Stacking the Shelves [6]

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews where we get to gab on about the books we've won, bought, or otherwise received in the past week. Sorry for such a quiet week, ya'll. It's been a really hectic seven days! I packed up a suitcase and surprised my lovely girlfriend for her birthday (she lives in Wisconsin, and I in Illinois). It's been slow reading with her around- and I mean that in a great way. That being said, we went thrifting today, and you know what that means? BOOKS! Tons of BOOKS! With all my new paper babies and the free Kindle snags, I'll be busy for a long while! (I also got a Packers jersey and neon pink combat boots- it was a good day!) Wrap it all up with froyo from Cherry Berry, and I am a very happy indoorsy camper!

Won:

Comes the Night by Norah Wilson & Heather Doherty

Kindle Freebies:

Same Time Next Year by Jenna Bennett
The Way Back To Me by K.L. Conlon & T.D. Waesch
My Temporary Life by Martin Crosbie
Hate Me by Leen Elle
Glamour by Penelope Fletcher
Seduced by Innocence (Seduced #1) by Kimberly Kinrade
Tarnished Knight by Bec McMaster
Crow: Episode One by Alex Owens
Afterglow by Eve Paludan
Angelfire by Hanna Peach
The Cop And The Girl From The Coffee Shop by Terry Towers

NetGalley:

Ruby by Jeffe Kennedy
Mastering the Art of French Eating: Lessons in Food and Love from a Year in Paris by Ann Mah
Follow the White Rabbit by Kellie Sheridan

Thrifting Scores:

Don't Bet Against Me!: Beating the Odds Against Breast Cancer and in Life by Deanna Favre
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
Paradise Lost (Paradise #1)by John Milton
The Lost Boy: A Foster Child's Search for the Love of a Family by Dave Pelzer
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling





LOOK AT MY PRETTY BOOTS. I love them. Only $4.99

What did you guys get this week? Is the weather as stormy by you as it is here?

Have a good week lovelies!

Stacking the Shelves [5]

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews where we get to talk about the books we've won, bought, or otherwise received in the past week. It was a relatively slow week for me.... That is until today. I decided to take a walk to my local Goodwill store and, as usual, I bought way more books than necessary. But there's never such a thing as too many books, right?

Won:

Emilie and the Hollow World by Martha Wells
Blood and Snow: The Complete Set by RaShelle Workman

Kindle Books:

Beauty Touched the Beast by Skye Warren

NetGalley:

Hook's Pan by Marie Hall
Training Their Mate by Vella Day

Goodwill finds:

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
The Awakening and The Struggle by L.J. Smith
The Fury and Dark Reunion by L.J. Smith
Nightfall by L.J. Smith
Shadow Souls by L.J. Smith
Midnight by L.J. Smith






Yes, I got all of those Vampire Diaries book during one trip to Goodwill. I definitely lucked out. What about you?

Swans and Klons by Nora Olsen

Title: Swans and Klons
Editor: Nora Olsen
Format: egalley edition
Pub. Date: May 14th 2013
Source: NetGalley & Bold Strokes Books, Inc.

★★★★

Four stars.

In the future of the planet Earth, there is no longer a need for males. No longer are women subjected to the disgusting man creatures, and they don't have to go through the awful, painful, barbaric ritual of child birth. There are only women, chosen to be descendants of 300 superior females, and only from those 300. And then there are the Klons- the lesser minded, not-quite-humans that serve the Society and do the jobs that no one else wants to, like cleaning and driving. Light on rules and fairly peaceful, Rubric wasn't one to question the ways of Society, until together with her girlfriend, Salmon Jo, they uncover a disturbing truth- Klons may not be different from humans at all. The girls must decide where they stand, what they will risk, and how to unravel the knitted lies that they have been fed all of their lives.

----

I have to say, I'm quite impressed by this book. It falls in two of my favorite book genres- dystopian and LGBT. Though this book isn't without faults, I would definitely recommend it.

+ I love the combination of blending the two aforementioned themes. I am a huge fan of dystopian fiction, and this is the first book I have ever encountered with such a strong queer theme. It gave the novel a very unique plot line, and will make it stand out in my mind.

+Because of the lesbian motif of Swans and Klons, I found it more relatable than most other books of the same genre. I was able to more vividly experience Rubric's emotions- from love to separation and grief- since they were emotions directed at a female. I often thought of my own girlfriend and myself in their place. Like Salmon Jo and Rubric, one of us is very practical and no nonsense, and the other is artistic and almost too imaginative.... I won't divulge which of us is which!

+As with other dystopian novels, I like this book because it was disturbing. Books with futures that are almost utopias scare me more than horror books ever could, and this one was no exception. The unique twist of genetically identical people being created only to be slaves is creepy, at the very least, though I mean it in the best way possible.

-My faults with the book were few, but still hindered my reading experience. The first was the lack of romance and affection between Salmon Jo and Rubric. Often times they seemed blatantly cold and plastic towards one another. I wish there would have been more sweetness, so that I could dive deeper emotionally into the plot.

-The only other problem that I had with this book was a few word redundancies that got old really quick. The words "thicko" and "veruckt" were used with an alarming abundance. I'd definitely switch up those words now and then.

I sincerely hope that Swans and Klons is the first book in a series, or at least a two-parter. Nora Olsen has made a new fan in me with her new, queer-friendly take on dystopian fiction. Fans of books such as Beta or Uglies should check this book out. If gay themes or relationships offend you, than this is NOT a book for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books, Inc. for my e-copy.

Top Ten Tuesday [1]

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This is my first time participating, so bear with me :) This week's list is:

Top Ten Favorite Book Covers Of Books I've Read

So here we go, in no particular order:







The last two are almost the same, but I think they're pretty. The cover of Beta is shiny (not that you can tell) and that edition of Dracula is leather bound and I adore it.

Stacking the Shelves [4]

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews where we get to brag talk about the books we've won, bought, or otherwise received in the past week. Finally, I'm getting back into the swing of things! My first week back from school and I've already caught up with my three best friends, as well as some good reads. I hope the start of summer vacation is treating you all well too! Now, for my goodies!

Won:

Return to Me by Justina Chen
The Eye of the Sword by Karyn Henley



And now for the ebooks!

Kindle Books:

Stag Hunt by Laura DeLuca
The Art of Submission by Ella Dominguez
Geoducks Are for Lovers by Daisy Prescott
In the Air by Crystal Serowka

NetGalley:

Love Me by Diane Alberts
Karma Gone Bad: How I Learned to Love Mangos, Bollywood and Water Buffalo by Jenny Feldon
Beauty and the Wolf by Marina Myles
The Miss Education of Dr. Exeter by Jillian Stone




I also got some pretty cool swag.
Anywho, keep cool guys, and if you're in the midwest, stay safe. The weather's looking pretty nasty. Have a great week.