2016 Statistics Survey

Thanks to Brittany at The Book Addicts Guide & Andi of Andi's ABCs for putting together the Statistics Survey 2016! Look at how my reading habits & my 2016 TBR stacked up!

Number of books read…

• Total: 160-ish. I did a lot of rereads that I couldn't count via GR so I tend to forget those.
• Under 250 pages (not including novellas): 4 *shakes fist at GR for counting all my audiobooks as "pages" read*
• Between 400-449 pages: 9
• Between 450-499 pages: 9
• Over 500 pages: 5 (3 over 600)
• Over 1000 pages: ZERO because ain't nobody got time for that

Number of…

• Audiobooks: 74 (might go up one if I can get to it)
• Re-reads: um. A lot? Every audio except three were rereads, I listened to several audiobooks multiple times, and a couple other books in physical or ebook format. So.... a lot. I'm going to hazard a guess it's somewhere around 90?
• DNFs: none? I think? I don't like to DNF. It takes a lot. Although I did finally make a DNF shelf and move some books onto it after a permanent hiatus. In that case, 4.

Number of books rated…

• Five Stars: 19 (10 actual books, 9 audiobooks)
• One/Two Stars: 26 (17 actual books, 9 audiobooks)

Number of authors met in 2016: 86
Number of book events attended in 2016: 25
Number of books you read in one day: 42. But keep in mind I'm counting books that I read in 24 hours, even if it's technically over two days. When I was looking at my books on GR, I was pretty shocked how many of these are audiobooks because usually those take me several days.
Number of books that made you cry: a lot. Probably most. I'm totally a crier.
Number of 2017 books you have on pre-order: 16, I think, mostly on Amazon but one each on BD and B&N

Book read furthest away from home (vacation reads?): A Court of Mist & Fury (Baltimore, MD: 1,378 miles), First & Then audiobook (Chicago, IL: 932 miles)

Book that took you the longest to read: Book (and audio. I did both): Red Rising (20 days). Audiobooks: Wicked (1 month, 3 weeks, 5 days). Illuminae (straddled 2015/2016. 1 month, 2 weeks, 3 days). Dumplin (1 month exactly). It usually took so long because I was listening on CDs in my car instead of on my phone. If I'm not in the car much, it can take forever.
Book that you personally connected with the most: either Geekerella by Ashley Poston or The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli. Both beautiful 2017 reads!
Book that made you love the villain: I don't have any where I genuinely like the villain (sad because those are fun) so I'll say A Torch Against the Night because I love to hate the commandant. She a bitch.
Book you said you’d come back to but still haven’t picked up again: embarrassingly, I have like 13 books that this has happened to. Usually it was because I started it, but something more time-sensitive pushed it away and I forgot to go back. Most embarrassingly: Last Seen Leaving and And I Darken
Book you read waaaay before it’s publication date: The Upside of Unrequited. Once this book came into my possession, there was no way I was going to wait for it, and I'm so glad I didn't.
Book you read on your birthday: Looks like Truthwitch
Book with a character who shares your name: Gemina (character literally is me. I die.). My Lady Jane (awkward. She's the villain!). Trouble Makes a Comeback (moonshiner. WTF is wrong with these characters???).
Book you weren’t entirely truthful about when rating: nope. If anything, my ratings were lower than ever this year. I had waaay too many 1 and 2 star reads.
Book you read in 2016 but already want to re-read: Well, I kinda have already reread several since I do audio rereads, but definitely Gemina, Geekerella, Upside of Unrequited, ACOMAF, This Adventure Ends, The Score, The Beauty of Darkness, and probably a few others.
Book you borrowed from a friend a long time ago and still have: Um... I think I'm pretty good about returning things, but I think Stardust, which I borrowed from a coworker in college in 2008. I literally never say this, but watch the movie instead. It's incredible.
Book you which you could go back and read for the first time again: See my want to reread list!
Most books read by one author this year: 15. I read oh so much Sarina Bowen.

