2014

Posted in The Monday Check-In by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Not a lofty, ambitious to-be-read list consisting of 100+ book titles. Just a simple plan for the upcoming week — what I’m reading now, what I plan to read next, and what I’m hoping to squeeze in among the nooks and crannies.

How did I do with last week’s agenda?

Lizzy and Jane

Lizzy & Jane by Katherine Reay: Done! My review is here.

Us by David Nicholls: Done! Loved it. Watch for my blog tour post coming up on 11/21!

Searching for Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede: My son and I finished up the 2nd book in the Enchanted Forest series, and really enjoyed it. Here’s my Goodreads post with my initial reaction.

And also… I dove back into The Unwritten series, re-reading volumes 1 and 2 and then continuing on with 3 and 4. I feel an obsession coming on!

Fresh Catch:

I didn’t buy or borrow any new books this week, but I did receive this one — my first ever win via Goodreads First Reads!

The Expeditioners and the Secret of King Triton's Lair (The Expeditioners, #2)

Signed and everything! My kiddo and I loved the 1st book in this series, and we’re really excited to get a copy of #2 for our very own.

What’s on my reading agenda for the coming week?

A book club pick, and then we’ll see. I find myself not really feeling like doing a whole lot of planning this week. Maybe because I’ll end up just wanting to continue reading every volume of The Unwritten series until I’m all caught up!

But assuming I stick to my agenda, here are the books coming up next for me:

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

The Martian by Andy Weir

Hello From the Gillespies by Monica McInerney (the November book for Fields & Fantasies!)

Pop culture goodness:

Is anyone else watching Jane the Virgin? I’ve just inhaled the first four episodes, and I think it’s kinda hilarious.

Ongoing reads:

Shared with the kiddo:

Calling on Dragons (Enchanted Forest Chronicles, #3)

Calling on Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede: We’ve just started the 3rd book in the Enchanted Forest series. My reaction after just one chapter? Too many talking cats, not enough dragons. In fact, no dragons. Sigh. I’ll need to keep reminding myself that it’s only the first chapter, and hope for a quick improvement.

Now playing via audiobook:

I’m working my way through a re-read (re-listen?) of the Alpha & Omega series by Patricia Briggs. I just finished up Cry Wolf over the weekend, and now I’m moving on to Hunting Ground. I adore the characters and the stories as a whole, and listening to the audiobooks is a treat.

Book club reading:

The Scarlet Pimpernel A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander, #6)

Classic read: The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy. (One chapter per week)

A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon: Reading and discussing two chapters per week, from now through the end of 2015!

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes: Outlander Book Club’s book-of-the-month for November.

Want to join any of the group reads? Let me know and I’ll provide the links!

So many book, so little time…

That’s my agenda. What’s yours? Add your comments to share your bookish agenda for the week.

Happy reading!

6Nov2014

Thursday Quotables: Us

Posted in Thursday Quotables by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Welcome back to Thursday Quotables! This weekly feature is the place to highlight a great quote, line, or passage discovered during your reading each week. Whether it’s something funny, startling, gut-wrenching, or just really beautifully written, Thursday Quotables is where my favorite lines of the week will be, and you’re invited to join in!

Us by David Nicholls
(published September 30, 2014)

Marriage…

Of course, after nearly a quarter of a century, the questions about our distant pasts have all been posed and we’re left with “how was your day?” and “when will you be home?” and “have you put the bins out?” Our biographies involve each other so intrinsically now that we’re both on nearly every page. We know the answers because we were there, and so curiosity becomes hard to maintain; replaced, I suppose, by nostalgia.

What lines made you laugh, cry, or gasp this week? Do tell!

If you’d like to participate in Thursday Quotables, it’s really simple:

Write a Thursday Quotables post on your blog. Try to pick something from whatever you’re reading now. And please be sure to include a link back to Bookshelf Fantasies in your post (http://www.bookshelffantasies.com), if you’d be so kind!
Leave your link in the comments — or, if you have a quote to share but not a blog post, you can leave your quote in the comments too!
Visit other linked blogs to view their Thursday Quotables, and have fun!

5Nov2014

Take a Peek Book Review: Lizzy & Jane by Katherine Reay

Posted in Book Reviews by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

A quick note: I thought I’d try out a new book review format! My “Take a Peek” reviews will be short and (I hope) sweet, keeping the commentary brief and providing a little “peek” at what the book’s about and what I thought. Tell me if you like!

Lizzy and Jane

Synopsis:

(via Goodreads)

Lizzy and Jane never saw eye to eye. But when illness brings them together, they discover they may be more like Austen’s famous sisters after all.

