Hey there everyone. I haven't been able to post lately as my computer got hit in a recent storm by a power surge and I'm stuck on the crappy back up pc only able to check email. Thankfully it seems to be only the software with a problem but I think I'm losing all my data with a reinstall and will have to swap out my speakers. (at least they were the cheap ones and not the expensive set!) Sigh. As soon as I get the darn thing up and running again I will be back with my next review. Har Bitten is due in Tuesday so it should be my next review... Although so is the next Sookie book! Happy May everyone!
Ta ta for now...
Monday, May 2, 2011
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Zombie Contest Winner - Susanna
My first contest is officially over and our winner is Susanna! She responded the best to these questions:
"What do you think of the Zombie craze? Are Zombies going to stay a small subset of Paranormal Fiction or become as big as Vampires, Shifters, or Fae? Do you like any of the new Zombie fiction?"
Her Prize:
Her winning entry:
"It seems to me like zombies are already becoming a big trend in fiction. We have zombie apocalypse novels, zombie romances, zombie parodies of classic lit...while I can't say for sure that zombies will end up being as big as dystopias or vampires, they definitely have their own niche. I think it's because we humans have this morbid curiosity with death, and zombies provide an interesting twist on it - what if, after death, instead of going to Heaven, people become mindless monsters intent on destroying others? I think the new zombie lit reflects an interesting part of our psychology and culture."
Thank you all for your wonderful responses! Personally I think Zombies are here to stay. They've always been popular to a certain degree and now that publishers are putting out more stories, more people will become interested. As someone who previously hated the Zombie genre in any format, I have to say I have been sucked into at least being able to enjoy reading the occasional Zombie book.
Ta ta for now!
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
In My Mailbox (4)
It's time again for In My Mailbox hosted by the awesome blog: The Story Siren.. Don't forget to check out my last post for my 1st Contest! All you need to do is enter your reactions to my questions in the form and you're set. The contest ends April 19th. Only 5 more days! Alright, let's jump in and see this week's books:
1.) Fendi, Ferragamo, & Fangs - B
2.) The Trials of the Honorable F. Darcy - PBS
3.) Echoes of Love - B
4.) Mona Lisa Eclipsing - B
5.) Nightshade - PBS - Awesome looking HB!
And these are the Ebooks I bought(B) or was lent(BR) this week:
6.) Bonded By Blood - BR
7.) Wither - B
8.) Hollowland - B
9.) 13 To Life - B
10.) Taste Me - B
Another fabulous book week! Looking forward to reading some of these in the afternoon sun... The weather has started to turn very warm already but we have a delightful cool breeze most days. I know it'll disappear soon into the hot winds of Summer so I'm trying to enjoy it!
Ta ta for now!
1.) Fendi, Ferragamo, & Fangs - B
2.) The Trials of the Honorable F. Darcy - PBS
3.) Echoes of Love - B
4.) Mona Lisa Eclipsing - B
5.) Nightshade - PBS - Awesome looking HB!
And these are the Ebooks I bought(B) or was lent(BR) this week:
6.) Bonded By Blood - BR
7.) Wither - B
8.) Hollowland - B
9.) 13 To Life - B
10.) Taste Me - B
Another fabulous book week! Looking forward to reading some of these in the afternoon sun... The weather has started to turn very warm already but we have a delightful cool breeze most days. I know it'll disappear soon into the hot winds of Summer so I'm trying to enjoy it!
Ta ta for now!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Zombies: To read or not to read?
About a year ago someone said that Zombies would be the next BIG Paranormal read. I didn't really think they could put as much interest into them as the others...vamps, shifters, fae, etc. I was wrong. I forgot that it's always about the people in the books. Human or not and the ones I've read have been about the ones surviving the zombies not the characters after they succumb. And I like that because most of us adhere to basic zombie rules. They are walking dead, no higher brain function; kill them by beheading or destroying the brain; and last don't get bitten! I haven't read the books where they've made the zombies sentient. (ie-Married With Zombies) I just can't get past the idea of flesh rotting and feet dragging and all the ripping and tearing if they catch you! How can that be romantic or turned into something not really yucky??
What do you guys think? Are zombies going to stay a small subset of Paranormal Fiction or become as big as Vampires, Shifters, or Fae? Do you like any of the new zombie fiction? Let me know in the comments to win a copy of "The Forest of Hands & Teeth" by Carrie Ryan. Winner will be chosen based on comment, so think about it! Don't forget to Follow My Blog to complete your entry. Contest runs from April 5th to April 19th. Winner will be selected and notified within 48 hours of ending and contacted. Winners have 72 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. Good Luck! (See my FAQS page for more questions about contests.)
