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December 26th, 2009, @ 9:54 pm  Highly Recommended | The Reader  This was originally supposed to be a Books You Should Buy For Christmas Gifts post, but I ran out of free time (filming and editing all those 12 Days of Christmas videos takes up a lot of time) though I always like to keep track of my favourite reads in a year. Having this blog is handy for that sort of thing. I know every book blog out there is writing a similar post, but I still want to let you know which books I found to be my favourites this year. I am not limiting the books to those published in 2009 – I am including books I might have discovered this year even if they’ve been out for a while.
 Maria V. Snyder’s Study Series – Poison Study, Magic Study and Fire Study (Fantasy Adult / can be YA). These were a find at the start of the year and it had been a very long time since I had been quite so enchanted by a fantasy series. The main character Yelena captured my heart from the first pages. She’s someone I would love to be friends with. Her romance with Valek wasn’t all mush and gush and I found it had depth to it. The side characters in this series were just as fantastic leaving me wanting more and to try and figure out how I could jump into the pages of the book to join them on their quests. Speaking of quests, am I the only one who gets huge cravings for hunks of bread and cheese and homemade stew while reading fantasy books? Because I do. I have to run out (aka, have my husband run out) to the store get rolls of some sort, maybe paté and a hunk of cheese so I can snack while reading. I am so easily swayed by food in books.
 Michelle Harrison’s The 13 Treasures (MG) – This was a daring purchase on my part as I ordered it directly from the UK after months of waiting for it to show up on a Canadian site. It was possibly one of the best book decisions I have ever made. Thirteen year old Tanya can see faeries, though that can get her into a lot of trouble and she’s not supposed to talk about it. Her grandmother’s house and grounds was so vividly described that I longed to hop in a plane and travel all the way to England to try and find it. Houses in England always seem so much more exciting than here in Canada. They are also all named, which is just cool. I was lucky enough to befriend the author this year and one day I’ll get overseas and meet her! Meanwhile she kindly agreed to participate in a 5 Questions interview which I posted with my review.
The 13 Treasures will be released in April 2010 in North America with a completely different cover – which I know exists somewhere though it’s not on Goodreads yet!.
 Eyes Like Stars -Théâtre Illuminata, Act I by Lisa Mantchev (YA) lived up to all the hype it was getting on the internet. I got it mainly because of the cover and the fact that there were faeries. This book started off a little confusing but you quickly got into the groove of the story and understood the way things work in Bertie’s world – where classic fictional characters come to life. I bought this book in hard cover (since that seems to be the ONLY way Young Adult books are released these days!) and was very happy to find that I did not waste my money and that I didn’t wait a whole year or more for it to have come out in paperback. Buy this book. It is so worth is.
 Yet another book that lived up to it’s hype is Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink (YA). This was a book I hemmed and hawed about buying because it was in hard cover as well and I wasn’t all that certain that I would like it. When I discovered that it was “only” $19 I ended up adding it to my pile on a shopping trip. I devoured this book like it was the last piece of birthday cake that my mum made! Not only was the story gripping, gothic and creepy the actual inside of the book was pretty! I am such a sucker for aesthetics. I was frustrated to learn that this was not a stand-alone story however. So I warn the rest of you now who have not read it – there are two more books on the way! (At least?)
 One of my most exciting surprises of the year was a book by an author that I adore in the Fantasy genre, Kate Forsyth. The Puzzle Ring is not yet available in North America and since I had discovered The Book Depository, I decided to order her two YA/MG novels because I was tired of waiting for them to show up here. I might even go so far as to say that The Puzzle Ring was my most favourite read of the year. I felt like I was in a magical land, like waking up to find you’re a Disney Princess or something. Even the book itself FELT whimsical and I can just stare at the cover for hours. I loved the characters, the setting, the plot. I wanted to live this book. I wanted to be a part of the pages, the story, the paper. I am beyond thrilled that I decided to order it.