Happiest & saddest: Weirdly enough, both are 2017 books. Happiest is The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli. It just felt so good to read! Saddest BY FAR is Goodbye Days. I didn't go a single page without crying. I kept having to take breaks to breathe and rehydrate.

Longest & shortest…

• By page number: The Beauty of Darkness (679 pages). Blonde Date (104 pages)
• By title: I had a lot of really long titles, but: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (9 words, 50ish characters) and Us (2 letters)
• From buying to reading: I have no idea. I don't keep track of that sort of thing. I own FAR too many books to attempt it. 
• Audiobooks: A Court of Mist & Fury (23 hours, 17 minutes). Blonde Date (2 hours, 25 minutes)

Best & worst…

• Average rating on Goodreads: Highest: A Court of Mist & Fury (4.74. I gave it 5). Lowest: Just Another Girl (3.31 stars. I gave it 2, but so few people have it right now. I'm sure it'll go up)
• Books you read & your rating: Best: IT'S TOO HARD TO PICK! 5 stars to The Upside of Unrequited, Blonde Date, Gemina, A Court of Mist and Fury, This Adventure Ends, The Beauty of Darkness, Geekerella, Girl Against the Universe, and Trouble is a Friend of Mine. Worst: 1 star (would probably give less) to The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, The Professional, and Wink Poppy Midnight. 
• Series enders: Best: THE BEAUTY OF DARKNESS YASS QUEEN LIA GET IT. Also pretty happy with The Winner's Kiss and Crooked Kingdom. Worst: Lady Renegades, but I was also pretty disappointed in The Goal, The Boy is Back, Us, Beautiful, and The Rose and the Dagger. 
• Audiobooks: Best: 5 stars to Blonde Date (I listened to it like 7 times), Beautiful Player (also about 7 times), Gemina, ACOMAF, My True Love Gave to Me, Since You've Been Gone, Illuminae, These Broken Stars, Just One Year, and A Torch Against the Night. Worst: the audiobook for The Mistake can burn in hell (I'd say this for The Deal also, but I listened to that in 2015. But what the hell; they can meet there). Also not good: One Night That Changes Everything, The Rose and the Dagger (I DO NOT like that narrator), and Dream of You. 

First & last…

• Reads of 2016: The Year We Hid Away (Jan 1) and (hopefully) The Book Jumper or an audiobook after The Winner's Kiss.
• Books on your bookcase (1st book on the top left and last book on the bottom right): This doesn't fucking work with my book collection because there aren't enough shelves, and my books exist in precarious piles stacked haphazardly around my apartment.
• Most disappointing & biggest pleasant surprise: yeesh. Really making me think here. I was disappointed in Rose & the Dagger after Wrath was wonderful. The Goal was also frustrating after such an amazing series. And The Hating Game, which ALL MY FRIENDS I ALWAYS AGREE WITH ON ROMANCE BOOKS, was not great. Good. But not great. I expected more. Red Rising. Just Another Girl. Summer Days & Summer Nights. Miss Mayhem & Lady Renegades. All the Feels. The Distance from A to Z. The My Lady Jane audiobook. Lots of disappointment. DELIGHTFUL SURPRISES: Trouble is a Friend of Mine, Walk the Edge, and The Witch Hunter. I love Katie McGarry, but I've been iffy on several of her recent books, and Razor was supposed to be a psycho. Trouble was not really on my radar, but it was AMAZING. And I didn't hear much about The Witch Hunter, but what I did hear wasn't impressive. BUT THEN I REALLY LIKED IT. YAY for unexpected goodness.

