Top 10 Tuesday: Cover and title lovin'

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. It was created because of their love of lists and books, and since I love those things too, I thought it'd be a fun meme to participate in!

Top Ten Books Whose Titles Or Covers Made Me Grab it From the Library

I have a strange method of picking books: I go into the library, wander around, pick books at random if I like the cover or title, and don’t read the synopsis. I almost never know what a book is about before I read it, because I don’t read the synopsis 95% of the time. I don't necessarily judge books by their covers - I've read some great books with terrible covers and some terrible books with great covers - it's just how I operate. This strange and screwy method has only steered me wrong once or twice in the last few years (with one example below), so this question is actually perfect for me, and fairly easy to answer. The clickable ones lead to my reviews; the rest are ones I read before I started blogging.

1. The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen. For this one, it was the cover and title that hooked me. A couple years ago, I went into the library, and had planned to only get the books on my list since I’m totally OCD at the library and always get more books than I can possibly read. I made the mistake of pausing at the new releases, and my eye was automatically drawn to The Sugar Queen. I put it back, got the books on my list, but couldn’t stop thinking about The Sugar Queen, so I grabbed it on my way out…and it ended up being one of my favorite books ever. It’s actually on my re-read list for this winter.

2. The Year of Living Famously by Laura Caldwell. This was another book I happened upon at the library, and another favorite.

3. Nocturne by Syrie James. I love the cover of this one, and since I like vampire books, I gave it a try. This was one of my very few misses. It was alright, but not great.

4. The Irish Princess by Karen Harper. I’m obsessed with all things Irish, so the title caught my attention, as did the pretty girl's flaming red hair and the castle on the cover lol

5. Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson. Plain and simple: love the title, love the cover, one of my favorite books of 2011.

6. Moonglass by Jessi Kirbi. I was intrigued by the title, and the cover is so pretty. Another favorite of 2011. 

7. Falling in Love With English Boys by Melissa Jensen. Just as I love all things Irish, I also love all things English, so between the cute title and even cuter cover, I had to read this one.
 

8. The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen. As a rule, I read everything that Sarah Addison Allen writes because she’s brilliant. That rule wasn’t in effect at the time I picked this book up (loved the title and cover), but it was afterwards!

9. A Place Called Here by Cecelia Ahern. Cecelia’s books are the same as Sarah’s – she writes them, I read them. This was one of the first books of hers I read, and it was because the title intrigued me.

10. Ghost Walk by Heather Graham. The title of this one, along with the eerie cover, caught my attention; it was the first Heather Graham book I read, and after reading it, I quickly read almost all the other books she’d written.

So, what are your top 10 books that you bought (or, if you're like me, got from the library) based on their covers or titles?

WWW Wednesdays: Week 11

WWW Wednesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading.  All you have to do is answer these 3 questions:

1. What are you currently reading?
2. What did you recently finish reading?
3. What do you think you'll read next?

Simple right?  I love to read and love to know what other people are reading!

What are you currently reading?

I'm reading a few books right now: A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness, which I got from the library.  I'm about 100 pages in and still waiting for something - anything - to happen.  I'm about ready to give up but everyone that I know who's read it raves about it, so I'm hoping it gets better.  At almost 600 pages, and with being a super slow reader, it's going to take me forever to read so it better be worth it! lol  I'm also reading Coffee at Little Angels by Nadine Rose Larter, a self-published author who contacted me about a review.  I'm not very far into it because I can only read it on my computer and I've only been on the computer for work (and blogging) the last few days, but I'm absolutely loving what I've read so far.

 

What did you recently finish reading?

I recently finished reading William and Catherine - Their Story by Andrew Morton and The Irish Princess by Karen Harper.

What do you think you'll read next?

Well, I have a few books up for review from self-published authors, and I have a ton of library books, as always, so I honestly don't know what I'm going to read next.  It's been awhile since I've picked up a book that I'm just dying to read, which is sad - I miss that feeling!

What are you reading this week?  Have you read any of the books on my list?  Have any suggestions?  I'd love to hear from you!

Book Review: The Irish Princess by Karen Harper

Author: Karen Harper
Published: February 1st, 2011
Publisher: NAL (New American Library)
375 pages (paperback)
Genre: Historical fiction
Acquired this book: at the library
Warning: may include spoilers
{Amazon || Good Reads}

Synopsis, taken from dust jacket of the book: Born into the first family of Ireland, with royal ties on both sides, Elizabeth Fitzgerald - known as Gera - finds her loving, carefree world overturned when tyrant Henry VIII imprisons her father, the Earl of Kildare, and brutally destroys her family.  Torn from the home she loves, and with her remaining family scattered, Gera dares not deny the refuge offered her in England's glittering royal court.  There she must navigate ever-shifting alliances even as she nurtures her secret desire for revenge.  Beautiful, bold, and rebellious, Gera eludes dangerous suitors, encourages others, and holds close to her heart a private attachment to Edward Clinton, a handsome, ambitious courtier who understands her strong-willed spirit.  And even as Gera works to undermine King Henry and win support for her family, she seeks to protect his young daughter Princess Elizabeth, a kindred spirit fighting to survive, whose future is linked to Gera's own.  From County Kildare's lush green fields to London's rough-and-tumble streets and the royal court's luxurious pageantry, The Irish Princess follows the journey of a daring woman whose will cannot be tamed, and who won't be satisfied until she restores her family to its rightful place in Ireland.

My thoughts on The Irish Princess:
I really enjoyed this book.  I chose it in my usual random style of picking books - walked into the library, saw it on the featured shelf, liked the title and cover, and grabbed it without reading the synopsis.  I didn't realize it was based on real people and events - I assumed Gera was a fictional character immersed in actual historical happenings - Henry VIII's reign of terror and the rulers that followed - but Gera Fitzgerald, her family and friends were real people, which I found fascinating.

The book was well-written with an engaging writing style and detailed descriptions that made me feel like I was right there with Gera.  I could feel the love, loss, heartache, betrayal, outrage, and all the other emotions she was feeling.

Even though Gera was based on a real person, her 'character' in the book was largely fiction - the things she said, her actions, reactions, etc.  She was a strong (and strong-willed), independent character that I really admired.  She was feisty, clever, hot-tempered and fiercely loyal to the people she loved, and to Ireland.  Patient when she had to be, but also rash at times, she got herself into plenty of messes, but was smart - or lucky - enough to get herself out, either with quick-thinking or her sharp tongue.

I loved Edward Clinton, the man Gera meets on the voyage from Ireland to England, and who she loves through the years, even when she's married to someone else.  The romance wasn't the main focus of the novel, but I appreciated the romantic elements and loved the relationship between Gera and Edward.

My only complaint about this book is that it was really long, almost too long.  375 pages is long, but not that long, but for some reason, it took me forever to read.  Parts of it dragged a bit, and with it being stretched out over 24 years of Gera's life, there were times when I wondered if it would ever end.  Other parts were lively and action-filled and had me turning the pages quickly, so there was a balance.  

One other thing that's not necessarily a complaint, but something that I try to stay away from in books: there were too many characters.  I realize that in books like this, that are set in royal courts, or where people have big families, there are going to be a lot of characters, but it can get confusing, especially when there's more than one character with the same name.  It's a little hard to keep up at times and remember who everyone is, what their part in the story is, and who they're related to, since everyone seems to be related to someone else within the story.

Overall, I thought this book was really enjoyable, and would recommend it, especially to anyone interested in historic fiction or historic romance, or with a particular interest in Tudor-era England and Ireland.

 

*I belong to Amazon Affiliates - anything that you buy from my blog through Amazon gets me a small commission, and as a struggling freelance writer, I can use every cent I can get!  If you're considering buying this book or any other book I review, if you go to Amazon through the links on my blog to buy, I'll be eternally grateful!*

WWW Wednesdays: Week 10

WWW Wednesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading.  All you have to do is answer these 3 questions:

1. What are you currently reading?
2. What did you recently finish reading?
3. What do you think you'll read next?

Simple right?  I love to read and love to know what other people are reading!

What are you currently reading?

Right now, I'm reading a few books: William and Catherine: Their Story by Andrew Morton, The Irish Princess by Karen Harper, and The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing by Marilyn Ross and Sue Collier.

What did you recently finish reading?

I recently finished reading Smokin' Seventeen by Janet Evanovich and Immortal by Gillian Shields - you can click the links to read my reviews.

What do you think you'll read next?

I have a few library books to choose from, as well as a couple of e-books I was sent for review, but I think next up will be Such a Pretty Face by Cathy Lamb.

What are you reading this week?  Have you read any of the books on my list?  Have any suggestions?  I'd love to hear from you!

In My Mailbox Week 1

In My Mailbox is weekly meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren.  The idea is to share books you've acquired during the week, whether you've won them, bought them, picked them up at the library, received them for review, whatever.  It's a great way to bring attention to books and authors and share the love!  This is my first week participating, and from now on, I'll be posting it on Sundays.  Since I hardly ever buy books anymore because I can't afford to (*sobs*), I get most of my books from the library.

This week, I have 8 books from the library and 2 e-books I was sent for review.

Library books:

*The Irish Princess by Karen Harper {Amazon ~ GoodReads}
*William and Catherine: Their Story by Andrew Morton {Amazon ~ GoodReads} 
*Such a Pretty Face by Cathy Lamb {Amazon ~ GoodReads}
*A Man in a Kilt by Sandy Blair {Amazon ~ GoodReads}
*The Golden Prince by Rebecca Dean {Amazon ~ GoodReads}

*The Lace Makers of Glenmara by Heather Barbieri {Amazon ~ GoodReads}
*Endless Summer by Jennifer Echols {Amazon ~ GoodReads}
*The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing: Everything You Need to Know to Write, Publish, Promote and Sell Your Book by Marilyn Ross and Sue Collier {Amazon ~ GoodReads}

Books received for review:

*Coffee at Little Angels by Nadine Rose Larter {Good Reads ~ The Katalina Playroom}
*Brightwing by Sullivan Lee {Amazon ~ Good Reads} 

What books did you receive this week?