Ta ta for now!
What do you guys think? Are zombies going to stay a small subset of Paranormal Fiction or become as big as Vampires, Shifters, or Fae? Do you like any of the new zombie fiction? Let me know in the comments to win a copy of "The Forest of Hands & Teeth" by Carrie Ryan. Winner will be chosen based on comment, so think about it! Don't forget to Follow My Blog to complete your entry. Contest runs from April 5th to April 19th. Winner will be selected and notified within 48 hours of ending and contacted. Winners have 72 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. Good Luck! (See my FAQS page for more questions about contests.)
Ta ta for now!
Monday, April 4, 2011
In My Mailbox (3)
It's that time...In My Mailbox is a weekly event hosted by the awesome blog: The Story Siren. This week I got
1.) Sex & the Single Vampire - PBS
2.) Changeling - B
3.) The Season - B
4. Born at Midnight - B
2.) Changeling - B
3.) The Season - B
4. Born at Midnight - B
5.) Vamps - PBS
6.) Unholy Ghosts - PBS
7.) The Morganville Vamps Vol. 3 - G
8.) Jane Slayre - PBS
9.) Another Faust - PBS
10.) The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook - B
I'm super happy about #1, it's an international cover I think. I've been looking for it for awhile cause it reminds me of Buffy! I think I'm going to start reading #4 right now because I've been waiting for this book since I first heard the buzz on it. Sounds super good. Tomorrow the latest Children of the Moon book by Sunny will be here so I need to read quick so I'm ready for that one. I hope Sunny writes a new Lucinda book soon. The end of the 2nd has me anxious for more! The Monere remind me of a cross between Vamps and Fae but more Vamp-like. I love them. Hopefully back soon with a review of "Born at Midnight"! ;)
I'm going to post a giveaway VERY soon so keep an eye on the blog for the post....
Ta ta for now!
****PBS-PaperBack Swap, B-Bought by me, G-Gift from hubby/friend, EB-Ebook, PUB-Publisher, A-Author****
6.) Unholy Ghosts - PBS
7.) The Morganville Vamps Vol. 3 - G
8.) Jane Slayre - PBS
9.) Another Faust - PBS
10.) The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook - B
I'm super happy about #1, it's an international cover I think. I've been looking for it for awhile cause it reminds me of Buffy! I think I'm going to start reading #4 right now because I've been waiting for this book since I first heard the buzz on it. Sounds super good. Tomorrow the latest Children of the Moon book by Sunny will be here so I need to read quick so I'm ready for that one. I hope Sunny writes a new Lucinda book soon. The end of the 2nd has me anxious for more! The Monere remind me of a cross between Vamps and Fae but more Vamp-like. I love them. Hopefully back soon with a review of "Born at Midnight"! ;)
I'm going to post a giveaway VERY soon so keep an eye on the blog for the post....
Ta ta for now!
****PBS-PaperBack Swap, B-Bought by me, G-Gift from hubby/friend, EB-Ebook, PUB-Publisher, A-Author****
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Book overload and a Review: The Forest of Hands and Teeth
I don't know about everyone else but I'm glad this week is OVER! I've been having connection problems the last couple days and I haven't been able to get a post up. Figures inspiration would strike heavily during that time hmm? Of course it did!
I got a bunch of books in this week and they'll be up for In My Mailbox tomorrow/later today. With the amount of books I get in, it seems we will run out of space soon. I'm contemplating getting rid of some of the books I also have in Ebook form. What do you guys think? Would you pass on some books to others if you had an Ebook of them? I know there are certain books that won't leave no matter what... My Harry Potter first editions, my various Jane Austen novels and spin-offs, and anything that's a favorite. I had this great idea to line the wall of our tv room with book shelves so I could keep adding to our books for now but slower! Basically pull the furniture along one of the super long walls away and put thin book cases behind them and push everything snug up against them. The spaces hidden by furniture would be great for things that don't get used much, ie decorations. The room is long and rectangular so it would really give it a library effect. I just don't know if it would close the room up too much or not or if it will even look good.