Fandom you joined & one you abandoned: As with everyone else, I am fully invested in Team Rhys now in ACOTAR. I didn't abandon the fandom, per se, but I am not very invested in the Shadowhunter Chronicles anymore. I still haven't read CoHF so I can't possibly pick up Lady Midnight. I knew like 6 years ago that promising so many books would make it difficult for me to keep up. I just hate the wait. And as much as I love Susan Dennard and Truthwitch, that's not at all a fandom I want to be intensely involved with, even though I'll read the books.
Series you picked up & series you quit: I started a bunch of new series this year, but the two I'm most excited about right now are Trouble is a Friend of Mine/Trouble Makes a Comeback and The Witch Hunter. I didn't quit series so much as do a really, really poor job finishing them. One that I'm taking an intentional break from, though, is the Beyond series by Kit Rocha (it's erotica).
Most lenient & harshest ratings: I do judge my romance and my YA on a different scale. If a romance is entertaining and swoony, I'm bound to enjoy it, which means mostly 4s with some 5s. I demand more from my YA: better characterization, writing, inclusivity, plot development, etc. My harshest rating is probably for The Mistake audio, though, because I really loved the book, but the narrator is AWFUL. Most lenient rating... I don't know. Maybe for my reread of the audio for My True Love Gave to Me? I gave it five stars because it's so enjoyable as a reread that things that used to bother me don't anymore.
Most hyped & furthest under the radar that you read: Most hyped: Truthwitch, ACOMAF, Crooked Kingdom, The Hating Game. Obviously. Under the radar (ymmv): Trouble is a Friend of Mine & Trouble Makes a Comeback

Book you read that is red: Remembrance by Meg Cabot

Starts with X, Y, or Z: You Before Anyone Else by Julie Cross & Mark Perino
Book you hugged when you finished it: Geekerella by Ashley Poston
Book you wanted to throw across a room: Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo (you know why)
Food you craved while/after reading a certain book: I always want, like, Mediterranean when I read Wrath and the Dawn and Rose and the Dagger because that's the closest I know to Middle Eastern food. Couscous and tzatziki sauce and gyros and lamb/chicken shawarma...
Book that became an instant go-to recommendation: This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills
Furthest out of your comfort zone: Natural Law by Joey W. HIll
Read on a recommendation (that you may not have picked up yourself): Not *quite* a recommendation, but I had to read Every Exquisite Thing by Matthew Quick for work.
Forced yourself to finish: Wink Poppy Midnight or The Mistake audio
Series or author’s works you binged: I binged Sarina Bowen's Ivy Years series TWICE this year (once in ebook, once in audio)

First…

• Post of 2016: Stars Above review & giveaway
• Review of 2016: Stars Above review & giveaway
• Non-review post of 2016: Mary in the Library post where I talk about what I do at my library

Last…

• Post of 2016: will probably be this one
• Review of 2016: Trouble is a Friend of Mine review & giveaway

Number of posts in 2016: 44 (wooooow that is so very low oops)
Number of reviews posted this year: 13
Least coherent review: Gemina gif review because I was trying to avoid spoilers
Post with the most views: Mary's Clearing House giveaway, but the best non-giveaway post was my Hype Machine post THAT I LOVE
Post you wish you could re-write: none? I go back and fix typos, but I'm pretty damn proud of my blog (even though I don't post as much as I'd like to) so no. I wouldn't rewrite anything.

Review: Trouble is a Friend of Mine by Stephanie Tromly

Rating: 5 stars

Pub Date: August 4, 2015

Publisher: Kathy Dawson Books

Genre: young adult mystery

Format/Source: paperback, from the publisher

Status: Book 1 in the Trouble series

Summary:

Sherlock meets Veronica Mars meets Ferris Bueller’s Day Off in this story of a wisecracking girl who meets a weird but brilliant boy and their roller-coaster of a semester that’s one part awkward, three parts thrilling, and five parts awesome.

When Philip Digby first shows up on her doorstep, Zoe Webster is not impressed. He's rude and he treats her like a book he's already read and knows the ending to. But before she knows it, Digby--annoying, brilliant and somehow attractive?--has dragged her into a series of hilarious and dangerous situations all related to an investigation into the kidnapping of a local teenage girl. A kidnapping that may be connected to the tragic disappearance of his own sister eight years ago.

