history? All of these questions are woven via THREE marvelously crafted distinct stories that once you start reading you won't be able to put down.

He had learned from experience that what he succeeded in putting down on paper was only ever a pale reflection of what he had imagined, and so he had come to accept that this would only be half as good as the original, half as acceptable as the flawless, unachievable novel that had acted as a guide, and which he imagined pulsating mockingly behind each book like some ghostly presence.

Read me! O! Pioneers
by Willa Cather
One of the few classics I can claim to have fallen in love with. In 10th Grade we were reading some of Cather's works and Hallmark Hall of Fame happened to show its adaptation of this novel. I fell in love with Alexandra Bergson, a strong midwestern woman who puts family first. And when I picked up the actual novel I found it very accessible for being considered a classic. There's great love stories in the novel and the people seem so very real that when I visited Red Cloud, Cather's home town, a couple summer's ago I practically expected Alexandra to come striding across the plains to meet me.
Hallmark's adaptation is a faithful to the novel and stars Jessica Lange, David Strathairn and a young Reed Diamond.

And now the old story has begun to write itself over there," said Carl softly. "Isn’t it queer: there are only two or three human stories, and they go on repeating themselves as fiercely as if they had never happened before; like the larks in this country, that have been singing the same five notes for thousands of years.

Read me! The Chronicles of the
Imaginarium Geographica series
by James A. Owen
Fans of every fantasy novel out there from The Hobbit to the Harry Potter series should read The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica series by James A. Owen. Artists should read the series. Lovers of books involving time travel should read it. Okay, everyone should read it! This is a wonderful series of books that draws on many of the known myths and histories laid out in our most treasured fantasy and science fiction stories. Not only is the storyline gripping, but the artwork at the start of each chapter is stunning!

"It is the world, my boy," he said. "All the World, in ink and blood, vellum and parchment, leather and hide. It is the World, and it is yours to save or lose."

Read me! What Dreams May Come
by Richard Matheson
In my opinion, this is probably an underrated movie as well. And this is another case of, I read the book after I saw the movie and fell in love with both. I think perhaps I love this book for similar reasons that I love Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal. Where "Lamb" helped me to learn it was okay to laugh at God, What Dreams May Come taught me it is okay to be angry with Him, too. Matheson weaves many different religious beliefs into the ultimate love story...someone literally traveling through Heaven and Hell to be with their true love. The book is philosophical and moving. And while the movie adaptation took some liberties, visually it's stunning as well. Matheson may perhaps be best known for his science fiction novels, but this is a nice departure that shows the connections between us all.

Heaven would never be heaven without you.

All book images are courtesy of GoodReads.

Holy Hepaestus, I love this book

The House of Hades by Rick Riordan

5 out of 5 gnomes

I am loving this series more with each book. Even though there are seven demigods to follow they still all have a concrete point of view and story without the story feeling cluttered..

I thought these points of view might become too much after awhile but they really work to the story’s advantage. There are still my favorite characters whose points of view that I like more aka Percy, Frank, Leo, oh and Hazel. Even my least favorite characters really stand out in this story and have more to do.

Riordan is great at descriptions and Tartarus is both horrifying and creepy just like the cover conveys it. Everything in Tartarus was intense and pretty much made you think Annabeth and Percy could die at any second. I was surprised by all the character that they met down there but also happy with one certain character that they met along the way.

It was great seeing the others gel more as a group and start to take full ownership of who they are and what they can do. Piper does the best thing ever and I think I've finally warmed up to her character (she really grows/becomes more of a good character.) Frank and Hazel are also awesome and becomes quite the heroes in this book.

The character growth was especially good in Nico and Leo. While reading I wanted to get Nico a hug and well some counseling probably wouldn’t hurt either. I also want to hug Leo and am thrilled by how he changes in this book.

I am so very happy that this book doesn't have a cliffhanger ending like the last one did. Can't wait for the next book and I’m still crossing my fingers and hoping that none of my favorite characters die.

