My "To Read" List

      A new year means new books! There are quite a few books that should be coming out in 2013 that I am so looking forward to buying and reading. In the same fashion as my last post, I am going to just tell you guys which books I am personally looking at just in case you see any titles or authors you have any interest in.
      The first book I plan to read in 2013 is The Selection  by Kiera Cass. I bought this book a while ago and never got around to reading it, so I plan to finish it soon. The next book I bought and plan to read is City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. I had been meaning to start reading the Mortal Instruments series since I have already read the books in the Infernal Devices series that have been published. But, since the movie version of City of Bones is meant to come out this summer, I want to be sure I've read the book first so I can see the movie after I have already established my own concept of the story.
      I keep a bookmark that is really just an index card with books written on it. Every time I finish a book that has a sequel, or other books in the series that are yet to be published, I write it down so I can have a running list and not forget. This is what my list looks like so far:

1. The Kill Order by James Dashner (which came out in August, I'm just waiting to purchase it until I finish the other two books I mentioned)
2. Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare (the third book in the Infernal Devices series, which was said to be expected in March of this year)
3. Divergent #3 (Untitled) by Veronica Roth (I cannot wait to find out the title of the third book and when to be expecting it for sure, although for now it is said to be expected in the fall)
4. Requiem by Lauren Oliver (the third book in the Delirium series, which is supposed to be published in March of this year as well)
5. Tempest #3 by Tracy Deebs (the third book in the Tempest series, that I am unsure about enjoying, but I feel that I need to finish the plot for my own curiosity - it's supposedly coming out this summer)
6. Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers (the next book in the His Fair Assassin series, expected to come out on April 2)
7. Of Triton by Anna Banks (the sequel of Of Poseidon, which I just read, which is said to hit stores on May 28)


     So that'd my "To Read" list, and I hope that you found a few books you may want to add to your own "To Read" list, too! If you had questions about publications dates I hope I was able to clear some of that up for you! If you have any questions remaining, feel free to ask!


                             Sincerely,

                Spenser Lee & Simply Lovely Lit

Beloved Books of 2012

      So, last year I had plenty of time, it seemed, to be reading a book every day. When one was finished, I already had one in my room waiting for me to pick up next. Then school started and I experienced my first semester of college. I was busier than I thought I would be, I was less of a loner than I thought I would be, and I definitely went to bed & woke up later than I thought I would. With all of those things working together, I didn't have even a fraction of the reading time I had available in the beginning of the year. But, I read every day for the majority of 2012, and I discovered and enjoyed many books. Hopefully in 2013 I will be able to make more time for leisure reading at school, but this semester I may have much more work to do. Regardless, I will make the effort and post reviews as often as I can to keep the promise of writing in this blog to myself. But, anyway, the point of this post is to share with you the books I did have the pleasure of reading in 2012 (I kept a list in one of my notebooks). Here they are: 

1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
2. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
3. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
4. Legend by Marie Lu
5. Divergent by Veronica Roth
6. The Maze Runner by James Dashner
7. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
8. The Scorch Trials by James Dashner
9. The Death Cure by James Dashner
10. Nobody's Princess by Esther Friesner
11. Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs
12. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
13. Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
14. Insurgent by Veronica Roth 
15. Delirium by Lauren Oliver
16. Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
17. Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers
18. Tempest Unleashed by Tracy Deebs
19. Tigerlily by Jodi Lynn Anderson 
20. Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

     Since I know how busy I will most likely be, my goal is to read just as much as I did last year instead of more, because I was reading a lot. But, if I can read more, then I will definitely be happy and make it a yearly challenge. I started this blog around the time I read Grave Mercy, so I had already passed the point in time where all of these books were fresh in my mind enough for me to feel like I could give an optimal review. But, I hope to re-open some of them to remind myself of the details so I can review some. If one of these books sounds interesting to you, or you want my honest opinion of it, I'd be more than happy to specifically review that book next. 


     I hope that if you were searching for a book to read next that this list helped you find a few to take out at the library or buy for your own collection! If you have any specific questions let me know! 