When it comes to Digby, Zoe just can't say no. Digby gets her, even though she barely gets herself. But is Digby a hero, or is his manic quest an indication of a desperate attempt to repair his broken family and exercise his own obsessive compulsive tendencies? 


A romance where the leading man is decidedly unromantic, a crime novel where catching the crook isn't the only hook, a friendship story where they aren't even sure they like each other--this is a contemporary debut with razor-sharp dialogue, ridiculously funny action, and the most charismatic dynamic duo you've ever met.

Mary's Minute: The Hype Machine

One interesting aspect of the bookish community is the way we the readers put so much into promoting the books (and authors) we adore. It's not enough for us to love a book, buy a copy, and be done. We love a book. We rave about it. We draw fanart, we write reviews and fanfic, we create designs and merchandise, we post inspiration boards and fancasts, playlists and top tens. We cosplay. We preorder. We tell our friends, our families, our coworkers, our postmen, our cashiers, our random strangers in the bookstore. We don't tell them once or twice. We tell them once or twice daily until they pick up the book already. We face books at B&N. We show up at events. We join street teams and push even harder. We tell the world in as many ways as possible.

What I want to talk about for a second is... does all this non-stop promotion ever HURT a book (pauses to hum a few bars of "Non Stop")? Let me tell you a story. In April 2015, I received an advance copy of a really cool book at the TLA annual conference. I had been looking forward to this book. The author had become a favorite because of another series and was an auto-read, auto-buy for me. I did not immediately read the book because it was six months before publication, and there were some other great books with closer release dates. Unfortunately for me, just a month later, everyone at BEA got this book and read it immediately. They RAVED about it. They posted pictures of pages. They created dozens of blog posts and my Goodreads, Twitter, and Instagram feeds were plastered with updates, posts, and pictures for about three months. The end result was that I didn't want to read the book anymore BECAUSE everyone was talking about it. I was especially incensed by the spoilery pictures of the pages.

And so I waited. I bided (bode? UGH irregular verbs are the worst) my time. The book released with much pomp, but after about three weeks, the promotion had abated, and it was finally "safe" for me to read without expectation. I read the book in two days and LOVED it. I posted a review, recommended it to friends and family, touted it as one of my favorite books of 2015, met the authors on tour (like four times), posted a gif review of the sequel, and posted a review of the audio. For those who clicked the links, bless you. Yes, it was, in fact, Illuminae. Those of you who know me know yeah, I adore this book and its sequel. I love its authors. I think it's fantastic and want everyone to read it... but too much hype killed my initial desire to read the book.

While I think it's amazing that everyone is always so excited by the books they love, I'm always intensely wary of listening to gushy OMG IT'S THE BEST EVAR type recommendations, particularly from people whose reading tastes I am not wholly certain line up with my own. I tend to be a bit skeptical of recommendations, and I completely ignore the ones my Goodreads friends send me. I have many times fallen into the pit of despair disappointment caused by high expectations caused by too much hype.

In recent days, I have been especially annoyed by the street team of a certain sequel. I want to read this book. The author is a delight, and the book is set an intriguing world about which I would like to know more. Last night, someone checked the audiobook of book 1 out at work, and I told them how much I enjoyed it. However, it is IRRITATING AS FUCK because for the last two weeks straight, my timelines on every conceivable platform have been taken over by this book's overeager champions. At this point, I'm so sick of hearing about this book that my desire to read it has dropped from about an 8 on the I Want It scale to about a 2. AND IT STILL HAS SEVERAL WEEKS TO GO BEFORE RELEASE. I'm trying to hold out hope by the release, the frenzy will have lessened somewhat, but that's probably futile.

If any of said champions read this (because some of you are friends of mine), I really do love you guys. You're great, and I think it's great you love this book, this series, this author, but maybe cut the promotion down a smidge. It doesn't have to be non-stop promo 24/7.

For anyone who does any type of promotion (and LBR, all of us do some type of promotion, whether for a book, an author, a merchandise shop, our blogs, whatever), maybe follow authors Beth Revis's & Paula Stokes's advice (the entire post is about promotion, but question 2 is the most applicable part): post once in the morning, once in the afternoon, once later at night, which will ensure social media users who jump on at different times each day will see one of your posts. Or maybe post once a day and figure someone will see it on Wednesday who missed the Tuesday post. Please stop posting every hour on the hour on every platform you're on. It's excessive.

Here's the thing: sometimes an author with no clue how to social media comes on and tweets a link to their book to me with no previous interaction. I immediately check out their feed. If I see they've tweeted the same exact tweet to myself and several other book bloggers, I report them for spam. What you're doing, it's spam too. I won't report friends for spam (that's seriously reserved for "buy my book [link]" or "knoxdiver, win an iphone 8!"), but I will stop listening. I'll start avoiding that book book and the people talking about it. I'll utilize things like the mute button. I'm contrary like that, but hey, there's literally a nursery rhyme about the contrariness of people named Mary.

Street teams can be fantastic. They're a great resource for authors, particularly when the piece of the publisher's publicity pie is that weird randomly skinny slice while the other pieces are all fatter (you know what I'm talking about, but see below because it was fun to google).

source: Reddit

But for me, I'd rather talk to people about the book rather than face down a wall of inside jokes, increasingly ridiculous hashtags, and purchase/preorder links.

I think it's also a matter of focus. I'd rather hear WHY a book is great instead of just seeing "OMG I HAVE THIS BOOK IT'S AMAZING THANKS [insert publisher here] [insert all the heart eye emojis here]" a thousand times before the book comes out. If I hear "wow, the writing is so beautiful!" I'll keep an eye out for the writing. If I hear "Henry is SUUUPER swoony, and I ship it so hard!" I'm definitely going to be looking out for Henry and the ship. Expecting general awesomeness is a good way to become disappointed, but if promotion is focused, I know the book has some specific strengths that will definitely push it up my TBR. This is 100% why I still prefer Twitter to Instagram. Book pictures are pretty, but rarely do I ever have a meaningful conversation about a book on Insta.

I don't want people to think I'm just picking on street teams here. Yes, while the intense presence of The Team That Will Not Be Named broke me pushed me to post this now, I've actually been thinking about this topic for several months, although primarily regarding individual recommendations. *scrolls up, sees how long this post already is* Basically, even when a friend I love encourages me to read a book, sometimes I balk 1. if they recommend it every day (it is established that I'm contrary) or 2. if they love it, and I'm afraid I won't.

To conclude, I'll leave you with this: I recently apologized to a friend because I realized I was being wholly obnoxious with my book pushing (I really did yell at her almost every day for several months in our group chat), and it's something I'm going to work on. I always want to be a person who encourages people to pick up a book, someone others seek out for a recommendation instead of bombarding them with suggestions. It absolutely kills me when I get a comment like, "thanks for this. You saved me from reading this garbage." That's not the kind of reader, blogger, and library staffer I want to be. I also want others to be conscientious of the difference between helpful promotion and obnoxious spam.

Please leave a comment whether you agree or disagree. I would love to hear other readers' and bloggers' opinions regarding promotion, recommendations, and expectations and if they're connected for you the way they are for me. Has the hype machine ever ruined a book for you or have you ever pushed a book lower on your TBR to avoid the hype? 

Mary's Minute: Dream Panel: Teenagers in Space

This week I have the opportunity to do something unique and cool. I was asked to create my own dream panel of authors and/or characters for a fictional conference. I totally love this idea, especially considering I had the ability to use Big Name People or even characters.

