Ebook haul

Simon by Michael Mullin

Synopsis:

His father is dead. His mother has remarried. His uncle is . . . his new stepfather? When the ghost of Simon Elsinore's father returns and claims he was murdered by his own brother, the nineteen-year-old film student must determine what is true and exact the revenge his father demands.

I can't resist Hamlet retellings, I just can't. 

The author of this book was kind enough to send me an ebook copy. Thank you, Mr. Mullin!

Alien Love by Stan Schatt

Synopsis: 

In Stan Schatt’s latest Science Fiction novel, a dying astronaut reveals a secret that blows the lid on a government treaty with extraterrestrials while other alien races have come to Earth with their own agendas. Meanwhile an ancient alien race with a base on the Moon makes plans that could spell doom.

25 year- old EX-SEAL, Jack Starling, has plenty of his own problems, but he can’t help falling in love with the beautiful woman he rescues after she is brutally attacked. He learns how dangerous it can be to fall in love with someone who is not human who has her own plans for him. Jack finds himself pitted against aliens far stronger and far more cunning than any human enemies. Once he learns what the aliens have planned for him and for Earth, he must race against time before it is too late.

I received an ebook copy from the author. Human/alien love story? Bring it on!

Chivalrous by Dina L. Sleiman

Snyopsis: 

Strong and adventurous Gwendolyn Barnes longs to be a knight like her chivalrous brothers. However, that is not an option for her, not even in the Arthurian-inspired Eden where she dwells. Her parents view her only as a marriage pawn, and her domineering father is determined to see her wed to a brutish man who will break her spirit. When handsome, good-hearted Allen of Ellsworth arrives in Edendale searching for his place in the world, Gwendolyn spies in him the sort of fellow she could imagine marrying. Yet fate seems determined to keep them apart. Tournaments, intrigue, and battles--along with twists and turns aplenty--await these two as they struggle to find love, identity, and their true destinies.

I was fortunate enough to receive an ebook copy via NetGalley. I would read anything and everything about lady knights and this one sounds pretty good.

Book haul

Books I purchased recently:

The Lost Queen by Norah Lofts

Synopsis:

A novel based on the life of George III's sister, Princess Caroline-Matilda, whose marriage brought her to the throne and whose secret love brought her to disaster. This is a story of high romance and tragedy, a moving drama of human frailty set against the implacable demands of a royal crown. With careful attention to the historical record, Norah Lofts has recreated Caroline-Matilda's life in a tale that vividly evokes the stark contrasts of 18th century Denmark; the cruelty, poverty and oppression of existence under an absolute monarch sinking into madness; the royal court with its pomp and pageantry, and the hatreds and intrigues that swirled around the young, lovely figure who was, briefly, its queen.

I've already read Per Olov Enquist's The Visit of the Royal Physician some time ago and I can't wait to revisit 18th century Denmark and see the happenings from Caroline-Matilda's point of view. I didn't like the princess in the The Visit..., I hope I will grow to love her in this book. Along with the book I also bought En kongelig affære (A Royal Affair) on DVD, simply because I adore the movie too.

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Synopsis: 

Streetwise George and his big, childlike friend Lennie are drifters, searching for work in the fields and valleys of California. They have nothing except the clothes on their back, and a hope that one day they’ll find a place of their own and live the American dream. But dreams come at a price. Gentle giant Lennie doesn’t know his own strength, and when they find work at a ranch he gets into trouble with the boss’s daughter-in-law. Trouble so bad that even his protector George may not be able to save him…

It only takes an afternoon to read this gem of American literature. Steinbeck's masterpiece portrays a true friendship, the like of which is hard to find.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee 

Synopsis:

'Shoot all the Bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a Mockingbird.' Atticus Finch gives this advice to his children as he defends the real mockingbird of this classic novel - a black man charged with attacking a white girl. Through the eyes of Scout and Jem Finch, Lee explores the issues of race and class in the Deep South of the 1930s with compassion and humour. She also creates one of the great heroes of literature in their father, whose lone struggle for justice pricks the conscience of a town steeped in prejudice and hypocrisy.

I'm currently reading it and it is brilliant.

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys 

Synopsis:

Born into an oppressive, colonialist society, Creole heiress Antoinette Cosway meets a young Englishman who is drawn to her innocent sensuality and beauty. But soon after their marriage, rumors of madness in her family poison his mind against her. He forces Antoinette to conform to his rigid Victorian ideals. 

