The Graveyard Book Graphic Novel: Volume 2

Goodreads Says:    The second volume of a glorious two-volume, four-color graphic novel adaptation of Neil Gaiman's #1 New York Times bestselling and Newbery and Carnegie Medal-winning novel The Graveyard Book, adapted by P. Craig Russell and illustrated by an extraordinary team of renowned artists.

Inventive, chilling, and filled with wonder, Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book reaches new heights in this stunning adaptation. Artists Kevin Nowlan, P. Craig Russell, Galen Showman, Scott Hampton, and David Lafuente lend their own signature styles to create an imaginatively diverse and yet cohesive interpretation of Neil Gaiman's luminous novel.

Volume Two includes chapter six to the end of the book.

My Thoughts:

-    I think more books should be adapted into graphic novels. This was so much fun! It is a great way to experience books in a new way.

-    I liked the first volume more than the 2nd, but I liked the first half of the original better as well.

-    I think I might enjoy the graphic novel more than the original. The artists did a great job illustrating the book.

-    The different illustrators worked out a lot better in this one. It was more consistent. 

-    I loved the illustrations! Great portrayal of everything! 

-    I love the bitter sweet ending to this tale. Bod has to grow up and live his own life, but I feel sad about everything he has to leave.

-    Even though I knew what was coming, it was still exciting to see/read some of the scenes. 

-    Wonderful adaptation! Every fan of The Graveyard Book should check these out!

First Volume:

(cover is linked)

North and South Read Along Sign Ups

My love and admiration for Richard Armitage is no secret! I LOVE watching North and South over and over and over and over and over and over and over again. It never gets old!

Well, I've never read the book, and my friends want to remedy that! We are hosting a North and South Read Along for January! Are you excited? I am! Will you be picturing Mr. Thornton as Richard Armitage? I will!

Schedule:

Chapters 1-18

Discussion Post January 10 on Jenni's Blog

Chapters 19-35

Discussion Post January 20 here

Chapters 36-the end

Discussion Post January 31 on Suey's Blog

Twitter chats will be announced on discussion  posts! We'll be using #NorthSouthRAL for chats, thoughts, quotes, and anything else!

We'll also be having a movie night after the read along. 

Details will be announced later!

We plan on kicking this off on January 1st! I'm really excited! I hope you'll join us! It will be lots of fun! I love read alongs! Please spread the word! The more the merrier! 

And if this doesn't make you love Richard Armitage, I don't know what will! 

The Raven Boys

Goodreads Synopsis:    “There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

My Thoughts:

-    Why did it take me so long to read this!? This was a hauntingly brilliant story!

-    I loved the characters! They were all so intriguing, and I just want to know more and more about each one, especially the boys.

-    I'm still a little confused with some things. I'm still digesting this.

-    It takes a little bit to get things rolling, but the story kept slowly building up to something great! The ending is awesome! Wow!

-    My mind was blown after Gansey and Blue visit the old church. 

-    I loved the friendship between Gansey, Ronan, Noah, and Adam. It is one of my favorite aspects of the book.

-    I can't wait to read The Dream Thieves!

Top Ten Tuesday: New-To-Me Authors

Hosted by The Broke and The Bookish

Top Ten Eleven New-To-Me Authors I Read in 2014

So many good books this year!

Julie Kagawa


Jamie Ford


Nathan Hale


Gene Luen Yang


Elizabeth Ross


Ransom Riggs


Rainbow Rowell


Pierce Brown


Kasie West


Sarah J. Maas


Marie Rutkoski

Author Extravaganza

 On Saturday the Orem Library had a big panel of authors. It was a signing only day.

Here is Brandon Sanderson, Brandon Mull, and Natalie Whipple.

Here is Ally Condie, Shannon Hale, Julianne Donaldson, and Sarah M. Eden.

 A couple years ago, back when Sanderson didn't have a line, I got Mistborn signed. Then I hopped over to the Shannon Hale line. Dean Hale was with her, and while Shannon was signing Goose Girl, Dean asked if he could sign my Mistborn. I said sure and handed it to him. He hesitated so Shannon grabbed it and said, "I'll sign it!" After Shannon signed, Dean signed. It was awesome!

I've been wanting Sanderson to sign my Goose Girl since then, and I finally got him to do it on Saturday.

It says, "This book is okay . . . but it needs more Mistborn!"