Rogue Blog Tour and Giveaway

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Hello everybody hope you are all having a wonderful Wednesday.  Today I'm very happy to be part of the Rogue blog tour.  I love this series and Rogue is the last in the trilogy so I'm definitely looking forward to reading it because so far the Croak series has been one big bursting bundle of awesome.

My review of Croak and Scorch and the time Gina Damico came to Omaha on her Slapdash Road Trip Book Tour.  

Please welcome Gina Damico to Bibliognome:

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Hey hey Croak fans! Welcome to my blog tour / photo hunt / Roguestravaganza!

From now until ROGUE's release on September 10th, each stop on the tour will reveal an image that represents a chapter in the book - could refer to setting, plot, an important object, mood, or whatever other diabolical visualizations with which I feel like tormenting my dear readers. Each image also contains a hidden letter...though really, they're not that well hidden. (If you have eyes, you should be able to spot them.) Collect the letters every day, and at the end of the tour I'll hold a contest, the winner of which will receive signed and annotated copies of the complete trilogy. (For a complete description of the contest, tour schedule, and links to the stops you might have missed, check out the blog tour page on my website.)

This photo is for Chapter 12. I will let the image do the talking.

Thanks for having me! Good luck everyone!

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Plot Summary:

"Teenage Grim Reaper Lex’s power to Damn souls is getting out of control. She's a fugitive, on the run from the maniacal new mayor of Croak and the townspeople who want to see her pay the price for her misdeeds. Uncle Mort rounds up the Junior Grims to flee Croak once again, but this time they're joined by Grotton, the most powerful Grim of all time. Their new mission is clear: fix his mistakes, or the Afterlife will cease to exist, along with all the souls in it.  

The gang heads for Necropolis, the labyrinth-like capital city of the Grimsphere. There, they discover that the Grimsphere needs a reboot. To do that, the portals to the Afterlife must be destroyed...but even that may not be enough to fix the damage. Things go from bad to worse, and when at last the fate of the Afterlife and all the souls of the Damned hang in the balance, it falls to Lex and her friends to make one final, impossible choice."

Trailer:

Links:

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Goodreads

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

IndieBound

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Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Fierce Reads - in Omaha NE

The Fierce Reads book tour came to The Bookworm in Omaha, NE on Saturday June 8th.  It was so much fun getting to meet Emmy Laybourne, Anna Banks, Leigh Bardugo, and Jessica Brody.  I don't think I've ever laughed so much at a book signing before.

It was also great because I got to meet fellow book blogger Emily from Falling for YA who came all the way from South Dakota for the event.

 

Pictures and Quotes from the event:

Emmy Laybourne saying "Why do I kill so many people." was pretty darn funny.

I asked the first question of, "What's your favorite word to write or say?

    

    "Sasquatch." - Anna Banks

    "Toothsome." - Leigh Bardugo

    Jessica Brody says that she used to most overuse the words, "For all intents and purposes."

    Emmy Laybourne said that she can't spell success or sentence but likes the word Mississippi.

    Jessica Brody went on to say that she hates the word panties and that of course led to a very funny exchange where at one point Leigh Bardugo said that panties sounds better when you say it with an accent.  Let's just say that I've never heard the word panties mentioned so much in a conversation. :)

It was also determined by Ann Banks that Omaha is ready for a sasquatch YA book.

I liked Emmy Laybourne's answer about what her favorite character is that she's written about.  Apparently her favorite is Max from Monument 14, that's great because he is definitely the funniest little kid character that I've read in a long time.

 

Here's a glimpse of all the cool bags, books, and different bookmarks/swag. 

Author Signing - David Sedaris

As you can see from this autograph David Sedaris is a very funny man and he also likes stickers.  :)

I got this book signed for my co-worker Pam because she agreed to work the night shift for me tonight at the library so I could go to the signing.  :) :)

A copy I got signed for a future giveaway I'll be having.