Lizzy was only a teenager when her mother died of cancer. Shortly after, Lizzy fled from her home, her family, and her cherished nickname. After working tirelessly to hone her gift of creating magic in the kitchen, Elizabeth has climbed the culinary ladder to become the head chef of her own New York restaurant, Feast. But as her magic begins to elude her, Paul, Feast’s financial backer, brings in someone to share her responsibilities and her kitchen. So Elizabeth flees again.

In a desperate attempt to reconnect with her gift, Elizabeth returns home. But her plans are derailed when she learns that her estranged sister, Jane, is battling cancer. Elizabeth surprises everyone—including herself—when she decides to stay in Seattle and work to prepare healthy, sustaining meals for Jane as she undergoes chemotherapy. She also meets Nick and his winsome son, Matt, who, like Elizabeth, are trying to heal from the wounds of the past.

As she tends to Jane’s needs, Elizabeth’s powers begin to return to her, along with the family she left behind so long ago. Then Paul tries to entice her back to New York, and she is faced with a hard decision: stay and become Lizzy to her sister’s Jane, or return to New York and the life she worked so hard to create?

My Thoughts:

Lizzy & Jane is both sad and hopeful, a look at two sisters who have a seemingly impassable chasm between them after years of resentment, estrangement, and loneliness. Elizabeth is adrift in the world; she thinks that she’s put her painful family history behind her and that she’s found success as a top New York chef, but as the story opens, she’s forced to admit that her life just isn’t working any more.

Reunited with her sister and her father, Elizabeth slowly starts to find joy in her cooking again, as she cares for her sister, her sister’s kids, and even the other chemo patients she meets while keeping Jane company. As Elizabeth begins to open herself up to forgiveness and reconciliation, she finds her life taking on new meaning and finds a passion and purpose that she didn’t even know she needed.

I loved how neatly the author ties together literature and cooking in this lovely (and delicious) novel. I’m not a foodie, but even I appreciated Lizzy’s knack for understanding a person’s food tastes based on what they love to read. I don’t know if I’m quite convinced that it would work in real life, but in the context of fiction, it’s simply inspired!

Overall, I really enjoyed Lizzy & Jane. The main character is flawed and wounded, and it’s lovely to see her reconnect with her sister and rediscover herself in the process. The love story is a tad predictable, but still delicious in its own way. The portrayal of the fraught relationship between the sisters feels realistic and sensitive, and I couldn’t help cheering for the characters (and occasionally wanting to give them a little kick to get them talking again!). Filled with real emotion, satisfying personal growth, and a group of supporting characters who each add a little spice to the story, Lizzy & Jane is a great choice for anyone looking for a book to make you feel.

_________________________________________

The details:

Title: Lizzy & Jane
Author: Katherine Reay
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Publication date: October 28, 2014
Length: 339 pages
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Source: Review copy courtesy of Thomas Nelson via NetGalley

4Nov2014

Wishing & Waiting on Wednesday: A Murder of Magpies

Posted in Wishlist Wednesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

There’s nothing like a Wednesday for thinking about the books we want to read! My Wishing & Waiting on Wednesday post is linking up with two fabulous book memes, Wishlist Wednesday (hosted by Pen to Paper) and Waiting on Wednesday (hosted by Breaking the Spine).

This week’s pick:

A Murder of Magpies by Judith Flanders
(to be released February 24, 2015)

A whip-smart, impeccably crafted debut mystery that takes readers on a whirlwind tour of London and Paris with an unforgettably original new heroine

It’s just another day at the office for London book editor Samantha “Sam” Clair. Checking jacket copy for howlers, wondering how to break it to her star novelist that her latest effort is utterly unpublishable, lunch scheduled with gossipy author Kit Lowell, whose new book will dish the juicy dirt on a recent fashion industry scandal. Little does she know the trouble Kit’s book will cause—before it even goes to print. When police Inspector Field turns up at the venerable offices of Timmins & Ross, asking questions about a package addressed to Sam, she knows something is wrong. Now Sam’s nine-to-five life is turned upside down as she finds herself propelled into a criminal investigation. Someone doesn’t want Kit’s manuscript published and unless Sam can put the pieces together in time, they’ll do anything to stop it.

With this deliciously funny debut novel, acclaimed author Judith Flanders introduces readers to an enormously enjoyable, too-clever-for-her-own-good new amateur sleuth, as well Sam’s Goth assistant, her effortlessly glamorous mother, and the handsome Inspector Field. A tremendously entertaining read, this page-turning novel from a bright new crime fiction talent is impossible to put down.

Does it make me sound completely shallow if I say that I wanted to read this book as soon as I saw the cover? I mean, is that cute or what? This sounds like a really fun read, and since I just got a copy via NetGalley, I can happily pencil it in on my reading calendar for early 2015!

What are you wishing for this Wednesday?

Looking for some bookish fun on Thursdays? Come join me for my regular weekly feature, Thursday Quotables. You can find out more here — come play!

