Snowflakes and Spider Silk

February just vanished in a flash. I didn't get much reading done this month because midterms ramped up, but I'm hoping March will be better. If you want to join in the Bingo challenge at any time, you can find  the original card and instructions here . You can fill out one line to make a bingo, or try and fill out the whole card. This is mainly geared towards Science fiction and Fantasy, but you can use whatever genre you want! Here's my progress so far: 1. borrowed from a friend: Before They Were Hanged by Joe Abercrombie I borrowed this back in November, and I finally got around to reading it! I didn't like it quite as much as book 1; I think the novelty of the flawed characters and the dark humor wore off because in this book I wasn't laughing nearly as much. 2. Published in 2015: Firefight by Brandon Sanderson I really enjoyed this book, and I'm looking forward to Calamity, but there was a little something that was missing. I j...

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by  The Broke and the Bookish . This week's theme: Top 10 favorite heroines This theme is going to be so much fun! My favorite heroines are generally the ones who know what they want and do their best to make it happen. I get really annoyed with damsels in distress, but I do like characters who are flawed and not necessarily strong all the time. Here goes!   Celaena Sardothien, Throne of Glass series I honestly hated her in Throne of Glass, but then Crown of Midnight happened and by the end of Heir of Fire, I loved her! She's deeply flawed and does terrible things, but she also is remarkably selfless and will do anything to protect those she is loyal to.   Maddie and Julie, Code Name Verity These two women are amazing, and their friendship is the kind of friendship that's stronger than any other bond on earth. It's so beautiful! Kiss me Hardy! *cries*  Jasnah Kholin, Sto...

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by  The Broke and the Bookish . This week's theme: Top Ten Book-related problems I have This week's theme is so much fun! Warning: lots and lots of GIFs to come! 1. Staying up too late reading a good book 2. Deciding that finding out what happens next to Celaena and Rowan is more important than studying for that Fourier analysis midterm... THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING! 3. That moment when you can't function because your favorite character just died GRRM you're killing me. 4. Trying to explain things to your non-reader friends in terms of book references "And then she freaking pulls a Kelsier and I was dying...wait what do you mean you don't understand??" 5. Making strange expressions while you're reading a book in public and then getting asked if you're okay... 6. Getting really angry when people talk to you when you're finally at the good part of the book ...

 Title: A Darker Shade of Magic Author: V.E. Schwab Genre: Fantasy My rating: 5 of 5 stars Goodreads summary : From V.E. Schwab, the critically acclaimed author of Vicious, comes a new universe of daring adventure, thrilling power, and parallel Londons, beginning with A Darker Shade of Magic. Kell is one of the last Travelers—magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel universes—as such, he can choose where he lands. There’s Grey London, dirty and boring, without any magic, ruled by a mad King George. Then there’s Red London, where life and magic are revered, and the Maresh Dynasty presides over a flourishing empire. White London, ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne—a place where people fight to control magic, and the magic fights back, draining the city to its very bones. And once upon a time, there was Black London...but no one speaks of that now. Officially, Kell is the Red Traveler, personal ambassador and adopted Prince of Re...

Title:  Ready Player One Author:  Ernest Cline Genre: Science Fiction My rating: 4 of 5 stars Goodreads Summary: It's the year 2044, and the real world is an ugly place. Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes his grim surroundings by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia that lets you be anything you want to be, a place where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousand planets. And like most of humanity, Wade dreams of being the one to discover the ultimate lottery ticket that lies concealed within this virtual world. For somewhere inside this giant networked playground, OASIS creator James Halliday has hidden a series of fiendish puzzles that will yield massive fortune -- and remarkable power -- to whoever can unlock them. For years, millions have struggled fruitlessly to attain this prize, knowing only that Halliday's riddles are based in the pop culture he loved -- that of the late twentieth century. And ...

Title:  Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore Author:  Robin Sloan Genre: contemporary, mystery, humor, adult fiction My rating: 5 of 5 stars Goodreads Summary : The Great Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon away from life as a San Francisco web-design drone and into the aisles of Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. But after a few days on the job, Clay discovers that the store is more curious than either its name or its gnomic owner might suggest. The bookstore’s secrets extend far beyond its walls. I think my goodreads status update for this book says it all: a bookstore, mysterious eccentric characters, cons, San Francisco, and lots of humor. I don't want to tell you anything about this book because half the fun is uncovering all the layers and putting together the puzzle pieces, but how am I going to get you to read this book without a few teasers? So here we go! 1) What do computer coding algorithms and mysterious cults have in common? Apparently, Mr. Penumbr...

Title:  Legion Author:  Brandon Sanderson Genre: Science fiction, mystery, contemporary, novella My rating: 4 of 5 stars Goodreads Summary : Stephen Leeds, AKA 'Legion,' is a man whose unique mental condition allows him to generate a multitude of personae: hallucinatory entities with a wide variety of personal characteristics and a vast array of highly specialized skills. As the story begins, Leeds and his 'aspects' are drawn into the search for the missing Balubal Razon, inventor of a camera whose astonishing properties could alter our understanding of human history and change the very structure of society. I read this in one sitting - short and sweet! This book is very different from Sanderson's usual high fantasy, but I'm coming to see that Sanderson is a jack-of-all-trades and can spin an amazing story in any genre. Even if this is a novella, it has everything you'd expect from a Sanderson novel: eclectic characters, fascinating technolo...

Title:  Assassin's Apprentice Author:  Robin Hobb Genre: Epic fantasy My rating: 4 of 5 stars Goodreads summary : In a faraway land where members of the royal family are named for the virtues they embody, one young boy will become a walking enigma. Born on the wrong side of the sheets, Fitz, son of Chivalry Farseer, is a royal bastard, cast out into the world, friendless and lonely. Only his magical link with animals - the old art known as the Wit - gives him solace and companionship. But the Wit, if used too often, is a perilous magic, and one abhorred by the nobility. So when Fitz is finally adopted into the royal household, he must give up his old ways and embrace a new life of weaponry, scribing, courtly manners; and how to kill a man secretly, as he trains to become a royal assassin. My first Robin Hobb book was Fool's Assassin . I saw that it was book 1 in the "Fitz and the Fool" trilogy, and figured it was a good place to start. Oops. I didn...

Title:  The Many Lives of Ruby Iyer Author:  Laxmi Hariharan Genre: Dystopian, young adult My rating: 3 of 5 stars Goodreads Summary : A YA thriller, with strong dystopian undertones and a kickass protagonist, taking you on a white knuckle ride through a disintegrating Bombay City. A girl desperate to rescue her best friend. A cop willing to do anything to save the city he serves. A delusional doctor bent on annihilation. When Ruby Iyer's best friend is kidnapped by the despotic Dr Kamini Braganza, she will do anything to rescue him. Anything, including taking the help of the reticent Vikram Roy, a mysterious cop-turned-rogue on a mission to save Bombay. The city needs all the help it can get, and these two are the only thing standing between its total destruction by Dr Braganza's teen army. As Bombay falls apart around them, will Ruby be able to save her friend and the city? Will she finally discover her place in a city where she has never managed to fit in? And wh...