Feature – Leap Year 2016

Leap Year 2016

A special feature here on Gone With The Books to a rare event

From time to time I will post a special feature about a topic that is either very rare or, at least, not so common.
My first feature is about something that only happens every four years and what we call a leap year.

Stacking The Shelves #3

is hosted by Tynga´s Reviews and is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

Actually I had hoped, that I could put a fourth book in this week´s Stacking The Shelves post – but nope, no chance.

The Crow Girl by Erik Axl Sund

I have to admit, that I actually planned on reading this trilogy in one swoop – but after I finished the first book I had to put the other two aside for some time.

The Crow Girl*
Author Erik Axl Sund
Victoria Bergman Trilogy #1
Publisher Knopf Doubleday on June 14, 2016
Genre Thriller
Pages 784
Format Hardcover
Source Library
Goodreads

It begins in a Stockholm city park where the abused body of a young boy is discovered. Detective Superintendent Jeanette Kihlberg heads the investigation, battling an apathetic prosecutor and a bureaucratic police force unwilling to devote resources to solving the murder of an immigrant child. But with the discovery of the mutilated corpses of two more children, it becomes clear that a serial killer is at large.
Superintendent Kihlberg turns to therapist Sofia Zetterlund for her expertise in the psychopathology of those who kill, and the lives of the two women become quickly intertwined – professionally and personally. As they draw closer to each other and to the truth about the killings, what surfaces is the undeniable fact that these murders are only the most obvious evidence of an insidious evil woven deep into Swedish society.

Thoughts

There is something in the writing style of those two Scandinavian authors that gave me at some point the creeps.

Hide Out by Andreas Eschbach

It is kind of sad, that this is one book closer to the end of an obviously wonderful and very well written trilogy. But I enjoyed it anyways and will write about it.

Hide Out*
Author Andreas Eschbach
Out Trilogy #2
Publisher Arena on July 1, 2012
Genre Thriller
Pages 528
Format Hardcover
Source Library
Goodreads

Hundreds of thousands of people thinking in common mode, act, feel: that is the coherence, the biggest thread to mankind. Only the 17-year-old Christopher, once the most famous hacker of the world, dares to take up the fight with this gigantic power. When the group around visionary Jeremiah Jones, where Christopher has taken refuge, gets blown up, he and Jones´ daughter Serenity can escape at the last second.
But then Christopher notes to his horror, that he has to deal with a very special opponent – an enemy in his own head …

Thoughts

Andreas Eschbach is no man of loud tones. And he has a fantastic way to bring even the most technical stuff simple and easy to understand closer to the reader.

Waiting On Wednesday #1 - Burning Glass by Kathryn Purdie

is a weekly event hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine. This meme is a place that spotlights upcoming releases that we´re eagerly anticipating with pure joy.

This is another premier I am doing here at Gone With The Books. And I thought that no other book than Burning Glass by Kathryn Purdie (scheduled for release on March 1st 2016 by HarperCollins) would be perfect enough to share this premier with me.

Stacking The Shelves #2

is hosted by Tynga´s Reviews and is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

This time I got some real good book bargains. I have no idea how long I had to wait for the two Karen Marie Moning books - but it was way too long. 

Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren

At first sight I was not sure at all, if I would like this kind of novel. I don´t like to read a novel, no matter what genre, only because the entire world goes crazy about it.

Beautiful Bastard*
Author Christina Lauren
Beautiful Series #1
Publisher Gallery Books on February 12, 2013
Genre Love-Women-Erotica
Pages 320
Format Paperback
Source RC by German Publisher
Goodreads

An ambitious intern. A.perfectionist executive. And a whole lot of name calling.
Whip-smart, hardworking, and on her way to an MBA, Chloe Mills has only one problem: her boss, Bennett Ryan. He´s exacting, blunt, inconsiderate – and completely irresistible. A Beautiful Bastard.
Bennett has returned to Chicago from France to take a vital role in his family´s massive media business. He never expected that the assistant who´d been helping from abroad was the gorgeous, innocently provocative – completely infuriating – creature he now has to see every day. Despite the rumors, he´s never been one for a workplace hookup. But Chloe´s so tempting he´s willing to bend the rules – or outright smash them – if it means he can have her. All over the office. As their appetites for one another increase to a breaking point, Bennett and Chloe must decide exactly what they´re willing to lose in order to win each other.

