The November Book Pick is...

It's that time again! A new month means a new book, and since I was really busy last month I've decided to make an executive decision on our book this month. I hope that's okay with all of you! This book is one of my favorites. It's a little different, but a lot of fun to read. Best of all? It's the beginning of a trilogy, complete with novellas in between. You're welcome.

November's book is...

Click the picture for Goodreads!

I have a curse
I have a gift

I am a monster
I'm more than human

My touch is lethal
My touch is power

I am their weapon
I will fight back

Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war – and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

I'm hoping this book makes it onto your favorite list as well. If you haven't already read it, you're in for a fun ride! Keep a look out for the newsletter with the chapter breakdown to come later today.

Here are some handy buy links:

Amazon | Abe Books | Book Depository | B&N | Indiebound | Half.com

We'll start reading this book on November 3rd. Until then, happy reading!

Member of the Month - Tricia Recommends...

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Are you ready for Halloween? Even if you don't celebrate it, I still say that we should celebrate Fall! What's not to love about cozy sweaters, warm drinks, and fuzzy socks?

It's day two of our spotlight on Tricia who, in all her amazingness, has offered up some great reading recommendations for you! Don't forget to give some comment love to both this post and the previous one!

This is so hard....I'm going to deviate slightly, if that's alright. I'll give you a few favorite series and a few lone rangers :) And I'll leave out the Kate Daniels series since you all already read the first one and got a good feel for the awesomeness that is Kate Daniels!

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1) The Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning

This is a fantastic urban fantasy series. It centers around a girl, MacKayla Lane, who is a pretty typical twenty something year old with a pretty mellow care free life, until her sister is murdered abroad at school in Ireland. From there MacKayla encounters more than she ever thought possible in search for answers about what happened to her sister. I love MacKayla, and I love the way she ultimately adapts to the situation as the books progress. I also LOVE the way the Fae are depicted in these books. They are not anywhere close to what Disney has led us to believe with Tinkerbell. They are cruel, ruthless, and have no humanity whatsoever, they aren't human and they don't suffer from a human conscience or way of thinking. Some of them are quite frightening! This series has some of the most incredible world building that I've ever seen. It's massive and fantastic. The plot is so well thought out, you never quite know what is going to happen next. There are twists and turns at every corner and never is there a dull moment. There is some romance in these books, but it is a slow burning kind. You do have to wait awhile for things to romantically take off, but it's there all along in the background building, and the pay off is well worth the wait in my opinion. There are 5 books, and 1 graphic novel in this series, starting with Darkfever. The author is also branching out and has come out with a separate series from the same Fever World too, so far there is only one book out in that spinoff.

2) The Experiment in Terror series by Karina Halle

These are some amazing paranormal/horror books. I have to say that this series really gets better and better with each book. There are 9 full length novels along with numerous novellas in this series. The first of which is Darkhouse, which is currently free on Amazon. This series is about a girl named Perry Palomino, who can see spirits. Perry is your average young woman in a lot of ways, she's not the most beautiful woman alive, she has clear flaws and struggles with insecurity and other pretty common things (which I love about her), but damn does she do it with gusto. She is a complete smartass and kind of a nerd. She's unique, funny, brave and only gets better as she grows throughout the series. Once Perry accepts herself as she is, she is a force to be reckoned with. Sorry, I'm totally gushing right now. She ends up joining forces, inadvertently with Dex Foray (see above gushing in favorite male lead) who is trying to make a name for himself in the ghost hunting business. This series reads a lot like an episode of Ghost Hunters. They get into some seriously scary situations throughout the series, and become an unstoppable team. Some of these books literally gave me goosebumps and had me looking over my shoulder and hiding under the blankies like a child.

3) The Thoughtless Series by S.C. Stephens

This is a emotional romance series. There are 3 books total, starting with Thoughtless. Reading these was a gut wrenching, rollercoaster ride. I remember YELLING at my kindle throughout Thoughtless. I was so infuriated with the lead, Kiera. I really wanted to just shake her, or maybe drop kick her in the head. Funny thing was when I finished it and thought about it, I realized I wouldn't be so angry if I wasn't completely invested in this story. I couldn't put it down. And not to worry, ultimately I even ended up liking, or at least understanding Kiera better. This series also has one of the best male leads in it. I dare you to not completely fall for Kellan Kyle and all his tortured musician glory! This was one of the best realistic relationship stories I have read. Be forewarned though, those who can not stomach the reality of newly adult relationships, and subject material with cheating, this may not be the books for you. But if you think you want to try something a little raw and new, I don't think you will be disappointed.

