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 I recently got new bookshelves for my room, and I’m just loving them. Spent the afternoon putting up my books and sharing it on my blog . One of my friends asked a question and I thought it would be a great BTT question. So from Tina & myself, we’d like to know “How do you arrange your books on your shelves? Is it by author, by genre, or you just put it where it falls on?”
I used to have a system when I had enough space for all the books I owned. I have two bookshelves in my room at my parents’ house. One is my mass market paperbacks, which are shelved two books high in some shelves and always two books deep, if that makes sense. The other one is meant for trade paperbacks and hardcovers. Needless to say, they are both crammed with books. My preferred system is alphabetizing by author and within that, publication date. I used to be very organized about this, but I have too many books now and there’s no way I’m moving them all around just to get a book in its proper place, so everything is a bit haphazard.
When I finally live in my own house and have a full-time job, I plan on having many more bookcases. I’ve decided to try shelving by genre, or at least keep separate the few genres I really like, and alphabetize within that. It will be a long time before my collection is all together and before I have enough money to actually house them all nicely, but when that happens I’m glad I already know exactly how it will be done!
 Etsuko, a Japanese woman living alone in England, has just recently lost her elder daughter to suicide. When her younger daughter comes for a visit, Etsuko can’t help but be reminded of her, and think of her own past in Japan, the devastation of the war and time with a friend who leads a very perplexing life.
This book was interesting in that I could see where Kazuo Ishiguro’s style originated. We have a very unreliable narrator in Etsuko, whose story doesn’t add up. In all honesty she doesn’t even seem sad that her daughter has passed away, she mostly wonders where she went wrong. This book doesn’t quite have the impact his other books have; there is a slow build-up and a revelation, but the revelation isn’t obvious and half the internet disagrees on exactly what Ishiguro is getting across here. I did like the haunting depictions of a Japan after World War II; they were a perfect backdrop to Etsuko’s own story.
I could see myself enjoying this more if I’d not read Ishiguro’s other works yet. This one embraces and deals with complex themes, but it feels very much like practice for the greatness he’ll achieve later on. Also, despite the fact that all of his stories are different in many ways, it feels like his central narrators are one-trick ponies and mostly the same. I think that’s diminished his work for me, and reading the first one where he’s not the best at it was probably not a good idea when the others are so fresh in my mind.
In the end, a bit of a disappointment. Also, whoever has read this book, do you want to share what you think happened at the end and what it all meant? I want to, but only if enough people have read the book that I’m not spoiling the story for anyone who comes back to check my comments.
Buy A Pale View of Hills on Amazon today.
 Today’s question: How do you get your books for reviewing? Do you track them somehow (excel, database, etc), or just put them in a tbr (To Be Read for anyone that doesn’t know) pile?
I get books from all over. I request from publishers, mainly through Shelf Awareness, and sometimes authors if a book sounds really, really good. I have received a fair number from LT Early Reviewers and just won a book the other day from Member Giveaway. I have several contacts who reliably offer me books I’ll like. Most of my ARCs now come from contacts and the odd lone offer. I also buy books, both new and used, and I even get books out from the library if I’m not sure I’ll like them but still want to give them a shot, or if they’re romance novels because I’m 99.9% sure I’m not going to reread them.
When I get a book, I stick its release date or blog tour date on my google calendar, and then I make sure I read it by then. Easy enough. I thought about tagging them in LT, but that seems purposeless when I can just glance at my calendar to see when I need to review everything. An Excel spreadsheet would probably be a good idea, but since I go to google calendar all the time anyway, it’s the easiest. I also keep the books in their own pile and try to read them in chronological order. If I’m ahead, like I am now, I then know I can read other books for fun, or I can try to get further ahead because I have essays coming up!
 From the back cover:
“Lilith is born into slavery on a sugar plantation in Jamaica near the beginning of the nineteenth century. Even at her birth, the slave women around her recognize a dark power that they – and she – will come to both revere and fear. The Night Women, as they call themselves, have long been conspiring to stage a slave revolt, and as Lilith comes of age they see her as the key to their plans.”
When I started this book, I basically hated it. I hate slave narratives because it is just so wrong that it makes me feel ill and uncomfortable. It’s hard for me to believe that people could do such a thing to other people. Regardless, I persevere because it is important and I should know and anyway, I had to review this book, so I didn’t have much of a choice.
That said, the power of this book seriously grew on me as I went in. I grew to really like Lilith even though she commits the most horrible crimes; you can almost see what drives her to them. I was repelled but fascinated by the plans of the slave revolt and their interactions with each other. I almost always wanted to smack all the white people and I must admit that I was pleased when they got their comeuppance and disappointed that not all of them did. There are some seriously disturbing scenes in this book, so I don’t think it’s appropriate for everyone. It’s not that I can say this was a good book, either, because nothing to do with slavery is good. It is, however, a daring story of the life of one slave woman, the every day struggle just to get by, and ultimately a powerful tribute to impossible love and the depth of human emotion.
Buy The Book of Night Women on Amazon.
 This book is the sequel to Princess Nevermore. If you have not read that book and are interested in avoiding spoilers for it, please skip this summary!
Even though Quinn has returned to Mandria, Cam finds himself frustrated and unhappy. Quinn is destined to marry another and he’s forced to watch her choose. Worse, one day a little boy turns up, claiming to be Melikar’s new apprentice. Much to Cam’s shock, Melikar accepts the boy and informs Cam that the time has come to seek his past. Cam must go out into the world, his own trip through the wishing pool, in order to discover his past so that he can embrace his future.
Okay. I just loved Princess Nevermore when I was a young adult. It was my favorite book. I even tried to read it out loud to my mother while she was cooking, just so I could share it with someone else. So, understandably, I was both thrilled and anxious when I discovered this book’s existence a few months ago and opened it with trepidition when it arrived as a birthday gift. Finally, I would know what happened to Cam and Quinn, and this time from Cam’s perspective; he was so interesting in the first book but never really had a chance to shine since Quinn spends most of her time outside Mandria.
Anyway, I’m very happy to say that I loved it. Regan has lost no sense of her world and I adored exploring more of it and even paying a visit back to outer Earth with Cam. I know I’d have felt even more pleased with it if I was still the right age for it. These books are like a cross between a fairy tale and a fantasy novel. They have a fairy tale feel to them, that feeling of destiny and whimsy that permeates modern fairy tales, as well as stereotypical fantasy elements and some things that Regan herself has made up, like the Marnies and their food-growing system. The world is enchanting. The characters are even more enchanting, if that’s possible. It’s easy to fall in love with them and stay in love throughout the series. When Cam and Basil were in a particularly dicey situation that may have ended one of Cam’s sincerest hopes, I was actually very worried about them and almost couldn’t bear to find out what happened. On top of this, the book ended in exactly the way I have wanted it to since I was a small girl. It made me very happy.
Honestly, this is a wonderful sequel in every way. Apparently the author has expanded Princess Nevermore as well, but I haven’t purchased that yet. To be honest I didn’t even need to reread it to remember what happened, since I read it so many times as a child. I’ll be happy to reread both of these together in the future, and I highly recommend them for young adults everywhere, as well as those of us who may be grown but still can find the child in our hearts.
Buy Cam’s Quest: The Continuing Story of Princess Nevermore and the Wizard’s Apprentice on Amazon.
 I have not been feeling particularly well today and I had a distraction with me, so all I’ve managed so far is a slow walk around town and the purchase of a single book, The Needle in the Blood by Sarah Bower. We stayed in for Valentine’s Day yesterday and mostly just ate, which may be the source of my current blah-ness. Since my favorite distraction just left, I decided that since I am going to be reading for the rest of the evening, I might as well write about where I’m spending the next few hours!
So, I’m almost halfway through The King’s Rose by Alisa M. Libby. It’s an ARC and I picked it up thinking that since I’m now scheduling reviews in March, I should start reading the ARCs that have to be reviewed then and lessen the pressure when essay season starts up again (well, actually, I’ll be starting research this week, so the more I read now the better). I didn’t realize that this one doesn’t need to be posted until the 19th though, so it will be a good long while before the review actually shows up. I’m enjoying it though. It’s YA historical fiction about Catherine Howard, so while I like it, my insides are cringing anticipating the ending. I can’t imagine what it would be like reading a book about Anne Boleyn or Catherine Howard (or Lady Jane Grey, for that matter) and not know the ending. I think I’d be absolutely devastated because it’s often very easy to become attached to them. At least this way I can mentally prepare myself as the novel moves on. I just realized that this may be a spoiler, so I hope everyone reading knows at least that bit of Tudor history. *crosses fingers* 
Just yesterday I finished Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn and let me tell you, I adored it from beginning to end. That’s a review I can’t wait to write and I’m busy being overjoyed and impatiently waiting for Silent in the Sanctuary to come in the mail so I can get to it. I already have an ARC of Silent on the Moor. I can’t wait for Lady Julia Grey to come visit my beloved Yorkshire and I’m very pleased with my new author discovery.
Next up will be The Brightest Moon of the Century by Christopher Meeks. I’ve been excited about this book since it arrived in the mail last month. I loved Meeks’ two short story collections and this is his first novel, so I suspect my eagerness is justified.
So, great stuff for me ahead this week! What’s next on your reading list?
 Considering today is Valentine’s Day, what better to write than a review of my latest romantic read?
Penelope Featherington has been in love with Colin Bridgerton for years. She can even tell you when she first fell in love with him. Unfortunately for her, Colin treats her as an extra sister and once declared, without knowing that she was there, that he would not marry her. Penelope was mortified. Since then, he’s traveled the world and she has settled into spinsterhood. Not one man has ever offered for her hand, and though that’s in large part thanks to her mother, shyness, and a horrible wardrobe, it hurts. When Colin returns, his world has shifted on its axis just a little, and Penelope realizes that she’s been hiding her true self for far too long.
