Friday, May 27, 2011

The President's Vampire by Christopher Farnsworth

The President's Vampire
The President's Vampire is the second installment in a series from Christopher Farnsworth featuring Nathanial Cade, the vampire of the title, and his human partner Zach Barrows. This time the unlikely pair faces an outbreak that threatens the whole of humanity. Old enemies return and new ones pop up in unexpected places.

The President's Vampire is another intense cross between political thriller and horror story. Farnsworth's characters use science in ways that are almost too scary to contemplate making the threat in the book seem almost a realistic possibility.

It did take me several chapters to settle into the story but I experienced the same thing with Blood Oath and knew the main story would be worth taking the time to regain my bearings in this world. Changing time periods and locations allows Farnsworth to present information that would not otherwise be available to Zach and Cade but that will help fill in the big picture for the reader.

Although he still makes rookie mistakes, Zach is finally starting to really grow into his role as liaison between Cade and the President. Cade shows a bit more personality in this book as well.

The President's Vampire is another solid hit from Farnsworth. My only question is "When does the third book come out?"

I received an advance copy of The President's Vampire from both Goodreads and LibraryThing in exchange for providing my honest review.

Note: All opinions provided on this blog are my own. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Bookstore links are generally affiliate links and I do earn a small amount for each purchase. Other affiliate links will be noted in the post.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Tolstoy and the Purple Chair by Nina Sankovitch

Tolstoy and the Purple Chair: My Year of Magical ReadingThree years after the death of her sister, Nina Sankovich takes on the project of reading and reviewing a book a day for a year.  She felt the need to slow down from the hectic life she had been trying to life for herself and for her sister.  While she had specific goals for her project, Sankovitch found so much more in her connection with books and sharing them with others.

Having lost my own sister to complications of cancer when she was only 16, I was afraid Tolstoy and the Purple Chair would be difficult for me to read.  In some ways it was as it brought back the memories of emotions felt so strongly 14 years ago but at the same time Nina Sankovitch provided comfort by expressing so many of my own thoughts.  She gave voice to some of the questions and ideas that I could never find the words to convey.

Reading a book a day and then reviewing it for a year is a very ambitious project.  Although I am an avid reader, I would be unable to stick to that kind of schedule.  The list of books that she read is impressive but more compelling are the stories that the books bring out of Sankovitch and others she connects with on her reading journey.  The characters and places she visits in the books remind her of the universal qualities of human life - the joys, sorrows, fears, worries, kindness, and beauty.  Through books, she connects on a different level to family and friends and other book lovers she will never meet in person.  While she never stops grieving her sister's death and the life that her sister will never complete, she comes to a realization that she carries her sister with her as she moves forward with her own life.

Tolstoy and the Purple Chair is not a book to be rushed through but one to be savored.  Sankovich has chosen her words carefully and expresses her thoughts precisely.  She reads deeply, immersed in worlds not her own, but returns each day to share the ideals found in books with those around her.  Her family stories and her thoughts and emotions tied to those stories work very well with the actual discussion of the books she read.  It is only in combining the two elements (books & personal stories) that Tolstoy and the Purple Chair works on such an emotional level.  After all who would want to read a book comprised solely of books reviews?

I received an advance copy of Tolstoy and the Purple Chair from the Amazon Vine program in exchange for my honest review.

Note: All opinions provided on this blog are my own. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Bookstore links are generally affiliate links and I do earn a small amount for each purchase. Other affiliate links will be noted in the post.

Friday, May 20, 2011

Blood Oath by Christopher Farnsworth

Blood Oath
Blood Oath introduces Zach Barrows, young political hotshot, to Nathanial Cade, the vampire working for the United States Government. Zach is suddenly immersed in a world he never knew existed where the things of horror stories come to life. It is now his job to work with Cade, ensuring the safety of the United States while preventing its citizens from stumbling onto the truth.

Blood Oath combines elements of political thrillers (which I do not normally read) with elements of horror and fantasy. The result is a book that is completely compelling while defying description. Blood Oath is intense from the first page to the last, although the constantly shifting beginning chapters took a little while to settle into the main storyline.

Christopher Farnsworth does a great job at providing background information on the characters while keeping the present storyline moving along at a fast pace. The characters' histories have a direct tie in with the threat to the White House and how all the pieces eventually fall into place.

Farnsworth also uses politics and science to make this book scarily realistic. The conspiracy angle is intriguing and offers a lot of material for future books in the series.

Overall Blood Oath was a great first installment and this series is now on my 'must read' list.

I borrowed this book from my local library and there was no expectation of a review.

Note: All opinions provided on this blog are my own. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Bookstore links are generally affiliate links and I do earn a small amount for each purchase. Other affiliate links will be noted in the post.

Friday, May 6, 2011

Book Blogger Hop 5/6

Book Blogger Hop


Each weekend, Jennifer at Crazy-for-Books hosts the Book Blogger Hop.  It is a great way for book lovers and book bloggers to find new book blogs and get to know each other.  It has been quite a while since I've been hopping but I'm looking forward to checking out some new to me blogs and visiting some old friends!

This week's question is from Melissa at Miel et LaitWhich book blogger would you like to meet most in real life?

This is a tough one!  There are so many bloggers who I really admire and would love to meet.  I'm going to go with Jennifer from Reading With Tequila because I know I can count on her book recommendations.  If she liked it there is a good bet that I will like it too!

Thanks for hopping by!  I hope you will take a little time to look around and see what is happening here at Library Girl Reads.

Recent Reviews:

Can You Keep A Secret? by Sophie Kinsella
Mini Reviews of Side Jobs by Jim Butcher, The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen, and The Book of Tomorrow by Cecelia Ahern

Upcoming Reviews:

Blood Oath by Christopher Farnsworth
The President's Vampire by Christopher Farnsworth


Note: All opinions provided on this blog are my own. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Bookstore links are generally affiliate links and I do earn a small amount for each purchase. Other affiliate links will be noted in the post.

OTL: Mega #Swagbucks Friday

Search & Win


The first Friday of each month, I post about Swagbucks.  That is because every Friday means Mega Swagbucks for searching (but I don't want to overwhelm people with reminders every Friday)!  Haven't tried Swagbucks yet?  It is super easy - simply use the Swagbucks search engine to do your normal Internet searching and sometimes you will be rewarded with Swagbucks which can then be redeemed for some great prizes. My theory is that if I'm going to be searching the Internet anyway, I may as well get rewarded for doing it.

My favorite prize is the Amazon.com gift card.  I earned almost $200 in Amazon.com gift cards through Swagbucks last year.  There are also tons of other gift cards available plus you can redeem for various merchandise as well.

On Fridays, Swagbucks gives out more Mega Swagbucks (anything over 10) than usual which means you can earn your desired prizes even faster.  The most I've gotten from one search so far is 59 Swagbucks.  I'd love to hear if one of my readers finds a high value one today or any other day!

Swagbucks has added a lot of options for getting bucks on a daily basis even without searching.  There are Special Offers, Daily Polls, Surveys, Tasks, Swagbucks TV, and games to play.

With all of these great ways to earn Swagbucks and get gift cards or other items that you really want, what are you waiting for?!  Sign up and start searching :-)

Swagbucks links contained within this post are referral links and I will earn some Swagbucks if you sign up using those links.


Note: All opinions provided on this blog are my own. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Bookstore links are generally affiliate links and I do earn a small amount for each purchase. Other affiliate links will be noted in the post.