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Do you host a book blog meme? Do you participate in a meme that you really, really love? I’m building a Book Blog Meme Directory, and need your help! If you know of a great meme to include — or if you host one yourself — please drop me a note on my Contact page and I’ll be sure to add your info!

3Nov2014

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I’d Love to Re-Read

Posted in Top Ten Tuesday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic focuses on books that we’ve read already… but that are calling out for a re-read!

Here are my top picks for books I’d like to revisit:

1) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee: I read this during high school, and that was a really long time ago! I feel so derelict for not having re-read it sooner, but at least I have a copy now. I’m going to try to make time for a re-read during the next few months.

2) Lord of the Flies by William Golding: Another one from ye olde school days that I should probably revisit.

3) Either Emma or Persuasion (or both!) by Jane Austen. I really love both of these, and it’s been far too many years since I’ve picked up either book.

4) Any of the Vonnegut books I’ve known and loved — top contenders being Cat’s Cradle or Galapagos.

5) A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle. I kept waiting to re-read this one, thinking perhaps that I’d convince my son to read it with me. He’s consistently turned me down, so it’s probably time for me to just read it on my own, and then maybe read the other books in the series too.

6) The Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny: I never did finish this series. Of the 10 Amber books, I think I read only the first five, but it’s been a really, really long time. I should read the entire series, start to finish — and I’d really love to spend more time in this world, thinking about the labyrinth.

7) The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman: It hasn’t been that many years since I first read this one, but I’ve only read it once and feel like I’d enjoy absorbing more of the story and the atmosphere during a 2nd go-round.

8) Some older Stephen King: Could be any of his earlier works, but I’m leaning toward re-reading The Stand or The Eyes of the Dragon.

9) Anything by Louisa May Alcott, other than Little Women: I’ve read Little Women probably a dozen times, but there are quite a few books by Louisa May Alcott which I read once and barely remember now, such as Little Men, Jo’s Boys, Rose in Bloom, and Eight Cousins.

10) His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman: I re-read The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife back when The Amber Spyglass was about to be released, but that’s already a long time ago. I think it might be fun to read all three books straight through, even though I’m dreading the heartbreak that certain parts will inevitably bring me.

What books are are you itching to re-read?

Share your links, and I’ll come check out your top 10!

If you enjoyed this post, please consider following Bookshelf Fantasies! And don’t forget to check out our regular weekly feature, Thursday Quotables. Happy reading!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

3Nov2014

The Monday Agenda 11/3/2014

Posted in The Monday Check-In by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

How did I do with last week’s agenda?

My spooky, creepy, icky Halloween reading included:

Rooms Brood

Rooms by Lauren Oliver: Done! My review is here.

Horns by Joe Hill: Check out my Fields & Fantasies Book Club post from last Friday, here.

Brood by Chase Novak: Done! My review is here.

Fresh Catch:

So many books arrived this week!

What’s on my reading agenda for the coming week?

After so many horror-ific Halloween picks, it’s time for a change of pace!

Lizzy and Jane

This week, I’m looking forward to:

Lizzy & Jane by Katherine Reay

Us by David Nicholls

Ongoing reads:

One with the kiddo:

Searching for Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede: Almost done! Should be wrapping up in the next few days — and then the big question will be, do we move onto book #3 in the Enchanted Forest series or start something completely new?

Now playing via audiobook:

I’ve developed a fondness for listening to audiobooks while I drive or exercise. (Sadly, I do a lot more of the former than the latter.) I’ve found, though, that my mind constantly wanders, no matter how many times I remind myself to focus on the story. My solution is to listen to books that I’ve read before, for a couple of reasons. One, if I get distracted by traffic or random seagulls (it happens), I won’t have missed essential information. Two, I find that if it’s a book I’ve enjoyed, revisiting it via audio only enhances the overall experience. I’ve been working my way through the Outlander audiobooks, but decided to take a bit of a break. My newest audiobook is Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs, part of the amazing Alpha & Omega series. There’s a new Alpha & Omega novel coming out in the spring, so I thought I’d get ready by giving a listen to the previous books and reacquainting myself with Charles and Anna.

Book club reading:

The Scarlet Pimpernel A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander, #6)

Classic read: The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy. (One chapter per week)

A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon: Reading and discussing two chapters per week, from now through the end of 2015!

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes: Outlander Book Club’s book-of-the-month for November.

Want to join any of the group reads? Let me know and I’ll provide the links!

So many book, so little time…

That’s my agenda. What’s yours? Add your comments to share your bookish agenda for the week.

Happy reading!

Fields & Fantasies: What’s Coming Up

Fields & Fantasies is a monthly book club, in which I team up with my bookish pal Diana (of Strahbary’s Fields) to pick a book to read and discuss. We’d love for you to join us!

Our posts and discussions always take place on the last day of the month.

Here’s what’s coming up in the next few months: