Happy Tuesday! It’s time again for another edition of Teaser Tuesdays…

Here are the rules:

• Grab your current read
• Let the book fall open to a random page
• Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• You also need to share the title of the book where you get your teaser from…that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given
• Please avoid spoilers

This week’s teaser:

“As the chariots lined up, more shiny-eyed pigeons gathered in the woods. They were screeching so loudly the campers in the stands were starting to take notice, glancing nervously at the trees, which shivered under the weight of the birds.” pg. 79 The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

Last year I read the first book in the series, The Lighting Thief, and enjoyed it very much. In fact, it made my 9 books I’m glad I read in 2009 list. For the longest, I’ve been meaning to pick up the second book and continue Percy’s adventure. Now just seemed like the perfect time.

A bit of fantasy to help me escape from the trappings of impending responsibility and I have a soft spot for Greco-Roman mythology. So far this book isn’t disappointing, but I’m still in the early portions of the book.

On an almost random tangent, I just learned that a new movie based on The Lightning Thief is due out in theatres and I can’t wait to see it.

I read a lot of reviews. They’re how I decide whether I’ll take a shot on something (in the event that the synopsis doesn’t completely grab me and shake me and say you must read me NOW in a really crazy voice).

I’ve read so many reviews that I know what makes a review helpful to me:

• Overview of the story (beyond the back cover blurb, which can sometimes be deceiving)
• Overview of the writing style
• Overview of the plot and character development

And I know what doesn’t make a review helpful to me:

• Blanket statements, such as I LURVE IT!! or I HATEZ IT!!!1, with no supporting explanations
• Spoilers with no warning*. EPICFAIL.

Yes, I indeed know what’s useful and less so for me, but I’d like to see this subject from different angles. I ask, what makes a review a good, helpful review? What’s important to you in a review?

(* As a supplementary question, what constitutes a spoiler of the EPICFAIL variety?)

By the way, if you feel compelled to include examples of reviews you’ve loved, I will not stop you. In fact, I will likely thank you and offer you cupcakes.

I wanted to start the new year off with something great at Today, I Read… and then I got some wonderful news from Sheila—she’s allowing me to give away an autographed copy of Wish by Alexandra Bullen.

Here’s a rundown of the story:

For broken-hearted Olivia Larsen, nothing can change the fact that her twin sister, Violet, is gone… until a mysterious, beautiful gown arrives on her doorstep. The dress doesn’t just look magical; it is magical. It has the power to grant her one wish, and the only thing Olivia wants is her sister back.

With Violet again by her side, both girls get a second chance at life. And as the sisters soon discover, they have two more dresses-and two more wishes left. But magic can’t solve everything, and Olivia is forced to confront her ghosts to learn how to laugh, love, and live again.

In a breathtaking debut from Alexandra Bullen, WISH asks the question: If you could have anything, what would you wish for?

Since my Hush, Hush giveaway was such a success (and a ton of fun to boot), I decided to keep the format. Basically, to enter the giveaway, you must help write a story…this time around, a fairytale.

In this post will be a sentence which will serve as the beginning of our story. The first person to comment must copy the first sentence and add another sentence to the story, the person after that must copy the previous commenter’s sentence and add another sentence, and so forth.

I know, I know…the torture! the agony! the inhumanity!! You’re probably naming all the ways you aren’t creative, but I beg to differ (don’t you remember that awesome finger painting you did when you were six that could rival a genuine Van Gogh?) and plus, wouldn’t it all be worth it if you win a copy of Wish?!?

So without further ado…

Here’s the first sentence: Continue reading »

As I look back at the books I read in 2009, I’m lost in a swirl of emotions—mostly good, but some less so. There were many books I loved, but only a few made the top of my “books I’m glad I read” list. (I tried to narrow it down to five, but it just wasn’t working for me.)

Revisiting Childhood

• Island of the Blue Dolphin by Scott O’Dell: This was a book I read as a child and has great sentimental value to me. Reading it again was like traveling back in time.
• The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle: The movie was something I loved and learning that there was a book left me breathless. I only wish I could have continued the journey. (review)
• Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes: All I will say about this is I cried again.
• The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis: Ah, the memories. This book was the inspiration for my magical closet under the stairs which would transport me to my own little world.

Books I Should Have Read Sooner, But Didn’t

• Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen: It’s amazing how much presumption can cloud one’s judgment. This book made me want to fall in love. (book notes)
• Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte: Where to begin? This book was a wild ride. Especially when you consider that everyone was bat**** crazy. Corrupted love spanning generations…what could be better? (teaser, sunday sketch)
• The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan: This book was pure unadulterated fun to read. Somehow everything just clicked—the emotions, the adventure, the humor.

Books That Stayed With Me

• The Man Who Loved Books Too Much by Allison Hoover Bartlett: The lengths to which someone would go for love of a good book. Read more like a novelized memoir of Hoover discovering the world of book antiquities rather than the memoir of a man who loved books too much.
• The Miles Between by Mary Pearson: A book must connect with me on a deep level to draw tears. This book did just that…and it made me cackle in the same breath. A sweet fairytale that deals with a tough subject. (sunday sketch)

There’s still quite a few books that I’ve yet to review, but would like to. That will probably take up most of the early weeks. And although I’m a little sad to see 2009 go, I look forward to discovering some wonderful titles in 2010.

Recent Arrivals chronicles the books that have made their way onto the Today, I Read… bookshelf. Here’s the latest arrival: The Autobiography of an Execution by David R. Dow

First line: If you knew at precisely what time on exactly what day you [...]

Initial thoughts:

I have mixed feelings about this book.

When it comes to the legal system, I have quite an interest. When it comes to capital punishment, I tend to lean toward the "don’t do it" camp…then I hear about some grisly and heinous act and I think "maybe just this once."

The other reason I have reservations about this book is because I tend to be rather empathetic while reading. The mere thought of getting up close and personal with someone sitting on Death Row waiting for the minutes to shuffle by so that someone can declare him dead just made my head spin.

But (isn’t there always a but?) I’m intrigued. What actually goes on? How many lives are affected? Think about the butterfly effect…

I’ve already read the first few pages and I have two thoughts: 1) the writing style will take some getting used to; and 2) this isn’t going to be light reading.

Book description:

As a lawyer, David R. Dow has represented over 100 death row cases. Many of his clients have died. Most were guilty. Some might have been innocent. The Autobiography of an Execution is his deeply personal story about justice, death penalty, and a lawyer’s life.

It is a chronicle of a life lived at paradoxical extremes: Witnessing executions and then coming home to the loving embrace of his wife and young son, who inquire about his day. Waging moral battles on behalf of people who have committed abhorrent crimes. Fighting for life in America’s death penalty capital, within a criminal justice system full of indifferent and ineffectual judges. Racing against time on behalf of clients who have no more time.

Book Details: 288 pages; Twelve; Pub. February 3, 2010

Learn more:

• official website