I love it! I should get more of our Utah Authors to sign each other's books.

The event was good! There were so many people there! It was good to see Orem get a huge crowd for something.

Fan Art Friday: The Raven Boys

Showcasing:

I've been needing to read this for a while, and I finally did it! 

I can't wait to read the rest of the series!

My favorite is the one of little Chainsaw. He is so cute!

Which is your favorite?

Pictures are linked to the source where I found them. These pictures were a little harder to find than usual. I thought there would be a lot, but there wasn't.

Amulet: Prince of the Elves

Follow up letter from this post:

Dear Provo Library,

Thank you so much for answering my plee by buying more copies of Amulet: Prince of the Elves. My family can finish the series, and we are ever so grateful!

Sincerely,

A Loyal Patron :)

Goodreads Says:    THE ENEMY GROWS STRONGER...

Emily survived the chaos of the Guardian Academy, but Max Griffin has stolen the Mother Stone. With it, the Elf King forges new Amulets that will give him the power to invade and destroy the nation of Windsor. Emily and her friends lead the soldiers of the Cielis Guard in a fight to stop him, but Max stands in their way. And when she seeks information from the Voice of her Amulet, she discovers that the Voice is much more sinister than she ever could have imagined. 

My Thoughts:

-    Since there was a big gap between reading the last book and this, I had forgotten a few things, but it came back. Sadly the momentum from all the excitement wore off.

-    The scenery and architecture are STUNNING! I LOVE the art in this book.

-    Not a lot happened to progress the story. I just have more questions.

-    I loved the pages and panels that didn't have dialogue. It was a feast for the eyes, and the story and emotions came across brilliantly.

-    There is a lot to wrap up still, and there is only one more volume left. I hope it ends well. I don't like loose ends. 

Previous Amulet Books

(covers are linked)

  

Paper Towns

Goodreads Says:    Who is the real Margo?

Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs into his life—dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge—he follows. After their all-nighter ends, and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues—and they're for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees the girl he thought he knew...

My Thoughts:

-    I was disappointed with this one. What was the point of this book?

-    The story started out good. I liked all the pranks Quentin and Margo were doing, but then I lost interest as the story went on.

-    There was a lot of heavy swearing and sex talk. I wouldn't feel comfortable with my teen reading this.

-    The ending was dumb! I don't get Margo at all. What a dramatic immature weirdo. She needs help.

-    I didn't understand Quentin's obsession with Margo. Why was he wasting so much time and energy on her?

Top Ten Tuesday: 2015 Books

Hosted by The Broke and The Bookish

Top Ten Books I'm Looking Forward to in 2015

I'm dying for some of these!

 
 
 
 


Throne of Glass #4 by Sarah J. Maas
Winter by Marissa Meyer

A lot of these have been making the TTT lists lately. Sorry for all the repeats, but I really want these books!

The Graveyard Book Graphic Novel: Volume 1

From Goodreads:    It Takes a Graveyard to Raise a Child.

Nobody Owens, known as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completelynormal if he didn't live in a graveyard, being raised by ghosts, with a guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor the dead.

There are adventures in the graveyard for a boy—an ancient Indigo Man, a gateway to the abandoned city of ghouls, the strange and terrible Sleer. But if Bod leaves the graveyard, he will be in danger from the man Jack—who has already killed Bod's family.

Each chapter in this adaptation by P. Craig Russell is illustrated by a different luminary from the comic book world, showcasing a variety of styles from a breadth of talent. Together, they bring Neil Gaiman's award-winning, nationally bestselling novel The Graveyard Book to new life in this gorgeously illustrated two-volume graphic novel adaptation.

Volume One contains Chapter One through the Interlude, while Volume Two includes Chapter Six to the end.

My Thoughts:

-    I love the illustrations! Brilliant! I loved seeing the variety of styles from the different artists.

-    On the flip side, I wish there had only been one or two illustrators for consistency. 

-    Galen Showman was my favorite artist. I liked his version of Silas the best.

-    This was a great adaptation of the book! It was wonderful to see the characters. I loved how they portrayed everything. I pictured Scarlett a little different, but other than that, everything was how I imagined. 

-    I highly recommend this to everyone who enjoyed The Graveyard Book! 

-    I can't wait to read the 2nd half!

The Graveyard Book:

(click on cover to see my thoughts)