Cruising Book List

Here it is folks, my super duper list of awesome books that are coming with me on my trip.  I don't know if I'll get them all read, but I'm sure gonna try.  I'm gonna divide them up into all of my favorite summer genre's this time.

Sci-Fi 

The Lives of Tao by Wesley Chu - My brand new, never heard of it, sounds really cool and I think it will be a fun one to read with Hubbin book.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams - My I know I love this book and it always delivers the right amount of humor and nostalgia so it can never be a bad day book.

Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis - My I've been wanting to read this forever seriously old school sci-fi book.

The Rowan by Anne McCaffrey - My I love how absolutely immersed in this world I can get so I can escape when I need to book.

The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi - My the premise of this book is so insanely crazy I hope it turns out as awesome as it sounds book

Federations by John Joseph Adams - My sci-fi short story collection that features one of my favorite aspects of epic space BUREAUCRACY book.

Double Helix: Infection by John Gregory Betancourt - My combing of sci-fi, Star Trek, medicine and oh yeah it's the beginning of a series book.

Mermaids

Sirena by Donna Jo Napoli - My I totally forgot I had this book, but how perfect is this for reading on the open sea book.

Prospero's Children by Jan Siegel - My random wow this cover is so cool this book will be either love or hate book.

Mermaids and Other Mysteries of the Deep by Paula Guran - My short stories about some of my favorite mythological beings and I was actually disciplined enough not to even start it until the cruise even though it's been on my shelf for weeks book.

Pirates

Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary Jacky Faber, Ship's Boy  by L.A. Meyer - My cheeky, cross-dressing wanna be sailor/pirate misadventure book.

Capt Hook by JV Hart - My I love Captain Hook so much and this proves there is more to him then the Disney villain (even though he is pretty awesome too) book.

Pirates! by Celia Rees - My girl pirates are super kick ass awesome book.

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi - My what got me obsessed with the ocean and big pretty boats book.

Fantasy

The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson - My hey there are cool pictures and a unique premise how cool is that book.

Pocket Apocalypse by Seanan McGuire - My I know I'm gonna love it 'cause I have adored every other book in this series book.

Spelled by Betsy Schow - My sarcastic fairy tale rewrite that sounds like it could be a good ride book.

The Gates of Sleep by Mercedes Lackey - My retelling of one of my favorite fairy tales as part of one of my favorite series book.

Castle in the Air by Diana Wynne Jones - My story taking place in the desert in case being in the open ocean is just too much water for me book.

Mystery

Three to Get Deadly by Janet Evanovich - My light hearted mystery that is always good to make my brain feel good book.

At Bertram's Hotel by Agatha Christie - My vacation mystery featuring one of my favorite authors always a classic book.

Misc.

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel - My recommended with great feeling by my baby sis book.

The Fall by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan - My I have to get this read to stay ahead of the TV show so I sound way cooler then everybody else when I watch it book.

The Straight Dope by Cecil Adams - My not have to think to hard, humorous, easy to pick up and put down book.

I also have a ton of books on my Kindle and Nook apps on my phone, but I don't really plan on bringing that to the pool or beach so I doubt I will get much of those read.  I am super excited to have time to sit by the pool and beach and just read my little brains out.  Happy Reading Everybody!

Middle Grade Not Just For The Kids

This last week of reading has been a tough one for me.  I have had weird days where I have no reading time, then insomniac nights where all I have is time.  Usually on my nights of insomnia I at least can read to my hearts content.  For some reason this week all of my books suck...even books I have read before and loved.  I'm really really not sure what the deal was, but I would get through a couple pages and then realized that I had not really comprehended what was on the page and would have to reread it again.  Eventually I gave up on my current books and randomly chose a Middle Grade book on my ereader that I have had on their for a while.  Lo and behold this was the answer to all of my problems.  I ripped through it, loved it mmore on that in a later post) and felt so much better.  I then promptley picked up my other books and amazingly I was able to concentrate and enjoy them again.  As I have the unfortunate tendancy to analyze everything, including my own reading habits, I looked back over my reading history and have found that every time I get stuck I tend to go to a Middle Grade book to get recentered.  Upon further probing...I'm still not 100% sure of the