Thoughts

This one finally made it into my shelf because I got asked if I could write a review about it. In order to do that, I need to read the book and so I asked the publisher for a reviewer´s copy and got one.

Reign Of Shadows by Sophie Jordan

I already know Sophie Jordan from her Firelight-trilogy and even though I don´t like that cover of Reign of Shadows that much (it´s not that it would be kitschy, no, but it´s just not my thing) I like the way she writes.

 

Reign Of Shadows
Author Sophie Jordan
Reign Of Shadows #1

Publisher Harper Teen on February 9, 2016

Genre Fantasy 

Pages 292

Format Hardcover
Source Purchased

Goodreads

Seventeen years ago, an eclipse cloaked the kingdom of Relhok in perpetual darkness, and in the chaos, an evil chancellor murdered the king and queen and seized their throne. Luna, the kingdom´s lost princess, has been locked away in a tower in the cursed Black Woods ever since. Luna´s survival depends entirely on the world believing she is dead.
But that doesn´t stop Luna from longing for a life beyond the stifling tower walls. When she meets Fowler, a mysterious archer who has braved the Black Woods in search of a land where the sun still shines, Luna is drawn to him despite the risk. When the tower is attacked, Luna and Fowler escape together. But this world of darkness is far more treacherous than Luna ever realized. Hideous, flesh-hungry creatures lurk behind every corner and each stranger they encounter has frightening ulterior motives. With every threat stacked against them, Luna and Fowler find solace in each other. But with secrets still unspoken between them, falling in love might be their most dangerous journey yet.

Thoughts

There is always something about the real world to find in her stories, she gives the reader enough space for its own fantasy and still leaves enough room for her own.

Stacking The Shelves #1

is hosted by Tynga´s Reviews and is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks! 

This is kind of a premier for me, because it is my very first Stacking The Shelves I am posting. Since December last year I was looking forward to this, and yesterday, the big moment was finally here: I could hold the new book by Sophie Jordan in my hands!

News – It ´ s Facebook time!

   Gone With The Books has own Facebook Page

No, it´s not an early Valentine´s Day kind of thing, though love and passion are great & powerful things, but that´s not what I am so excited about.

Rising Tides by Nora Roberts

This is one of the most beautiful series, Nora Roberts has ever written. No matter how long it has been since I´ve read those series the first time, it is always a pleasure to re-read it. And everytime I do so I find something new that catches my eye and get again touched by it.

Rising Tides
Author Nora Roberts
Chesapeake Bay Saga #2

Publisher Berkley on June 4, 2013

Genre Novel

Pages 368

Format Paperback
Source Purchased

Goodreads

Ethan Quinn is a waterman. He wasn´t born to the tradition but has embraced it. He´s a quiet man whose heart runs as deep as the waters he loves. And now, with his father gone, Ethan is determined to make the family boatbuilding business a success. But amidst his achievements lie the most important challenges of his life …
There´s a young boy who needs him and a woman and child he loves but never believed he could have. To shape his life around them, Ethan must face his own dark past – and accept not only who he is but what he hopes to become.

Thoughts

Nora Roberts writing style in this saga is a bit different from the style her books show today. I am not saying, that´s bad, but as a longtime Nora Roberts fan I can tell the tone today is slightly another.  

The Liar by Nora Roberts

Okay, Nora Roberts is usually not the kind of author who needs to bend real facts the law has, to create a plot. This time she did, to give her main figure a reason to do what she does and to have a plot that seems realistic.

