Top Ten Tuesday: Books We Could Read/Listen To Over and Over Again

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the awesome ladies at The Broke and the Bookish. Apparently, they are overly fond of list-making and love to share their bookish lists with the rest of us book nerds.  =) We're game.

This week's topic is the Top Ten Books I Want To Reread.

April's Picks:

I'm like Jen, I don't have much time for re reading. I only ever re read one book, and that was The Host. I would however like to listen to some books that I've read and loved.

It's been a while since I've read The Host, and I just love that story so much. My daughter has been making me watch the Twilight movies with her, so I've been craving a re read. Thinking I might just get the audio from my library. Vampire Academy, I've been wanting to listen to them ever since I started the spin off Bloodlines series. Hunger Games and Harry Potter, they are a given. I plan on starting one of these selections soon while I'm at the office, since I already know the story, I wont have to pay 100 percent attention to what's going on.

And I figured I'd do five of my favorite Audio books. I'm new to the Audio book world, but these are my favorites so far. The Scorpio Races and The Coldest Girl in Coldtown take the two top spots. I could listen to them over and over and over. :)


Jen's Picks:

Here's the thing...I don't have time to re-read, like, ever. BUT, I do have a tendency to re-listen to my favorite books on audio, especially when they come with superb narrators. Sometimes I re-listen in order to prepare for the next installment, as a refresher. Sometimes, I've read the book, but I want to try it on audio, just to see if the experience is any different. Other times, it's just because I miss being in that world so much. And once in awhile, I just have such a difficult time choosing my next listen that it's easier to fall back on an old favorite. Below are some that I've listened to again and again, for any number of reasons. Or, that I'll be listening to very soon after having loved the book upon first reading it and needing to return to that world immediately. ;0)

I've re-listened to The Scorpio Races probably ten times already. It's one of my very favorite books, no matter which way I choose to experience it. Fangirl is another that I've listened to many times. I loved it the first time I read it, and I wanted to immediately read it again, so I opted for the audio and fell in love with Cath and Levi all over again. I've read and loved each of the books in The Raven Cycle and then promptly purchased the audiobooks so I could hear Will Patton narrate them for me. I wasn't sure about him as narrator when I picked up The Raven Boys that first time, but he really grew on me and even now, I still hear his voice as I'm reading. The Lunar Chronicles has one fabulous narrator, too. I started listening to this series after friends were raving about Cinder and I can't NOT listen now. And I always go back to the beginning and start over when the next book releases. (Which is pretty much the case with any of the series you see here. :P) I was sad to discover that the Penryn and the End of Days series is only going to be three books now, but that doesn't mean I won't listen to the audiobooks for Angelfall and World After a million times before we get that final book.

I love retellings as much as the next girl, and the Splintered series is one of my favorites, even though I was reluctant to start it. I read Cruel Beauty earlier this year, and then it was offered for free from Audiobook SYNC as part of their summer promotion, and I've now listened to it at least twice. And I've loved the story all three times. Same for The Winner's Curse -- except the audio wasn't free! -- and I'll likely be relistening very soon so that I can tackle The Winner's Crime. Most people I know would vote TWC as their favorite fantasy read this year, but I'm leaning more toward The Kiss of Deception because WHOA, I did not see that coming! It's just been released on audio with a full cast from what I understand, so it'll likely be one of my next listens. In trying to refresh my memory for the release of Heir of Fire, I discovered that I really love the narrator they chose for the Throne of Glass series. And I finally got to read listen to the book of novellas and I am so, so in love and why, Sam, why?!?

Honorable mentions because I actually re-listen A LOT:

These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

the Mara Dyer trilogy by Michelle Hodkin

The 5th Wave series by Rick Yancey

the Guards of the Shadowlands series by Sarah Fine

The Daughter of Smoke and Bone series by Laini Taylor

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

You're probably starting to notice that I re-listen to a lot of fantasy and sci-fi...and Maggie Stiefvater novels. =) Pretty much, all of these books have fantastic narrators and I just can't help myself. It's part of the reason I never truly hit a reading slump...because I can always fall back on one of these awesome listens.


Which books could you read over and over again? :D Be sure to share a link to your TTT post so we can visit!

