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Hello Scripturients, The last two monthes have been a whirlwind for me. I have been putting together a world premiere musical, editing, and working. I haven't been able to sit down and film in two weeks let alone read. But I did manage to read 5 books over the last two months. My average for the two months was 4 stars and I read 1,387 pages over the last two months. The Black (The Black #1) by Paul Elard Cooley 4 Stars Under 30,000 feet of water, the exploration rig Leaguer has discovered an oil field larger than Saudi Arabia, with oil so sweet and pure, nations would go to war for the rights to it. But as the team starts drilling exploration well after exploration well in their race to claim the sweet crude, a deep rumbling beneath the ocean floor shakes them all to their core. Something has been living in the oil and it's about to give birth to the greatest threat humanity has ever seen. Arrival (The Black #2) by Paul Elard Cooley 4 Stars The crew of the deep-sea exploration rig Leaguer discovers oil sweeter, purer, and sure to be more easily refined than anything that’s ever existed. To confirm their own analysis of their billion dollar find, a test barrel is flown from the drill site off the coast of Papua/New Guinea to Houston Analytical Laboratories (HAL). As the unsuspecting scientists at HAL await the arrival of the oil, they ready their lab for what they know is an important job. They’ve seen the test results from Leaguer; this find could make history. While the barrel is on its way to Houston, an “infection” breaks out on the far-away rig. And as life aboard the rig descends into chaos, the scientists at HAL make their own discovery—what Leaguer found is indeed historic; it just isn’t oil. Instead, they’ve brought up a dangerous organism that could threaten all life on earth. Trapped in their labs, the scientists must find a way to fight a creature that defies chemistry, physics, and biology. The Black: Arrival, a parallel story to the Amazon Horror Best-Seller The Black, is a page-turning suspense novel that will fill you with claustrophobic terror. Now that The Black has arrived, will humanity survive? Ready Player One (Ready Player One #1) by Ernest Cline In the year 2045, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he's jacked into the virtual utopia known as the OASIS. Wade's devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world's digital confines, puzzles that are based on their creator's obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them. When Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade's going to survive, he'll have to win—and confront the real world he's always been so desperate to escape. Empire of Bones (The Empire of Bones Saga #1) by Terry Mixon The Terran Empire is dead. Long live the Empire! Commander Jared Mertz, the bastard son of the Emperor, and his half-sister, Princess Kelsey, barely speak to one another. To their dismay, their father seizes an opportunity to change that and sends them on a dangerous quest to explore the fallen Empire. Separated from home by an impassable gulf and struggling to redefine their relationship, they find themselves thrust into a vicious war. Unless they work together to stop the Empire’s deadly legacy, billions face a horrific fate. Veil of Shadows (The Empire of Bones Saga #2) by Terry Mixon It's always darkest before the dawn!
In Empire of Bones, Commander Jared Mertz and Princess Kelsey scored a stunning victory over the savage Pale Ones. Yet they paid a terrible price for it, one that left their ship crippled and changed the Princess forever. As Kelsey struggles to master the combat enhancements the Pale Ones forcibly implanted inside her and Jared works feverishly to resurrect an ancient battlecruiser, they discover the Pale Ones aren’t as defeated as they seemed. Jared and Kelsey race to unravel the secrets behind the ancient rebellion that destroyed galactic civilization and thwart unseen foes determined to take their new ship and their lives. If they fail, an entire planet dies.
