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Karsyn's Kickass Jocoserious, Kooky, Jannock book blog: January 2015

Saturday, January 31, 2015

TBR List ~ Jan Review ~ Carnival of Secrets


The To Be Read Meme is hosted by Because Reading is Better Than Real Life. Click for more info!


At the beginning of January, I posted 3 books I was interested in reading, for you all to pick ONE for me to read and review.

The book chosen for me was ~
AKA

Me having this book as one of my choices was a different one for me. I'm not at all into books about Demons or Witches. The reason I decided to try it was two fold ~ I love anything carnival (or CIRCUS or theme park or amusement park) and I love any kind of competition. Since the blurb mentioned both, I decided to give it a try.

Carnival of Secrets is about a variety of things, the "main" story being about Mallory a teen who was taught, by her ADOPTED father, that Demons are evil and she trains to defend herself knowing that demons may come one day for something her ADOPTED father stole. Now, if it were me and I KNEW I was ADOPTED and that my ADOPTED father stole something that he feared would be heavily sought, and he trained me to defend myself against these demons that may come for something so huge, I WOULD BE SMART ENOUGH TO KNOW it was ME!!! That's the main thing I hate about this book. She's adopted, he stole something precious enough for all the demons to be after it. HELLO. Could it be more obvious? UGH! I really didn't like that part and of course I didn't like her "father" lying to her. I hate liars, with a passion, even in books. So yeah, that almost ruined the book for me.

The other part of the story about the competition, I did like. The "carnival" wasn't a carnival in the literal sense of one, but just what they called their area where shops were. The competition was neat and I did enjoy that part. I liked both Aya and Kaleb though they both have their secrets as well, it seems like no one in that book could tell any kind of truths, except for maybe Zevie.

I ended up giving this book 3 stars, because it was ok. I didn't hate it but I had definite issues with it. If it weren't for the competition side of it, it probably would have lost me early on and if what happens with what Kaleb did (ew) near the end, happened earlier, I would have probably given up on it. It was alright overall but didn't keep me interested enough to read more of the series.


Thanks to everyone who voted for books in January TBR List Poll. Come back next week to vote for books for February! (Spoiler alert about my Feb poll ~ it'll have books off of Epic Reads "365 Days of Ya" list, of which I've made a Challenge of sorts for myself. :) See ya next week!)

Friday, January 30, 2015

Book Review ~ Dead No More by L.R. Nicolello

Finished ~ Dead No More by L.R. Nicolello
Completed 01/30/15
4 of 5 stars
286 page Kindle book


I received this book from NetGalley for my honest review.

Dead No More follows Lily who has left the covert sector after a mission that went really really wrong in which her partner, and fiance, turns rouge and leaves her dying. She walks away from her that world and hides away in a safe, if boring life.

Derick needs Lily's help on a mission and has been watching her for ages before approaching her to try to get her help. Lily wants to refuse but is intrigued by both Derick and getting back into the world that she loves.

This is the 2nd book by Nicolello that I've read, and though it's not named as a series, the book follows the brother of one of the main characters in her first book, Dead Don't Lie, which I have Reviewed Here. Unlike Dead Don't Lie, which I wasn't too thrilled about the killer, I completely enjoyed Dead No More. I loved both Lily and Derick and unlike SOOOOOO many books out right now, this couple actually talks to each other.... or at least Lily does! They each make a few assumptions, and I think that Lily was a little slow on the uptakes, but later on, Lily is definitely talking out about her feelings, not trying to hide things or not work things through. It's great!

The story was enjoyable and tho the "bad guy" was once again predictable, it was still a really great storyline. I like that the romance wasn't rushed, and Derick took his time, knowing that Lily was wounded, even if he didn't know how deep her scars, literal and emotional, went. I like that Lily wasn't afraid to speak her mind and make sure she got what she wanted, once she figured out what that was.

