Shut Up & Read discussion

We're starting this tomorrow (August 6) if anyone wants to join!!

How many chapters a day Alyssia? Seven a day would take us to next Monday...

I wish I had this one so I could read it with y'all. What is up for the next buddy read?

Seven a day sounds good. :)

Any that you want to read Leigh? I'm open for anything...

Some we had mentioned were


I'd also like to read ...comes out this week.

Just throwing some ideas out there!

I'm up for Awaken. I would need to wait for next paycheck before the other two, but would be up for them too. I own "Easy" too. I've already read Verity and Beautiful Disaster - both are good. Oh and When She Woke - quite good.
Could check the library for any of the others.

I tried reading this and need an incentive to finish--but I can't do seven chapters a day! I am a couple chapters in but I have a couple other books that I'm starting today and tomorrow. Can I be a buddy who may not finish in time because she is reading too many books? :D

Unfortunately, I only have . How about . Just some suggestions.

Just a reminder is free at http://www.audiobooksync.com/
this week.

Got it, thanks Leigh!

Mollie wrote: "I tried reading this and need an incentive to finish--but I can't do seven chapters a day! I am a couple chapters in but I have a couple other books that I'm starting today and tomorrow. Can I be a..."

Yep, you can join in!

I have and from that list.

Sheri wrote: "I have and from that list."

Sherry, that's why I put them on the list I gave. I tried to put books that we all had or wanted to read. Any of those I would be happy to read including . I just downloaded that one.

Good thinking :)

Any would be fine with me...When she woke I could get from the library.

Let's see what Alyssia says and we will go from there.

Alyssia is up for whatever. If I have to buy it, I need to wait until Friday, but that's not so far off.
Anniversary plans proved expensive. :/
This is sooo fun :)

I am enjoying it,too. Happy Anniversary Alyssia!

How about or ? I think we all have the first one.

Sounds good to me. 1st one's short, and by the time we are done I will have money again. And the second one was enjoyable enough to reread.
Thanks!
We got married one week before his birthday, I think so he would never have to worry about forgetting. It makes August expensive.

Hey Leigh, how did you come up with ones that we all had? Is there a quick way to check or did you do it manually?

Alyssia wrote: "Sounds good to me. 1st one's short, and by the time we are done I will have money again. And the second one was enjoyable enough to reread.
Thanks!
We got married one week before his birthday, I th..."

June is like that for me. His birthday and Father's day sometimes fall on the same day. Our anniversary is 1/2. We are always poor after Christmas. I told my husband when we get married again we are going to pick a different month. lol

Alyssia wrote: "Hey Leigh, how did you come up with ones that we all had? Is there a quick way to check or did you do it manually?"

I manually did it. I was trying to find some books we all had or could get from the library. Now my TBR list is close to 260. Free books thread is a killer. lol

On the person's home page there's a compare book button.

You can go in and compare books but only with one person at a time. I could compare my books with Leigh and my books with Alyssia to see what we all have. I'll have to keep that in mind :)

is free on Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005...

Sheri wrote: "On the person's home page there's a compare book button.

You can go in and compare books but only with one person at a time. I could compare my books with Leigh and my books with Alyssia to see w..."

That's great to know.

Sheri wrote: " is free on Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005......"

That's where I got it.

I just set up a buddy reads shelf. I compare all of our books and put selections from y'all shelves.

Leigh wrote: "I just set up a buddy reads shelf. I compare all of our books and put selections from y'all shelves."

You're awesome!

Leigh wrote: "I just set up a buddy reads shelf. I compare all of our books and put selections from y'all shelves."


Very cool. Although I am usually up for just about anything. So if you and Sheri have it in common, I am probably up for trying it out.

Grave Mercy 1-7

It's interesting world-building so far. I don't feel anything for the main character yet, and I hope that changes. Right now she is so detached that the plot is more interesting than her. I enjoy getting swept up with characters, so I look forward to her vulnerability. Even in the beginning scenes I could sympathize with her, but I couldn't really feel her. She's very walled of. I am very excited to see more of Sybella. She already seems more full to me than Ismae.

I don't know. It is interesting. Solid so far. I am not really sure what more to say. I am curious if Mortain is to be taken as fact, or if I should be watching for signs that the Sisters are the true arbiters. I'm not sure which would be more interesting. Not yet anyway.

What do others think?

Sheri wrote: "Leigh wrote: "I just set up a buddy reads shelf. I compare all of our books and put selections from y'all shelves."

Your awesome!"

You are my role model! I have big shoes to fill doing the Pick-it-me Challenge!

Leigh wrote: "You are my role model! I have big shoes to fill doing the Pick-it-me Challenge!"

Lol! You'll do great :)

Not too much to say right now. I wanted to keep reading, so that's a good sign. I'd really like to know more about the MC. I'm hoping we'll get more of her thoughts/feelings/emotions now that the story is starting to pick up. I like the sisters and the whole convent/training facility they've got going on.

I had not thought about Mortain being fictional…interesting but definitely something that could happen in the story. I'd like to learn more about both Annith and Sybella. Surely they were both introduced for a reason.

Mollie wrote: "I tried reading this and need an incentive to finish--but I can't do seven chapters a day! I am a couple chapters in but I have a couple other books that I'm starting today and tomorrow. Can I be a..."

Do you need an incentive to finish because you don't like it? Feel free to post whenever you can :)

I'm enjoying this book so far. I wanted to keep reading again, which is always good.

