I know it has been a while since I have posted any reviews. I miss it terribly, but I am in the middle of working on my own writing project that is really important to me and so while I am still reading a lot, I am not reviewing nearly as often. I will be back to it in a while, or at least post a few reviews here and there, but none like the quantity before until my own project is done.
As an aside, I received an ARC of The Templars by Dan Jones, so you KNOW I will be posting a review of that one closer to the publishing date 😏
Happy Reading!
Sarah
Thursday, July 27, 2017
Thursday, July 20, 2017
First Line Friday: Coach K Edition
Happy First Line Friday!
This week's line comes from:
"Sitting in the tower that had been built for him, Mike Krzyzewski had a spectacular view of his kingdom."
I took the line from the first chapter instead of the introduction, because the intro was about Dean Smith. And as a wish-I-were-a-Cameron Crazy, I could not abide that. I hugely respect Dean Smith as one of the greatest college basketball coaches of all time, but abhor his program and every player to come out of Carolina - except, of course, for Michael Jordan (sorry I'm not sorry LeBron, you'll never be The G.O.A.T.). I am a huge college basketball fan. I have loved Duke since I was 9 years old. Very specifically, I became a fan on March 28th, 1992. My cousin Jenny loved basketball and Duke at the time, so I loved whatever she did. This date is very specific because it was the first - and one of the greatest - Duke games I had ever seen. Even if you are not a sports fan, you might be vaguely aware of a play commonly referred to as The Shot, where Christian Laettner hit a highly improbable shot to reduce Kentucky to tears (something I always love because I might actually despise Kentucky MORE than Carolina, which is kind of insane to think about) and propel Duke into the Final Four, on their way to their second national title in two years. If you have never seen The Shot, please allow me the honor of showing you now:
While my cousin outgrew her attachment a year or so later, I never did. So, for the last 25 years of my life, I have been a Duke fan and March Madness is my most favorite time of year. I love Duke so much in fact, that had Eleanor been a boy, her name would have been Cameron David (Cameron for Cameron Indoor Stadium where Duke plays, and David for my grandpa). I only chose Cameron because my mom said Krzyzewski was not a nice first name for a baby to be saddled with. As a teacher, I knew logically she was right. I have watched students for YEARS struggle to spell their own names because their parents are ridiculous. But I digress.
This week's line comes from:
"Sitting in the tower that had been built for him, Mike Krzyzewski had a spectacular view of his kingdom."
I took the line from the first chapter instead of the introduction, because the intro was about Dean Smith. And as a wish-I-were-a-Cameron Crazy, I could not abide that. I hugely respect Dean Smith as one of the greatest college basketball coaches of all time, but abhor his program and every player to come out of Carolina - except, of course, for Michael Jordan (sorry I'm not sorry LeBron, you'll never be The G.O.A.T.). I am a huge college basketball fan. I have loved Duke since I was 9 years old. Very specifically, I became a fan on March 28th, 1992. My cousin Jenny loved basketball and Duke at the time, so I loved whatever she did. This date is very specific because it was the first - and one of the greatest - Duke games I had ever seen. Even if you are not a sports fan, you might be vaguely aware of a play commonly referred to as The Shot, where Christian Laettner hit a highly improbable shot to reduce Kentucky to tears (something I always love because I might actually despise Kentucky MORE than Carolina, which is kind of insane to think about) and propel Duke into the Final Four, on their way to their second national title in two years. If you have never seen The Shot, please allow me the honor of showing you now:
While my cousin outgrew her attachment a year or so later, I never did. So, for the last 25 years of my life, I have been a Duke fan and March Madness is my most favorite time of year. I love Duke so much in fact, that had Eleanor been a boy, her name would have been Cameron David (Cameron for Cameron Indoor Stadium where Duke plays, and David for my grandpa). I only chose Cameron because my mom said Krzyzewski was not a nice first name for a baby to be saddled with. As a teacher, I knew logically she was right. I have watched students for YEARS struggle to spell their own names because their parents are ridiculous. But I digress.
Let me know what you think of the line, and/or leave a line of your own. Then, visit my fellow First-Liners to see what they have this week.