I've read Jane Eyre. I'm fascinated with the mad wife. Enough said.

Daniel Deronda by George Eliot 

Synopsis:

Gwendolen Harleth gambles her happiness when she marries a sadistic aristocrat for his money. Beautiful, neurotic, and self-centred, Gwendolen is trapped in an increasingly destructive relationship, and only her chance encounter with the idealistic Deronda seems to offer the hope of a brighter future. Deronda is searching for a vocation, and in embracing the Jewish cause he finds one that is both visionary and life-changing. Damaged by their pasts, and alienated from the society around them, they must both discover the values that will give their lives meaning. 

I plan to write a review on this one, so shhhhhhh.... I bought the BBC mini series on DVD when I was about halfway through the book. Having read it I have to say it's not exactly a perfect adaptation, but if someone doesn't plan to read the book or doesn't mind that the series doesn't discover characters as deeply as the book does (how could it anyway?), it's worth to give it a watch.

 

Review - The Codex: An Angel's Guide To Seducing A Human by Joe Duck

Title: The Codex: An Angel's Guide To Seducing A Human by Joe Duck

Author: Joe Duck

Rating: 4/5 stars

Synopsis:

When an ancient book capable of summoning a demon is stolen from heaven, Narius, a young and not so bright angel of knowledge, is cast down and ordered to destroy it.

If he fails, he can never return to his blissful life as a lazy library guard.

Fortunately, to aid him in his quest, Narius is accompanied by the Codex, a theoretically holy book, who sprouts terrible courtship advice like a cheap fortune cookie.

Upon arrival to the world below his, Narius is tricked into helping Emily, a greedy sorceress in a bit of a pickle, trying to deal with a hungry dragon.

Together, the human and the angel must overcome enchanted apples, evil elves and the impoverished dragon or risk watching their world burn.

I received a free ebook copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

My thoughts:

When Joe Duck contacted me to ask whether I would consider reading his book I read the synopsis and thought this is something I would enjoy. I’m glad I said yes. The Codex is a fantasy filled with funny lines and scenes that could appear in a not-too-serious fairy tale. Many times I found it hard to stifle a laugh and my family members gave me questioning looks because they didn’t understand what I was chuckling at.

Narius, the young angel of knowledge – who himself has serious difficulties in absorbing knowledge – meets Emily, the greedy guild member, who has to dispose of a dragon to be able to pay the guild’s debts. They soon become companions for Emily agrees to help Narius in his mission to satisfy her own material needs.

Narius has a book called the Codex, that gives him dubious relationship advice. In the beginning I found this ’character’ annoying and thought I couldn’t abide it much longer, since its every line contained some vulgarity, but later I absolutely got used to it and after a few chapters I wasn’t bothered by it at all, it transformed into a source of hilarity.

Narius is a lovely fool and Emily is the perfect mate for him; a bit harsh, but utterly down to earth. Every adventure they went through together was exciting. They met many strange creatures: a talking dragon, elves, giant bloodthirsty birds etc. Towards its climax, the story became a little more serious and quite a lot of blood has flown, but it fitted the atmosphere that had been created by that time.

The romance was cute, mostly because of Narius’ ignorance and shyness and the ending left me satisfied. I would recommend this book to those fantasy and paranormal lovers who would like to pick up something light and entertaining (and don’t mind coming across dark and gory parts occasionally).

Goodreads | Amazon

 

Liebster Award

 I got nominated for the Liebster Award by Grace from lovingmylit. 

It's very nice to know she thinks I deserve this award! Thank you, Grace! :)

  

The Rules:

1) Acknowledge the blog who nominated you and display the award

2) Answer the 11 questions the blogger gave you

3) Give 11 random facts about yourself

4) Nominate 11 blogs you think are deserving of the award

5) Let the bloggers know you have nominated them

6) Give them 11 questions to answer

Lovingmylit's questions:

Which one do you use more: the library or Amazon/bookstores?

(Online) bookstores! I mostly read in English an my local libraries don't have many English books, therefore I buy what I need.

How many books do you own?

I've never counted them. Altogether in our flat there are hundreds of books (my father is an avid reader too).

How do you organize your bookshelves: rainbow or alphabetically? If you have a Kindle/iPad, do you categorize your ebooks?