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 All the Light We Cannot See Anthony Doerr 3 Stars Amazon | Barnes and Nobel | Book Depository | From the highly acclaimed, multiple award-winning Anthony Doerr, the stunningly beautiful instant New York Times bestseller about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II. Marie-Laure lives in Paris near the Museum of Natural History, where her father works. When she is twelve, the Nazis occupy Paris and father and daughter flee to the walled citadel of Saint-Malo, where Marie-Laure’s reclusive great uncle lives in a tall house by the sea. With them they carry what might be the museum’s most valuable and dangerous jewel. In a mining town in Germany, Werner Pfennig, an orphan, grows up with his younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find that brings them news and stories from places they have never seen or imagined. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments and is enlisted to use his talent to track down the resistance. Deftly interweaving the lives of Marie-Laure and Werner, Doerr illuminates the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another. Doerr’s “stunning sense of physical detail and gorgeous metaphors” (San Francisco Chronicle) are dazzling. Ten years in the writing, a National Book Award finalist, All the Light We Cannot See is a magnificent, deeply moving novel from a writer “whose sentences never fail to thrill” (Los Angeles Times). My Thoughts: This book as many people said had a unique point of view telling the story of two children growing up in world war II. We see the story of a blind girl in France and a boy in German who goes to a Nazis school to train boys to be soldiers. Marie Laure, and her father flee Paris after the German occupation to live with her granduncle who is a little crazy (he has PTSD). While Werner the German boy goes to a German school for sceince where is also trained for war. He is brilliant at math and works with the Germans to take out people that have illegal radios by triangulating their location. Eventually the two timelines collide when Werner is sent to the same town that Marie Laure is staying in. This book is complimented time and time again for it's rich descriptions. I do agree that it had some wonderful descriptions. Doerr's descriptions were very vivid and kept your grounded. But I found it difficult to keep engaged. This was my second attempt at reading this book this year, so at times I was bored because I knew what was going to happen. But at others there just wasn't enough going on. It is ironic that I should feel this way because Doerr chopped up the narrative and inserted it back into the text out of order, so you are always wondering how did the characters get to this point? But for me that wasn't enough to grip me. Overall I found the accuracy to be correct for aspects of history. Overall did enjoy reading it but it was not my favorite book by far. This book may have been to literary for me at this time, but I did want to get through it, which is why I picked it up again. Which says something about it. If you are a fan of at times dense literary reading, or historical fiction I think that you would enjoy this book. Many other people have really enjoyed this book. So, maybe you will too. Katelyn Find me on the interwebs https://nanowrimo.org/participants/ladykate100/novels/wip-1233502 Twitter @Scripturienting IG: @Scripturient101 Facebook: The Scripturient 101 Youtube: The Scripturient 101 www.thescripturient101.weebly.com https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/53086148-katelyn-costello Hello Bookworms, It feels like it has been absolutely forever since I posted at wrap up blog post! There is a video going up at the same time as this that will talk a bit about my crazy tbr for next month. I feel like I have been neglecting my blog, but I have been thinking of you. I have some plans for you in the future! Don't you worry. So what did I read this month? I will tell you that I had an average of 3.8 stars. Not the best month but hey it isn't awful either.  The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1) by Stephen King 3 Stars Paperback, 231 pages Published June 24th 2003 by NAL In The Gunslinger (originally published in 1982), King introduces his most enigmatic hero, Roland Deschain of Gilead, the Last Gunslinger. He is a haunting, solitary figure at first, on a mysterious quest through a desolate world that eerily mirrors our own. Pursuing the man in black, an evil being who can bring the dead back to life, Roland is a good man who seems to leave nothing but death in his wake.  Caraval (Caraval #1) by Stephanie Garber Hardcover, 407 pages Published January 31st 2017 by Flatiron Books 4.5 Stars Remember, it’s only a game… Scarlett Dragna has never left the tiny island where she and her sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval—the faraway, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show—are over. But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner. Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. Nevertheless she becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic. And whether Caraval is real or not, Scarlett must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over or a dangerous domino effect of consequences will be set off, and her beloved sister will disappear forever. Welcome, welcome to Caraval…beware of getting swept too far away.  The Sun and Her Flowers