This was cute. I found it to be far more stereotypical than most of Quinn’s other romances and I agree with the people who say that the drama over Lady Whistledown takes away from the romance side of the story. I have been interested in Penelope since the start of this series – it’s hard not to feel for a girl who is always shy and dressed in yellow and orange – and I was happy to learn more about her and appreciate a bit more of what was going on behind the scenes. I had a bit of trouble understanding just why Colin suddenly saw what a great woman she was. After all, since she’s such good friends with the family, he probably had ample opportunity to get to know her before. That said, I know in high school I developed crushes on guys after knowing them for a while, so I suppose it’s possible that once he was ready for something new, he could consider her in a different light. I also found his crisis interesting – his brother Benedict had a similar problem in his book, but Colin doesn’t worry about being distinct from his brothers, he just worries that he’s not accomplishing anything that matters. That’s certainly a feeling I could relate to, although I don’t have a nice cushion of money to fall back on if I don’t feel like doing anything.
Overall, I think it’s hard to recommend this one without reading the others. I was already attached to these characters as both Colin and Penelope are in the first three books of the series. I will still say that if you want a entertaining, light, cute read, you should definitely go with Julia Quinn.
Buy Romancing Mister Bridgerton on Amazon.
Beth at Beth Fish Reads tagged me for this meme: Find your 5th photo file folder, then the 5th photo in that file folder. Then pass the meme to 5 people.
Well, I had two subfolders to go through, so I went with the fifth folder under Pictures, then the fifth folder, and then another fifth folder and the fifth picture in there. I have a lot of pictures. I came up with this:
This is one of the towers on Warwick Castle from my very first trip to England in 2005. I thought Warwick Castle was gorgeous and very exciting; I had barely gotten into medieval history back then and all I knew was that I liked castles. I’d like to go back, especially considering all the bits of history I know involving it now. I’m sure the whole display on Warwick the Kingmaker would have a vastly different impact on me now.
Here’s another picture so you can see what I mean about the gorgeous aspect:
And now to tag! I have no idea who’s been tagged for this meme, so I’ll just pick at random from recent commenters: Ruth, Barbara, Jen, Memory, and Wisteria. Have fun!
 Having decided that his fate lies with the Rangers, Will is sent on a simple mission with an older Ranger and his friend, the apprentice soldier Horace. They are tasked with delivering a message to another nation, only to discover that there isn’t anyone there but bandits and a young girl claiming to be the servant of the king’s daughter, but that there is a very suspicious plan afoot. Will and his friends are the only ones who can set these problems to rights.
I really liked getting to know these characters better in the second volume of the series. I raced through this one just like the first, and the ending has a nice little cliffhanger to keep the reader going. This one stays full of adventure and excitement as Will is getting on his own two feet and working out what’s required of him. I also loved the new addition to the series. As others have mentioned, the prose is still on a young adult level, but as that’s what I’m reading, I’m okay with that too. In all, a terrific YA fantasy series so far, I hope it stays to this calibre as it goes on!
Buy The Burning Bridge on Amazon.
Do you read any author’s blogs? If so, are you looking for information on their next project? On the author personally? Something else?
This is a funny question for today because I just discovered a new one! Susan Higginbotham commented on my post yesterday and I didn’t realize she had a blog, much less one where she talks about history, and she even has another one on Richard III. You don’t want to know how quickly I added that to my google reader and how I’m a little ashamed I didn’t find it before!
I love author blogs. Getting that little peephole into the brain of my favorite author is fantastic. I’m not sure what I’m looking for, but I think I like it best when they discuss things other than books, like other interests, daily activities, whatever. I was thrilled when Sharon Kay Penman started a blog. Even though it probably takes time away from her exciting new book, it’s very exciting to hear about the life of one of my favorite authors and her thoughts on what she is doing outside the fictional world. Her latest post was just yesterday. These are the authors I support by buying their works in hardcover (unless I am offered an ARC, and sometimes even then) because I feel if they make the extra effort, I should too. I’m sure it’s also because I think of them as celebrities in some sense and it’s so exciting to discover that authors are people who yes, can write extraordinarily well, but who are mostly just people that somehow are okay with talking to little insignificant me.
I also read Brandon Sanderson’s blog, George R.R. Martin’s blog, Michelle Moran’s blog, John Scalzi’s blog, and Neil Gaiman’s blog (I think everyone reads that though). Probably some others too. Nan Hawthorne’s blog and Patrick Rothfuss’s blog. James Dashner’s blog. Jaci Burton’s blog. Oh, and can’t forget Lynn Flewelling’s blog. And now I’m going to stop looking through my google reader because I have stuff to do today, but I think there are still more. I may add them later. I’ll probably discover more as I go through everyone else’s posts anyway!
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