So! Last night I was looking for a nice light read and thought, what about a young adult novel? Clearly I forgot the depth and emotional roller coaster one can put you through. I picked "The Forest of Hands and Teeth" by Carrie Ryan. First, I have to say that zombies are not a theme I enjoy. My hubby LOVES Resident Evil (all), Dawn of the Dead, Shaun of the Dead, basically anything zombie. The only zombie flick I actually like is Zombie-land. It was awesome and very funny. I kept my head turned for a lot of the gore but stayed put on the sofa for the whole movie. That's what I liked about this book, the ability to grab my attention with a subject I'd turn and run away from screaming. The plot was skillfully built around the zombie/living dead concept. In my experience with lots of forced showings of most of the zombie flicks out there, the time period is a completely different take. I can't remember exactly but fast forward 6-10 generations AFTER the zombie outbreak/infection begins and there's the start of the story. That is what got me hooked into reading this book. It's also why I couldn't sleep until it was done. Like any good thriller I just had to know who would make it out or through the story, who would succumb to becoming an "Unconsecrated", and who would just flat out die. Now my dislikes.....it's zombies. They seriously scare me.But so do thoughts of deep space and Armageddon comets, the end of the world stuff. Other than that I really just wanted something truly positive to happen earlier in the book and actually last. But again, zombie story. They aren't filled with flowers and unicorns and smiling people. It's the end of life as we know it and the dead/infected won't stay down or stop trying to eat you and all you care about. The book was about Mary and the town she was born in and her journey towards her dreams in a zombie filled life. Can she have what she wants? Will she survive? I had to know and I'm glad I did! Now it's your turn to pick it up and find out for yourself! 4 Clovers!
Ta ta for now!
I got a bunch of books in this week and they'll be up for In My Mailbox tomorrow/later today. With the amount of books I get in, it seems we will run out of space soon. I'm contemplating getting rid of some of the books I also have in Ebook form. What do you guys think? Would you pass on some books to others if you had an Ebook of them? I know there are certain books that won't leave no matter what... My Harry Potter first editions, my various Jane Austen novels and spin-offs, and anything that's a favorite. I had this great idea to line the wall of our tv room with book shelves so I could keep adding to our books for now but slower! Basically pull the furniture along one of the super long walls away and put thin book cases behind them and push everything snug up against them. The spaces hidden by furniture would be great for things that don't get used much, ie decorations. The room is long and rectangular so it would really give it a library effect. I just don't know if it would close the room up too much or not or if it will even look good.
So! Last night I was looking for a nice light read and thought, what about a young adult novel? Clearly I forgot the depth and emotional roller coaster one can put you through. I picked "The Forest of Hands and Teeth" by Carrie Ryan. First, I have to say that zombies are not a theme I enjoy. My hubby LOVES Resident Evil (all), Dawn of the Dead, Shaun of the Dead, basically anything zombie. The only zombie flick I actually like is Zombie-land. It was awesome and very funny. I kept my head turned for a lot of the gore but stayed put on the sofa for the whole movie. That's what I liked about this book, the ability to grab my attention with a subject I'd turn and run away from screaming. The plot was skillfully built around the zombie/living dead concept. In my experience with lots of forced showings of most of the zombie flicks out there, the time period is a completely different take. I can't remember exactly but fast forward 6-10 generations AFTER the zombie outbreak/infection begins and there's the start of the story. That is what got me hooked into reading this book. It's also why I couldn't sleep until it was done. Like any good thriller I just had to know who would make it out or through the story, who would succumb to becoming an "Unconsecrated", and who would just flat out die. Now my dislikes.....it's zombies. They seriously scare me.But so do thoughts of deep space and Armageddon comets, the end of the world stuff. Other than that I really just wanted something truly positive to happen earlier in the book and actually last. But again, zombie story. They aren't filled with flowers and unicorns and smiling people. It's the end of life as we know it and the dead/infected won't stay down or stop trying to eat you and all you care about. The book was about Mary and the town she was born in and her journey towards her dreams in a zombie filled life. Can she have what she wants? Will she survive? I had to know and I'm glad I did! Now it's your turn to pick it up and find out for yourself! 4 Clovers!
Ta ta for now!
Friday, April 1, 2011
Quick Post: True Blood Fans! C'mere~!
I just found some AWESOME news! True Blood returns June 26th! And if you loooooove spoilers like I do, or happen to have read the books and don't care if things are spoiled...this is for you:
Enjoy! Ta ta for now....
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Skipping to a review or two...