by Rupi Kaur Paperback, 256 pages Published October 3rd 2017 by Andrews McMeel Publishing 4 Stars From Rupi Kaur, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of milk and honey, comes her long-awaited second collection of poetry. A vibrant and transcendent journey about growth and healing. Ancestry and honoring one’s roots. Expatriation and rising up to find a home within yourself. Divided into five chapters and illustrated by Kaur, the sun and her flowers is a journey of wilting, falling, rooting, rising, and blooming. A celebration of love in all its forms. this is the recipe of life said my mother as she held me in her arms as i wept think of those flowers you plant in the garden each year they will teach you that people too must wilt fall root rise in order to bloom Reviews for all these will be up in the next few weeks in blogs AND video form so better follow all the social media links down below so you don't miss a single thing! Katelyn Costello Twitter @Scripturienting IG: @Scripturient101 Facebook: The Scripturient 101 Youtube: The Scripturient 101  The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1)
by Stephen King Paperback, 231 pages published June 10th 1982 3 Stars In The Gunslinger (originally published in 1982), King introduces his most enigmatic hero, Roland Deschain of Gilead, the Last Gunslinger. He is a haunting, solitary figure at first, on a mysterious quest through a desolate world that eerily mirrors our own. Pursuing the man in black, an evil being who can bring the dead back to life, Roland is a good man who seems to leave nothing but death in his wake. My Thoughts: This isn't the first time I have tried to read this book. It is the first time that I have gotten through the book. I have an old copy that my uncle gave me back in 2012. I think I tried to get though it twice before now. So I guess that is a first thought. It wasn't my first rodeo but I have to say that it didn't impress me. I am a fan of King's other works however, it is said that either you love this series or you hate it. I feel like I am in the middle. I didn't love it but also I didn't hate it. I did wanna know what would happen, buttttt I am not compelled to continue the series right away like other books this year. This book is really a journey tale following the Gunslinger, Roland across a desert chasing The Man in Black. While you slowly learned why you didn't like the Man in Black, you don't feel an urgency, or at least I didn't feel like it was incredibly urgent that he found him. There are some details that were just kinda left hanging. Like large things. Parallel worlds? But they kinda were just left hanging, maybe you would see them in the next books. But since it was vital to one of the characters, I feel like more time should have been spent there. Overall I just wasn't as impressed with this book as some as his other works. Note: This book as an Adult Fiction book has some quite sexual and violent tones. If that is not your thing I would step back from it right now. Check out the video review that went up at the same time as this post at my youtube channel! Go Go watch! Katelyn Costello Twitter @Scripturienting IG: @Scripturient101 Facebook: The Scripturient 101 Youtube: The Scripturient 101  Waterfall (River of Time #1) by Lisa Tawn Bergren Paperback, 369 pages Published February 1st 2011 by David C. Cook 3 stars Most American teenagers want a vacation in Italy, but the Betarrini sisters have spent every summer of their lives among the romantic hills with their archaelogist parents. Stuck among the rubble of the medieval castles in rural Tuscany, on yet another hot, dusty archaeological site, Gabi and Lia are bored out of their minds...until Gabi places her hand atop a handprint in an ancient tomb and finds herself in fourteenth-century Italy. And worse yet, in the middle of a fierce battle between knights of two opposing forces. Suddenly Gabi's summer in Italy is much, much more interesting. My ThoughtsI first read this when I was in high school. I want to say about 10th grade. I have to admit I liked it more as a 10th grader then I did now. I found the characters to be sort of flat. The main characters main goal is to get home from medieval Tuscany. But she gets caught up in all of the wonders of the time. Those wonders mainly being Marcello. She doesn't really care about anything but him and her sister who is missing for most of the book.