 And last but not least is Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (YA). And no, I am not adding any of these books to the list because everyone else has said they were great. I honestly loved this book. I was worried about buying this book, but I had to. I mean, look at that cover! Also, I thought this book was about faeries, and I must own everything faerie. I was surprised to find that it wasn’t – it’s more about witchcraft in a way, which is fine because I am a witch-girl rather than vamp or were-girl. This is a 600+ page book that doesn’t read like it’s a 600+ page book. I read it cover-to-cover in under 5 hours (I’m a fast reader) and I don’t recall any part of the book being slow. I didn’t put it down because I needed to know what was going to happen. I was so curious about the mystery myself and I felt like I was trying to solve it on my own. This is one excellent book – and well written! The writing is even more beautiful than the cover.
I know many of you have seen most of these books on other sites and lists as being MUST READS! I promise you that I have included these books here only because I found them fantastic on my own and feel that they are worth promoting to the world. I’m even taking deep breaths and leaving this at 6 books (I hate even numbers. Don’t ask.) because they are the cream of the crop in my mind for 2009. Oh, wait! It’s not really 6 books is it? It’s NINE – because I included all 3 of The Study Series. Well, I feel much better about that. (Shush!)
Other books that I felt should be gifted (and therefore did) are: Dark Visions trilogy by L.J. Smith YA), Lament by Maggie Stiefvater (YA), Blackbringer, Faeries of Dreamdark by Laini Taylor (MG) (ok, not something I read in 2009, but it is still fantastic and the sequel came out this year.)
November 14th, 2009, @ 10:10 pm Out of My Pocket Due to my book buying addiction I started this feature on my blog where I post about the book(s) I bought that week. Not something I plan on having every week – though it seems to be turning out that way. So here’s what I bought this week!
Previous OoMP posts can be found here!
When you’re given a 25% off coupon valid only on November 14 & 15, what are you supposed to do? Despite my mega-purchases last week I couldn’t let this awesome opportunity pass, now could I? Of course this time around I brought my husband along and even he took advantage of the savings! My main goal was to buy Beautiful Creatures, but alas, it had not been removed from one of the millions of boxes piled in the stock room today (a friend of mine who works there will put one aside for me when it does make it to the floor. They did try and get me a copy, but it was too long to go through all the boxes and the store was crazy-busy. I will just have to return AGAIN this week. Oh, well.  ).
 A Great and Terrible Beauty
by Libba Bray
It’s 1895, and after the suicide of her mother, 16-year-old Gemma Doyle is shipped off from the life she knows in India to Spence, a proper boarding school in England. Lonely, guilt-ridden, and prone to visions of the future that have an uncomfortable habit of coming true, Gemma’s reception there is a chilly one. To make things worse, she’s been followed by a mysterious young Indian man, a man sent to watch her. But why? What is her destiny? And what will her entanglement with Spence’s most powerful girls—and their foray into the spiritual world—lead to? (amazon.ca)
Yes, I have read this one already, but I had borrowed it from Monkey, and well, she did offer it to me and I said no. But all this time I actually thought I DID own it. So I took advantage of this sale to pick it up for myself so I could complete the series – because I DID buy the third book as well.
 The Sweet Far Thing
by Libba Bray
It has been a year of change since Gemma Doyle arrived at the foreboding Spence Academy. Her mother murdered, her father alaudanum addict, Gemma has relied on an unsuspected strength and has discovered an ability to travel to an enchanted world called the realms, where dark magic runs wild. Despite certain peril, Gemma has bound the magic to herself and forged unlikely new alliances. Now, as Gemma approaches her London debut, the time has come to test these bonds.
The Order—the mysterious group her mother was once part of—is grappling for control of the realms, as is the Rakshana. Spence’s burned East Wing is being rebuilt, but why now? Gemma and her friends see Pippa, but she is not the same. And their friendship faces its gravest trial as Gemma must decide once and for all what role she is meant for. (amazon.ca)
It has been too long of a wait for this book. I should have picked it up ages ago, but I would always choose something else. NOW I have it!