Hello there! I know I said I'd post photos this week but I'm not feeling all that great and I don't have anything truly memorable to show... But I did read two more books and I want to review them now.
If you haven't read the books below beware my reviews might** contain SPOILERS.
Wisdom - By Amanda Hocking
American Vampire - By Jennifer Armintrout
First I finished the latest Vamp book by Amanda Hocking called Wisdom. It was even better than the previous books and I can't wait for the next one which is set to be published in July. This book seems to be Alice's journey towards the Title...Wisdom. She really is starting to lose that whiny quality that teens always seem to have in YA novels. It's not untrue of teens, just a fact of life and a normal part of growing up. What grown woman doesn't have those moments in her past? Anyway, this book continues the crisis of the last book and the possible continuing of the tearing apart of their vampire family. In the previous book we found out that Mae's grand daughter is dying and that Mae wanted to turn her and Ezra did not. As in most vamp worlds, child vamps are evil uncontrollable abominations usually killed upon others finding out they exist. Mae turned the child, Daisy, and they are now living in Australia with Peter. The great thing about this book is that it has started to tie up some of the plot lines that have run through the course of the series. Some in messier ways than others and some are left until the 5th book. (I assume) Alice seems to be growing up and is starting to see the life that is before her. Now that she is a vampire, there is time for pretty much anything and she needs to start living instead of merely existing. While Alice seems to be growing, Jack on the other hand is staying almost exactly the same. He's still jealous of Peter, he's still immature, and he doesn't seem to be growing with Alice. Although since he's a 40 year old vamp already, should he grow more or is this just who he is? It just seems to me that the author may be changing Alice into a person more suited to be with Peter than with Jack. If that happens, I wouldn't mind reading a spin-off about Jack finding his true love IF he manages to start evolving. Mae's evolution hasn't been great. Although that, in my opinion, is where the author sent her and not an opinion on the quality of her journey. From the start you could tell that Mae had a very overwhelming desire to continue to be a mother in all forms of the word. I just hope she is finally going to find some peace and stay with Ezra! At least 3 months until the next book... can't wait! 3 Clovers!
The second book I read this week was American Vampire. I completely devoured this book. I started reading it at 7:30pm and finished at10:45pm. I am a speed reader but I did manage to read almost every word. It took me a bit to get into the book but like her previous vamp books, once I was hooked there was no putting the book down until I was done. I HAD to know what was going to happen. And thankfully the major plot line DOES get resolved although I was entirely shocked at how that came about. This one has a vampire on the way to his sire's 4th of July party when he gets thoroughly lost after hitting a button on his GPS turning all the words into Spanish.... Although I do wonder why a 44 year old vamp still doesn't know Spanish. Anyway he is passing through some random small town in Ohio and sees a gas station he's hoping to get a map from. Turns out the place is closed down and abandoned. He runs into Jessa there, a local woman running from IT... a beast that has been terrorizing the locals for 5 years now. It seems the town is stuck and isolated from the world. No one can enter and no one can leave... Except Graf the vampire did so what happened? I wasn't too keen on Graf and Jessa hooking up for almost half the story because they just don't seem to fit. Plus while I like imperfect heroines... I didn't like her that much. But the story and characters grew on me to the point where this was one of the most refreshing reads I've had in awhile. Maybe I'm too gullible but I didn't see the plot turning the way it did. I'm doing my best now to NOT try and guess the endings so that I can really enjoy my books. And this one rocked. Now I need to go pick up a physical copy for my shelf. 4 Clovers!
Ta ta for now and Happy Reading!
If you haven't read the books below beware my reviews might** contain SPOILERS.