The Liar
Author Nora Roberts
Publisher Berkley on April 14, 2015
Genre Novel
Pages 512
Format Hardcover
Source Purchased
Goodreads

Shelby Foxworth lost her husband. Then she lost her illusions… The man who took her from Tennessee to an exclusive Philadelphia suburb left her in crippling debt. He was an adulterer and a liar, and when Shelby tracks down his safe-deposit box, she finds multiple IDs. The man she loved, wasn´t just dead. He never really existed.
Shelby takes her three-year-old daughter and heads south to seek comfort in her hometown, where she meets someone new: Griff Lott, a successful contractor. But her husband had secrets she has yet to discover. Even in this small town, surrounded by loved ones, danger is closer than she knows – and threatens Griff, as well. And an attempted murder is only the beginning …

Thoughts

In the end it turns out to be the right move because The Liar is one great read and very entertaining.

Black Out by Andreas Eschbach

This is the first book I´ve ever read by the author. I was bored, wanted something to read and went to my library, where I found this first part of a Sci-Fi trilogy. It sounded very interesting, so I took it home.

Black Out*
Author Andreas Eschbach
Out Series #1
Publisher Arena on May 1, 2010
Genre Thriller
Pages 461
Format Hardcover
Goodreads

A World in which no one is alone. A 17-year-old, who has unique skills. And a hunt, that will stay unprecedented. Christopher is on the run. Together with the peers Serenity he is on the road in the desert of Nevada. Somewhere out there must live Serenity´s father, the visionary Jeremiah Jones, who has forsworn all technique, after he had seen which danger the worldwide connection could bring.
But an elopement from the technique – is that today even possible? Serenity soon senses, on what and especially to whom she got involved with. ´Cause the inscrutable Christopher is not just somebody. Christopher has once done the most famous hack in history. And now he is in the possessing of a secret, that couldn´t be any more dramatic: The days of humankind, as we know her, are numbered.
What if, the knowledge and the thoughts of an individual are now available for an entire group? Wouldn´t then freedom and unity rule on earth? Would the human being finally no more be so horrendous alone? Or could thereby a power arise that would become the world´s biggest thread? 

Thoughts

Usually I am not that much of a fan when it comes to Sci-Fi books. Don´t actually know why that is in particular but I guess it got something to do with the fact that I am no tech girl.

The Melody Lingers On by Mary Higgins Clark

For every Mary Higgins Clark fan I have to put a warning out: this thriller isn´t at all like the thrillers we are used to read from her.

The Melody Lingers On*
Author Mary Higgins Clark
Publisher Simon & Schuster on June 23, 2015
Genre Thriller
Pages 272
Format Hardcover
Source German Publisher
Goodreads

As the sole assistant to a famous upscale interior designer, Lane Harmon, mother to five-year-old Katie, is accustomed to visiting opulent homes around the tri-state area. A born optimist, Lane finds the glimpse into these gilded worlds fascinating, and loves the reward of exceeding the expectations of their often-demanding owners. When she is called to assist in redecorating a modest townhouse in Bergen County, she knows the job is unusual. Then she learns the home belongs to the wife of a notorious and disgraced financier named Parker Bennett.
Parker Bennett has been missing for two years. He dropped out of sight just before it was discovered that the $5 billion dollars in the fund he had been managing had vanished. Bennett had gone out on his sailboat in the Caribbean. Was it suicide or had he staged his disappearance? The scandal around his name has not died down. His clients and the federal government all want to trace the money and find Bennett if he is still alive.
Lane is surprised to find herself moved by Mr. Bennett´s calm dignity and apparently sincere belief in her husband´s innocence. Gradually, Lane finds herself drawn to Eric, the Bennett´s son, who is similarly determined to prove that his father is not guilty. Lane doesn´t know that the closed she gets to the Bennetts, the more she puts her life – and her daughter´s life – in jeopardy.

Thoughts

There is no psychological finesse, no brilliant writing style and for sure no great characters. I don´t know if it´s only me, if I am grown out of her way of writing, or whatever. 