I'm getting a better feel for the MC (Ismae?...not looking it up right now). I really like Duval and the fact that even though she does not trust him, he's making her question all she's been taught by the sisters. It shows that she's still uncertain of herself even though she thinks she's ready for whatever comes.

Interesting she can communicate with souls. I wonder if that's going to come into play again later or if it was just to show off her talent.

I'm looking forward to see where the author takes the twist at the end of chapter 14 with Duval's family.

Chapters 15-21

I love the dynamics of Ismae and Duval's relationship, how you can tell she is starting to feel something for him but she does not recognize it for what it is and it just annoys her. I want to know how he feels about her. At this point I like Ismae a lot. She may be a little rough around the edges but she is proving she can hold her own.

I also really want to know what's going on with Duval's mother and brother. There's definitely a history there. And what happened to Sybella and why she's there.

I really like this book. I wasn't really sure I was going to at first because of all the milord and demoiselle speech, but I've gotten used to it. As a rule I don't generally read historical books, but this one is proving good.

Oh yeah, and the whole court thing and the duchess...getting complex and I'm sure it will only be more so as the story goes on.

I am enjoying the court politics quite a bit as well. And MC has grown on me. I have deep suspicions about the abbesses and their motives. I still have curiosities about Mortain. I am a big fan of Duval, even if he is evil (I don't think so, but I am sure he will look it many times over before the book ends) because he is quick-witted, bitter and smexy.
I still want more on Sybella, but I think the sequel is supposed to be her story? I wonder how much she will feature here?
The court politics are fun, but I've read Zelazny, so they aren't *that* intricate. Hah, yet! I do like that LaFevers isn't shy about shoving intrigue in the readers' faces without apology. We get enough to be interested, but not enough to "know" anything. We suffer from Ismae's lack of knowledge and experience.
Although, that is a rub. I am irritated with how little she knows about politicking and subterfuge after all that training. Apparently womanly arts lessons weren't the only ones she was skipping. Then again, common birth. I guess. Stilll....

Very excited to read more.

Alyssia wrote: "Although, that is a rub. I am irritated with how little she knows about politicking and subterfuge after all that training. Apparently womanly arts lessons weren't the only ones she was skipping. Then again, common birth. I guess. Stilll..."

That had crossed my mind at some point too. She had been at the convent for three years...plenty of time to get to know everything. This is her first time out in the 'real world' interacting with other people so you would expect a little bit of greenness, but still you would link she would know a bit more about the politics and how things fit together.

What a cliffhanger! I'll confess I looked two pages ahead to learn what he was so mad at her for.

At this point I am hoping it isn't Crunard (lazy me, won't go check spelling) that is the villain, because he seems too obviously the choice. Also, there should be lots of villains, in various shades.

I love Duval's viewpoints on the saints and their requirements of their servants. I really want to know the full story on this broken oath.
Do you think it involves Beast and de Lornay?

I read the whole next chapter...I had to find out what happened :)

It would be so confusing living in this book. There is no one you could fully trust and everyone has an alterior motive. Plus, having to be so formal all the time would be maddening.

I'm anxious to find out more about Duval too, and his whole family. It's interesting how dedicated de Lornay is to him, and I want to know why he doesn't like Ismael. I would guess that the broken oath would involve Beast and/or de Lornay simply because of the dynamics of their relationship. He obviously trusts them more than anyone else.

Who could the traitor be?...Crunard is pretty obvious. So is Madame Dinan I think. They could be involved, but it has to be more complicated than that.

I looked ahead, and book 2 is about Sybella :)

It's getting pretty interesting now!
Dinan's treachery wasn't a surprise - she's too unlikable. Andsame with d'Albret. And Crunard, when it comes, which I am sure it will.
What I want to know is who is the unexpected one - the likable one? If thers isn't an unexpected on than I will be sorely disappointed.

Poor Ismae; I feel a bit bad for her. I also think it is interesting that she neither condoned nor condemned when she found out how Duval had broken his oath. I want more information on Beast - he wasn't mentioned in the Duchess' story.

I want to read more!
:)

Alyssia wrote: "I want to read more!

I know...I never want to stop at the end of seven chapters! The author is very good at teasing you with information. You are given just enough to be curious, but you never have quite enough to be satisfied. Makes for a very good book.

I also like how their relationship is slow building rather than instantaneous. It adds to the expectancy of the story.

Leigh and I would like to read next. We figured we could start Tuesday since we'll be done with this one Monday.

Sounds good. I 'll poke in and chat with you maybe, and give myself time to catch up on some read and review stuff. Also, I have to create syllabi for the fall semester. I just got my course roster and I'm a little intimidated by it to be honest.

Sheri wrote: "I also like how their relationship is slow building rather than instantaneous. It adds to the expectancy of the story."

Yes, this is nice. I am happy that they both have integrity to who they are. I hate it when love completely makes the protagonist. Instead of being romantic, it just feels wrong. Frivolous. Fleeting. As though any thing we are can be put aside when something new and breathtaking floats along.

Alyssia wrote: "What I want to know is who is the unexpected one - the likable one? If thers isn't an unexpected on than I will be sorely disappointed."

(view spoiler)[My guess with this is Ismae is going to see a mark on Duval. Then she'll really have to decide where here loyalty lies. (hide spoiler)]

Oh I suspect you are right that she will be ordered to kill him. Not sure about a marque. I am still trying to figure out the relationship.

But I don't think Duval deserves killing. Which leads me again to the question of the traitor I don't see coming. Maybe the last council member. The one not much talked about. I'll be really mad if there isn't an unxpected traitor.