I have a few ideas for this so I might do some more panels in the future. However, lately I've been really into science fiction, but only the ones that go where no man has gone before. Therefore I have brought in my favorite epic space authors and a few special guests (because when I reach for the stars, I literally reach for movie stars). Behold, I bring you:

Featuring:

Basically, Teenagers in Space would be a panel all about creating and enriching stories set in space. I would moderate because this is my dream panel, and I'm not passing up on an opportunity to meet Melissa, Chris, Sigourney, and Joss (the others I have had the pleasure of previously both meeting and moderating panels for!). We'd talk about boss ladies (Sigourney would monologue about Ripley, obviously) and sassy boys (Chris and Jay would discuss Star-Lord and Nik). We'd talk technology (what's up, AIDAN?) and badass spaceships, space battles and alien monsters, contagious diseases and loneliness in the big black. Research and gross stuff would also be a hot topic, and Beth would make the audience queasy with stories about boiling spit and other delightful effects of the human body in the vacuum of space (I have heard her talk about this & it's amazingly horrifying). 

If I blew this up into a festival or convention or if my picks weren't available (because sometimes you do need backups for your dreams), potential guests would include:
Mindee Arnett - Avalon series
Karen Bao - Dove Chronicles
Rhoda Belleza - Empress of a Thousand Skies (out in February!)
Pierce Brown - Red Rising trilogy
Alexandra Duncan - Salvage duology
Tessa Elwood - Inherit the Stars series
Claudia Gray - Lost Stars, Defy the Stars
Ava Jae - Beyond the Red trilogy
RC Lewis - Stitching Snow, Spinning Starlight
Marissa Meyer - The Lunar Chronicles 
Michael Miller - Kaitan Chronicles (book 1 Shadow Run released next year!)
Kass Morgan - The 100 trilogy
Phoebe North - Starglass duology
Adam Rex - The True Meaning of Smek Day (book that Home was based on)
Megan Shepherd - The Cage trilogy
AdriAnne Strickland - Kaitan Chronicles
the cast of Firefly
the cast of The 100
the cast of Star-Crossed (still mad this got cancelled)
the writers of Halo

Do you have any favorite space-based books? Who would be on your dream panel & what would it be about? Let me know in the comments!

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Book Blitz: Trouble Makes a Comeback by Stephanie Tromly

Today I'm really excited to celebrate the release of Stephanie Tromly's Trouble Makes a Comeback, sequel to Trouble is a Friend of Mine! I really want to read the Trouble series because not only have so many of my friends loved Trouble is a Friend of Mine, I've also heard comparisons to Veronica Mars, Sherlock Holmes, John Hughes, Ally Carter's Heist Society series, and more. Plus, I hear it's super swoony and chock full of shippy goodness so I am 100% here for that! 

Release Date: November 22, 2016
Publisher: Kathy Dawson Books
Genre: young adult mystery
Status: book 2 of the Trouble series

Summary: A whip-smart, screwball noir mystery—with snappy prose, wry humor, and breakneck dialogue—this sequel to Trouble Is a Friend of Mine is perfect for fans of Veronica Mars, Sherlock, John Hughes, and Carl Hiassen.

After a fall semester of fiascos: getting arrested, then kidnapped, then blown up in an explosion (all thanks to the weird but brilliant Philip Digby), Zoe Webster is looking forward to a quiet spring. Now that Digby has left town, she's finally built a regular high school life for herself. She's dating Miles, the alternate QB; she knows girls she considers friends; she's learning to enjoy being normal and semi-popular. Which of course is when Digby comes back: He's got a new lead on his missing sister and he needs Zoe's help.

Suddenly Zoe is tussling with a billionaire arch-villain, locking horns with armed goons, and digging into what makes the Digby family tick, even as she tries to navigate the confusing and emotionally fraught world of high school politics and locker-room drama. After all, it's hard to explain Digby to a boy like Miles, especially when Zoe isn't sure how she feels about Digby herself—or how he feels about her.

Now that Digby's back, get ready for another hilarious whodunit filled with razor-sharp dialogue, ridiculously funny action, and the most charismatic, dynamic duo you've ever met. And just try to stay out of trouble.

We dare you.

Available from:

   

    

Meet Zoe & Digby in Trouble is a Friend of Mine!

Pub Date: August 4, 2015

Publisher: Kathy Dawson books

Genre: young adult mystery

Status: Book 1 of the Trouble series

Summary: Of course I didn’t like Digby when I first met him. No one does.