Went to the David Sedaris signing at The Bookworm, it was so much fun and I don’t think I’ve ever seen the place that packed.  I was also thrilled because I had my autograph line number already (#4) so I knew I'd be at the front portion of the line.  The crowd filled up The Bookworm which had rows of chairs inside and outside (because it’s not a very big store.) He read his story Dentists Without Borders. He’s such a great reader too (I might have to check out his audio books.) I’ve never seen a crowd of that many people so quiet/rapt with attention.  

Sedaris also read, Health Care Freedoms and Why I Want My Country Back which was hilarious.  This story was cool because it was one of the monologues included in the book. He’s done something great here because after meeting so many people that participated in Forensics he wanted to make something so they didn’t have to cut down his other work but instead had a ready made monologue that’s between seven and ten minutes.  I think this is brilliant because I participated in Forensics in college and now how good this material would be to have on hand.  

He said he keeps a diary and then read some entries to us all.  There were lots of laughs when he said that he’s been trying not to curse when the sun is out.  Of course that leave out a lot of his work and boy did he get around those swear words creatively.  He had one entry where he talked about all the Pro-Life signs he saw when he was in Minnesota (there are definitely a lot of these signs in Minnesota because I’ve seen a lot of them too while traveling.)  Then he stated some “facts” like, “Three weeks after conception an unborn baby can write a check.”  My other favorite line of his is when he said that people who have the handicapped spots shouldn’t have political opinions because you already got the best spot, shut the f-up.

A book that he highly recommends is The Book of My Lives by Aleksandar Hemon which the bookstore had one copy of.

The best line of the night had to be when Sedaris said, “I sound like a muppet.” This was by far the best line because he does really sound like a muppet.  :)  

The signing went smoothly and diabetics got priority signing for obvious reasons since it's part of the title of the book.  I'm not diabetic thankfully but still was at the front because of my great #4 line number.  I’m so glad that The Bookworm was able to host this awesome author because it was one heck of a night.

The Archived - I was chosen to be a Keeper for THE ARCHIVED

I was chosen to be one of the first Keepers of the Archive by Victoria Schwab, so you'll be hearing a lot about THE ARCHIVED which is being released on Tuesday.  

When I first heard the description for The Archived I knew it was a book that I had to read.  I loved Schwab's first book The Near Witch too.  I'm a Library Assistant so if a book features a library and an interesting twist I'm going to have to check it out.  I read the preview of the first 100 pages of this book when it was on NetGalley and knew after that, that I really wanted to support the book so I filled out an application and was chosen to be a Keeper and now I get to spread the word about how awesome this book is. :)

Here’s a picture from the first task I completed:

15 signed bookmarks and a signed tote bag were delivered to the YA Librarian at the Benson Branch of the Omaha Public Library.

I also have a lot more signed bookmarks that I'll be giving away here on the blog tomorrow.

I can't wait to accomplish more tasks and spread the word about The Archived.

Prodigious Prodigy

Prodigy by Marie Lu



* ARC read via Around The World Tours
* Book will be released January 29, 2013

5 out of 5 gnomes

I am really loving this series.  The title is a fun play on words too because it could be talking about either Day or June.  This sequel is full of great relationships and crazy twists and turns.  The story of June and Day continues to be a mesmerizing read.

This series does dual points of views extremely well.  I also like that the color of the text changes when the point of view does.  This dual points of view add very nicely to the tension and worry about what’s going to happen next.

Things are so tense and the relationships feel even more complex now that we have seen so much of these characters.  I like June even better in this book because you get to see even more of why she and Day work so well together.  

This time you find out even more about this scary world that they live in. Plus as crazy as some of this stuff seems you may just be thinking in the back of your mind maybe this could actually happen.  There is quite the plan afoot and of course June and Day are smack in the middle of everything.  The plan could either start a revolution or ensure that a whole heck of a lot of people may be in for even more trouble.

There are a plethora of twists and turns that will keep you guessing about who's right and who is wrong.  I know I was extremely surprised by the final outcome of everything.

Wow, that ending really breaks your heart especially after what they’ve both been through.  It’s like oh carp, where exactly is the next book going to go with these characters?  I am really looking forward to seeing how this series concludes.


 This Book is Definitely Recommended because it is: