Meet Our Contributors

So a few weeks ago, Lone Book Club had a big announcement. No longer will it be one voice but four. Now it is time for you to get to know each of us in preparation for the new reviews!

We are all very excited and can't wait to bring even more book reviews to you all.

Get ready for our new contributors to start posting this Friday! 

Meet The Contributors

Alexandra Peters - Founder, Contributor

Alex grew up right outside of New Orleans, LA, and went on to study film at the College of Motion Picture Arts at Florida State University. An avid reader and house cat enthusiast, Alex now lives in Los Angeles, California with her boyfriend, Chris, who supports her reading habits and makes her hot chocolate upon request.

Kaley Lankenau - Contributor
Kaley grew up and went to school in Florida, but has recently made the move to Los Angeles. She is grateful for the relationships that she has maintained with her favorite books, because they can always make her feel at home, no matter where she reads them. A chai tea latte, a comfy sweatshirt and a film score are her ideal companions for an afternoon tucked away with a book. She wants a bunny. 


Julia Zerr - Contributor
After working her way up to become one of the most esteemed and feared business tycoons of the Ice Museum Industry in Fairbanks, Alaska, Julia decided that her days of whale watching and evading authorities (she knows what she did) were more than enough adventure for any one lifetime, so she settled down somewhere in the Chesapeake region to devote the remainder of her life to philosophy and the arts. Among her many accomplishments, Julia has managed to perfect the I-don't-give-a-f**k stare, which she largely reserves for people lacking an appreciation for adorable animals.
 

Mish - Contributor
Mish reads books. Sometimes she actually finishes them. Sometimes she gives them away before she can. The only other interesting thing about Mish is that she once mistook a peach for a plum and found herself spending an entire evening contemplating the difference between Belief and Truth, which isn't that interesting at all. One would be wise not to start a philosophical conversation with her.
 

Allegiant: YA's Biggest Controversy

Last week I read and posted a review of Veronica Roth's Allegiant, the final book in the Divergent trilogy. I talked about a major spoiler in the book, but I didn't discuss the biggest spoiler of them all: the ending. Even though I debated doing it, I decided to leave some mystery and surprise for everyone who hadn't read it yet. 

But after seeing the internet's response to Roth's unexpected ending, as well as receiving a rather nasty comment from someone who I can only assume is a grieving fan, I decided to revisit the review and talk about how I felt about that big, gigantic, shocking ending that has taken YA by storm.

This will be a complete and total SPOILER post. Don't continue if you don't want to know.

Book Review: Allegiant

As some of you know, a little while ago I reviewed Divergent and Insurgent the first two books in Veronica Roth's trilogy. And as some of you also know, I didn't like them very much. But because I'm neurotic and have to finish what I started or whatever, I preordered the third and final book in the series, Allegiant. It was oh-so-conveniently delivered to my kindle this past Tuesday morning, and I set out to finish the journey Roth had started.

Now, this book has a lot of the same problems as the first, but I am pleased to say that it is by far the best out of the three, and I was pleasantly surprised.

The Book Release Party

I've never done it. But apparently book release parties are a big deal.

I guess I kind of understand. I have stood in many a line at the local mall waiting for the clock to strike midnight so some underpaid teenager with an attitude problem can give me my pre-ordered Harry Potter book. It was glorious. 
So I get the hyper-excitement behind a new book release. But what I don't get is having a party for it.

If I get a new book that I'm super excited about, I don't want to see people for the next 24 hours, because I will be busy devouring it. I really don't want to be interrupted by guests and finger foods. 
But maybe I'm getting it all wrong. Do you have the party before the book release, and then troop down to the book store, get the book, and then party's over? Or do you all get the book, and the party is everyone sitting around silently reading the book with the occasional exclamation of, "OMG page 165! Steamy!"

And just to be clear, I'm not talking about an official book launch party where you go and get the book and hear the author read excerpts and you have fancy cocktails, etc. I'm talking home-thrown, themed, most-likely costumes mandatory party. That's what I want to get to the bottom of.

So, I think, basically, what this post is, is me asking someone to invite me to their book release party. Teach me your ways. I'm sure I'd have a great time!

Have you ever thrown or attended a book release party? Tell us all about it!

Book Review: The Woodcutter

Set in the land of fairy tales, The Woodcutter by Kate Danley, is a different type of fantasy. It's dark and ominous, filled with almost every fairy tale character you can think of.

When I started it, I honestly didn't think that I was going to like it very much. But slowly, The Woodcutter pulled me into the Wood and on an adventure.

Big News for the Lone Book Club

Starting November 1st there will be a big change coming to the Lone Book Club. I will no longer be the only reviewer and am happy to announce that three new book lovers will be added to the ranks!

Don't worry, there will still be a great review every Friday. But now the author will rotate every week in order to bring a more diverse book selection and point-of-view to all of you. These three lovely ladies are fellow book enthusiasts and are really looking forward to reading and writing about some great books!

We will soon reveal our three new Lone Book Clubbers, so keep a look out for changes to the About page to get to know them all.

Keep reading!!

Book Review: Beautiful Ruins

Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter, is a beautiful book. With the story taking place within the world of Hollywood movie-making, the book almost feels like an old classic film. And for anyone who loves movies, the story will remind you exactly what about them made you fall in love.

But I was a little disappointed that this beautiful feeling didn't last throughout the whole book.

How to Read Every Book on Your List

So many books, so little time. We've all thought it, and it's 100% true. There just isn't enough time in the day, month, year to read everything that we want. Without a conscious effort, many of us wouldn't find time to read at all.

These are some techniques that I use to make sure I can fit enough reading into my day in order to keep me sane as well as continue to bring reviews to all of you.

• I turn off the TV. I could watch six episodes of Breaking Bad in a row, or I could watch one...well ok three... and then turn the TV off. If I have time in my day to watch a show, I could easily spend it reading instead.

• I read before bed. This can lead to waking up with a book or kindle on my face, but it's a great time to get some pages in. I'm relaxed, comfortable, and my mind is slowly shutting down for the day. I find that I can be more focused on a book at the end of the day.

• I will have designated reading time. This one is definitely harder to do, but it works. If I need to get some reading done, I will schedule a time to do it. I picked this one up from my mom who would make my brother and I have reading time each day so our brains wouldn't turn to mush during the summer.

• I bring my book/kindle everywhere. I think this enables me to get more reading done than any of my other techniques. If I'm in a waiting room, if I'm waiting for a friend at lunch, if I'm getting coffee, if I have down time at work (use caution with this one), I will always have my book to read. I highly suggest an e-reader for this so your shoulders aren't hurting from carrying around books in your bag, but that's just a suggestion.

So those are my major ways of getting as much reading done as possible. What do you do to keep up with your book list?

My reading buddy also helps me get pages in.

Book Review: The Ghost Bride

When I first saw the cover of The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo, while stunning, it looked like it could have been another run-of-the mill romance. It looked like it could have been set in a foreign culture written and represented badly. It looked like it could have been bad. But it wasn't.

The Ghost Bride is none of these things. The story is as stunning as the cover. It is a haunting, beautiful tale of life, love, and death. It journeys through this foreign culture and world seamlessly. It is wonderful.

Reading it Again

Great books stay with you. They linger on in your thoughts and can influence the way you see the world. But sometimes letting a book linger isn't the ultimate show of admiration. It is the re-read that truly says, "Yes, book, I love you."

And man do I love a lot of books, and I love, love, love re-reading them. I feel like I get something new out of it every time. I have re-read several of my favorites several times, and I'll even re-read books that I wasn't a huge fan of, just to give it another shot when I'm at a different point in my life.

Now, I'm kind of an extreme example of a re-reader. So extreme that I have, in fact, read the Harry Potter series at least 10 times. In my defense, I had to re-read them all before each book came out, and of course I had to read them all again before each movie! So it just became a habit of reading them every year. I've already done my re-read for this year, but I'm already getting the itch again. I can almost see my boyfriend's eye-roll as I type this.

But I know I'm not alone. My mom used to re-read The Lord of the Rings every year, until us kids came along and took up a lot of her time. Sorry, Mom. And my dad loves him some Tom Clancy (RIP). I think I've heard a few of his audio books at least three times over the years of our family road trips.

So that's me and my book worm family. What about you? Do you have favorites that you read every year? Or are you more a fan of retiring a book to the shelf once you've finished it?