Wisdom - By Amanda Hocking
American Vampire - By Jennifer Armintrout
First I finished the latest Vamp book by Amanda Hocking called Wisdom. It was even better than the previous books and I can't wait for the next one which is set to be published in July. This book seems to be Alice's journey towards the Title...Wisdom. She really is starting to lose that whiny quality that teens always seem to have in YA novels. It's not untrue of teens, just a fact of life and a normal part of growing up. What grown woman doesn't have those moments in her past? Anyway, this book continues the crisis of the last book and the possible continuing of the tearing apart of their vampire family. In the previous book we found out that Mae's grand daughter is dying and that Mae wanted to turn her and Ezra did not. As in most vamp worlds, child vamps are evil uncontrollable abominations usually killed upon others finding out they exist. Mae turned the child, Daisy, and they are now living in Australia with Peter. The great thing about this book is that it has started to tie up some of the plot lines that have run through the course of the series. Some in messier ways than others and some are left until the 5th book. (I assume) Alice seems to be growing up and is starting to see the life that is before her. Now that she is a vampire, there is time for pretty much anything and she needs to start living instead of merely existing. While Alice seems to be growing, Jack on the other hand is staying almost exactly the same. He's still jealous of Peter, he's still immature, and he doesn't seem to be growing with Alice. Although since he's a 40 year old vamp already, should he grow more or is this just who he is? It just seems to me that the author may be changing Alice into a person more suited to be with Peter than with Jack. If that happens, I wouldn't mind reading a spin-off about Jack finding his true love IF he manages to start evolving. Mae's evolution hasn't been great. Although that, in my opinion, is where the author sent her and not an opinion on the quality of her journey. From the start you could tell that Mae had a very overwhelming desire to continue to be a mother in all forms of the word. I just hope she is finally going to find some peace and stay with Ezra! At least 3 months until the next book... can't wait! 3 Clovers!
The second book I read this week was American Vampire. I completely devoured this book. I started reading it at 7:30pm and finished at10:45pm. I am a speed reader but I did manage to read almost every word. It took me a bit to get into the book but like her previous vamp books, once I was hooked there was no putting the book down until I was done. I HAD to know what was going to happen. And thankfully the major plot line DOES get resolved although I was entirely shocked at how that came about. This one has a vampire on the way to his sire's 4th of July party when he gets thoroughly lost after hitting a button on his GPS turning all the words into Spanish.... Although I do wonder why a 44 year old vamp still doesn't know Spanish. Anyway he is passing through some random small town in Ohio and sees a gas station he's hoping to get a map from. Turns out the place is closed down and abandoned. He runs into Jessa there, a local woman running from IT... a beast that has been terrorizing the locals for 5 years now. It seems the town is stuck and isolated from the world. No one can enter and no one can leave... Except Graf the vampire did so what happened? I wasn't too keen on Graf and Jessa hooking up for almost half the story because they just don't seem to fit. Plus while I like imperfect heroines... I didn't like her that much. But the story and characters grew on me to the point where this was one of the most refreshing reads I've had in awhile. Maybe I'm too gullible but I didn't see the plot turning the way it did. I'm doing my best now to NOT try and guess the endings so that I can really enjoy my books. And this one rocked. Now I need to go pick up a physical copy for my shelf. 4 Clovers!
Ta ta for now and Happy Reading!
Friday, March 25, 2011
New ratings!
Happy Friday! Today is Photo Friday and I'll be posting pics a bit later in the day. I wanted to hop online to tell you guys that I'm adding a rating system. I regularly visit a bunch of different book blogs and the best thing they have in my opinion, besides looking amazing and having awesome giveaways, is a rating system with nifty little graphics. I haven't designed my graphic just yet but as I'm the Irish Housewife, I know it'll be a clover! So as such I've added my ratings on the left side of the blog. For now it's a 4 Clover system but I may make it 5 if I think I need to be more specific. This is just the first of many things I want to add over the next few months. As I stated above, many blogs do giveaways and I will be starting my own in the future. As of now I will probably do one a month as soon as I hit 10 followers. If that number grows, so will the number of giveaways...hint hint! I read so much and purchase books so often that my shelves are always over flowing. We need bookcases so much that we have stacks of books on our dressers, nightstands, and end tables! And since I pick up so many books, I always end up with doubles here and there or I replace paperbacks with hardcovers for the books I really adored.
So spread the word because the first giveaway will not be one book... or even two. I want to start with a bang so THREE books it is! I need help picking the type of books to hand out so comment and tell me what your favorite genre is and why?
My favorite genre by far is Urban Fantasy. That seems to be the best place to find great Paranormal reads without TOO much erotica or romance. I like a healthy balance. And if I had to choose a kind of paranormal creature to be...Vampire all the way. They've always fascinated me even after seeing True Blood's violent and almost feral vamps. The idea of living so long and being able to learn and see so much is very exciting to me.
That's it folks! Spread the word! Ta ta for now....
Monday, March 21, 2011
In My Mailbox (2)
It's Monday and it's time again for In My Mailbox hosted by The Story Siren. I got quite a few this week so take a look!
Aurelia - Anne Osterlund
My Fair Godmother - Janette Rallison
Gawain & Lady Green - Anne Eliot Crompton
The Runaway McBride - Elizabeth Thronton
Necking - Chris Salvatore
Haunting Jordan - P.J. Alderman
Why I Let My Hair Grow Out - Maryrose Wood
How I Found The Perfect Dress - Maryrose Wood
What I Wore To Save The World - Maryrose Wood
Shadow of the Vampire - Meagan Hatfield
Seducing the Vampire - Michele Hauf
Blood on Silk - Marie Treanor
Not pictured:
Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart - Beth Patillo
The Season - Sarah Maclean
Changeling - Delia Sherman
Morganville Vampires Vol. 2 - Rachel Caine
My Fair Godmother - Janette Rallison
Gawain & Lady Green - Anne Eliot Crompton
The Runaway McBride - Elizabeth Thronton
Necking - Chris Salvatore
Haunting Jordan - P.J. Alderman
Why I Let My Hair Grow Out - Maryrose Wood
How I Found The Perfect Dress - Maryrose Wood
What I Wore To Save The World - Maryrose Wood
Shadow of the Vampire - Meagan Hatfield
Seducing the Vampire - Michele Hauf
Blood on Silk - Marie Treanor
Not pictured:
Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart - Beth Patillo
The Season - Sarah Maclean
Changeling - Delia Sherman
Morganville Vampires Vol. 2 - Rachel Caine
16 books is a fantastic week. Now if I can get through one or even two I'll be thrilled! Life has gotten pretty hectic lately. One of my best friends is coming home from two years of living in Texas in two weeks time, my mother just got engaged for the 5th time, and we are debating real estate versus renting and having children. Loads going on!
Anyone have any recommendations for what I should read after I finish Wisdom by Amanda Hocking?
Ta ta for now....
Anyone have any recommendations for what I should read after I finish Wisdom by Amanda Hocking?
Ta ta for now....
Friday, March 18, 2011
Photo Friday
Today is Photo Friday so I'll throw a couple pics in before I get down to chatting. These are a couple of my newest Pocket Dragons and my personal favorite. Pocket Dragons are collectible depictions of friendly dragons in various situations. They were designed by Real Musgrave and his wife from 1989 to 2005 when they retired. They were based on black and white drawings he did in the 70's. There was even a tv show that ran for 52 episodes. I got into collecting them when a friend showed me them on a website. I was instantly hooked by their adorable little faces. My best friends and my husband have purchased all my dragons for me, and some big help from my mother-in-law on Ebay! I have 14 currently in my possession and TEN more on the way! My first two came from my best friend in the world. He's awesome. :)
This is the Dragon called "Hat Box Hideway". Isn't she adorable? I hadn't seen this one before and it came complete with it's unique hat box style original box so I snagged it!
This is "Believe in Dragons". I love it because it's not only got 3 dragons but a book too! I have no idea where this one will go since it's bigger than any of the ones I currently have. I think I'm going to have to make room in one of my glass cabinets for them soon!
This is the dragon that got me into them in the first place. She's called "But Dragons Don't Wash Dishes". Tee hee.... At the time that I saw this one it was almost impossible to get me to do dishes. I hated them with a passion. Even using the dishwasher was a chore I detested. I didn't mind all the other chores but for some reason dishes were more abhorrent than anything else on my list! My wonderful husband bought her for me last year. And the funny thing is, I don't mind dishes nearly so much anymore. Now washing the toilets on the other hand....!
This week I've started Amanda Hocking's "My Blood Approves" Series. I believe it's a young adult series and it's kind of similar to Twilight but I haven't seen any sign of werewolves yet and I'm on book 3. But there is a love triangle and it is set in high school. While there are many parallels to be drawn between the two series, I have to say I prefer this one. It could just be the over exposure of Meyer's work and the endless comparisons to Harry Potter that I find ridiculous but who knows. I really enjoyed the first book and it hooked me pretty quick. The main character is likable enough but I do find her to be tedious at times. I want to kick her and tell her to fight more for what she wants. I think my favorite character so far is her little brother. His story line hasn't been too surprising but it has been great. I can't wait to see what happens to him.
I usually pick my books based on which cover snags my interest and then secondly the storyline. Having over 2,000 books in the house necessitates a different selection process. While I love having so many choices it can be hard to narrow down what to read next! I gravitated to these books because of the lovely covers. There are many new books coming out this year that are just as eye catching, if not more so. I'll do a post soon on my picks for best covers expected this year
so far.