 Peter and the Sword of Mercy
by Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson
The year is 1901 and it’s been twenty-three years since Peter and the Lost Boys returned from Rundoon. Since then, nobody on the island has grown a day older, and the Lost Boys continue their friendship with the Mollusk tribe, and their rivalry with Captain Hook. Meanwhile in London, Molly has married George Darling and is raising three children: Wendy, Michael, and John. One night a visitor appears at her door; it’s James, one of Peter’s original Lost Boys. He is now working for Scotland Yard and suspects that the heir to England’s throne, Prince Albert Edward, is under the influence of shadow creatures. These shadow creatures are determined to find a secret cache of startstuff which fell to London many centuries ago. The starstuff is hidden in an underground vault which has only one key: the Sword of Mercy, a legendary weapon kept with the Crown Jewels. Molly is determined to help, but when she suddenly goes missing, it is up to her eleven-year-old daughter, Wendy, to keep the starstuff out of the Others’ clutches. She has heard her mother’s stories of a flying boy named Peter Pan, and he may be her only hope in saving the world from a shadowy doom… (amazon.ca)
This book was a surprise! I thought there were only 3 in the series. I had to get it!
These were the three books I bought during today’s sale. On Thursday I was delighted to see that there was ONE copy of the following book in stock – FINALLY!
 Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie
by Maggie Stiefvater
In this mesmerizing sequel to “Lament”, music prodigy James Morgan has joined his best friend, Deirdre, at a private conservatory for musicians. James’ almost unearthly gift for music has attracted the dangerous attentions of Nuala, a soul-snatching faerie muse who fosters and feeds on the creative energies of exceptional humans until they die. Composing beautiful music together leads James and Nuala down an unexpected road of mutual admiration …and love. Haunted by a vision of raging fire and death, James realizes that Deirdre and Nuala are being hunted by the Fey and plunges into a soulscorching battle with the Queen of the Fey to save their lives. (amazon.ca)
ONE copy! Only one! It’s the only copy the HUGE store near me received. And I got it! Muahahahahah!! So happy!
You know what? I have so many books to read right now I have no idea what I actually want to read! Gah! Finally reading again and now I am just overwhelmed by the number of books I have to read. *panic* *fret* *chews fingers* I might continue with my Urban Fantasy kick, so I’ve got a few of those to pick through.
July 30th, 2009, @ 12:03 am Urban Fantasy | Young Adult  Lament: The Faerie Queen’s Deception
by Maggie Stiefvater
By no means let my two month long read of this book make you think that I did not enjoy it. That isn’t the case at all. In fact I really, truly liked this debut novel from Maggie Stiefvater (even if I can never get the i and e in her name in the correct order the first time!). I kept it in the bathroom, and no, that’s not TMI or anything, I just kept it there next to the bathtub for when I had to soak my poor bones/joints or in case I had one of my many middle-of-the-night-violently-ill moments.
Why this book took me so long is because I couldn’t read it for long periods of time. I can’t explain it any better than I would suddenly feel like I couldn’t breathe. Almost as if there was this weight pushing down on my chest and squishing my lungs. I don’t know if it was the cover (which, I have to be honest, creeps me out a ton) or just the depth of the magic in the book and the, I don’t know, anxiety that SHOULD be there, but wasn’t.
This wasn’t a “boy this book is awful” sort of pressure. I think it was, hmm, fear. Fear that Dee SHOULD have been feeling but wasn’t. I think I was feeling it all for her. I am helpful that way. Displaced fear and nerves? Maybe that’s it? I mean I was reading this other book (which shall remain nameless) and it was so bad that it was giving me nightmares. The book wasn’t even scary! I just felt all kinds of uncomfortable while reading it because it tried so hard to be witty and hip and it was failing miserably. And I had to stop reading it and HIDE IT under a shelf because I was having wicked night terrors about it, scratch that, not about the story, but about the BOOK itself and how badly it was messing up my brain.
But I digress… my suffocation wasn’t because of suck. It was because the book was too good at making me feel like I should be panicking about the situation.
I mean, someone had to! The fact that Deirdre was just accepting everything like it was normal even when some strange guy she’s never met before shows up in the bathroom (!!) and hold her hair while she pukes? GAH! Warning bells all over the place for me! WARNING BELLS! And her best friend James is all cool with the seeing faeries thing and that all this is happening? Man! I think these two got into the same stash of Valium that the people in The Lost Sister had.