Dead No More was a great book, and I recommend it for anyone who is interested in the romantic suspense genre. Derick and Lily are great characters and we also get to see Evelyn and Marcus from the first book, so that was wonderful as well. :)

Setting = A
Plot = A
Conflict = B
Characters = A+
Theme = B



Sunday, January 25, 2015

ARC Review ~ The Fourth Lion by Jeff Ayers

Finished ~ The Fourth Lion by Jeff Ayers
Completed 01/23/15
4 of 5 stars
135 page Kindle book
Expected Publication ~ February 2015

I received this book from the publisher for my honest review.


The Fourth Lion is a book about some teens in Washington D.C. They are content in their lives at an elite school when their good friend disappears. Jake, his sister Kayla and their friend Hannah try to figure out what is going on with their friend. Their only clue is a laptop left with Jake which is then taken at gunpoint. The friends stay on the trail to try to find their friend, and they learn that there's more at stake than just a missing friend.


This book was cute. It is probably considered a YA, with the kids around the ages of 17, but it read really young, so I think it would be fine for middle grade readers as well. The characters were all sweet and smart. They were able to figure stuff out by following some clues on the laptop and kept up with their hunt, even after the laptop was taken. They were definitely looking out for their friend and the strong bonds between them was really nice.

The story was simple, and short, but enjoyable. It kept up a good pace throughout and I didn't find myself bored with it. It was definitely a nice and easy read with a fun subject.

As for the negatives, the only thing I really didn't like about the book were the history lessons which, for a kid, would probably be enjoyable, especially if they don't know much about D.C., but I found it a little tedious. It's like he wanted to give us a lesson about every little thing, rather than just letting the story work on it's own. It wasn't enough to distract from the book, but it could have been if there was much more. My only other complaint was that they were smart about everything else, but didn't realize the one big thing that was staring them in the face. I understand that they believed what they believed, but they were finding out other things they were wrong about, they should have accepted that they could have been wrong about that as well, before the evidence was staring them in the face.

Overall it was a cute and enjoyable book. Definitely great for a quick YA read. I'd recommend this book for YA fans, people who are interested in D.C. and anyone who wants just a good story. Oh, and the ending is ADORABLE!! Drove me nutters though!! :D

Setting = A
Plot = B
Conflict = B
Characters = A+
Theme = B



Saturday, January 24, 2015

GoodReads Read-a-Thon Wrap-Up


Anyone else join in the 4 hour read-a-thon? What did you read? Did you have fun? Did you read longer than the 4 hours?

We stopped at 4, because Hubby needed a nap. :) He woke up around 5am today and couldn't go back to sleep, despite it being His day off. Poor guy. So, He's resting up.

Our read-a-thon was fun. Jesse read 47% (192 pages) of His book ~



I started my book (Private Vegas) and after I finished it, I read another 28% of a book I was working on already. In all, I read 507 pages in 4 hours.




What did you think of a 4 hour read-a-thon? It seemed more like a 4 hour sprint to me. Read-a-thons, to me, seem to mean an extended amount of time, but what do I know? :) I'm just glad that my Hubby was excited to do it and wanted me to do it with Him. Any takers on how many hours He'll last for Dewey's? I'll have to think about it, before I make my prediction, all I know is that it definitely won't be for the full 24 hours. :)


Thursday, January 22, 2015

GoodReads National Read-a-Thon "Day"


Anyone else find it weird that with GoodReads first Read-a-Thon DAY, their DAY lasts just 4 hours? Couldn't they have at least gone for 8?

Ah well, it's neat they are hosting their first. I wasn't going to bother, since reading 4 hours a day is really nothing for me, BUT my Hubby has decided He wants to take part, so I'm joining Him. He wants to do Dewey's in April (April 25th, if you don't already know) so He figured this would be a good way to get a little bit of read-a-thon experience before then. My Hubby loves to read, but He also loves to watch movies, and Netflix and play games, so reading isn't a priority for Him like it is for me. Typically He reads about an hour or two a day, between reading at work (if He's not playing Word Chums with me) and a little before bed at night. This will be nice to have Him sitting with me reading for a set time.