This Girl by Colleen Hoover

This Girl is the third and last part of Colleen Hoovers Slammed trilogy. Sometimes it pays off that you don´t read a book during its hype. 

After I´ve heard so many good things about this trilogy, got so many times asked why I hadn´t read it.

This Girl
Author Colleen Hoover
Slammed Trilogy #3
Publisher Atria Books on August 13, 2013
Genre Novel
Pages 320
Format Paperback
Goodreads

Layken and Will´s love has managed to withstand the toughest of circumstances and the young loves, now married, are beginning to feel safe and secure in their union. As much as Layken relishes their new life together, she finds herself wanting to know everything there is to know about her husband, even though Will makes it clear he prefers to keep the painful memories of the past where they belong. Still, he can´t resist his wife´s pleas and so he begins to untangle his side of the story, revealing for the first time his most intimate feelings and thoughts, retelling both the good and bad moments, and sharing a few shocking confessions of his own from the time when they first met.

Thoughts

After I´ve heard so many good things about this trilogy, got so many times asked why I hadn´t read it I kind of felt awkward and went to the library to see if they had it. 

The Marble Collector by Cecelia Ahern

I will never be a huge fan of Cecelia Ahern although I liked her novel P.S. I love you a lot. But this new book simply wasn't for me.

The Marble Collector
Author Cecelia Ahern
Publisher Harper Collins on November 5, 2015
Genre Novel
Pages 304
Format Hardcover
Source Received from German Publisher
Goodreads

When Sabrina Boggs stumbles upon a mysterious collection of her father´s possessions, she discovers a truth were she never knew there was a lie. The familiar man she grew up with is suddenly a stranger to her. An unexpected break in her monotonous daily routine leaves her just one day to unlock the secrets of the man she thought she knew. A day that unearths memories, stories and people she never knew existed. A day that changes her and those around her forever.

Thoughts

I don´t know for sure what it was, that kept me from getting really haunted by this novel. The lack of drive, the many things that I wasn´t really interested in or something else.

The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins

The book was praised by one critic, that Paula Hawkins uses an “unpretentious and clear language” and that she further gives a “precise observation” and there is also mentioned that The Girl on the Train is an “elaborated thriller” – that says at least Michal Streck from the magazine stern.

The Girl on the Train

Author Paula Hawkins
Publisher Riverhead Books on January 13, 2015
Genre Thriller
Pages 336
Format Hardcover
Goodreads

Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning and night. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. She´s even started to feel like she knows them. Jess and Jason, she calls them. Their life – as she sees it – is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost. And then she sees something shocking. It´s only a minute until the train moves on, but it´s enough. Now everything´s changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel goes to the police. But is she really as unreliable as they say? Soon she is deeply entangled not only in the investigation but in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good?

Thoughts

I agree with the clear language, yes, and in some ways, I agree that the author could bring a bit of finesse to the story, but I don´t agree with the rest.

Talon by Julie Kagawa

This book is the first one that I´ve ever read by Julie Kagawa. When I saw the cover of the German edition, I was hooked right away – and hadn´t even read a single line about the content of the novel.

Talon*
Author Julia Kagawa
The Talon Saga #1
Publisher Harlequin Teen on November 1, 2014
Genre Young People 13+
Pages 464
Format Hardcover
Source German Publisher
Goodreads

Long ago, dragons were hunted to near extinction by the Order of St. George, a legendary society of dragon slayers. Hiding in human form and growing their numbers in secret, the dragons of Talon have become strong and cunning, and they're positioned to take over the world with humans none the wiser. Ember and Dante Hill are the only sister and brother known to dragon kind. Trained to infiltrate society, Ember wants to live the teen experience and enjoy a summer of freedom before taking her destined place in Talon. But destiny is a matter of perspective, and a rogue dragon will soon challenge everything Ember has been taught. As Ember struggles to accept her future, she and her brother are hunted by the Order of St. George. Soldier Garret Xavier Sebastian has a mission to seek and destroy all dragons, and Talon's newest recruits in particular. But he cannot kill unless he is certain he has found his prey—and nothing is certain about Ember Hill. Faced with Ember's bravery, confidence and all-too-human desires, Garret begins to question everything that the Order has ingrained in him—and what he might be willing to give up to find the truth about dragons.

