Tuesday, November 25, 2014

My Winter TBR

 

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and Bookish. 
This week the girls want to know my

Top Ten Books On My Winter TBR List

On September 23rd I posted my Fall TBR list here and till today I haven't read a single one of them. Whoops! I am a mood reader, so things like this happen. I do not really care if I am able to read all the books I put on these TBR lists that's why I am sharing my Winter TBR list with you today. 

Christmas Themed Books
The Christmas Surprise by Jenny Colgan

Merry Christmas, Baby by Jill Shalvis

Merry and Bright by Jill Shalvis

With Love at Christmas by Carole Matthews


Silent Night by Jack Sheffield

Waistcoats & Weaponry by Gail Carriger

The Job by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg


Going Rogue by Robin Benway

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon  

Sunday, November 23, 2014

The week of the ultimate Christmas book buying

Showcase Sunday is weekly meme hosted by Vicky at Books, Biscuits & Tea.
It is a possibility for us to show what amazing books we got during the week.
During the last week I accumulated some books - most of them Christmassy themed. 

Waistcoats & Weaponry by Gail Carriger
One in a Million by Jill Shalvis

My mum bought the following two books for me when she was in New York City about a week ago:
Literally Murder by Ali Brandon


For my Kindle:

The Great Christmas Knit Off by Alexandra Brown
The Christmas Surprise by Jenny Colgan
Jenny Lopez Saves Christmas by Lindsey Kelk

Merry and Bright by Jill Shalvis

and I pre-ordered 
Merry Christmas, Baby by Jill Shalvis (which will be out on December 2nd)

Monday, November 10, 2014

New York City, 1897



Review
The Girl in the Clockwork Collar
by Kady Cross
 
The Girl in the Clockwork Collar is the second book in the Steampunk Chronicles.
I would highly recommend reading The Girl in the Steel Corset first
otherwise you will spoil yourself!

First sentences:
High above the Atlantic Ocean
July 1897

“What are you doing?”

Summary:
In New York City, 1897, life has never been more thrilling-or dangerous Finley Jayne and her "straynge band of mysfits" have journeyed from London to America to rescue their friend Jasper from the clutches of a devious criminal demanding a trade-the dangerous device Jasper stole from him... for the life of the girl Jasper loves.

One false move from Jasper, and the strange clockwork collar around Mei's neck tightens and tightens. From the rough streets of lower Manhattan to elegant Fifth Avenue, the motley crew of teens follows Jasper's elusive trail. And they're about to discover how far they'll go for friendship.

More than ever, Finley must rely on powerful English duke Griffin King to balance her dark magic with her good side. Yet Griffin is at war with himself over his secret attraction to Finley... and will risk his life and reputation to save her.

Now, to help those she's come to care for so deeply, Finley must infiltrate the criminal gang. Only problem is, she might like the dark side a little too much…
source: Goodreads

My opinion:
I really like Kady Cross’ writing style and her way of telling stories and The Girl in the Clockwork Collar didn’t disappoint.

The story starts where the Girl in the Steel Corset ended and we follow Finely, Griffin, Emily and Sam to New York City to save their friend Jasper. We get introduced to new characters – some nice and others just evil. There is one character in this book which I was not really sure about in the beginning but pretty soon started to dislike. I felt bad about it in the beginning but in the end my feelings were legitimate and I was so glad that I could still follow my guts when it comes to judging people, even fictional ones.

New York City in 1897 is described so well. You can see the city form before your inner eye and the way Kady tells the story is really cool. She mixes facts with fiction and that makes the series so special to me. You are not only entertained by great writing but you also learn some things while reading. Of course she takes some freedom in her writing but she also does a lot of research before writing.

Finely is still my favorite character. She is still unsure if she really belongs with Griffin and his friends but over the course of the book she discovers what loyalty feels like and takes a huge step in her becoming who she wants to be.

Emily is also amazing. The little Irish inventor is such a strong anchor and amazing friend to Finley. She’s clever and interested in the world surrounding her and even though some people think she needs protection she might be the strongest character in the whole story.

I love the power these two ladies have and how well they can manipulate Griffin, Sam and other men in their lives. Finely and Emily are two incredible characters and I am really impressed by their determination to their cause.

If you enjoyed the Girl in the Steel Corset you will like the Girl in the Clockwork Collar as well. The characters grow, their relationships evolve and together they are stronger than ever.

Don’t forget to read the novellas too because they provide a lot of useful and needed information for the other books in the series!


The Books in the Steampunk Chronicles are:
  • The Strange Case of Finley Jayne (Steampunk Chronicles, #0.5) read my review here
  • The Girl in the Steel Corset (Steampunk Chronicles, #1) read my review here
  • The Girl in the Clockwork Collar (Steampunk Chronicles, #2)
  • The Dark Discovery of Jack Dandy (Steampunk Chronicles, #2,5)
  • The Girl with the Iron Touch (Steampunk Chronicles, #3)
  • The Wild Adventure of Jasper Renn (Steampunk Chronicles, #3,5)
  • The Girl with the Windup Heart (Steampunk Chronicles, #4) 
For more information about Kady Cross visit her Homepage, her Blog, her Facebook or Twitter page.

Friday, November 7, 2014

It was great October...

Monthly Rewind
October

My Pic of October
 Fall and Winter time is chocolate time - I love baking brownies because they are the perfect treat with a nice cup of coffee/tea/hot chocolate.


October in One Word
Warm
We had a super warm October here in Austria. Some days were unfortunately grey and rainy but still warm and we didn't need to bring out the warm winter clothes yet.


5 Things that Happened in October
  • My blog celebrated its third birthday and I had a week long blogoversary bash with some of my best friends here. I am still a bit shocked that I've been blogging for three years now but I love every minute of it. 
  • I met up with my good friend Judith and her little boy who just started kindergarten and we wanted to go to the playground. He was so tired after a morning in kindergarden that we changed plans and went to Starbucks for some hot chocolate and a cookie instead. 
  • Another friend came to my place for brunch and we had a really nice morning chatting and catching up again. 
  • My mum went on her 2 week trip to the States. She's currently in New Orleans and has a great time, which I am really happy about but I cannot wait for her to come home and tell me everything that she did. Yes, I am a mamma's girl!
  • My dad and I were invited to dinner at an old family friend. It was a really fun evening with good food and great wine. I love seeing people I've known my whole life. There are always so many memories to talk about.

An Album that Was Popular on my i-Pod
Lady Antebellum brought their new album out in October and I listened to it over and over and over again. I love them and their music. 

Books I Read this Month

Christopher Healy - The Hero's Guide to Saving a Kingdom
Rachel Gibson - Run to You
Kerstin Gier - Ruby Red
Colleen Gleason - The Clockwork Scarab
Ali McNamara - From Notting Hill to New York...Actually
Julie James - Something About You
Jenn McKinlay - Books Can Be Deceiving
Jenn McKinlay - Due or Die
Gail Carriger - Etiquette & Espionage
Janet Evanovich & Lee Goldberg - The Shell Game
Darynda Jones - Second Grave on the Left
Kerstin Gier - Dream a Little Dream (German Edition)

12 books
3870 pages


A TV-Series I like this Month
In October the new season of The Voice started and I've been watching. I love the new and old coaches - Rea Garvey, Samu Haber from Sunrise Avenue, Michi and Smudo from a well-known German Rap Quartet and Stephanie from the German band Silbermond. I am especially fond of Rea and Samu because they are hilarious and such fun to watch. We just started the Battles but I still have no favorites.


Things I am Looking Forward to in November
  • Obviously my mum coming home again!
  • It's my grandma's birthday at the beginning of the month and me and my dad are taking her and my dad's dad out to lunch. She sounded thrilled when I suggested it :)
  • Kerstin Gier is here for a signing on the 14th and I plan on going. 
  • Enjoying a warm cup of mulled wine on the Christmas market for the first time. The first ones open at the 21st of November. 
  • Having a dinner date with some lovely friends.

Felix in October
Felix was a little bit more cuddly than usual but I didn't mind.We spent some evenings watching TV like this.

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

As a Re-Reader, these are on Top of my List

 
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and Bookish. 
This week the girls want to know my
Top Ten Books I Want To Re-Read

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn
 
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
 
Simply Irresistible by Jill Shalvis
 
The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud
 
Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett
 
Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella
 
Heist Society by Ally Carter
 
The To-Do List by Mike Gayle
 
Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding
 
A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond