Bookwork 08/12-08/15

Once again I am apologizing for being a bad book blogger. Starting to feel like a broken record and once again I blame work. Although my reading has certainly slowed down my TBR has continued to grow.

1. The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
2. My copy of Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater arrived in the mail and it made me giddy.

I keep hitting refresh on the Kindle addition page on Amazon for Meridian by Amber Kizer but it's STILL NOT THERE. I remain hopeful and will just continue clicking.

I'm currently on my second Sookie Stackhouse book and the VIVs meet this Friday to watch the last two episodes. My vampire addiction is out of control at this point. Is there a support group for that?

26 Entries for my Eyes Like Stars Giveaway! If I had known how much fun contest were I'd have held one weeks ago. In fact, I lurve it so much I've got another one about to show up. It's a really SILLY one, so stay tuned.

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

     I was angry, not just with Annabeth or her mom, but with all the gods for this whole quest, for getting us blown off the road and in two major fights the very first day out from camp. at this rate, we'd never make it to L.A. alive, much less before the summer solstice.
     What had Medusa said?
     Do not be a pawn of the Olympians, my dear. You would be better off as a statue.
     I got up. "I'll be back."
     "Percy," Annabeth called after me. "what are you-"
     I searched the back of the warehouse until I found Medusa's office. Her account book showed her six most recent sales, all shipments to the Underworld to decorate Hades and Persephone's garden. According to one freight bill, the Underworld's billing address was DOA Recording Studios, West Hollywood, California. I folded up the bill and stuffed it in my pocket.
     In the cash register I found twenty dollars, a few golden drachmas, and some packing slips for Hermes Overnight Express, each with a little leather bag attached for coins. I rummaged around the rest of the office until I found the right-size box.
     I went back to the picnic table, packed up Medusa's head, and filled out a delivery slip:

The Gods
Mount Olympus
600th Floor,
Empire State Building
New York, NY

With best wishes,
PERCY JACKSON

Percy Jackson simply can't stay out of trouble. He's been kicked out of six schools and in just a moment, he's going to get kicked out of his current one. Odd things just seem to happen around Percy, things that can't be explained or even believed but Percy never fails to get the blame for them. When he accidentally causes the evaporation of his math teacher with an ink pen, it occurs to Percy that the things happening to him may be more than just rotten luck.
Following his most recent expulsion, Percy and his mother take an impromptu trip to the shore, a place that his mother has always had a fondness for. It was at the seaside that she fell in love with and had a one time whirlwind romance with Percy's father, a man he has never met and who his mother won't tell him anything about. Their trip is cut short by your average random Minotaur attack that leaves his mother missing and Percy, at his mother's command, running for the safety of Half Blood Camp, a sanctuary for children who are in the same unique situation as Percy- they are the children of gods.

I loved this book! It was cute and funny and very entertaining. Can't help but compare it to Harry Potter but I don't feel that it was merely riding on HP's coat-tails so to speak since this book had a feel that was very much it's own. For one thing your heart doesn't break for Percy the way it did for Harry, so so far, no tears. I love that it is based on Greek Mythology. Who didn't love studying the Greek myths in school? I think that spin, along with it being a great children's/young adult adventure fantasy, really adds to it's appeal. Percy kicks butt and shows no fear, just as a hero should. The story is written with a great sense of humor, making it just a really great read. Totally on board to read the next one and I can't wait for the movie!!

Bookwork 08/03-08/08

I haven't done a Bookwork post in awhile because truth be told, I haven't fed my TBR lately. I'm so proud of me. I feel like I'm standing up and announcing that I've been book clean for two weeks.

Well...that is until this week. It's not my fault. So many good books came out that it was just too tempting. I blame the authors.

Picked up:
1. Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink (Who's publisher gets bonus points for making it immediately available on kindle)
2. Mr. Darcy, Vampyre by Amanda Grange. I know I know...SHAME ON ME and I'm pretty sure my dear Jane would not approve but I'm still addicted to vampires. I'm beyond tacky.
3. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater. I won this from Goodreads so it's not exactly here yet but I say it counts.

Well the Very Important Vampire Society (VIVs) has finally caught up with True Blood. We will permanently be one week behind the show though since we don't meet until Saturday nights but at least we are semi in the know now. I love this show. It's all kinds of wrong and it's oh so good. Can't we please just clone Eric Northman so that everyone can have one? He'd make a great Christmas present. Write that down please.

Reading The Lightning Thief when I can. Work is taking up valuable reading time so it's slow going. Enjoying it so far. Then...back to Sookie! Book Two!

Eyes Like Stars Giveaway

UPDATE: Contest is Closed! Thank you for your entries!

Because EVERYONE should read this book!

From Goodreads:
All her world’s a stage.

Bertie Shakespeare Smith is not an actress, yet she lives in a theater.
She’s not an orphan, but she has no parents.
She knows every part, but she has no lines of her own.
That is, until now.

Welcome to the Théâtre Illuminata, where the actors of every play ever written can be found behind the curtain. They were born to play their parts, and are bound to the Théâtre by The Book—an ancient and magical tome of scripts. Bertie is not one of them, but they are her family—and she is about to lose them all and the only home she has ever known.

I'm so excited. This is my first giveaway and since that's special I chose Eyes Like Stars because it's the most fun you can have reading. I know it's been out a few weeks but some of you haven't read it. I do this for YOU, for your literary education. You'll thank me.

Now for a little shameless self promotion and how to enter:

1. Leave me a comment with your name and email address. Then, for your homework tell me your favorite quote from Shakespeare. That's 1 entry (and if you don't do anything else, to enter you have to do this so that I can track you down if you win.)
2. Stalking = Lurve. Let me know if you follow my blog or stalk me on twitter. +1 Entry
3. And last, add another entry if you post about this giveaway on your blog and tell me the link. Another +1.

I'm probably a bit too excited about this. I just reminded myself that I can't enter my own giveaway. Deadline is August 31st. And for this first giveaway, though it'll cost one arm and one leg, I'll ship it anywhere I possibly can provided that it doesn't have to be delivered by mule, camel, walrus, buffalo, giant squid or yak.