The first time Philip Digby shows up on Zoe Webster’s doorstep, he’s rude and he treats her like a book he’s already read and knows the ending to.

But before she knows it, Zoe’s allowed Digby—annoying, brilliant, and somehow…attractive? Digby—to drag her into a series of hilarious, dangerous, and only vaguely legal schemes all related to the kidnapping of a local teenage girl. A kidnapping that might be connected to the tragic disappearance of his little sister eight years ago. When it comes to Digby, Zoe just can’t say no.

But is Digby a hero? Or is his manic quest an indication of a desperate attempt to repair his broken family and exorcize his own obsessive-compulsive tendencies? And does she really care anyway?

This is a contemporary debut with razor-sharp dialogue, ridiculously funny action, and a dynamic duo you won’t soon forget.

Book Buy Links:

   

About the Author

Stephanie Tromly was born in Manila, grew up in Hong Kong, graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, and worked as a screenwriter in Los Angeles. She is the author of Trouble Is a Friend of Mine and lives in Winnipeg with her husband and son.

Author Links:

  

Giveaway:

Enter for a chance to win one of three (3) sets that include a paperback of Trouble is a Friend of Mine and a hardcover copy of Trouble Makes a Comeback by Stephanie Tromly (ARV Per Set = $28.99 each).

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Enter between 9:00 AM Eastern Time on November 22, 2016 and 11:59 PM Eastern Time on November 28, 2017.  Open to residents of the fifty United States and the District of Columbia who are 13 and older. Winners will be selected at random on or about December 1, 2016. Odds of winning depend on number of eligible entries received. Void where prohibited or restricted by law. 

This giveaway is hosted by Penguin. Mary Had a Little Book Blog is not responsible for giveaway or lost prizes.

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Review: Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth

Rating: 4 stars

Pub Date: January 17, 2017

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Genre: young adult science fiction

Format/Source: ARC, from the publisher

Status: book 1 in the Carve the Mark duology

   

Summary:

Fans of Star Wars and Divergent will revel in internationally bestselling author Veronica Roth’s stunning new science-fiction fantasy series.

On a planet where violence and vengeance rule, in a galaxy where some are favored by fate, everyone develops a currentgift, a unique power meant to shape the future. While most benefit from their currentgifts, Akos and Cyra do not—their gifts make them vulnerable to others’ control. Can they reclaim their gifts, their fates, and their lives, and reset the balance of power in this world?

Cyra is the sister of the brutal tyrant who rules the Shotet people. Cyra’s currentgift gives her pain and power—something her brother exploits, using her to torture his enemies. But Cyra is much more than just a blade in her brother’s hand: she is resilient, quick on her feet, and smarter than he knows.


Akos is from the peace-loving nation of Thuvhe, and his loyalty to his family is limitless. Though protected by his unusual currentgift, once Akos and his brother are captured by enemy Shotet soldiers, Akos is desperate to get his brother out alive—no matter what the cost. When Akos is thrust into Cyra’s world, the enmity between their countries and families seems insurmountable. They must decide to help each other to survive—or to destroy one another.

Audio Adventures Review: Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Rating: 5 stars!

Narrator: Olivia Taylor Dudley, Lincoln Hoppe, Johnathan McClain (and many, many, many more!)

Pub date: October 20, 2015

Publisher: Listening Library
Length: 11 hours & 41 minutes

Novel

Rating: 5 stars

Pub Date: October 20, 2015

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Links: see my review here

Illuminae is one of my favorite novels of all time. Full stop. It's funny. It's scary. It's thought-provoking. It's swoony. It's smart. It's so very many amazing things, all wrapped up in a creative and unique package. I LOVE the epistolary style Amie and Jay used. Illuminae is a visual pleasure, but that meant I was a bit trepidatious to give the audio a try. I wasn't sure how it would translate given that so much of the story relies on the documents and the art. HAVE NO FEAR, audio listeners! I was immediately put at ease when I started listening to the audio because of the talent of the narrators (of which there are many) and the production quality and the audio effects.

