Reads for the anti-Valentine

Happy Valentine's Day!

Oh wait. 

Never mind. 

If you're like me, you're probably trying to avoid all things romance today. Maybe you're single this year - by choice or perhaps you just got dumped or did the dumping. Maybe you're in a long-distance relationship (or in my case, marriage). Either way, if you're like me, you just don't want to deal with the hearts and flowers and vomit-worthy PDA that is sure to be plaguing the outside world. Like me, you might have decided to stay in and read.

So here's a list of super non-romantic (sometimes downright weird and creepy) books that are sure to keep your mind off of romance - at least for this weekend. You can thank me later ;-)

I think we can all agree that Harry Potter is the answer to most questions in the world of reading. So I'll admit that there is a tiny romance subplot happening throughout the HP series, but it's overwhelmingly NOT romance. And if you really want to steer clear, The Half-Blood Prince is the way to go for sure. The feels are strong with this one, and they aren't of the V-Day variety. 

Pretty much anything by Stephen King should be safe on this day of pink and kisses. Even when the master of horror decides to insert romance into his stories, he's so blunt about it that I've definitely never felt an "awww" moment while reading any of his books. 

I guess this is technically supposed to be romance, but I find it to be a guide to abusive relationships in pretty packaging. Nothing gets me raging quite like a book trying to make abuse seem romantic (and apparently succeeding). More on that here. 

While there is some undeniable sexual imagery in Lord of the Flies, if you find yourself thinking of long walks on the beach or a candlelight dinner while reading this book, you might have bigger problems than being single on Valentine's Day. No really, you might want to talk to someone. Seriously, this is actually a pretty awesome book and a great choice if you're looking for a great read lacking romance!

You remember up there (^) when I mentioned the downright weird? This is it. I read Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom while looking for fictional books about Disney World. This book was just plain weird. In a good way for sure! But there are some definite anti-Valentine's sentiments inside. 

For fans of YA and horror, The Merciless is definitely the right choice. This book was thoroughly creepy and there's no mention of romance, unlike most YA books that have at least a little on the side. Definitely an awesome read for those avoiding romance today!

Finally! I have found an appropriate venue to talk about March Story! This manga was the first one I ever picked up and I was totally creeped out by the end of the first page. Not only is the story awesome but it's full of pretty (and sometimes disturbing) pictures! 

Finally, what is perhaps the ultimate anti-Valentine's Day book. I read this several years ago, before I met my husband. It's probably not supposed to be taken all that seriously, but it's definitely hilarious and brutally honest! I actually enjoyed this book, which is really kind of embarrassing...  

All joking aside, I have no problem with Cupid's day and if my husband was home today we'd be doing all that lovey-dovey crap too. As it is though, I think I'll stay in, read a scary book, and binge horror movies with some wine and chocolate!

So what are your Valentine's Day plans? 

Waiting on Wednesday #36: Daughter of Deep Silence by Carrie Ryan

Happy Wednesday, fellow book lovers! This week's "can't wait to read" is:

Daughter of Deep Silence
by Carrie Ryan Publication Date: June 2, 2015

A delicious tale of revenge and identity from Carrie Ryan, the bestselling author of The Forest of Hands and Teeth

In the wake of the deadly devastation of luxury yacht Persephone, just three souls remain to tell its story—and two of them are lying. Only Frances Mace, rescued from the ocean after torturous days adrift with her dying friend Libby, knows that the Persephone wasn’t sunk by a rogue wave as survivors Senator Wells and his son are claiming—it was attacked.

To ensure her safety from the obviously dangerous and very powerful Wells family, Libby’s father helps newly orphaned Frances assume Libby’s identity. Frances has spent years in hiding, transforming herself into Libby, and she can no longer allow the people who murdered her entire family and Libby to get away with it. After years of careful plotting, she’s ready to set her revenge plans into motion—even if it means taking down the boy she’d once been in love with: the senator’s son.

The game has just begun, and Frances is not only playing dirty, she's playing to win.

Well, I'm not normally a fan of mystery BUT I am a huge fan of Carrie Ryan! I loved The Forest of Hands and Teeth! The whole series, really. So i can't wait to get my hands on this new book! I hope it's as awesome as her others!

