Aprilynne Pike's Illusions debuts at Poisoned Pen this Monday

Illusions is the third book in Aprilynne Pike's fairytale series. The first two books are Wings and Spells, which I will review on Monday and Tuesday in honor of the launch. Aprilynne Pike will be holding a pre-published book signing at The Poisoned Pen in Scottsdale on May 2nd at 7pm. Yours truly will be attending and I hope to see you there! On May 3rd Aprilynne Pike will be holding a publishing day book signing at Changing Hands in Tempe at 7pm. If you don't live in the Valley of the Sun, don't despair just yet, Aprilynne Pike will be visiting Pasadena, CA; Idaho Falls, ID; Driggs, ID; Twin Falls, ID and Salt Lake City, UT on her Illusion's launch tour. 

I highly recommend contacting the store or location of the signing you want to attend well in advance to learn their guidelines. I know when I attended the Anne Rice signing at Changing Hands I was required to purchase her book from them.

Let me know if you'll be attending in the comments below! You can also follow me on my Facebook page.

Have you read this series? What do you think?

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's (Philosopher's) Stone

Photographs by: Amber Murray

Penned By: J.K. Rowling

There is nothing I could possibly say about this book (or series) that has not already been said. So this blog is for you who have not read this book yet... Why not? It is an easy read and fun to boot. Admittedly, J.K. Rowling is not a literary writer extraordinaire and hence, the reason she is so popular. Let me also disabuse you of the notion that Rowling is a poor writer, really, she is quite good. So, why not? Perhaps you are of the misguided and often religious belief that these books are evil. If so, I pity you. You must never read any fantasy or sci-fi and your imagination is quite limited. The life you lead must be horribly mundane and you are missing an astronomical amount of literature that our world thrives upon. So, why not? If you have made it this far you can not possibly use the excuse that you are not a reader. However, if you insist, get the audio version. For you, there is now only one answer left to my "why not?" And that is "why should I?" This book is the start of a revolution. It has shaped our global culture in a way that will resound for centuries. Are you honestly going to let a mere 300 pages keep you from taking part? So, why not?

View from the top of the Flight of the Hippogriff
 roller coaster in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Quote: "The truth...It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution. However, I shall answer your questions unless I have a very good reason not to, in which case I beg you'll forgive me. I shall not, of course, lie."

Genus: Fantastical Worlds

Era: Everyone

Difficulty: 2

Determination: Must read

Series: Yes  

Film: Yes

Your type of tale? Try these: The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper, The Alchemyst by Michael Scott, The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud

Hogsmeade store fronts in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Ready to buy it?

The Open Boat

  Photograph by: Amber Murray   (c)

Penned By: Stephen Crane

The height of Stephen Crane's phenomenal description ability is reached in this short story. Rich descriptions are equally met with plot, dialogue, characterization, and self-discovery. This is a tale beautifully composed and should be required reading simply as an example of how wonderful the English language can be. The story itself is enthralling and the reader will be on the edge of their seat wondering what is going to happen to the men in the boat. It will cause you to question your view of the world and open you to new paths of empathy. With even the smallest imagination, the reader will find themselves in the Open Boat, hoping and praying for solid ground.

Quote:
"If I am going to be drowned--if I am going to be drowned--if I am going
to be drowned, why, in the name of the seven mad gods who rule the sea,
was I allowed to come thus far and contemplate sand and trees?"

Genus: Literary Minded

Era: Older is Better

Difficulty: 4

Determination: Must Read

Series: No - short story

Film: No

Read The Open Boat here!

Your type of tale? Try these: East of Eden by John Steinbeck, The Innocents Abroad or The New Pilgrims' Progress by Mark Twain, and The Storm by Kate Chopin

The Host

Promotion Picture

Penned By: Stephenie Meyer

Stephenie Meyer says that this is "sci-fi for people who don't like sci-fi." I like sci-fi and I love, loved this book (it was better than the Twilight series!) This character driven tale is an adult novel, not young adult. It's not violent or overly sexual but the characters are adults with adult lives and adult issues. With that said it had many of the twists and plot turns that so many have come to love in young adult literature. Melanie and Wanda battle for their lives, their loves, and their people. Who are these two women and who has it the right of it? This is a tale of aliens and a common tale of old told in a whole new way.

Quote: "My house, my rules."

Genus: Tech Minded

Era: Everyone

Difficulty: 3

Determination: Casual read

Series: No, though the end is definitely left open and there has been some contemplation out there about a sequel, Stephenie Meyer has never made any indication that she intends to write another.

Film: Though it has been slated to go to the big screen since September, 2009 nothing has been nailed down as of yet.

Your type of tale? Try these: Paranormalcy by Kiersten White, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Q-Space by Greg Cox

I had a really hard time coming up with suggestions for this book because I haven't read anything else quite like it. Has anyone read The Body Snatchers by Jack Finney and this book? What would the comparisons be? Is there any better suggestions you may have?

Ready to buy it?