Mostly I organize it by book size and writer or topic (e.g.: my Shakespeares are next to each other, also I have a collection of books about the son of Napoleon, the Duke of Reichstadt, those are together as well). 

I categorize my ebooks by genre.

Are you on Goodreads? What’s your user name?

Yes. Here.

What’s your relationship with John Green?

I love the guy, even though I haven't read any of his books yet. I've watched his and Hank's videos. They are funny and thoughtful.

Are you religious?

I'm Roman Catholic, although I don't frequent the church any more (I went regularly until I was 18).

What’s your favorite kind of cover: simplistic, hand-drawn, or photographed?

There are many different things that can draw me in a cover. From these listed above, I'd say I prefer the simplistic ones.

Do you follow book ‘trends’? 

I read what I'd like to read, it depends on my mood, not on the trend.

Do you have a local bookstore?

Sure, I do. With lots of Hungarian books in it and few English ones.

Do you read comics? Do you consider them ‘books’?

I want to start reading comics. I haven't read any so far. I might start with Saga, because the art seems pretty in that one. And yes, I consider them books.

Have you ever bought a book for its cover alone? Which one?

Yes! The book is called The Outcast (by Sadie Jones). I bought it, because the man and the woman on the cover reminded my of Tom Hiddleston and Rachel Weisz from the movie 'The Deep Blue Sea' which I adore. In the end I liked the story too, in spite of the fact that it was very depressive. 

11 random facts about myself:

1. I'm Hungarian
2. I'm a teacher trainee (and currently am working at a language school)
3. I love watching movies and tv shows
4. I always obsess over something
5. I speak English and some Spanish and I'd like to learn Danish someday
6. I must be the only one in the world who started Gone Girl and didn't finish it
7. I love owls and stuff (clothes, bags etc.) with owls on it
8. I have a 7 year old little brother
9. I have a sweet tooth
10. I want to set out on a literary tour in England someday
11. I hate wasting paper

Questions for my nominees:

1. What's your favourite book cover?
2. Favourite reading position?
3. If you could choose one book to live in, which one would it be?
4. Can you imagine yourself as the hero of a book? If yes, what genre your book would be?
5. Agatha Christie or Conan-Doyle?
6. Poirot or Miss Marple?
7. Do you/Did you struggle with compulsory readings?
8. What books will you read to your kids?
9. What were your favourite bedtime stories?
10. Do you read in other languages than English?
11. What was the most influential book that you've ever read?

Nominees:

Kate - thelawandthereader

Lexxie - unconventionalbookviews

Stormi & Kathy - booksmoviesreviewsohmy

Sophie - seamlessreade 

Carina - carinabooks

Sarah - treesofreverie

Aleksandra - my-book-obsession

Alma - journeythroughfiction

Andrea - theoverstuffedbookcase

Jessica - jessabellareads

Megan - bookgeeksanonymous

Daniel Deronda - Favourite Quotes

 

As you can see I'm currently reading Daniel Deronda by George Eliot (among other things). I admire this book; truly, I'm obsessed with it. George Eliot's writing style is amazing (this is the first Eliot book I've ever read) and the story is fascinating – I never knew Jews were so frowned upon in Victorian England (too). Also, I might or might not be a little bit in love with Daniel.

I thought I'd share some of my favourite quotes with you. I'm only halfway through the book, so there might be another post coming later with another bunch of quotes. Enjoy!

"Development and catastrophe can often be measured by nothing clumsier than the moment-hand."

"Attempts at description are stupid: who can all at once describe a human being? Even when he is presented to us we only begin that knowledge of his appearance which must be completed by innumerable impressions under differing circumstances. We recognize the alphabet; we are not sure of the language."

"One couldn't carry on life comfortably without a little blindness to the fact that everything had been said better than we can put it ourselves."

 

"We know that he [Deronda] suffered keenly from the belief that there was a tinge of dishonor in his lot; but there are some cases, and his was one of them, in which the sense of injury breeds

– not the will to inflict injuries and climb over them as a ladder, but a hatred of all injury."

 

"Outsiders might have been more apt to think that Klesmer's position was dangerous for himself if Miss Arrowpoint had been an acknowledged beauty; not taking into account that the most powerful of all beauty is that which reveals itself after sympathy and not before it."

 

"There is a great deal of unmapped country within us which would have to be taken into account in an explanation of our gusts and storms."

 

"I think I dislike what I don't like more than I like what I like."