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"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Top Ten Tuesday #32: Things I Hate in Romance

Today's Topic: 

 Top Ten Things I Dislike When It
Comes To Romances In Books

10. Love triangles (rarely do they actually work)
9. Everyone being described as "perfect"
8. Women who are helpless without their man
7. Women who are total bitches to prove they aren't helpless without a man 
6. Unrealistic sex (you know what I'm talking about)
5. In YA, ridiculous issues that no teenager would ever have
4. Abusive relationships masquerading as romance
3. Characters deciding what's best for each other (ex. leaving without giving partner any say)
2. Unnecessary angst and drama (a little bit is okay, but come on)
1. INSTALOVE

Romance Novels That Got It Wrong

    

  

Romance Novels That Got It Right

    

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Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish -  a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers. Each week they post a new Top Ten list and everyone is welcome to join. Click here to get involved!

Book Review: The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd

Title: The Madman's Daughter
Author: Megan Shepherd
Publication Date: January 29, 2013
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Pages: 420
Add to Goodreads
Reviews for books 2 & 3

Sixteen-year-old Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself in London—working as a maid, attending church on Sundays, and trying not to think about the scandal that ruined her life. After all, no one ever proved the rumors about her father's gruesome experiments. But when she learns he is alive and continuing his work on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the accusations are true.

Accompanied by her father's handsome young assistant, Montgomery, and an enigmatic castaway, Edward—both of whom she is deeply drawn to—Juliet travels to the island, only to discover the depths of her father's madness: He has experimented on animals so that they resemble, speak, and behave as humans. And worse, one of the creatures has turned violent and is killing the island's inhabitants. Torn between horror and scientific curiosity, Juliet knows she must end her father's dangerous experiments and escape her jungle prison before it's too late. Yet as the island falls into chaos, she discovers the extent of her father's genius—and madness—in her own blood.

Inspired by H. G. Wells's classic The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Madman's Daughter is a dark and breathless Gothic thriller about the secrets we'll do anything to know and the truths we'll go to any lengths to protect. 

The Madman's Daughter sat on my TBR shelf for over a year, waiting to get a second glance. I had read the blurb before I put it there, of course, but I apparently didn't read it close enough. Recently, while looking for something new to read, I came across this book again and gave the description another read. And I saw the last paragraph. I was totally sold! The Island of Dr. Moreau was one of the books I was forced to read in high school (we watched the 1977 movie too!) and was totally enamored with. The idea of a mad scientist making these creatures on a secluded island just really caught my interest for some reason. So when I realized this book was based on that story, I absolutely had to read it as soon as possible!

This is a book that is definitely leaning towards gothic. There is nothing heartwarming here, so if you're looking for that special feeling and a happy ending, look elsewhere. I would have expected nothing less from a book based on Dr. Moreau. The story begins with Juliet working in a university hospital as a maid, fallen from her on-high status as a result of the scandal surrounding her mad scientist father who promptly abandoned his family when the warrant went out for his arrest. Assumed dead, he was never sought out by his daughter. But when she gets a hint that he might still be alive and then has a run in with her long-lost childhood friend, she sets off to find him again. What she finds is not what she had in mind, however.

The characters in this story, particularly Juliet, Montgomery, and Edward, were all very well portrayed. Juliet was not the kind of helpless heroine who gets on my nerves and Montgomery and Edward were mysterious enough in the beginning that it allowed for a great deal of revelation and growth throughout the book. I was able to identify with Juliet as she attempted to reconcile the conflicted feelings she had for Montgomery and Edward - the boy she'd idolized as a child and the mysterious castaway. Both had their redeeming qualities and I'm definitely interested to see where this particular love triangle goes in the rest of the series. Juliet's father was just what a mad scientist should be - totally mad. My heart broke for Juliet as she realized just how deep that madness went. The secondary characters in The Madman's Daughter - Alice, Balthazar, and Jaguar - were all very well developed as well.

The plot itself, while significantly different from The Island of Dr. Moreau, was intriguing. I loved finding things out along with Juliet as the story progressed. There were also several twists that I never saw coming! The search for the monster on the island was particularly good. Without giving too much away, there were some intense, unexpected facts that came to the surface near the end that were just awesome! The way Megan Shepherd built up the worlds of both London and the Island was also really well done. The gloom and hopelessness of London was tangible, as was the uncertainty and danger of the island.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Though I went back and forth on the rating (probably because I had to take some time to come to terms with the ending), I settled on four stars. I didn't realize until after I finished that each book in the series is based on a different classic - The Island of Dr. Moreau, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Frankenstein. I'm very excited to see where this goes in the next book once Juliet is back in London!

Weekly Recap: 2/1 - 2/7

My Super Exciting Life 

I don't have a whole lot to share this week. It was a flurry of homework, projects, and car inspections. I've been reading Cress this week and it's been so interesting! I can't wait to write my review and share it! Friday was especially interesting. I had plans to spend the weekend with a girlfriend at a beach condo and drove an hour each way to drop my dogs off with my parents. I went to class in the afternoon and packed my bags, heading to the beach around 5pm. Forty minutes into the drive I got a call telling me someone else had booked the condo! So I went back to my parents house to pick my dogs back up. And... I've spent the weekend buying groceries and throwing a tennis ball for my puppies to chase. Hopefully next weekend is better!

New Book Finds

This week was much slower than last week, but still really exciting! At the beginning of the week, my brother gave me Eclipse, which he found at a Goodwill store for $2. He's only two books away from gifting me the entire series!! Yay! On Monday I got my copy of Fairest in the mail. Can we just talk about how gorgeous the inside cover is?! Why aren't all of the Lunar Chronicles covers illustrated? Finally, Angelfall came after a ton of people insisted I read it on Top Ten Tuesday! 

In Case You Missed It

Monday book tour review of Fallen

I shared the YA dystopians I need to read for Top Ten Tuesday

I featured Rook for Waiting on Wednesday

On Thursday I posted about the Love for Books read-a-thon

I talked about multiple reads at once for Feature & Follow Friday

On Saturday I discussed my love of Audiobooks

This Week I Read

Upcoming Review

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I'm linking up to Stacking the Shelves and Sunday Post

Audiobooks are Amazing: The Best and Worst

Yesterday's Feature & Follow Friday topic was about reading multiple books at once. And, yes, as I said yesterday, I do this all the time. And I do this via audiobooks. Because they're awesome. Allow me to share my audiobook journey with you and give you my list of the absolute best and worst!

A few years back I needed a part-time job while going to school and, wanting something flexible where I could work for myself, I started doing laundry and odd jobs for a pretty awesome family. While I really actually loved it, it quickly started to get kind of monotonous, which is totally unacceptable when working for oneself! And so I got an audiobook copy of Partials. That's where it began and it's never ended.

Since that day I have had audiobooks almost constantly playing while I'm doing basically everything from brushing my teeth to making the bed to driving. While I will admit that I tend to zone out from time to time, for the most part it keeps my full attention and I love that I can basically double the books I read during any given time!

This is where the big, giant BUT comes in! Book narration is a skill and not everyone has it. I have definitely found that a narrator can really make or break a book. There have been books that I've listened to that I absolutely despised because the narrator was so annoying. Some of these I've even decided to give another chance. Because I don't want any of you to go through the pain of sifting through different narration skills, I'm going to give you my top and bottom five audiobook narrations (in no particular order).

Top 3

    

Bottom 3

      

So there you have it! My most and least favorite audiobook narrations. This isn't to say that I absolutely LOVED the books that were on my top list because the truth is I didn't (review for Mortal Danger is upcoming). I also did absolutely LOVE The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer even though I really didn't like the narration. Oh, and Clockwork Angel is the one I've decided to give a second chance - in hardback this time. I couldn't get into that one because I wanted to punch the narrator in the face...

The moral of the story is that you should definitely give audiobooks a try, especially if there's a book you want to read but are intimidated by. I never would have gotten to book six in The Wheel of Time series if it wasn't for audiobooks!

What about you? Do you listen to audiobooks? Or are you the kind of person who just can't stand them?!