Bree - Bibliophile Reviews
Rachel - Bookworm Mama
Heather - Encouraging Words from the Tea Queen
Beth - Faithfully Bookish
Katie - Fiction Aficionado
Lauraine - Lauraine's Notes
Andi - Radiant Light
Carrie - Reading is my SuperPower
Robin - Robin's Nest
Sydney - Singing Librarian
(Sydney is currently on hiatus but her previous FLF posts will still be available)
Kathleen - Kathleen Denly
Amanda - With a Joyful Noise
Jeanette - CJaneReads
Christina - Moments Dipped in Ink
Molly - Molly's Cafinated Reads
Anna - Romances of the Cross
If you want to join in on First Line Friday, let Carrie know!
Happy Reading!
Sarah
Tuesday, July 18, 2017
DEAL ALERT!!!
The Wars of the Roses by Dan Jones is on sale right now for $1.99. This is a MUST READ if you enjoy the time period.
![The Wars of the Roses: The Fall of the Plantagenets and the Rise of the Tudors by [Jones, Dan]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51iCdY8JCZL.jpg)
I found the deal via BookBub and it is on sale for Kindle, Nook, and a few other e-readers. Get your copy today!!
Thursday, July 13, 2017
First Line Friday - Templars Edition
Happy Friday!
This week's book is extra special because it is a book I have been dying to read for months - and it is not even being published until September. I am posting both covers because I am partial the UK one (white) over the US one (black and red).
Note: The first lines are taken from an advanced reader copy provided by NetGalley.
"The Templars were holy soldiers. Men of religion and men of the sword, pilgrims and warriors, paupers and bankers. Their uniforms were emblazoned with a red cross, symbolizing the blood Christ had shed for mankind and that they themselves were prepared to spill in the Lord's service."
Okay, I am about to fangirl pretty hard, and brag a little too. Be prepared.
It is no secret that Dan Jones is one of my most favorite authors, and definitely my favorite historian. He's intelligent and hilarious, which is almost always a winning combo. The last few weeks he has been doing various giveaways using Facebook Live on his page. He posts the giveaway and participants only needed to comment on the post to be in the mix to win, which he announces live on Fridays. Sadly, I had yet to win and was not very happy about that by last week, which involved a giveaway of an autographed ARC of The Templars. I had also been watching NetGalley for The Templars to be posted in that time. I requested it as soon as it was up but was very upset when I was declined. It was pretty traumatic - my profile even says that Jones is my fave.
Naturally I took my whiny self right on over to Dan's Facebook post about the Templars giveaway and lamented the fact that I had been declined by Viking on NetGalley, and thus deserved the autographed ARC.
That did not happen.
But that is okay, because guess what happened instead?
Dan Jones SENT ME A MESSAGE ON FACEBOOK saying that because I had been such a loyal supporter, he asked Viking to get me a galley! You can imagine my surprise and absolute giddiness that not only was Dan Jones TALKING TO ME, I was going to get my hands on a book that I thought I would be waiting on until September. I received an email from Viking on Monday with a link to download my copy, and am pleased to say it is exactly as great as I expected it to be and I am a very happy history nerd right now.
Now, you might be wondering why I would rather have a digital galley instead of a signed one, and the truth is I wouldn't. However, Jones will be doing a US tour to promote the book in the fall and you can bet I will be in St Louis to ugly-cry and tell him how much I adore him. It's going to be great. In the meantime I get to read a great book and think about which of the zillion Plantagenet questions I will ask him in the brief moment we will have to chat while he signs my book. For the record, I want him to sign my copy of The Plantagenets, because that is the book that introduced me to Eleanor of Aquitaine.
Let me know what you think of the line, and/or leave a line of your own. Then, visit my fellow First-Liners to see what they have this week.
Bree - Bibliophile Reviews
Rachel - Bookworm Mama
Heather - Encouraging Words from the Tea Queen
Beth - Faithfully Bookish
Katie - Fiction Aficionado
Lauraine - Lauraine's Notes
Andi - Radiant Light
Carrie - Reading is my SuperPower
Robin - Robin's Nest
Sydney - Singing Librarian
(Sydney is currently on hiatus but her previous FLF posts will still be available)
Kathleen - Kathleen Denly
Amanda - With a Joyful Noise
Jeanette - CJaneReads
Christina - Moments Dipped in Ink
Molly - Molly's Cafinated Reads
Anna - Romances of the Cross
If you want to join in on First Line Friday, let Carrie know!
Happy Reading!
Sarah
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