I felt that Gabi's character had to many convenient skills, such as: knowing how to fight IE Fencing, basic herbal medicine and how to speak medieval Italian because she read Dante's Inferno. While if one of those things were to happen I feel like I would be okay with it. But all of them? Not to mention that her sister was an acclaimed archer. To many coincidences for my taste. Another issue I found with it was the instalove. As soon as Gabi falls into the past, she sees Marcello and instantly fell in love with the gorgeous italian man. So what did I appreciate? I liked the fact that Bergren did quite a bit of research into the times before writing and kept with the historical contexts throughout the book. I loved the details about the castles and about all of dresses and servants. So for me it gathered 3 stars. It wasn't the worst thing, but it wasn't the best either. Katelyn Costello Twitter @scripturienting Facebook The Scripturient 101 Instagram @scripturient101 Youtube: The Scripturient 101  The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle #1) by Maggie Stiefvater Hardcover, 409 pages 5 Stars Amazon | Barnes and Nobel | Book Depository Published September 18th 2012 by Scholastic Press “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. From Maggie Stiefvater, the bestselling and acclaimed author of the Shiver trilogy and The Scorpio Races, comes a spellbinding new series where the inevitability of death and the nature of love lead us to a place we’ve never been before. My ThoughtsOH MY GOD... This book was so good. I don't know how to formulate my thoughts right now. This book. This book was sooooo good. I sort of regret putting it off for so long. But I feel like that happens to a lot of people. I blame this on that synopsis. So I want to bring you around to the synopsis that Stiefvater wrote after the book was published:
A host of co-dependent teens with a battery of psychological issues comb rural Virginia for a dead Welsh king with dubious magical powers. Trees talk; hitmen put down roots; dead people live; living people die. Cars are described in loving detail. Fuckweasel. A house full of psychics tells everybody the future and drinks a lot on-page considering it’s a young adult series. Nobody kisses anybody, which is weird because everybody loves everybody. There’s rich boys! Poor boys! Sad boys! Angry boys! Raven boys! Collect them all! This description much better suits the books. These characters are so flawed but so lovable. they make decisions that you hate, but can back. It pulls at your heart strings and makes you want to scream at the characters. It is perfect. One of the things that I loved about it the most was honestly how missleading the synopsis is, because since you go in thinking it is more of a romance the desire to follow the mythology, and the paranormal elements were surprising but pleasing. Stiefvater, created such vivid scenes that I actually got creeped out at time, got chills. If you have read it, Noah, the scene with Noah I read that as I went to bed... so creepy! It was great! I would suggest this book to so many people, but know there are heavy themes in it. Including: Poverty, verbal and physical abuse, death, and a possible hint at suicide. But I feel like these theme were approached well and in a believable way. I feel like because of these themes it leans to the higher end of the YA range, but not anything I am opposed to. GO GET THIS BOOK! Katelyn Costello Tell me your thoughts on this one: Twitter: @scripturienting FB: The Scripturinet101 Instagram: @scripturient101 Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSEeWBRSsR2aTwC8rDjAXkA  Curtsies & Conspiracies Gail Carriger Hardcover, 310 pages 4 stars Amazon | Barnes and Nobel | Book Depository Published November 2013 by Hachette Little, Brown & Co Does one need four fully grown foxgloves for decorating a dinner table for six guests? Or is it six foxgloves to kill four fully grown guests? Sophronia's first year at Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality has certainly been rousing! For one thing, finishing school is training her to be a spy--won't Mumsy be surprised? Furthermore, Sophronia got mixed up in an intrigue over a stolen device and had a cheese pie thrown at her in a most horrid display of poor manners. Now, as she sneaks around the dirigible school, eavesdropping on the teachers' quarters and making clandestine climbs to the ship's boiler room, she learns that there may be more to a field trip to London than is apparent at first. A conspiracy is afoot--one with dire implications for both supernaturals and humans. Sophronia must rely on her training to discover who is behind the dangerous plot-and survive the London Season with a full dance card. In this sequel to New York Times bestselling Etiquette & Espionage, class is back in session with more petticoats and poison, tea trays and treason. Gail's distinctive voice, signature humor, and lush steampunk setting are sure to be the height of fashion this season.Curtsies & Conspiracies My Thoughts:This book is the second book in the Finishing School series, I did a review of Etiquette and Espionage where I talked about how I liked it but it wasn't like my favorite book ever. I threw the word cute around alot (WHyyyy Kate why?) but I don't know what changed between this book and the last one but this one felt so much more grown up than the first book, but of course still had so many of the elements of the world that I loved. In this book we have the same spy elements that are fun to imagine you are along for the journey, but now we have *GASP* boys! Mademosiselle Geraldine's school for girls and Bunson's school for evil genius' combine as they head to *gasp* London! I loved this change of setting, I personally have a baby... okay large obsession with Victorian England and Steampunk, which makes this series absolutely perfect for me.