First of all, the narrators. I've always had narrator issues since usually it's one or two people performing a whole cast. Illuminae gives me what I want in a full cast! Everyone is distinct. Olivia is Kady, Johnathan is Ezra, Lincoln is AIDAN (I think?), and then all the major secondary characters—video surveillance analyst guy, Jimmy, Winifred, Syra Boll, Torrence, Byron, etc—all had their own narrators too, plus plenty of background people to make up the rest. I was never confused about who was who, and I loved the IMs and interviews where the characters interacted because it actually sounded like a conversation between two people! BRAVO! The only time I ever had an issue was when I was looking forward to a particular scene with Jimmy, but because it was "video footage," the analyst guy ended up reading that scene. That was kind of disappointing. It's a sad scene, but I wanted to hear Jimmy's narrator perform it. Overall, though, I was ridiculously impressed. Everyone wholly embodied their character.

Olivia-as-Kady was sarcastic and prickly, but then she also pulled off soft, uncertain, exhausted, and emotionally wrung-out. Johnathan-as-Ezra was earnest AND THE DRUNK EFFING EMAIL IS THE GREATEST THING I HAVE EVER HEARD IN MY LIFE (it sounds particularly awesome if you slow down the speed. MAJOR lolz!). Lincoln perfectly encapsulates AIDAN's robotic AI tone, but he also manages to be superior, weirdly humorous, condescending, and even, at times, sweet (but only with Kady); plus he did a great job with the computer code and the damage AIDAN sustains (ie "<error>"). It's a masterful performance. Syra is unsure; Winifred confident yet disapproving, the Marine with a heart. Jimmy is fun and a total bro, but I adored him. Everyone did such a great job, and I also love that listeners can hear a diverse cast reading diverse characters.

Illuminae the physical book has fantastic art, as mentioned, and yes, it's sad there's no way to really translate that audibly. Like Kady's space walk across the Alexander's hull, Ezra's rose, etc. But I thought the production team did a remarkable job creating unique aspects to the audio that couldn't be replicated on the page. There are sirens and alarms, blasters and gunfire, and more. We can't see the text bounce across the page during Kady's spacewalk, but we can hear her breathing in her envirosuit. We can hear Ezra's dogfight during the second encounter with the Lincoln. We can hear the afflicted tearing through the ship. It's visceral and intense, and you feel like you're IN the story. It's absolutely engrossing in the best way. I always know I love a book when it makes me forget the real world around and I feel like I live in the story's world, and this audiobook accomplishes that better than most.

I have been championing Illuminae for over a year now, and I have always recommended people both read and listen to it. Although I love to listen to books I've read before, I know not many people double up like that. In this case, for anyone who is able, I highly recommend it. The book is phenomenal and the audio perfect, but they are both wholly unique parts that create a whole story. It's incredible, and I don't know of any other book and audiobook that can do it.

Book Links:

   

About the Authors:

Amie Kaufman is the New York Times bestselling co-author of the Starbound trilogy. Jay Kristoff is the award-winning author of the Lotus War trilogy. Collectively they are 12'5" tall and live in Melbourne, Australia, with two long-suffering spouses, two rescue dogs, and a plentiful supply of caffeine. They met, thanks to international taxation law, and stuck together due to a shared love of blowing things up and breaking hearts.

Amie's Links:

    

Jay's Links:

    

Giveaway:

One winner will receive a digital copy of the Illuminae audiobook from Audible via the Send This Book feature. Open to anyone who can receive an audiobook this way. Terms and conditions of Send This Book are listed here. Entrants must be 13+ with parents' permission. Giveaway is open until 12 AM CST November 1. Please enter via Rafflecopter below; winner will be chosen at random, and odds are determined by number of entries. I reserve the right to disqualify any entries that are not in accordance with my giveaway policies as stated in the Review & Site Policies tab at the top of the page. Good luck! 

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