                  Sincerely, 

        Spenser Lee & Simply Lovely Lit 

Of Poseidon by Anna Banks REVIEW

Of Poseidon
Author: Anna Banks
Publisher: Feiwel And Friends
Publication Date: 2012



    A series of books I began not too long ago was the "Tempest" series by Tracy Deebs (Tempest Rising, Tempest Unleashed, and the soon-to-come Tempest Revealed), and when I finished the second book of that series, I decided to continue on with the mermaid theme. So, of course I went on to Barnes & Noble's website and decided to see what books were listed as comparable to the "Tempest" books and among those listed was Of Poseidon by Anna Banks.

     Now, let's of course start by judging the book by it's cover. I will admit that the cover contributed to what sold me on purchasing this book. Not only is the font charming (and metallic in person, so it catches the eye) but you can't help but think that the image of the woman floating up through the water is remarkable - the contrast is just too cool. When I was younger I used to play in the swimming pool and pretend I was a mermaid, swimming to the surface with my back arched and hair flowing majestically behind me, and although I know now that I certainly didn't, when I was little I pictured myself looking just like the girl on the cover of the book (minus the long gown and plus a brightly colored tail). The back cover is pretty cool too, continuing with the ocean background and complete with a bunch of bubbles and a quote from the book:
                       "And then I feel it. It saturates the water around me, thrumming without rhythm.
                        The pulse. Someone is close. Someone I don't recognize. Slowly, I tiptoe 
                        backward, careful not to splash or slosh. After a few seconds, Tiptoeing doesn't 
                        make a whole lot of sense. If I can sense them, they can sense me. The pulse is 
                        getting stronger. They're heading straight toward me. Fast."

The actual hard cover of the book is just a dark teal, reminiscent of the color of the ocean, of course, and then the spine has the title, author, and publisher in a metallic silver font. Since I know that not all readers look for aesthetic pleasure like me, I'll move on to content finally.

      I read through this book pretty quickly, which was half due to me having nothing to due over winter break and half due to my interest in the book. I read the first few chapters of the book back at school and then finals crept closer and I didn't have enough time to dedicate to reading for pleasure so I just dreamt about reading the rest of the book until I was back home. I was really glad to be able to pick it up again, and the first half or two thirds of the book really got me going. But, I have to say towards the end of the book I wasn't enjoying it as much. I was under the impression that this book was not part of a series or going to have a sequel or anything, so as we got towards the last 100 pages and there wasn't anything developing forward to the point where I felt like the plot could end soon. But as I neared the very end of the book, I realized that there has to be at least one other book to complete this story because Anna Banks purposely left us with a complete mystery and a cliff hanger leading to a whole other section of the plot. It was a pretty quick read so let me go ahead and summarize for you the plot that I keep referring to.
   
      Of Poseidon is a story about a teenager named Emma who, through heart-breaking loss and a ton of embarrassment/blushing discovers the world of the Syrena (not mermaids, they don't like the word mermaids). She finds that she, too, has secrets of her own and that everyone around her may not really be what they seem. She learns to love, overcome fears, how to become a woman, and how to grow into herself (even when she's not quite who she always thought she was). It's a cute story and if you are looking for part adventure, part romance, part history, & part humor, then this will be a satisfying book for you. There isn't a lot of action, not a lot of suspense, and only a teeny bit of mystery. But if you like "short and sweet" with all of the components I mentioned before, then you would probably enjoy this book. If you enjoyed reading the "Tempest" series you really would most likely enjoy this book too - Barnes & Noble knows what it's talking about! It wasn't one of my favorites, but I don't regret reading it at all, and since my curiosity can't handle not knowing the ending to the plot I will probably be on the lookout for the sequel.

      If you have any specific questions or a question about an aspect I didn't cover, feel free to ask, but my bottom line is: I give it a thumbs up! If you've been wondering about this book or searching for a new book, I hope this helped!



                               Sincerely,

              Spenser Lee & Simply Lovely Lit