4) The Stand by Stephen King

I'm sure you have all heard of this book, or at least the author so I won't break it all down for you. I first read this book (the uncut version) in my earlier years, somewhere around 13ish and I LOVED it, I've since read it again, multiple times. I could never tire of pretty much anything Stephen King. He was one of first favorite authors (aside from my very early childhood idols, Shel Silverstein, R.L. Stein, Dr. Seuss, etc) and still remains so today. I recommend pretty much any of his books, he is a literary genius. But in my opinion The Stand may have been his crowning jewel. This was maybe the most incredible world building I've ever read, and the characters are so multidimensional and real. It has one of the most epic showdowns and I love the look into good and evil, which side might you fall on? Everything about this book was great, if you haven't got around to reading it, you are missing out!

5) Defending Jacob by William Landay

I am throwing this one in because this book is completely different than anything mentioned above. A little diversity, if you will. This is I guess, a realistic fiction book. It is about Andy Barber, assistant district attorney in white collar suburbia, who finds himself in quite the predicament when there is a murder in his sleepy community, and signs start to point back towards his own 14 year old son. I think what I love most about this book, was the stark terrifying questions it made you think about your own life. How far are you willing to go for the people you hold dearest? What if your own child was guilty of a horrible crime, what would you do? It was awful even trying to think about these things for myself, which made Andy's story that much more riveting. I also love the nature vs. nurture element that comes into play! Are we all a product of the environment that we are brought up in, or are we predisposed to certain traits from the start thanks to genetics? It's funny how you hear so many people say things along the lines of "they must get it from their mom/dad" whether it be about their athleticism, smarts, or looks. So if they inherit these good traits, what about the bad ones too?? Maybe a temper, or violent tendencies? This book will make you think about so many interesting, controversial subjects, while at the same time telling a compelling and emotional story. Also this author was actually an assistant district attorney in real life, so his knowledge of court room proceedings and crimes and law enforcement procedures in general is very extensive and noticeably on point in this novel.

Phew. All done. Maybe I should have picked something along the lines of talkative, or long winded as my descriptive words lol. Thanks for indulging me.....hope you all found at least one thing that piqued your interest. Happy reading!

October Member of the Month!

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Sorry for the delay this month guys! Even the best moderators out there get a little flustered sometimes, and I may or may not have slacked off while I was on vacation :p. I hope you'll forgive me. It's a good time to get to know another one of our members though! 

Let's meet our October Member of the Month, Tricia!

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You know her as TBalla, and as one of the main contributors to our discussions over here!

I met Tricia when I wandered over to BookLikes! For those of you who haven't visited that site, it's amazing. There's a wonderful group of people over there who chit chat about books, support one another, and just have a great time. If you're looking for a place to meet fellow book lovers? That's the place to go!

Tricia was one of the first people to respond to my plea for new people to join the book club. I was pleased as punch to have her too. If you ever have a chance, you should check out her profile over there! She's an awesome reviewer and a fun person to follow!

I'll stop rambling now, and get to her interview. Check back tomorrow for her book recommendations as well!

*If you had to describe yourself in just one word, what would it be?

Jocular


*Okay now that you have us in suspense, elaborate! Why did you pick that specific word?

Haha funny story...so I was quizzing my youngin' for her Great American Spell Check spelling bee, and jocularity happened to be one of the words. Somehow I, along with my daughter, and my guy had never come across this word before! Naturally I needed to know what it meant at that point, so for you fellow confused people (if there are any, totally could be just me) the definition is..."Fond of or characterized by joking, humorous or playful. Sounds appropriate to me, besides someone already used sarcastic :(


*Inquiring minds want to know, why did you join Bookishly Delighted?
I had been searching for a book club for awhile now. I tried my library, and even did a local internet search, and just couldn't find anything. I ended up joining Booklikes some time later, and after following Jessica's reviews saw a post about her book club. I checked it out and of course thought it sounded great, so here I am!

*What's your favorite type of book to get lost in?

Oh my gosh, do I have to choose?? I love so many genres! I guess if the pressure was really on though maybe fantasy or paranormal. I love that with those genres, mostly because there really are no limitations to what can happen, only to the author's imagination.


*Do you have any other bookish hobbies besides participating in the book club? 