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Labels: favorite authors, favorite narrators, favorites, re-listens, re-reads, top ten tuesday

{Audiobook} Review: Burying Water by K.A. Tucker

Title: Burying Water
Author: K.A. Tucker
Narrator(s): Josh Goodman, Elizabeth Louise
Series: n/a
Length: 11 hrs 0 mins
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Publication Date: October 7, 2014
Source: audiobook received from publisher
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible

The top-selling, beloved indie author of Ten Tiny Breaths returns with a new romance about a young woman who loses her memory—and the man who knows that the only way to protect her is to stay away.

Left for dead in the fields of rural Oregon, a young woman defies all odds and survives—but she awakens with no idea who she is, or what happened to her. Refusing to answer to “Jane Doe” for another day, the woman renames herself “Water” for the tiny, hidden marking on her body—the only clue to her past. Taken in by old Ginny Fitzgerald, a crotchety but kind lady living on a nearby horse farm, Water slowly begins building a new life. But as she attempts to piece together the fleeting slivers of her memory, more questions emerge: Who is the next-door neighbor, quietly toiling under the hood of his Barracuda? Why won’t Ginny let him step foot on her property? And why does Water feel she recognizes him?

Twenty-four-year-old Jesse Welles doesn’t know how long it will be before Water gets her memory back. For her sake, Jesse hopes the answer is never. He knows that she’ll stay so much safer—and happier—that way. And that’s why, as hard as it is, he needs to keep his distance. Because getting too close could flood her with realities better left buried.

The trouble is, water always seems to find its way to the surface.

I've really enjoyed all of the K.A. Tucker book's I've read, but I have to say, I think I loved this one best of all. I thought I'd miss all of those Ten Tiny Breaths characters, but Tucker did what she does best here and told a story of love and loss and finding your way back, and I was completely absorbed in listening as these two characters experienced it all.

I love a good amnesia storyline because it means that I'm less likely to figure out what the ending holds before I've barely even gotten started. However, with Burying Water, the story is told from two perspectives, one from the past and one from the present, meaning that because of the way one character narrates the past as it unfolded, we can see how the other character got to the point that they're at. Rather than making the novel predictable, this method of storytelling is captivating, divulging details only as needed until the story comes full-circle. Still, it wasn't difficult to determine what had occurred between and to the characters, but that didn't make the story any less satisfying. I've read a couple of other books this year told in this way, and it's quickly becoming a trend I love.

As always, Tucker has created characters with such depth, with such complexity that I couldn't help but connect with them on some level. Even old Ginny Fitzgerald, the resident crazy lady in town, was well-fleshed out with a back-story of her own that immediately lent an air of kinship between her and her new tenant. At times, Ginny even acts as the Dr. Stainer-type figure for Water, making her see what's happened to her in a new light and pressing her to move past it. (Dr. Stainer was a major presence -- a psychologist with an unusual bedside manner -- in the first two books of the Ten Tiny Breaths series.)

Water, for her part, is just a young woman, trying to make the best of a bad situation. There's really not much more she can do than that, not until her memories resurface.She wants to remember what happened, but she also heeds Ginny's warnings that sometimes it's truly better not being able to remember. After all, what happened to Ginny has haunted her for years, leaving her overly cautious of strangers and secluded on her family's ranch. The thing is, even barely knowing the girl and knowing very little of her situation, you can tell that she wants better for Water, that she doesn't want Water to end up like her. I really, truly loved that feisty old woman and everything she did for Water.

The chapters told from Jesse's perspective were harder on me. As the past unfolds, you get a sense of the direction this story is going in, and it's obvious that it's not going to/didn't end well for those involved. The dread at uncovering just what had transpired nearly consumed me at times, but having Water's chapters there, too, meant that all hope was not lost. Also, the underlying theme that the truth will out led me to believe that some good would have to come of this tragic story, that the truth of who Water was and what had happened to her had to come to the surface eventually.

I think Elizabeth Louise has narrated every single audiobook for the Tucker books I've listened to, and yet, she always becomes the character. I could never confuse her Kacey for her Livie or her Livie for Water. It's not that she changes her voice for each new role, but she just has a manner about her that makes the character's whole demeanor more evident, whether they be snarky or reserved or just confused. I can't even think about those other characters she's voiced previously because in the here and now, she is Water and I couldn't forget that for a moment. I don't believe I've ever heard anything narrated by Josh Goodman, but he was a great choice to portray Jesse. He didn't sound like any of the previous romantic leads in the TTB series. But he still sounded the part of the hunky mechanic with an obvious death wish.

For a love story about two people who met by chance and forged an immediate connection, this story really took a dark and twisty turn. But for a change, I knew what was coming and I enjoyed the story even more because of the journey it took to get there. For that and because she writes with such depth of emotion, I think I love this author's work just a little more each time I hear it.

GIF it to me straight:

About the author:

Born in small-town Ontario, Kathleen published her first book at the age of six with the help of her elementary school librarian and a box of crayons. She is a voracious reader and the farthest thing from a genre-snob, loving everything from High Fantasy to Chick Lit. Kathleen currently resides in a quaint small town outside of Toronto with her husband, two beautiful girls, and an exhausting brood of four-legged creatures.

Find Kathleen:

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

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Labels: amnesia, audiobooks, burying water, contemporary, k.a. tucker, new adult, reviews, simon schuster, tough subject

{Audiobook} Review: Exquisite Captive by Heather Demetrios

Title: Exquisite Captive
Author: Heather Demetrios
Narrator(s): Erin Mallon
Series:  Dark Caravan Cycle, book #1
Length:  13 hrs 44 mins
Publisher: Harper Audio
Publication Date: October 7, 2014
Source: audiobook received from publisher, galley from publisher via Edelweiss
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible

Forced to obey her master.
Compelled to help her enemy.
Determined to free herself.

Nalia is a jinni of tremendous ancient power, the only survivor of a coup that killed nearly everyone she loved. Stuffed into a bottle and sold by a slave trader, she’s now in hiding on the dark caravan, the lucrative jinni slave trade between Arjinna and Earth, where jinn are forced to grant wishes and obey their human masters’ every command. She’d give almost anything to be free of the golden shackles that bind her to Malek, her handsome, cruel master, and his lavish Hollywood lifestyle.

Enter Raif, the enigmatic leader of Arjinna’s revolution and Nalia’s sworn enemy. He promises to free Nalia from her master so that she can return to her ravaged homeland and free her imprisoned brother—all for an unbearably high price. Nalia’s not sure she can trust him, but Raif’s her only hope of escape. With her enemies on the hunt, Earth has become more perilous than ever for Nalia. There’s just one catch: for Raif’s unbinding magic to work, Nalia must gain possession of her bottle…and convince the dangerously persuasive Malek that she truly loves him. Battling a dark past and harboring a terrible secret, Nalia soon realizes her freedom may come at a price too terrible to pay: but how far is she willing to go for it?

Inspired by Arabian Nights, EXQUISITE CAPTIVE brings to life a deliciously seductive world where a wish can be a curse and shadows are sometimes safer than the light.

Exquisite Captive began very slowly, methodically building the world of Arjinna and portraying life as jinni slave here on Earth. There wasn't a chance that I was going to put the book aside, though, simply because of slow-pacing early on. Even a less-than-favorable narrator couldn't make me leave this story for later. I've only read one other jinni novel that I can recall, but it's clear to me that this new trend, this revival of an old favorite mythological being, is going to be to my liking.

Erin Mallon is not a terrible narrator. I listened to her narrate the entire Sweet trilogy by Wendy Higgins, and she only started to annoy me toward the end of the series. However, I feel that she was badly cast in Exquisite Captive. In fact, she may have been part of the reason I didn't love this novel quite as much as I expected to. I love a narrator who becomes the characters they're portraying, and Mallon just never seems to. She's not just reading the book, but it also seemed like she never connected with the story herself and it showed in her performance. Also, her male voices are kind of ridiculous, but at least she didn't have to affect a fake British accent this time around. I would have much preferred a narrator with a hint of ethnicity, especially considering the diversity of the characters in this story.

The cast of characters in Exquisite Captive is fairly complex, making it hard to truly connect with them or even discern their likability. Questionable motives. Political machinations. A sympathetic villain. I never knew exactly what to expect from any of these characters, and they surprised me more than once. I knew from my experience with Something Real that Heather Demetrios is gifted at creating a really well-drawn, vivid cast of characters, but I might be even more besotted with Nalia and Raif than I was with Patrick and Chloe. Which is saying a lot because I shipped that pairing SO hard.

