30 April 2012

'In My Mailbox' becomes 'Stacking the Shelves'

Hey everyone! 

Well, I feel like I'm the last one to know about all the recent drama surrounding Kristy @ 'The Story Siren'!
Through a fellow-blogger I heard she was accused of plagiarism and after scrolling through my blog roll, I saw the evidence myself. Like anyone else, I don't condone plagiarism

However, this post is not me attacking anyone, taking sides or stating my opinion on the matter. This post is simply me announcing I'm switching to a different meme for showcasing my book loot :) Because I don't want to join in a meme where nobody else participates anymore. Or where my participation will send off the wrong vibe. 
Because even though I want to remain neutral (the plagiarism did not concern me and I wasn't there so it's not fair for me to judge) I do not like what's going on. Especially since lately there has already been too much drama concerning bloggers/reviewers/authors. 

It's like we've lost track of what really matters: enjoying a good book. And being entitled to our own opinion about it. No matter how harsh that may be sometimes. As long as things don't get personal and we act like civilized human beings there's nothing wrong with voicing an opinion. As longs as it's substantiated and about the book's content, not about the writer's background. But especially, as long as it's our OWN opinion, not someone else's because they happen to voice the way you feel better than you ever could. Deal with it. There'll always be people out there who are better at something than you are. It's called life ;)

Anyways, since I like showing off my book loot and enjoy watching other bloggers loot as well, I'm gonna be participating with 'Stacking the Shelves' over at Tynga's Reviews from now on. I hope you'll follow along!

Oh and... Happy Reading! :)

Because that's what matters ;)


29 April 2012

In My Mailbox (14)


is a weekly recurring meme hosted by The Story Siren
Every Sunday, Kristi shares her mailbox contents 
and gives us bloggers the opportunity to leave a link 
sharing our own mail!
~





Hey everyone!

Last weekend hubby and I went to see 'The Hunger Games' movie in the cinema. 
Guess what? Even though the theme of this trilogy never appealed to me -despite its many lyrical reviews and despite my liking the occasional dystopian novel- I was hooked instantly! Ask me and I'll go see the movie again, it's that bad! There were so many details I would love to explore further. 


And Katniss... she really got under my skin. Jennifer Lawrence is a damn fine actress in my opinion. She convincingly made me believe Katniss was human, not a flat character. She's such a strong and wise girl, with a good heart. Righteous, standing up for her beliefs, self-sacrificial, but still filled with insecurity. I need to get to know her better, find out what her true feelings towards Peeta and Gale are. I need to know she'll be okay. 

Which is why I ordered the 'The Hunger Games' Trilogy. And yesterday the mailman delivered it. I was hooked after reading the first few sentences already! Which is a compliment because I normally strongly dislike books written in the present tense (and lately the first person gets on my nerves as well). However, the prose was so beautiful I hardly noticed. 

So, did the mailman spoil you too this week? Do share with a comment, and I'll come and stop by your mailbox as well!

Happy reading! :)



15 April 2012

In My Mailbox (13)


is a weekly recurring meme hosted by The Story Siren
Every Sunday, Kristi shares her mailbox contents 
and gives us bloggers the opportunity to leave a link 
sharing our own mail!
~






Hey everyone!

Once more I've been a bad blogger, and reader! I am sorry for not stopping by your blogs as well, can you ever forgive me?
I didn't order many new books lately, since I'm having trouble reading the ones I have already. Occasionally a pre-order makes it to my doorstep, though. And a book with an interesting premise slips through the cracks of my I'm-not-buying-any-more-books-for-a-while intentions...



'A Temptation of Angels' by Michelle Zink
has been on my wish-list for a while, ever since I found out about it. The blurb sounds amazing! And the cover is even more gorgeous in real life!










'The Vampire Stalker' by Allison van Diepen
popped up somewhere on Goodreads recently and the premise sounded intriguing.

What if the characters in a vampire novel left their world--and came into yours?

So I caved in and ordered it. I actually finished it already, in one short sitting! You can find my review here.



So, was the mailman nice to you as well? Leave a comment and I solemnly promise I'll repay you with a visit. Pinky swear! ;)

Happy reading! :)



Review: The Vampire Stalker


The Vampire Stalker, by Allison van Diepen
Series: None
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Paranormal, Supernatural, Romance, Sci-Fi
Published:  July 2011
Pages: 250
My rating:

The Blurb: What if the characters in a vampire novel left their world--and came into yours?
Amy is in love with someone who doesn't exist: Alexander Banks, the dashing hero in a popular series of vampire novels. Then one night, Amy meets a boy who bears an eerie resemblance to Alexander. In fact, he IS Alexander, who has escaped from the pages of the book and is in hot pursuit of a wicked vampire named Vigo. Together, Amy and Alexander set out to track Vigo and learn how and why Alexander crossed over. But when she and Alexander begin to fall for each other, Amy wonders if she even wants him to ever return to the realm of fiction.

Despite some of the less positive reviews I wanted to read this book for myself anyway. I certainly don’t regret reading it. It wasn’t a waste of time, because it didn’t take up that much of my time, fortunately. The 250 pages can easily be read in a few measly hours. And a few hours later you will have forgotten all about the book already.

Why?

No matter how promising the premise of this book is - a fictional character suddenly comes into our world- the execution of the story seriously lacks. Which is a shame, because the idea of ‘Literary Physics’ (writers who unknowingly tap into other dimensions while they are writing) is very original. It could have been epic, if written the right way. It deserves to be explored more, further, deeper. ‘Otherworld’ (the parallel Chicago from this book) deserves more world building. It is a very interesting place in my opinion. Imagine all sorts of technical and medical developments never happened because of a vampire-dominated society. Imagine an evening curfew because of those dangerous creatures out there. Imagine the shortened life expectancy because of the dangers and lacking means to aid people. Imagine people fleeing, immigrants never showing… I imagined those things, because besides the mere mention of these points, we never got to know the real ‘Otherworld’. A shame.

The story seems to be told simply because the writer wanted to tell it. It feels like reading the fan fiction often referred  to in this book. Contemporary, simple, fluently, shallow, a bit juvenile even, but never poetic. I love it when a book grabs me with beautiful prose, which was never the case here. Another shame.

I seriously missed some elaborate world and character building. I hardly knew what the characters looked like! Besides their appearances not much detail was provided about their inner selves either. We were told Amy had it bad for Alexander, but the feelings weren’t conveyed. I couldn’t feel her crush, nor did I understand it. Alexander was a flat character, a cardboard cut-out. There was no spark of life in him, or any sparks between him and Amy for that matter. He didn’t make sense either: thinking it’s not normal Amy isn’t engaged to be married yet, at age 16, but still kissing her, thus possibly ruining her reputation. Yet, another shame.

And what about Amy’s gullible mom? If I showed up with an attractive guy she’d never seen, or even heard about, she sure as h*ll wouldn’t let him stay over at the house, for indefinite time! Without making any fuss or asking too much questions. Seriously?!

That is one example of how ‘easy’ (fluently if you will) the story was written. Everything happened neatly the way it was supposed to go, the plot ‘twists’ were predictable, the villain came from a Disney movie, the plot was rather simple and the ending? Yup, saw it coming from the start. Quadruple shame.

But still this was a pleasant story to read. Seriously. Despite its many flaws I didn’t hate it. Why? It’s a quick, fun, romantic ride. Which, in my opinion, could do with some more fan fiction. To spice things up a bit. To finally tell the untold story that deserves to be told...