Where are peoples’ survival instinct? Street smarts?? Good lord!
These faeries scared me. Stiefvater done good with the homicidal faeries. They creeped me out big time. Even Una, who was sort of Drusilla-like (from Buffy) was creepy. I just knew she had danger wafting off of her. Like if she got too close she’d eat you up (Woah, here she comes! Watch out!).
Maybe it was an omen when in the header photo above (if you’re reading this in the summer) that the only book to have been backwards was Lament? Maybe it knew it would freak me out and was hiding from me until the right moment.
Either way, the more I got into this book the more I liked it and the more I had to put it down. I know that sounds hokey, I seriously know that, but it’s true.
I’m totally curious how long it’ll take me to read Ballad now. Heh.
May 23rd, 2009, @ 12:03 am Out of My Pocket Due to my book buying addiction I started feature on my blog where I post about the book(s) I bought that week. Not something I plan on having every week – though it seems to be turning out that way. So here’s what I bought this week!
Previous OoMP posts can be found here!
I was bad and bought more books than I should have this week. Two on Sunday and another six on Friday. *cough* But I also bought a bag!
Sunday yielded the following:
 Death’s Daughter
by Amber Benson
(Ace / February 2009)
Calliope Reaper-Jones so just wanted a normal life: buying designer shoes on sale, dating guys from Craigas List, web-surfing for organic dim-sum for her boss…
But when her fatherawho happens to be Death himselfais kidnapped, and the Devilas Protege embarks on a hostile takeover of the family business, Death, Inc., Callie returns home to assume the CEO mantlea only to discover she must complete three nearly impossible tasks in the realm of the afterlife first. (Chapters.Indigo.ca)
Lament: The Faerie Queen’s Deception
by Maggie Stiefvater
(Flux / October 2008)
Sixteen-year-old Deirdre Monaghan is a painfully shy but prodigiously gifted musician. She’s about to find out she’s also a cloverhand—one who can see faeries. Deirdre finds herself infatuated with a mysterious boy who enters her ordinary suburban life, seemingly out of thin air. Trouble is, the enigmatic and gorgeous Luke turns out to be a gallowglass—a soulless faerie assassin. An equally hunky—and equally dangerous—dark faerie soldier named Aodhan is also stalking Deirdre. Sworn enemies, Luke and Aodhan each have a deadly assignment from the Faerie Queen. Namely, kill Deirdre before her music captures the attention of the Fae and threatens the Queen’s sovereignty. Caught in the crossfire with Deirdre is James, her wisecracking but loyal best friend. Deirdre had been wishing her life weren’t so dull, but getting trapped in the middle of a centuries-old faerie war isn’t exactly what she had in mind . . . (Chapters.Indigo.ca)
And then Friday yielded:
 Once Dead, Twice Shy
by Kim Harrison *swooooon*
(Harper Teen / May 2009)
Madison’s prom was killer—literally. For some reason she’s been targeted by a dark reaper—yeah, that kind of reaper—intent on getting rid of her, body and soul. But before the reaper could finish the job, Madison was able to snag his strange, glowing amulet and get away.
Now she’s stuck on Earth—dead but not gone. Somehow the amulet gives her the illusion of a body, allowing her to toe the line between life and death. She still doesn’t know why the dark reaper is after her, but she’s not about to just sit around and let fate take its course.
With a little ingenuity, some light-bending, and the help of a light reaper (one of the good guys! Maybe . . . ), her cute crush, and oh yeah, her guardian angel, Madison’s ready to take control of her own destiny once and for all, before it takes control of her.
Well, if she believed in that stuff. (Chapters.Indigo.ca)
I blame Kim Harrison for being my favourite author and therefore I have to instantly purchase anything of hers – EVEN IF IT’S IN HARD COVER. It’s her fault for being awesome. Damn her.