Nalia is the last remaining member of her people, a powerful line of the jinn with unsurpassed powers. They were the leaders in Arjinna, and now that they are all gone, Nalia is the heir to the throne. Many things stand in her way -- not insignificant, the fact that she doesn't want to be princess and rule the other jinn -- including that she's enslaved here on Earth, complete with a bottle for a cage when she misbehaves. Nalia is not without her faults, and her sense of morality does come into question several times in this book. She's committed heinous acts and she wants no part of the rebellion...until it wants her, and even then, her thoughts are only of escaping her master and freeing her brother, the only family she has left.

But Raif changes her mind, or rather gives her more reasons to fight. Their initial interactions were of a political nature, but it soon became apparent that as much as these two seemed intent on hating each other, theirs was going to be a star-crossed love. First, I don't think I've ever met a character named Raif that I didn't like. They're usually the bad boy with an attitude type, but I'll take a powerful, chiseled, tingly-skin-making jinn any day. Raif is the leader of the rebellion, having taken over the duty when his father was killed. Nalia should be his enemy; she stands for everything he's fighting against. And yet, they cannot deny their attraction.

Malek is quite the enigma for much of the book. He is not the true villain in this story, but he is the immediate threat to Nalia's future. And yet, his feelings toward Nalia have grown into something other than what one would expect from a master/slave relationship. Malek has mistreated Nalia for most of the three years she has been in his service and she will always be beholden to him as her master, yet he's never taken advantage of her and is only now pressing her to explore her own feelings for him. I find Malek's character exceedingly intriguing and darkly sexy in that redeemable villain kind of way.

I thought the introduction of two leading men would result in the ubiquitous love triangle, but the romance here is more complicated than that. One of the men is her master and the other is her sworn enemy. There are obviously reasons why neither of these men should have a future with Nalia, and yet, by the end of the novel, it's clear to which man her heart belongs. I'm not writing off the resurgence of the love triangle in future books, but it would take some serious creative maneuvering to make that a viable arc, considering how quickly and neatly it was packed away in this installment.

Nalia is faced with choices she may not be able to come back from in this book. There's not simply the matter of a rebellion brewing in her homeland, but she must also now free the slaves on the Dark Caravan, in addition to saving her brother. And with the turn of events there at the end, I imagine things are only going to get more difficult for her. I'm anticipating exciting things for the sequel.

GIF it to me straight:

Nalia be like...

About the author:

When she's not traipsing around the world or spending time in imaginary places, Heather Demetrios lives with her husband in New York City. Originally from Los Angeles, she now calls the East Coast home. Heather is a recipient of the PEN New England Susan P. Bloom Discovery Award for her debut novel, Something Real, which Publisher's Weekly calls “[An] addictive yet thoughtful debut” about reality TV stardom. She is the author of EXQUISITE CAPTIVE, a smoldering fantasy about jinn in Los Angeles and what Kirkus called in its starred review "an intoxicating, richly realized realm of magic, politics, spirituality and history" (#1 in the DARK CARAVAN CYCLE). She is also the author of the upcoming I’ll Meet You There (Winter 2015). I’ll Meet You There is a love story about a young combat veteran and a girl trapped in their small town, both struggling to escape the war at home. Heather is the founder of Live Your What, an organization dedicated to fostering passion in people of all ages and creating writing opportunities for underserved youth. She is proud to have an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. You can always find her on Twitter (@HDemetrios), ogling the military dogs she wants to adopt (but can’t because her NYC apartment is way too small). Find out more about Heather and her other books at wwww.heatherdemetrios.com and www.darkcaravancycle.com.

Find Heather:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest | YouTube

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Labels: audiobooks, book trailers, dark caravan cycle, fantasy, favorites, harper-collins, heather demetrios, jinn, reviews

Stacking The Shelves # 40

Stacking The Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews and is a way to share with everyone all the goodies you've received through out the week. 

Just click the covers to be taken to their goodreads pages. 

Purchased

 

I've been having some trouble getting into books lately. I'm not sure if it's because I'm so busy with work or just so busy with fall. Either way, nothing is really holding my interest so I figured i would grab an adult contemporary I've been wanting to try. Also, had to grab Talon because....it's Julie Kagawa. 

HAPPY NOVEMBER!!!! Chicken day is this month as Aubrey would say. She accidentally called it that the other day and it will now be a running joke in our family for years to come. :) 

Halloween is over, but it was a good one! I hope it was for all of you too! 