Thoughts

Usually, I am not a fan of green, especially not of the bright green that was used for the cover, but in this case, combined with the yellow, orange and blue, it looks great.

That Night by Chevy Stevens

Chevy Stevens has a great way to let the reader participate not only in their search for the real evil here, but also how they manage to pull their life together again.

That Night*
Author Chevy Stevens
Publisher St. Martin´s Press on June 17, 2014
Genre Thriller
Pages 462
Format Paperback
Source RC by German Publisher
Goodreads

They said she was a murderer. They said she killed her sister. But they lied. As a teenager, Toni Murphy had a life full of typical adolescent complications: a boyfriend she adored, a younger sister she couldn´t relate to, a strained relationship with her parents, and classmates who seemed hell-bent on making her life miserable. Things weren´t easy, but Toni could never have predicted how horrific they would become until her younger sister was brutally murdered one summer night. Toni and her boyfriend, Ryan, were convicted of the murder and sent to prison. Now thirty-four, Toni is out on parole and back in her hometown, struggling to adjust to a new life on the outside. Prison changed her, hardened her, and she´s doing everything in her power to avoid violating her parole and going back. This means having absolutely no contact with Ryan, avoiding fellow parolees looking to pick fights, and steering clear of trouble in all its forms. But nothing is making that easy – not Ryan, who is convinced he can figure out the truth; not her mother, who doubts Toni´s innocence; and certainly not the group of women who made Toni´s life hell in high school and may have darker secrets than anyone realizes. No matter how hard she tries, ignoring her old life to start a new one is impossible. Before Toni can truly move on, she must risk everything to find out what really happened that night. But the truth might be the most terrifying thing of all.

Thoughts

Her tone is steady but very haunting and she shows the small town life to its fullest. 

Point Of Retreat by Colleen Hoover

Point of Retreat is a wonderful novel, with great characters and a very emotional story. Almost a year has passed by since the cancer death of Layken´s mother Julia and since she and Will became a couple.

Point of Retreat
Author Colleen Hoover
Slammed Series #2
Publisher Atria Books on September 18, 2012
Genre Novel
Pages 320
Format Paperback
Goodreads

Layken and Will have proved their love can get them through anything; until someone from Will´s past re-emerges, leaving Layken questioning the very foundation on which their relationship was built. Will is forced to face the ultimate challenge … how to prove his love for a girl who refuses to stop `carving pumpkins.`

Thoughts

It is January and Will writes his thoughts and feelings into a diary. Nothing he thought he´d ever do, but now it seems the only way for him, to deal with certain things.

Seeker by Arwen Elys Dayton

At first you´ll think this novels plays somewhere in the Middle Age. The story is set in a village; they train with ancient weapons like swords, knives and whips.

Seeker*
Author Arwen Elys Dayton
Seeker #1
Publisher Delacorte Press on February 10, 2015
Genre Young Adult
Pages 448
Format Hardcover
Source Library
Goodreads

The night Quin Kincaid takes her Oath; she will become what she has trained to be her entire life. She will become a Seeker. This is her legacy, and it is an honor. As a Seeker, Quin will fight beside her two closest companions, Shinobu and John, to protect the weak and the wronged. Together they will stand for light in a shadowy world. And she'll be with the boy she loves--who's also her best friend. But the night Quin takes her Oath, everything changes. Being a Seeker is not what she thought. Her family is not what she thought. Even the boy she loves is not who she thought. And now it's too late to walk away.

Thoughts

No electrical power, no Smartphones or other technical progress. But that´s only half the truth; Arwen Elys Dayton lets her story play in a world that could be easily the present of the world we know, but in another world.