So, we're all set to go, and since GoodReads is having where you can Pledge to Read a book, I HAVE picked out my book for Sat. I know, crazy, huh? If you visit me often, you know I can NOT plan, but I just got this and it's always a good series (except for the prior book, which I didn't read) and I'm in LOVE with Vegas, so I think it's a good choice. My Hubby has also picked out His book to read.

Here's what we'll be reading on Saturday ~

Pledged To Read

(His book & my book)



Are you joining in? What will you be reading?!


Tuesday, January 20, 2015

MLK 3 Day Read-a-Thon ~ Wrap-Up

Shaina's MLK Three Day Read-a-Thon was this past weekend. I think it ended up being just her and I for this one, as it was last minute, but I had a good time. :)

I didn't meet my main number of books goal, but met all the other ones, so YAY!! There were other things that kept sneaking up on me this weekend like playing video games, the Playoffs (which I accounted for) and getting DirecTv back. I just didn't have a lot of focus after the first day, plus my Hubby was here on Monday (I forgot He would be) and He always distracts me. :)

But I still had fun, and that's what matters. I don't worry about if I make my goals or not, they are just what I aim for to keep me motivated. No big deal that I didn't read as much as I wanted, because I did read most of the time, enjoyed the books I read, and had fun! :) Let's take a look at what I did do.

GOALS

My MLK 3 Day Read-a-Thon Goals

Time devoted to Reading 
  • Daily as much as possible, except for NFL Playoffs!
GOAL
  • Complete at least EIGHT (8) books ~ DNF - completed 5 books
  • Complete at least FIVE (5) comics ~ completed 7 comics
  • Read at least 1 book from a series that I'm more than 3 books behind on
    • Damaged (Maggie O'Dell 08) by Alex Kava
  • Read at least 3 books from the 365 Days of YA list
    • Don't Turn Around (Persefone 01) by Michelle Gagnon
    • Reboot (Reboot 01) by Amy Tintera
    • Rebel (Reboot 02) by Amy Tintera
    • Conspiracy of Us (Untitled Series 01) by Maggie Hall

Started but did not yet Complete:
@ 45%


Completed Books:



Completed Comics:



Saturday, January 17, 2015

2014 Book of the Year ~ THE WINNER




Just as a reminder about my bracket ~
  • I read 310 books in 2014, 299 of them new-to-me
  • I only used new-to-me books, NO re-reads were included
  • I only used ONE book per series
  • My list was mostly randomized
  • I DID move a few books around, so my best-of-best weren't against each other

It's time to pick a winner of the BEST book that I read, in 2014.

This WAS the hardest choice for me, as I had two VERY great but VERY different books to choose from. It was also hard for me because I read one book at the beginning of the year (well, beginning of April) and one book near the end of the year (mid November). I did debate these, but in the end, went with what I knew that I would. Before we get to that point, let me tell you a little about these books and my thoughts on them, since they couldn't be much more different from each other!


The Shadow of the Wind

by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Barcelona, 1945. Just after the war, a great world city lies in shadow, nursing its wounds, and a boy named Daniel awakes on his eleventh birthday to find that he can no longer remember his mother’s face. To console his only child, Daniel’s widowed father, an antiquarian book dealer, initiates him into the secret of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, a library tended by Barcelona’s guild of rare-book dealers as a repository for books forgotten by the world, waiting for someone who will care about them again. Daniel’s father coaxes him to choose a volume from the spiraling labyrinth of shelves, one that, it is said, will have a special meaning for him. And Daniel so loves the novel he selects, 'The Shadow of the Wind', by one Julian Carax, that he sets out to find the rest of Carax’s work. To his shock, he discovers that someone has been systematically destroying every copy of every book this author has written. In fact, he may have the last one in existence. Before Daniel knows it his seemingly innocent quest has opened a door into one of Barcelona’s darkest secrets, an epic story of murder, magic, madness and doomed love. And before long he realizes that if he doesn’t find out the truth about Julian Carax, he and those closest to him will suffer horribly.