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Labels: stacking the shelves

The Weekend Update - 11.1.14

So, since my end-of-the-week post isn't just about what I got in my mailbox or on my Kindle each week -- though that is a big part of it, I won't lie -- I decided to change up the title and intro a bit.  I might tweak the format a bit over the next few weeks, but for the most part, it'll contain the same stuff: stuff I got, stuff I did, and stuff that's coming up on the blog.  Plus, I get to use the awesome GIF you see here and blow kisses to all the people who sent me lovely books and bookish things.  Oh, and I've started linking up to Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga's Reviews since I'm not using a specific meme title anymore.  April's also doing her own Stacking the Shelves posts on Sundays.  Stop by and say hi!  =)

This is going to be such a great weekend, even if I can't believe it's already November. o_O It's Opening Weekend for rifle season here in Texas -- or our part of it, at least...I don't know all the regulations and I don't want to :P -- so the hubby is gone to the deer lease for four glorious days. GIRLS WEEKEND! And my sister-in-law is bringing her two kiddos over and we're going to have an epic sleepover tonight, just because we can. :D Which means I probably won't get as much reading done as I'd like, but I've already surpassed my Goodreads challenge, so I'm not worried about it. Too much, anyway. There are some books on my TBR shelf that are definitely calling to me, though. ;0)

Oh, and we are going to have a real fall-like weekend to enjoy, too! Our autumn always comes late and sticks around only briefly, so we have to make the most of it while it's here. Would sure make for some nice outdoor reading, though! My SIL is a reader, too -- though she prefers a much more, ahem, adult genre than I enjoy -- so maybe I'll get some reading in after all.

Anyway, here's what I scored this week:

For Review:

Finding Mr. Brightside by Jay Clark (ARC) - This book sounds all kinds of adorable...or maybe I mean awkward and tragic and amusing, but that culminates into adorable for me. =)


Children's Books For Review:

Herman's Letter by Tom Percival (finished copy) - Oh, my goodness, this book is beyond cute. I wasn't expecting a finished copy when I requested it, but I'm glad that's what I got because those little "lift the flap" letters are adorable! I cannot wait until Katie and I get a chance to read this together. (She is still reading at TWO levels above her class, which makes me ever so happy!)


Audiobooks For Review:

Unraveled by Gennifer Albin (audio via Audiobook Jukebox) - I'm so glad to have gotten this audio for review because I don't know when I might have gotten to the end of this trilogy otherwise. And I really am trying my best to finish up some series before starting new ones.

Purchased:

In the Afterlight by Alexandra Bracken - I probably won't get to this one for a couple of weeks, but I just had to have it. I have to know how all of those kids make out.


Won:

Love and Other Unknown Variables by Shannon Lee Alexander (finished copy) - I honestly didn't know much about this book, other than having seen that super cute cover everywhere right before its release, but I won a copy from Regina at Mel, Erin & Regina Read-A-Lot and she went on and on about this Charlie fellow I had to meet. I can't wait!

So, that's my haul. How about you? What did you get this week?

The Week in Review:

Reviews:

• The Coldest Girl in Coldtown - audio (April)
• Compulsion (Jen)
• Black Ice - audio (Jen)
• In Her Wake - audio (Jen)
• Sublime - audio (Jen)

Current Giveaways: 

Check back soon! I'll be giving away a copy of this book very soon:

Promotional/Discussion Posts:  

• Halloween Costumes for Bibliophiles - the top bookish characters we'd like to be for Halloween
• Waiting on Wednesday - this week we're waiting on Heat of the Moment & Illusionarium
• What We Read in October - an update on our Spooky TBRs

Jen's Currently Reading/Listening To:

It's happening!!! I haven't been in a reading slump, per se, but I haven't exactly read anything truly enthralling in a little while. I know this will be the book to change all that. My sister's been recapping me on Dark Triumph while she reads it, so I'm ready for this book now. (I actually didn't get to start this book until the end of this week, so I'm still in the middle of it.)

Time for a re-listen -- as part of the read along but also in preparation for The Mime Order. I am so excited!!! But I'm also scared.

Upcoming Reviews:

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Labels: in my mailbox (imm), stacking the shelves, the weekend update