Comics I'm All About Right Now - March 2016 (Book Review)

So you know what a subscription service is, right? Also known as a sub service, pull list, etc. It's the list of books that your local shop keeper makes sure are set aside for you on a regular basis. My sub service is at Comics Etc on Main Street. They have one of the worst web sites in 2016 but keep an active Facebook Page and a Facebook group for those who are so inclined. The store itself is big and carries a wide selection of books, and geeky extras. They also keep a whole lot of trade paperbacks, which are my format of choice for most things. However, if you care about the condition of the books on the shelves, this is not the store for you. Everything is crammed together and needs to be culled like nobodies business. For straight readers though, not collectors, this means that lots of older books haven't been marked up as back issues.

Anyway,  I usually follow books in trade paper back (TPB) form, the collection of several single issue books, because I can't manage to stay on top of a story in 32 page bursts with 4 - 6 weeks in between. A down side of reading things in TPB, though, is that I have to wait an extended period of time for the collection to come out... and WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING IN SAGA RIGHT NOW!!?? I DON'T EVEN KNOW!!  ::breathe::

I have a few TPBs on my sub- service because I also can't manage to remember to keep track of when they are scheduled to come out... are there people who keep track of these things on their own? They are better geeks than I, letmejusttellya. I also recently added a butt- ton of titles to my sub- service to start following in single issue. There really is no rhyme nor reason. It's also interesting to me how I'm willing to pay for comics and trades but scoff at the retail price of "regular" books. I am an enigma. 

Three on a Theme: 3 YA series I'm in the middle of...

I'm almost livid with myself for how long it's taken me to get to these series and that I have not yet consumed them into my eyeballs in their entirety. I am trying to be responsible with my number - of- library- books-checked-out situation... I can't really talk about that without confirmation of your loyalty.

But anywhooo, this three on a theme is about three YA series that I have started, LOVED, and have yet to finish. It's possible that the last book or the resolutions will RUIN everything (::cough cough:: Hunger Games ::cough cough::) but the first books have been worth the trouble, so far.

Each of these series has rich, diverse characters, great stories, worthwhile plots. There's also some action or moral reckoning, which apparently are things I like to read about and keep me drawn to YA books like these.There are, obviously, moral reckoning situations in adult books as well, but isn't it less interesting when the character should just know better!? That's a whole different post, I guess.

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In all fairness to me, though, the end of this first series has not yet been published. I have already gushed my soul out about the first book in the Winner's Curse series.

Book Review- Red Rising by Pierce Brown

My goal is to read at least one book per month that is on "my already owned by never read" TBR shelf as part of two reading challenge I'm doing for 2016. I've considered trying to rearrange my book shelves like normal people to plan which books I'm going to read. It's daunting. PLUS! And this is key: I would have to separate books in a series! I'm not a monster!

Anywhoo... I've read three TBR books in January: a Kindle Book, a classic re-read, and Red Rising by Pierce Brown. Yes!! Red Rising has been on the shelf for quite some time. It was one of those Buy 2 get 1 free things at Barnes and Nobles which you know I'm a sucka for.

Goodreads Summary:

"...Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity's overlords struggle for power. He will be forced to compete for his life and the very future of civilization against the best and most brutal of Society's ruling class. There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies... even if it means he has to become one of them to do so." 

Here's the Review part, if you've made it past my rambling

Three on a Theme: 3 Series to Binge - Adult Edition

I haven't done a Three on a Theme in a while so I will just jump right in!

3 SERIES WORTH BINGE- READING 

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The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon - This series of books have been turned into a cable series with a hot guy who gets nekkid. Just to let you know, the book's sex scenes rely much more on the reader's imagination than the show seems to. I have watched several of the show's Youtube clips over and over and over and over for research purposes. It looks pretty good. I might break my "no watching" rule for this one, y'all.

 

I think that the first season of the show follows the first book of the series, which is pretty massive, let me tell you. The story is about Claire, a combat nurse in the 1940's who is transported back in time to 1743's, where guys are WAY hotter and she has to marry the first sexiest guy she sees. She also keeps running into men that look like and are related to the husband she left behind. Various awesome and terrible things happen to her as you can imagine as well as to the people who are quickly becoming her family. Because of her "I'm from the future" thing, she knows things and some of the story is focused on what she is going to do about that. Should she try to change the outcome of historical events? ::shrug:: I have completed the second book of this, to wit, 8 book series. There are also at least two books that are between the books, like Book 8.5, or whatever that madness is, as well as a confirmed 9th book in the works! The first two books were very interesting, especially given the setting (Scotland, France, Ireland, London) and there is a lot of action. There are, however, spots that drag a little and sometimes the level of historical detail requires me to go into brief dissociative episodes. This series is a COMMITMENT due to it's length as well as the books' lengths (around 800+ pages). I'm definitely interested in sticking with both Claires (from both time periods) but will probably do so gradually over time. I also might decide to abandon the books and watch the show (No, I CANNOT DO BOTH). Either way, I'll likely review a few more Youtube clips. For a friend.