With this book, I got mystery, complex relationships, and a new-to-me author. This book was a book about books and sucked me in from the start, though I was REALLY surprised that it did!

If you knew me at all, you would know that this book is a VERY VERY atypical book for me to choose to read. In fact, when I started it, I didn't even tell my Hubby that I was reading it, because He wouldn't have known what to think, and didn't when I told Him. This book, on the surface, had a few things that I don't typically read, mainly that it's historical fiction ~ only one other book I have read and enjoyed that was historical fiction and another thing is that it's set in a foreign country. I can handle made up worlds fine, but I had always had a hard time reading books set in other countries because I couldn't picture where they were or how things were there.

The Shadow of the Wind was a break from my norm in every way, and is the book that I consider helped me move beyond "genre" into being willing to read anything that sounded good to me. I ADORED this book, so much. It had heart, it had soul, it had mystery and intrigue. It's very detailed and wordy and a word I used to describe it was "heavy". The whole thing just felt different to me, worlds away from any book I had read before.

You get grabbed up into Daniel's world. One where we are with him as he grows from boy into man and after finding the book that he claims as his, we follow his journey to figure out why the books by that author have been destroyed. We meet a ton of characters along the way, some good and some not so good.

This was just a GREAT book, and for me, it did more than just being an enjoyable read for a few days. It got me out of my so called "comfort zone" and made me realize that I can enjoy books from any time, any genre, as long as the story appeals to me.



The Great Zoo of China

by Matthew Reilly

It is a secret the Chinese government has been keeping for forty years.

They have found a species of animal no one believed even existed. It will amaze the world.

Now the Chinese are ready to unveil their astonishing discovery within the greatest zoo ever constructed.

A small group of VIPs and journalists has been brought to the zoo deep within China to see its fabulous creatures for the first time.

Among them is Dr. Cassandra Jane ‘CJ’ Cameron, a writer for National Geographic and an expert on reptiles.

The visitors are assured by their Chinese hosts that they will be struck with wonder at these beasts, that they are perfectly safe, and that nothing can go wrong.

Of course it can’t…

GET READY FOR ACTION ON A GIGANTIC SCALE.

With this book, I got non stop action, a unique and amazing setting, and a favorite of mine author. This book was a book about a unbelievable zoo and sucked me in from the start, though I was NOT surprised that it did!

I am a Matthew Reilly fan. My Hubby introduced me to Reilly YEARS ago when He suggested I read Reilly's first Scarecrow book, Ice Station. I hadn't read anything like it before, I was ~ at the time ~ mainly into romance, some suspense and Star Trek. With Ice Station, it was non-stop action from start to finish and I found out that I REALLY REALLY liked that! I since have read 12 of Reilly's 14 published books and he's one of my favorite authors.

The Great Zoo of China did NOT disappoint. I was excited about this one ever since I heard it was coming out. There are reviews that are critical to it's similarities to Jurassic Park, but I'm not one of those people. YES, it's very similar to Jurassic Park, it's set in a zoo ~ park if you will, and it has creatures never seen before my humans. What could go wrong? Everything of course, just like JP. BUT, I contend that there are NO new ideas out there. Even the newest most different concept has elements that appear in other books because everything has been done over and over and over again. There's just no new things, but if it's done well, then who cares?

I found The Great Zoo of China to be fascinating on many aspects. First, we have the zoo, which is a zoo of (this isn't a spoiler as you can clearly see the tail, plus on the other copies of the book, the actual creature is visible) dragons. It's amazing in it's scale and typical of Reilly, he's added maps of all the different places they go. I love Reilly's maps, they put his worlds into perspective. Then there is the female lead, which is a change for Reilly and it was GREAT!! There's no big romance here, just a strong and kick-ass woman who survives and helps others to survive and saves the day.


