Book of the Week: 12/13-12/19: Rags & Bones - Melissa Marr

Welcome to this week's book of the week! Sorry, I'm a day late!  This week's book is a book I've recently finished (and by recently...I mean about 4ish hours ago). I've always had a soft spot for anthologies filled with stories from authors that I love, and this book definitely falls into that love of anthologies. 

Without further prattling from me, I give you this week's book of the week: 

Rags & Bones

New Twists on Timeless Tales

Editors

Melissa Marr and Tim Pratt

Seriously, this book is absolutely fantastic and filled with wonderful retellings of classic, timeless tales.  There are also included in this anthology, six absolutely wonderful illustrations that make me wish I could be a part of them (or at least draw as good as Charles Vess!  The artwork is just as good as the storytelling in this book, and it wouldn't be the same without those little pieces of illustrated heaven. 

Each of these timeless tales have been rewritten, reworked into a twenty-first century perspective and retold in the genre the author is most known for: science fiction, dystopian fiction, fantasy and even realistic fiction.  The Faerie Queen by Sir Edmund Spencer paired next to "The Machine Stops" by E.M. Forester.  These are just two of the timeless tales that are reimagined in this wonderful volume.  We learn a little bit of some of these authors in the notes that follow each section, from the stories that inspired them, awed them, and even enraged them.  

I highly encourage you to check this book out! 

December: To-be-read and Current Reads

Okay. 

Okay. 

I know it is December 10th, and I SHOULD have had this posted ten days ago.  I've been a touch busy, so shoot me! Also I'll be updating the list over there *points to the TBR list on the right* with all these books as well so don't get crazy on me! 

Anyway, as usual, my TBR pile for this month is quite long, as I intend on closing out the year with a BANG! Anyone surprised by this? Considering the amount of books I manage to read in a year?! Oh yeah, I'm working on that post to, along with a few other goodies for you guys! So, anyway...

This picture of course, does not include digital books, but those will be in the list below...I promise. 

1. I'll Give you the Sun by Jandy Nelson

2. The Future of Us by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler

3. Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi

4. Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan

5. Etiquitte and Espionage by Gail Carriger

6. The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas by John Boyne 

7. The Realm of Possibility by David Levithan

8. Destined by P.C. Cast & Kirstin Cast

9. Hidden by P.C. Cast & Kirstin Cast

10. Asylum by Madeline Roux (Kindle)

As per usual, I am reading more than one book at a time.  This, by now, should not surprise anyone.  One is usually digital, the other physical - right now, this is no exception. 

Current Reads include: 

1. Chinese Cinderella: The True Story of an Unwanted Daughter by Adeline Yen Mah

2. Rags & Bones: New Twists on Timeless Tales edited by Marissa Marr & Tim Pratt

What are some awesome books on your TBR pile for the end of the year? 

Wishlist Wednesday!

With Christmas a short 2 weeks away (16 days not that I'm counting or anything...) the next few Wishlist Wednesdays will feature books that are on my wishlist and may just end up on your wishlist.  A couple of these I wouldn't mind in digital, but there are a couple on this list that I want in physical copy so I can have them in my hot little hands! Let's see if you can guess which ones..

I recently finished this one, on loan from my local library.  HOLY HELL! I am absolutely in love with Stephen King's work and this has once again proven to be a stellar group of stories that I've absolutely fallen in love with. I will not read a single one of these stories after dark or before bed because well, I have enough trouble sleeping.  Twisted dreams inspired by Stephen King's stories, yeah, I'll pass. There was a reason he was not allowed to tell his children bedtime stories.  I highly recommend this anthology, and it is well worth the purchase price! 

Fourth book in The Lunar Chronicles, and I hate to say it I've not read Scarlet yet, and I need to before I even come close to adding this to my current list of books I own.  Either way, I have been looking forward to this book for ages.  To know that this series came out of a National Novel Writing Month work, absolutely blows my mind and continues to provide me with encouragement to actually continue to plug away at my own writing and maybe I'll be awesome like Marissa Meyer. 

This one, previously featured in Rogues edited by George R.R. Martin, and already on my read list has been published recently (last month) as it's own stand alone novella.  I have found that I am hit or miss with Gillian Flynn's work, mainly because I've been left feeling kinda weird after finishing the last two books I've read by her.  However, I actually really, really liked this particular story and would be please to own this one. 

This.  Book.  Makes.  Me.  Happy.  Seriously! The Gods of H.P. Lovecraft! GIVE ME NOW! This anthology releases in TWO DAYS! December 11, the twelve deities of the Lovecraftian mythos are set free in these pages!  

Cthulhu (Adam Nevill) – Yog-Sothoth (Martha Wells) – Azathoth (Laird Barron) – Nyarlathotep (Bentley Little) – Shub-Niggurath (David Liss) – Tsathoggua (Brett Talley) – The Mi-Go (Christopher Golden & James A. Moore) – Night-gaunts (Jonathan Maberry) – Elder Things (Joe Lansdale) – Great Race (Rachel Caine) – Yig (Douglas Wynne) – The Deep Ones (Seanan McGuire).  That line up, it just makes me very happy! Besides, who doesn't love a little Lovecraft with their holidays? 

WORDS.  I NEED TO FIND WORDS. This book, much like the Gods of H.P. Lovecraft, makes me SQUEE like a good little fangirl.  Guillermo Del Toro...*swoon* I'm seriously addicted to this man's work.  His movies.  I've got at least 2 books of his on my wish list, among other things.  Seriously, I will love the person for ever who gets me this book...like not even remotely joking! 

Book of the Week: Dec 6-Dec 12: Confess by Colleen Hoover

Welcome to this week's Book of the Week! YAY! Yes, I know there was absolutely NOTHING for the month of November...see my radio silence post for that apology! However, it is now December and things are rolling again! We have new decor for the holidays and I'm so very, very happy right now! 

So, as you can tell from the title of this post, this week's book of the week is Confess by Colleen Hoover!  

This book made me ugly cry, like seriously.  It is so very, very good.  I've not yet found the words properly to review this book, so there is no review to link to you.  Though, it says something that this books is among the winners of the Goodreads Choice for 2015!  

This is one that I'd originally read on Kindle, checked out through my local library and ultimately I think it is one that will eventually grace my bookshelves either physically or digitally I've not yet decided. 

I highly urge you to check this book out, and be warned you will need tissues!  Seriously! 

November Round Up

The month of November is usually a quiet one around here, mainly because I'm not reading other people's words I'm reading my own as I work on my NaNoWriMo project.  This month was no exception, though I did manage to read a few books written by others, mainly while I was sick and my own writing project stalled out at about 30k words somewhere in the middle of week 3 (which is when the cold hit). 

Beyond that, I've quite a few books lined up for December, and I'm hoping to round out the year with a few reviews written too because I've been slacking there as well.  Anyway!

Let's get started with the round up for this month!

WHAT I READ:

1. These Broken Stars (Starbound, #1) by Amie Kaufman
2. Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson
3. Wonder by R.J. Palacio
4. Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami
5. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
6. Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore - Robin Sloan

There was but one blog post this month and that was me explaining my radio silence for the duratin of the month, which is rapidly coming to a close. I am hoping that I will be able to spend the end of the year further indulging my love for reading as well as my love of sharing things with all of you! Here is to a great month of December!