This blogging style was shamelessly stolen from an homage to K. Marie Criddle. (If you have not yet visited the awesome that is her blog, you should really do so ASAP.)

I’m making my way through Sister Light, Sister Dark by Jane Yolen and will do another update when finished. Now I plan to stretch my legs a little and see how everyone else is doing.

This week has been a crazy one, which is why the 24 hour read-a-thon almost passed me by. *sigh* But, I discovered my mistake just in time to sign up and get a book pool together.

I went on a minor book binge yesterday (the above was the result, except Puppet Master) and I figured it would be fitting to include them as potential read-a-thon reads.

Then there are the books which I have started but have not yet finished for one reason or another; I believe it’s about time I did so.

There you have it. This time around, I decided to keep the book pool relatively small so I don’t become befuddled by all the choices. Now, I’m going to read through the previous 24 hr read-a-thon update posts to see if I can garner some tips.

And tonight I plan to turn in early so I can wake up bright and early and warm up. (*squee* I’m starting to get all excited!)

Recent Arrivals chronicles the books that have made their way onto the Today, I Read… bookshelf. Here’s the latest arrival: Puppet Master by Joanne Owen

First line: Standing alone on Prague’s Old Town Square, a small dark-haired girl with eyes like emeralds and five freckles sprinkled on her nose dances from one foot to the other to keep warm.

Initial thoughts: I don’t remember at which blog I read the initial review (my sincerest apologies), but as soon as I finished, I went straight to Amazon and pre-ordered the book. (I know I could have ordered a copy from a UK seller, but I actually liked this new cover over the previous.) Well, today it finally arrived–more than a month early yay!–and I can’t wait to read it. I already flipped through it and I have to say, it looks like it will be a full-fledged visual reading experience.

(Sorry about the image quality. They were quick snaps with my phone.)

One small gripe I do have, though, is the binding quality. It’s tough to open, which means spine-creases ar inevitable, and it also feels as though if the spine is creased sheets would start falling out. Such a shame for such a visually appealing book.

Book description:

From riches to rags, Milena is growing up in the city of Prague at the turn of the 20th century. Her parents’ once prosperous theater lies in disrepair, and her life seems to be in ruins since the fateful night her father died in a tragic accident and her beautiful, talented mother went missing. Milena has never lost hope that her mother will come back. The day she meets the flamboyant Puppet Master and his menacing twin protégés, Zdenko and Zdenka, under the shadow of Prague’s famous Astronomical Clock in the Old Town square, is, coincidentally, the date of her mother’s birthday. It’s also the day Milena’s grandmother chooses to reveal to her the story of her ancestors—and of her legacy. Perhaps it’s not such a coincidence?

Book Details: 240 pages; Orion Children’s Books; Pub. May 1, 2010

It’s Thursday and you know what that means…another edition of Booking Through Thursday is here.

This week’s question is: Plots? Or Stream-of-Consciousness? Which would you rather read?

Plots.

Unless the author’s stream of consciousness is phenomenal and offers some redeeming quality like insightful character development or makes me ponder something greater than myself such as life, death, or love.

In fact, I’d love to hear about any great stream-of-consciousness stories if anyone has read one. Maybe I might change my mind about it.

Thanks to Jill at Breaking the Spine, I present another edition of Waiting on Wednesday…

Nomansland by Lesley Hauge is scheduled for publication June 22, 2010 and can be pre-ordered from Amazon.

Sometime in the future, after devastating wars and fires, a lonely, windswept island in the north is populated solely by women. Among these women is a group of teenaged Trackers—expert equestrians and archers—whose job is to protect their shores from the enemy. The enemy, they’ve been told, is men.

When these girls come upon a partially buried home from the distant past, they are fascinated by the strange objects—high-heeled shoes, teen magazines, make-up—found there.  What are they to make of these mysterious things, which introduce a world they have never known? And what does it mean for their strict society where friendship is forbidden and rules must be obeyed—at all costs?

This description reads like something I could see as an episode of the Outer Limits (a show which I love and mourn the loss of as I watch old re-runs). Come to think of it, I believe I have seen an episode similar to this, but with grown people. Something tells me, if all is done well, I’m going to enjoy this book when it comes out.