There are so many great things about both of these books and I could go on and on. But I'm sure you just wanna know the winner. As hard as it was to decide, I had to go with the one that I've said all along is my favorite, though it did get barely narrowed out. It's gotta take the win for a few reasons. So, for the last time, I give you my final bracket.




And the Winner is




I ended up having to go with The Shadow of the Wind in the end, for multiple reasons. One ~ it was just a fantastic book and Two ~ it sucked me in and I loved it so much DESPITE it being a book I normally wouldn't have looked twice at. I expected to love Reilly's book, but I didn't expect The Shadow of the Wind to take such hold of me, and for that, it takes the win. I can take solace in knowing that for books released in 2014, The Great Zoo of China definitely takes the win in that one!!


I hope you have enjoyed my brackets, and I hope you will give a few of my books a chance, especially the ones in the final 8, which are unlike so many other peoples choices for best books out there. I read different books than others, and love them so much, and I always hope that someone will give them a try! Thanks for joining me for this Bracket Challenge.






Friday, January 16, 2015

MLK ~ Three Day Read-a-Thon

It's a Read-a-Thon!!

Were you looking for something to do this weekend? Then look no further than Shaina's MLK Three Day Read-a-Thon.

It's a no pressure, completely fun read-a-thon that focuses only on reading, and on interacting (if you so choose) with fellow bloggers. Get out out your books, and come join us with this read-a-thon!

I don't think I've done a 3 day read-a-thon before. I've done 24 Hours, 48 Hours and of course, week long ones, but not 3 days. I look forward to seeing what I can do. Sunday will see a bit of a decline in reading, with the playoffs, but I plan to read tons on Sat and Mon to make up for it.

I just posted about how I am going to be working on the Epic Reads 365 Days of YA list, so I think I'm going to focus on books from my Winter list. That's not to say I won't deviate from those books, but I think I'll grab the majority from the winter list, or from the complete list. If you haven't yet checked out their infographic you really should, it's so neat!! :)

Back to the Read-a-Thon, at midnight, I'll be starting a new audiobook and I'll go from there. I'm going to set up some loose goals for myself. I never make a TBR but I like setting a goal to reach for the time during the read-a-thon, it helps me focus, instead of surfing or doing other things.

GOALS


My MLK 3 Day Read-a-Thon Goals

Time devoted to Reading 
  • Daily as much as possible, except for NFL Playoffs!
GOAL
  • Complete at least EIGHT (8) books
  • Complete at least FIVE (5) comics
  • Read at least 1 book from a series that I'm more than 3 books behind on
  • Read at least 3 books from the 365 Days of YA list

Link up at Shaina's if you are joining in with us! I plan on being up bright and early for me (by 7am YAWN) to get started. Come have some fun reading this weekend!!


Updates!!


Saturday

Night Time Audio listening time/pages:
Day Time Audio listening time/pages:
Kindle reading time / pages:
Number of books I've read today:
Total number of books I've read:
Current Book:
Pages Read Today:
Total Pages Read:
Time Read Today:
Total Time Read:
Challenges Participated in today:
Today's Completed Books/Comics:


365 Days of YA from Epic Reads

Have you seen this super cool YA Reading Calender from Epic Reads? Take a look, it's really neat!! Graphic links to info about it at Epic Reads.



I'm not a HUGE reader of YA and what YA I do read, I'm particular about it. You may have noticed by now, I don't read pure chick-lit, pure romance, or heartbreakers of any kind. I like my books, YA and otherwise, to be action packed. While sometimes a more romance type story will grab me, it's more unlikely than not.

But I'm sure there will be a lot of good books on this list. There are 433-ish books (I was looking into the other sections and there are some repeats) on this list, some of which I've already read, some which I want to read and others which I might read. The infographic is broken up like this ~
  • There are 4 books ~ one for each season
  • There are 12 books ~ one for each month
  • There are 52 SERIES ~ one SERIES each week (this adds in multiple books, not listed
  • There are 365 books ~ one for every day

So, I thought I'd post about it here, see if anyone else was looking into this and trying to read their way through some of these many books.

I have now made my way through the whole infographic and I have made pages for each quarter of the year. Each section contains books I read already (prior to 2015), books I read since I started this challenge, books I want to read and books I might read.

Right now, subject to change, I'm looking at being interested in a total of 68 books over the full year. Are there any books on the overall list that didn't make mine that you think I should try? (See preferences/triggers below before suggesting.) The same with my lists, are there ones on my "will read" list that maybe shouldn't be, or ones on my "might" list that should be? Do tell me your opinions and what you think. Remember though for me ~

  • I'm not into Paranormal creatures ~ all the books with vampires / werewolves / ect ~ not my thing
  • I will try those, if I think the storyline seems good enough (like I read Carnival of Souls by Melissa Marr and it was OK)
  • If it's such thing and it's not on my list, I probably won't like it, but you can try to recommend it anyways if you thought it was extra good
  • I won't read most pure romance. I need some action in my books. If there's no action, it'll probably bore me to tears. There are SOME exceptions.
  • If it's not already on my list, again I probably won't have interest, but please suggest something super good (that's not over-the-top chick-lit-ish)
  • I won't read tearjerkers, books that are meant to make you cry. WILL NOT read them, no matter how good you think they are. Sorry!
  • I have some triggers, and will NOT read ~
    • Harm coming to young children (under 7ish)
    • Pregnancy / Giving Birth
    • Suicides
  • If any book I listed in any quarter has any of my triggers, I would be EXTREMELY grateful if you let me know. Even if it's a spoiler, I'd rather know than the book get ruined for me (like one did recently)
I'm going to make this a Challenge of sorts for me this year, to try to get through the books I listed this year. I want to at least try/read the "want to read" list and maybe see where I am on reading the "maybe" list. Let me know if you plan on trying to get through any of these, what books you are looking forward to, and what you have liked the most, and any duds you have read as well!


 

Read Play Blog ~ 2015 Releases I'm Waiting on


Read Play Blog is a meme about video games and books, posted every 16th of the month. Bloggers are encouraged to answer a discussion question, and recommend a video game that is similar to a book they liked. Hosted by Happy Indulgence Books & Read Me Away.

Info:

What is Read Play Blog?
A monthly meme about video games and books!

How does Read Play Blog work?
Every month, we’ll ask you a discussion question about your VG interests and recommend a game based on a book we liked. We’ll have a linky, and you can make your own post answering the question and recommendation, and link up!

When does the post go up?
On the 16th of every month to pay homage to retro 16 bit games.

Who can participate in Read Play Blog?
Anyone who likes video games! No matter the genre or age, whether you like action/shoot-em-ups or story-driven RPGs or point-and-click games, or if you’re a new gamer or a seasoned one, you’re very welcome to participate!


January: What games are you looking forward to in 2015?



Like books, there are always games coming out that I can't wait on! Right now, I'm most excited about building my gaming computer within a few months. I wish we had our tax return now. :) I'm constantly on PCPartPicker trying to pick out the best components for the least amount of money. I'm bummed because the case I fell in love with went WAY up in price, and it was already a little pricier than I wanted to spend on a case. Guess I just won't be able to get the super cool one, but there are still good ones cheap and the one I want may go down, who knows. Oh hey, it went back down! I went to get a link, so I could show off the case I wanted and it's back down. Not as cheap as it was before, but not the $90 it was yesterday. Yay. :)

Anyways, beyond being anxious for the actual gaming computer, I'm looking forward to a bunch of games, mainly ~


I'm super excited about RCT World, which doesn't have a release date yet, but I keep seeing "Early" 2015. I've been playing RCT since they started coming out. This is my all time favorite PC game. Having lived in central Florida with WDW in my backyard, I've always been a theme park fan. Then, after friends in HS got me over my childhood fear of coasters, I became an amusement park / roller coaster fan. I LOVE thrill rides, theme parks, all of it. I even (years ago) designed a book themed theme park. So, I LOVE LOVE LOVE RCT. I still play RCT3 all the time. I can't wait for new stuff and new careers in World. I want it now!!



The game I'm most looking forward to (and the only reason we'll have to buy a PS4 for, eventually) is Kingdom Hearts 3. Again with the whole Disney connection, I've also been playing KH since they came out, and it is my all time FAVORITE series. I've even used the names of the Kingdom Hearts characters. I love Kairi. :) Our dog's name is Naminé. We had a stray cat come stay here during the winter and we went with Organization XIII names for her and all the cats that came around (they all left, sadly). We had Axel (mama) and her 1st kittens ~ Saix, Xemnas & Roxas. Then the next year she came back again pregnant with 2 more that we named Xigbar & Xion. Now we're cat sitting for a friend (what is it with us and cats who wanna get outside? We've made sure this one stays inside, since she's not technically ours). The cat's name is Zoey, which is a little girlie for us, so we christened her Zexion, though we mainly just call her Z. :)

I can't wait to see what worlds have been added. The game play so far looks amazing. I wanna play it so much, though with my gaming computer, it may be a well before we get a PS4. I wish it would come out on PC!!



Finally, I can't wait for Arkham Knight. The Arkham series is our next favorite, after KH. We've loved them all, my Hubby being partial to Asylum, myself preferring City. I can't WAIT for Knight, since it's going to be even bigger, and having the Batmobile ~ AWESOME!! Can't wait!!


Recommendations


Today I'm recommending you go out and play Roller Coaster Tycoon Platinum before World gets here. If you've never played, you are missing out, BIG time. If you have played, make sure you are all ready for World. Since I've played the careers so many times, I've been playing around with sandbox mode lately. My favorite thing I have right now is 7 coasters all in this one small area. It's just a mess of rails. I put all the coasters that took up the least amount of space together, it looks great. :)

My graphics aren't the best (the coasters start to disappear if I get to far away) but here's a screenshot of what I was talking about. You can see 8 coasters in this shot, with 7 of them being in that mess together and the 8th going out from it. :)



Currently Playing


I've actually been playing SimCity recently. I just decided to look up the cheat for the money so I've been building like crazy. I like unlimited money (why I like sandbox mode on RCT). I like just making things like I want to make them.

I've also been playing Sims FreePlay on my Fire. I've never really been into the Sims before (except City, and years ago, Tower) but I like this one a little bit. I just started it two days ago, so I don't have much, but it's been a good time waster. :)



Thursday, January 15, 2015

2014 Book of the Year Bracket Challenge ~ Semifinals




Just as a reminder about my bracket ~
  • I read 310 books in 2014, 299 of them new-to-me
  • I only used new-to-me books, NO re-reads were included
  • I only used ONE book per series
  • My list was mostly randomized
  • I DID move a few books around, so my best-of-best weren't against each other

It's Semifinal time!

I asked last time if you thought my choice from 4 to 2 would be an easy one. All these books, from my top 16 especially, were fantastic. I read 299 new-to-me books over the year, so my final two is just 1% of the books that I have read, even the top 64 is only 22%. That means I read a lot of great books. Despite that, my choice going from 4 to 2 was super easy for me, a no brainer when I look at what I had and what it was against. Here's where I made sure that 3 of these top 4 were in different quadrants as I did all of my brackets, randomizing all but these 3.

The John Scalzi's were both great. With one I got a great Star Trek spoof that was laugh-out-loud funny. With the other, I got a new world with neat technology and a great mystery thriller. Both were fantastic and better than all the other books I read this year, except the last two remaining. Lock In & Redshirts ~ they were fantastic, but it's time to say Goodbye.



Here's what my bracket looks like now ~ the end is near.




And now, just two remain. My favorite books of the year.