Well I absolutely love reading, I typically read around 2-3 books a week on average. Other than that no more bookish hobbies, but I did recently teach myself how to crochet, clearly I am really about 90 years old at heart. So a little less than a year ago my friend, and fellow reading enthusiast, started a book review blog and when she asked me to join I said of course! Feel free to check us out over at bookwormcoalition.wordpess.com


*Where might we find you reading?
Ummm pretty much anywhere I can! I ALWAYS have an ereader or physical book in my purse, that's why they make purses so big right?! I try to get in a little reading whenever I can, but I almost always read in bed at night.


*Who's your favorite male lead in a book? Your favorite female lead?

WHOA. 1 favorite each.....how did you people do this before me?! OK, I guess I would have to go with, for the female lead, Kate Daniels, whom you have meet recently in Magic Bites. I just love Kate! She's strong, inside and out, brave, smart, loyal and a total smartass. It may take her awhile to let people in, but once she does, she'll do anything for them and never turn her back on them. Never a dull moment with her.

As for my favorite male lead I think I'm going to go with Dex Foray from the Experiment in Terror series by Karina Hale. Oh sexy Dexy! He's fantastic! Dex is HILARIOUS, a total smartass, with a mouth worse than any sailor on the sea, he definitely suffers from what I like to call Peter Pan syndrome, he's a man who never wants to grow up (which I find mostly charming, I know, I'm a total weirdo) he's also brave, smart, and will fight to the death for those who he cares about.


*What are you reading right now?
I am currently reading, and loving, Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta. It's a fantasy book with a lot of heart. I'm about 60% in and things are really getting crazy now!


*Any final thoughts?
I really just want to say how much fun I have been having reading, and discussing, some pretty awesome books with you all! It's been great trying some new things that I probably would not have picked up on my own, and even better getting to talk about them with you gals! Thanks for having me!

Tricia's beagle, Charlie, would like to thank you for reading about his master!

Now, would someone please bring him some treats?

Discussion Post #1 - We Have Always Lived In The Castle

Hope that the first few days of October have been treating you right! I love this time of year, if for no other reason than the cheery atmosphere that it breeds :). Of course, there's also the completely opposite opportunity to get lost in something atmospheric for a different reason. Welcome to your first discussion post of the month!

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Discussion Questions:

* After re-reading the opening lines below, share your opinion. Did they succeed at drawing you in?

My name is Mary Katherine Blackwood. I am eighteen years old, and I live with my sister Constance. I have often thought that with any luck at all, I could have been born a werewolf, because the two middle fingers on both my hands are the same length, but I have had to be content with what I had. I dislike washing myself, and dogs, and noise. I like my sister Constance, and Richard Plantagenet, and Amanita phalloides, the death-cup mushroom. Everyone else in our family is dead.

* Merricat is what is known as an unreliable narrator. How much of what she says do you think is true? Do you trust her story?

* What do you think of Constance, Charles, and Uncle Julian? Do you think they are reliable narrators?

* Despite the townspeople who hate them, these characters are living a rather idyllic life so far. Does the opinion of the townspeople affect your outlook on these characters?

* Shirley Jackson's We Have Always Lived In The Castle was first published in 1962. This means it is termed a classic, and has the writing style to match. What's your opinion on the way this book is written? Are you enjoying it?

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My Thoughts:

So first off, I loved these opening lines. Obviously, since I made them a discussion question. They instantly show us what kind of person Merricat is, and that she might not always be the easiest narrator to follow. She's definitely an unreliable narrator. There's this aura of uncertainty, mystery, and a bit of insanity that seem to follow her around. I've noticed more than once that she takes pleasure in things that make other people squirm, and it makes me wonder how much of what she's telling us is true. 

In terms of the other characters, Constance seems a bit flighty to me. Like maybe she's not quite all there. She definitely loves Merricat though. Uncle Julian, because of his earlier internal injuries, is a little tough to stomach sometimes. The way he incessantly mutters about the event, repeating himself over and over, gets rough to follow. However he's also the only person who might actually be able to tell us the truth! If, that is, we can pull it out of the rambling. Charles? I'm not sure about yet. He seems to have ulterior motives for visiting and, although I don't know what they are yet, I don't forsee the being good.

I think the townspeople are an important part of this story, especially those from the rich families who actually take the time to visit with the Blackwoods. It's interesting how they shun the family now, as if they know there's something vile brewing beneath the surface despite the idyllic outside. I'm honestly intrigued! I'm wondering if it will be one of them who finds out the truth.

It's true that this writing took me a few pages to sink into, but I feel like it really builds the atmosphere around Merricat's story. It's dark, but funny at times, and full of this tension that tells me something big is coming. If it weren't for Uncle Julian, whom I am learning to deal with better, I think I'd have fallen in love long ago.