 The Merrybegot
by Julie Hearn
(Oxford University Press / 2005)
This is the story of Nell who lives with her grandmother, the local cunning woman and healer, in a west country village in the seventeenth century. When one of the minister’s daughters falls pregnant she and her sister attempt to conceal it by accusing Nell of putting a curse on them. The witchfinder general, Matthew Hopkins, is called in and in an atmosphere of fear, the local villagers turn nasty and Nell’s grandmother falls victim to their hatred. Nell is all alone, and in great danger . . . (amazon.ca)
I blame author Michelle Harrison for this one since she just suggested it in comments this week and it interested me and then I found out the bookstore near me had ONE copy in stock with this title (US version is The Minister’s Daughter) and since I am a sucker for original titles, etc. Had to buy it since it wasn’t going to be reordered.
 Poison
by Chris Wooding
(Scholastic / 2006)
Poison has always been a willful, contrary girl, prone to being argumentative and stubborn. So when her sister is snatched by the mean-spirited faeries, she seeks out the Phaerie Lord to get her back. But finding him isn”t easy, and the quest leads Poison into a murderous world of intrigue, danger, and deadly storytelling. With only her wits and her friends to aid her, Poison must survive the attentions of the Phaerie Lord, rescue her sister, and thwart a plot that”s beyond anything she (or the reader) can imagine. . . . (chapters.indigo.ca)
I blame Michelle Harrison for this one as well, since it was also suggested by her AND when I looked it up – it was PURPLE! How could I turn down a purple book? I can’t. Especially if it’s about faeries (and cheap!). So again, not my fault. It was a Harrison’s fault.
 Lovestruck Summer
by Melissa Walker
(Harpercollins / April 2009)
Austin music fest
Yay, summer in Austin!
Good food, good times. Fun for everyone!
Okay, living with my sorority-brainwashed cousin, who willingly goes by “Party Penny,” is not exactly what I had in mind.
All your favorite bands
But the cute musicians I’ve met totally make up for it . . . like Sebastian. Swoon.
All ages welcome
So why can’t I stop thinking about Penny’s friend All-American Russ and his Texas twang??
Saturday & Sunday, from noon to midnight
Don’t wait up! (chapters.indigo.ca)
I love Melissa Walker’s writing, so since I saw this while wandering the aisle looking for the Wooding book I HAD to pick it up! Again, Michelle Harrison’s fault, because I wouldn’t have gotten to the W’s if I wasn’t looking for Poison, right?
 Curse the Dawn
by Karen Chance
(New American Library / April 2009)
Cassie Palmer may be the world’s chief clairvoyant, but that doesn’t mean people have stopped trying to kill her. And now, the self-styled god Apollo, the source of Cassie’s power, is on the warpath leaving her no choice but to face down her creator once and for all. (chapters.indigo.ca)
This one I blame on DarlaD, since I saw the review on her blog and totally forgot the book came out. It’ s been sitting in my wishlist since I read the first three books last summer and I learned that this one was coming in 2009.
 The Christopher Killer
by Alane Ferguson
(Penguin Young Reader Group / 2008)
As the daughter of a Colorado County coroner, seventeen-yearold Cameryn Mahoney is no stranger to death. in fact, sheas always been fascinated by the science of it. so sheas thrilled to finally get some hands-on experience in forensics working as her fatheras assistant. but Cammie is in for more than she bargained for when the second case that she attends turns out to be someone she knowsathe latest victim of a serial killer known as the Christopher Killer. And if dealing with that isnat hard enough, Cammie soon realizes that if sheas not careful, she might wind up as the killeras next victim. . . . (chapters.indigo.ca)
You know, this one might be Darla’s fault, too! Though I am possibly wrong. I know I found this book sometime last summer(ish) when I was just discovering a ton of book blogs and since I read the review I have had this on my wishlist forever. I happened to see it by chance in the store today and it was only $5! So I got it. I have been curious about it for so long, I hope it lives up to my curiosity!
Whew! That’s a lot of books and I know I will feel it come the end of the month. But it’s worth it. All I need now is to win enough money in the lottery this weekend to cover my book buying costs. I’m not greedy.
May 18th, 2009, @ 11:33 am The Reader
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