Review: GODDESS INTERRUPTED by Aimee Carter

Kate Winters has won immortality. But if she wants a life with Henry in the Underworld, she'll have to fight for it.

Becoming immortal wasn't supposed to be the easy part. Though Kate is about to be crowned Queen of the Underworld, she's as isolated as ever. And despite her growing love for Henry, ruler of the Underworld, he's becoming ever more distant and secretive. Then, in the midst of Kate's coronation, Henry is abducted by the only being powerful enough to kill him: the King of the Titans.

As the other gods prepare for a war that could end them all, it is up to Kate to save Henry from the depths of Tartarus. But in order to navigate the endless caverns of the Underworld, Kate must enlist the help of the one person who is the greatest threat to her future.

Henry's first wife, Persephone.

This book... Hmm. I had such hopes for this book. I've already reviewed the first book in the series, The Goddess Test, and at the end of my review, I listed a few things that I hoped to see in the sequel, mainly growth from Kate and Henry.

I mean, after all, Titans! Titans are cool. The explanation given by Carter is a bit confusing, but I didn't care. The king's name is Cronos, so he has to be pretty awesome.

Happy Three-Month Blogversary To US!!!

High-five to us!

Woohoo!

It has been officially three months to the day when I first opened Bookshelvers Anonymous introduced myself to you all. Three months! That's the accumulated lives of ninety to ninety-three houseflies (depending on whether said months are thirty- thirty-one-day months). That's the length of an entire summer break.

Talk to any kid and ask him or her how long a summer break is. A really long time!

Cover Love #1

If any of you have been paying attention, I usually post reviews Saturday or Sunday, another post Monday or Tuesday that's supposed to be for Wednesday but that I'm too impatient to wait for, a new Wishlist Wednesday meme on (obviously) Wednesday, and (when I'm feeling particularly inspired) a bonus post on Fridays.

However, I can't always rely on my inspiration to buoy the end of the week, and poor Thursday is often so neglected by blogs, so I have decided that it's high time I add a regular, bi-weekly Thursday post to my rotation. And if there's one thing that will supply me with endless points of discussion, it's pretty book covers.

I loooooove book covers! They're so pretty and new and enticing. There have been books that have sold me on their promised based on the cover alone. So while I may not be an art student or a graphic designer, I promise you that I will have plenty to say.

For this, my inaugural Thursday Cover Love post, I have chosen...

That Awkward Moment...

When your manager accidentally refers to the clearance cart as the "hell cart" within earshot of a customer.

Yes, the clearance cart is less than affectionately referred to as the hell cart. It's a sloppy, awful mess with merchandise at bottom-barrel prices. The cart sits outside the store to attract people inside, so we're constantly running out to drag it in when it starts to rain. People show clearance items even less respect than they do normal items, so things are frequently stolen, broken, or just generally screwed up. Oh, and the wheels usually don't work.

Therefore, hell cart.

It's one of those things you'd probably never hear about unless you work in a bookstore... or unless you happened to be that customer. My manager's look of shock was hilarious.

Consider this your special, behind-the-scenes look into bookshelver lingo.

You're welcome.

Do you have a funny work story to share? Is there something you'd like me to talk about in a later post regarding working at a bookstore?

Review: GODDESS TEST by Aimee Carter

It's always been just Kate and her mom—and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall.

Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld—and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.

Kate is sure he's crazy—until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess.

I picked up Goddess Test from my store because it sounded interesting, because I love (love!) mythology, and because the sequel just came out last month. I read it in less than twenty-four hours and ran out to get the sequel. And yet I'm conflicted about this book.

Three Month Anniversary Giveaway!

On January 28, I woke up and went about everyday life. But at some point during that day, I decided, "I want to start a blog." I'd been reading all these other blogs, and everyone had so many interesting things to say, but daggum, I had interesting things to say, too!

So I started Bookshelvers Anonymous. I didn't have a clue what I was doing, and I still don't, but I've done what I can to learn. I didn't know if anyone would ever read it, so I was free to ramble on about whatever pleased me. (And when I say anyone, I mean anyone. Even my parents don't know about this blog. It was a point of pride for me to do the techy stuff without my dad's help.) I rambled about books and reviews and Oscar videos and cute book covers and all sorts of things. And I've had so much fun doing it.

Now, you might say, what's the big deal? It's only three months. Ha! You idealistic people. I'm busy enough (and lazy enough) that I'm lucky if I can stick with something for three days, much less three months. Obviously, this doesn't apply to responsibilities like work, family, church, etc., but for the rest, I direct you to my 5th grade marble collection, my harmonica (used only twice), and any exercise plan I've ever started.

Therefore, in honor of my very surprising three month blogoversary and in gratitude to all of you, I've decided to host a giveaway. The winner will receive a $10 book from The Book Depository. Now, I did some research, and just look at what great books cost only ten bucks!

Wishlist Wednesday

Totally the property of Pen To Paper

Yes, I've hopped on the meme bandwagon. I didn't mean to, I swear! It just sort of... happened. See, Dani from Pen To Paper had this idea to host a meme where bloggers talk about a book that they're just dying to read. Seeing as my Goodreads to-read list is currently at 105, this particular meme seemed like a good fit for me. As it says, this is a Wednesday meme, but I'll only be doing it bi-weekly (not to be confused with semi-weekly) so as to avoid crowding when I start my bi-weekly Thursday meme (starting next week).