This book pulled in aspects of the first books plot but built it up making it even more intricate like you would want from any second book and led to us learning much more about characters. I am exited to continue this series once I finish the list of other books I am reading but I would defiantly suggest continuing on the series, I laughed a lot during it.  The Hammer of Thor
Rick Riordan 4.t Stars Hardcover, 471 pages Published October 4th 2016 by Disney-Hyperion Thor's hammer is missing again. The thunder god has a disturbing habit of misplacing his weapon--the mightiest force in the Nine Worlds. But this time the hammer isn't just lost, it has fallen into enemy hands. If Magnus Chase and his friends can't retrieve the hammer quickly, the mortal worlds will be defenseless against an onslaught of giants. Ragnarok will begin. The Nine Worlds will burn. Unfortunately, the only person who can broker a deal for the hammer's return is the gods' worst enemy, Loki--and the price he wants is very high. My Thoughts: Okay so first things first. I need to be completely honest here and say I haven't actually finished the book. But Katelyn how can you read a book you haven't finished yet? Well you see here. I had the audio book rented. I had 30 minutes left of the recording. I looked at a friends copy. I had 30 pages left. Soooo I don't know the exact ending but I do feel like I know enough to know that this book was great. It took me a while to get through it, trying to physically read it a few weeks ago, but I devoured it in audio book format. One of my favorite things about this book, about Riordan's books are that they are so open. Like in the previous book Sam is an Islamic character and we see more of her Islamic religion coming though the text in a way that shows the peace and beauty of it. We also meet a new character, Alex a gender fluid and trans character who is confident with herself/his self and their decisions. I could see how it could be really beneficial for people that had never encountered it before. When we met her I got so excited. Now on to the plot, this one was a bit slow at first, but the build up was so worth it. This one was an emotional roller coaster that kept you guessing as to what was happening. This one would be five stars if only for the amount of time it took me to read it. But it was defensively one of the best books so far emotionally for me. Katelyn Costello https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSEeWBRSsR2aTwC8rDjAXkA twitter @scripturienting or on Facebook The Scripturient 101 and Follow me on instagram @scripturient  Happy Monday Bookworms,
This probably looks a bit different from our regular Monday posts... I have to be honest. Until this weekend I hadn't picked up a book since the first week of April, aside from school books. So not having read anything means I don't have a review for you. I was having a reading slump. A reading slump is when you just can't get through a book for the life of you, be it because of interest in the books or because of the chaos of life. I currently have an audio book out and am back on the reading groove, so I will have a review for you next week. In the mean time, you can check out previous reviews or my Youtube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSEeWBRSsR2aTwC8rDjAXkA ) to still have some bookish morning love. Katelyn Costello Twitter @scripturienting Facebook and Instagram @scripturient101 Youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSEeWBRSsR2aTwC8rDjAXkA  The Sorceress By Micheal Scott Rating 4 Stars Hardcover, First Edition, 502 pages Published May 26th 2009 by Delacorte Press Nicholas Flamel's heart almost broke as he watched his beloved Paris crumble before him. The city was destroyed by Dee and Machiavelli, but Flamel played his own role in the destruction. Sophie and Josh Newman show every sign of being the twins of prophecy, and Flamel had to protect them and the pages from the Dark Elders. But Nicholas grows weaker with each passing day. Perenelle is still trapped in Alcatraz, and now that Scatty has gone missing, the group is without protection. Except for Clarent—the twin sword to Excalibur. But Clarent’s power is unthinkable, its evil making it nearly impossible to use without its darkness seeping into the soul of whoever wields it. If he hopes to defeat Dee, Nicholas must find an Elder who can teach Josh and Sophie the third elemental magic—Water Magic. The problem? The only one who can do that is Gilgamesh, and he is quite, quite insane. My ThoughtsI think this one is one of my favorite books in the series. I think this book is the most emotional for me. I loved the character of Gilgamesh the king. He is so broken and hard, but also has so much love in him to share. The scene between him and Sophie always makes me feel so sappy.
I think this book has the most concise story lines. As the series continues the plot lines multiply. This one is so clear with each one's individual motivation but all so woven together perfectly, like a spider web. As I said I think this book is the strongest so far in the series. I would defiantly recommend this book to anyone that wants to continue the series. Katelyn Costello Twitter @scripturienting Facebook and Instagram @scripturient101 Youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSEeWBRSsR2aTwC8rDjAXkA |
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