reason it works so well, but I have a few theories.  I think one of the best things about Middle Grade books is that they tend to be more to the point and simple (in a good way) then some of the overly complicated adult books, or the angsty teen books.  Usually the problems the kids in these books face are a more realistic and direct issue that makes sense.  These books are usually able to provide pure magic, or love, or play, or fun or whatever it is a good Middle Grade author is trying to get across because they don't have to worry about all the extra stupid stuff the older crowd does.  This is not to say the stories are dumb, or that the plots or the kids in the books don't deal with life...it's just that if written well, their outlook is so much...it's more...argh...I don't know, it's just different.  I think another reason I enjoy Middle Grade books is that I had a great childhood.  I have some fabulous memories of growing up, and as much as I truley love my life now, sometimes it is nice to go back to those days and relive it through my books.  Ok meandering post that probably applies only to me over :-)  Hopefully I can get my reading groove back, but if not I have plenty more Middle Grade books to fill the gaps.  Happy Reading Everybody!

It's Just Like (Insert Name Of Currently Popular Book Here)

Sometimes I hate blurbs, and I almost always hate comparisons in blurbs, you know the ones that go, "If you liked the Hunger Games read this book (Even though the book is about a nursing home where they put on a bake sell to raise money for their hair salon every year, but hey they play Bingo at some point so that's a game so yeah)".  Seriously people not every book has to be compared to the Hunger Games, or Twilight or Harry Potter or Charlaine Harris!  This is most prevalent in YA, with publishers who I am sure are trying to capture some of the magic and big bucks that the popular titles bring in.  I understand that dollars are tight,

but when it is a misleading comparison, I think it just hurts the books credibility.  I know that the author's have very little say on what goes on the cover of their books, and I am sure many hate that their books are being compared or touted as the next (insert currently popular book here) which makes it even worse!  When it comes to genre books people seem to think that the only story set in these is the one that made it currently popular.  Every YA dystopia is now "just like the Hunger Games" when we all know that is just not true.  We have series like The Maze Runner which was in my opinion not only less well written then the Hunger Games, but other then being a dystopia and centering on teenagers (as YA is wont to do) it is completely different.  On the other end of the scale we have excellent books like The Giver (which is being made into a movie, I am partly totally excited and partly terrified they will ruin it!) which was written long before the Hunger Games and other then being a dystopia has very little in common with it.  Yet both of these books have been touted to be similar to the Hunger Games.  It was the same with vampires for a while, forget the original (and scary and disgusting and dangerous) Dracula, nope all vampires now have to be sexy  and brooding and in love with 17 year old girls.  Not every book that has magic in it is the same as Harry Potter (though to be fair those books were/are constantly being compared to The Lord of the Rings and Narnia, which again while all are fantasy are not the same type of story at all!  I guess I understand trying to draw in audience in because 

they read a certain type of book before, but there is so much more to most books then their genre and sometimes plastering another books name all over can be detrimental as well.  I personally did not enjoy the Twilight series very much, so when a book said "for fans of Twilight" all over it, it made me reluctant to pick it up, which potentially sucks 'cause I now know there are some great books (some not even about vampires) that have that blurb stuck all over it.  I understand I am being picky, that this is a marketing technique that obviously works, but still it annoys the crap out of me and makes me want to scream THERE ARE OTHER GOOD BOOKS BESIDES THE CURRENT POPULAR ONE OUT THERE!  But I don't, I try and get past the blurb and read the book on its own merit, loving it, mehing it, or hating it regardless of what the cover says.

What is one of your book pet peeves?  Is it overly picky book bloggers?  How much do the blurbs influence your book buying?