So what did I choose this week?

Are Classics A Lost Cause?

Are classics a lost cause? Were they ever viable off the life support of public school reading lists? What IS a classic, anyways?

Confession: Despite being a bookshelver and an English major, I despise most classics. Loathe, actually. To me, "classic" meant some boring, incomprehensible book that some hoity-toity professor with tenure decided was worth time boring us to death over. Usually, such a book involved some wacked-out analysis of feminism, incest, Freud, or class warfare. (Why no, I'm not bitter and disillusioned, why do you ask?)

However, I realized that such a definition would not serve for this discussion, so I did a little digging.

Like My Pretty, New Design?

Well, so do I!

Friends, I stand before you one of the most technologically unsavvy young people on the face of the Earth. I'm part of the Apple generation, a group of people who are used to one-click options. That's the nice thing about Blogger's offered backgrounds and such. I just click on the pretty picture of books and poof! Insta-background! Same for Twitter. One click for a picture, another click to change the color. Easy-peasy.

But I knew I couldn't stay with my one-click options, no sirree. It's not professional. I may be an amateur, but I don't want to look like one.

So I cannonballed into a Google search to try to find an easy way to spice up my blog.

Review: SCARLET by A.C. Gaughen

Many readers know the tale of Robin Hood, but they will be swept away by this new version full of action, secrets, and romance. Posing as one of Robin Hood’s thieves to avoid the wrath of the evil Thief Taker Lord Gisbourne, Scarlet has kept her identity secret from all of Nottinghamshire. Only the Hood and his band know the truth: the agile thief posing as a whip of a boy is actually a fearless young woman with a secret past. Helping the people of Nottingham outwit the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham could cost Scarlet her life as Gisbourne closes in. It’s only her fierce loyalty to Robin—whose quick smiles and sharp temper have the rare power to unsettle her—that keeps Scarlet going and makes this fight worth dying for.

Ooooh, I love me some Robin Hood! No matter how he's portrayed or who's portraying him, he's my guy. Errol Flynn, Cary Elwes, Jonas Armstrong, that cartoon fox, it's all good. Because of his mischievousness, dashing ways, and sense of adventure, Robin tends to steal the show in any adaptation of his story, relegating the other Merry Men to background players.

Not so in this story.

Hunger Games With My Peeps

So, I'm not going to do an in-depth review of the Hunger Games movie. By now, you all have heard all the opinions you'll ever need to hear. The movie's been out for weeks. Pretty much everyone who wants to see it has... some of them multiple times. (Guilty.)

But I have to tell you just a little bit, okay?

Introducing: The Agatha Christie Book Club

If there's one thing you all must accustom yourselves to on this site, it's me acting like a spazzy fangirl. Should Jane Austen herself rise from the dead and stroll into my living room, I would be the very model of politeness and decorum, but on here? Uh-uh. This is my turf, and there is a no-holds-barred policy on geeking out.

I thought it wise to make my patterns of behavior clear before I dive into this post, because of the many things I spazz out about (Patricia Polacco, Megan Whalen Turner, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Doctor Who, bubble wrap...), Dame Agatha Christie is front and center on that list.

Happy Easter!

To my readers, fellow bloggers, friends, and loved ones:

May you find your Easter baskets overflowing with candy and your homes with love.

May your table creak with the bounty of good food and company.

May your fingers be stained with egg dye and your cheeks with the flush of laughter.

May your dresses be twirly and your ties straight.

May your hearts and minds be filled with remembrance and reverence.

A quote that delights both my bookish nature and my reverent soul: 

IN the groined alcoves of an ancient tower
Amid a wealth of treasured tomes I found
A little book, in choicest vellum bound:
Therein a romance of such magic power
It held me rapt through many a trancëd hour;	5
And then, the threads of interest all unwound,
Abruptly closed. I searched that palace round,
And for its mate still earth’s preserves I scour.
Perchance that was the whole? Then purposeless
The pain of conflict, and the bitter doubt	10
But half resolved; love in a dire distress,
Deserted, baffled, with its joy left out.
Could life so end, half told; its school so fail?
Soul, soul, there is a sequel to thy tale! (credit: Robert Mowry Bell)

Happy Easter to one and all.

Love,

Shelver

Review: GRAVE MERCY by Robin LaFevers

Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.

Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?

Thwarted arranged marriages, female assassins, life-or-death stakes, a reeeeeeally awesome love interest, AND a killer dress-and-crossbow combo on the cover? Great heavens to Betsy, I'm in love.

Patricia Polacco Rocks My Socks

That high-pitched noise you hear is me squealing like a little girl with a new puppy. Why, you ask? THIS is why!

I apologize to anyone expecting something even remotely shelver-related today, because this is just me geeking (FREAKING!) out!

Patricia Polacco is the bomb-dot-com. Do people still say that? I don't know and don't care, because whatever people are saying right now, that's what this woman is. Her books are fantastic. Okay, you say say, why is she so fantastic?