That's it for this post. Ta ta for now!
This is the Dragon called "Hat Box Hideway". Isn't she adorable? I hadn't seen this one before and it came complete with it's unique hat box style original box so I snagged it!
This is "Believe in Dragons". I love it because it's not only got 3 dragons but a book too! I have no idea where this one will go since it's bigger than any of the ones I currently have. I think I'm going to have to make room in one of my glass cabinets for them soon!
This is the dragon that got me into them in the first place. She's called "But Dragons Don't Wash Dishes". Tee hee.... At the time that I saw this one it was almost impossible to get me to do dishes. I hated them with a passion. Even using the dishwasher was a chore I detested. I didn't mind all the other chores but for some reason dishes were more abhorrent than anything else on my list! My wonderful husband bought her for me last year. And the funny thing is, I don't mind dishes nearly so much anymore. Now washing the toilets on the other hand....!
This week I've started Amanda Hocking's "My Blood Approves" Series. I believe it's a young adult series and it's kind of similar to Twilight but I haven't seen any sign of werewolves yet and I'm on book 3. But there is a love triangle and it is set in high school. While there are many parallels to be drawn between the two series, I have to say I prefer this one. It could just be the over exposure of Meyer's work and the endless comparisons to Harry Potter that I find ridiculous but who knows. I really enjoyed the first book and it hooked me pretty quick. The main character is likable enough but I do find her to be tedious at times. I want to kick her and tell her to fight more for what she wants. I think my favorite character so far is her little brother. His story line hasn't been too surprising but it has been great. I can't wait to see what happens to him.
I usually pick my books based on which cover snags my interest and then secondly the storyline. Having over 2,000 books in the house necessitates a different selection process. While I love having so many choices it can be hard to narrow down what to read next! I gravitated to these books because of the lovely covers. There are many new books coming out this year that are just as eye catching, if not more so. I'll do a post soon on my picks for best covers expected this year
so far.
That's it for this post. Ta ta for now!
Sunday, March 13, 2011
In My Mailbox (1)
In My Mailbox is a feature most book blogs run once a week about the books they received in their mailbox, in swaps, from the library, or any other way in the past week. This is what I got:
1.) Visions of Magic By Regan Hastings
2.) Homicide in Hardcover By Kate Carlisle (though not in hardcover!)
3.) Jane Goes Batty By Michael Thomas Ford
4.) Georgette Heyer's Regency World
5.) The Mammoth Book of Regency Romance
I'm currently expecting 10 more books soon-ish. And we'll see what pops up on PBS in the next few days too off my wish list!
Happy Reading! Ta ta for now!
1.) Visions of Magic By Regan Hastings2.) Homicide in Hardcover By Kate Carlisle (though not in hardcover!)
3.) Jane Goes Batty By Michael Thomas Ford
4.) Georgette Heyer's Regency World
5.) The Mammoth Book of Regency Romance
I'm currently expecting 10 more books soon-ish. And we'll see what pops up on PBS in the next few days too off my wish list!
Happy Reading! Ta ta for now!
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Quick Post: Photo
This is my little rug rat kitten Darcy. She's getting bigger every day but she's still not as big as I thought she'd be at 2 years old! But she's very stretchy! :)
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
I'm BACK!
Hello there! It's been weeks since my last post I know. I got so busy with planning our anniversary vacation, house cleaning, packing, and being sick that the blog had to go on the back burner. But now I'm home and I can relax and get back to my 2011 challenge and updating my blog.
I read a few books over the course of our vacation and I'll review them in this post. Just to warn ya, I did jump genres! But before I get started I'll give you a bit of history on my love of reading and how it went down through the years...
The first books I started reading when I was younger were romances. Yeah, yeah I can hear your teasing... But if it got me into the world of reading, does it really matter?? Nope, not one damn bit. So back to my point... I started reading them but branched out as I got older. And to be honest, I read so fast that the authors and types of romances I was interested in dried up. I simply read too fast. But before I left the romances behind, I stumbled across the A&E Pride & Prejudice special and got sucked in. That led me to Jane Austen and then on to Regency Romances, (books set in the same time frame as Jane's) which I devoured! When I was 12 I went through 100 books in one months time. No book was under 300 pages and most were 400+. Reading was my refuge from the reality I hated. Well...after the romance section dried up for me, I slipped into a Michael Crichton and John Grisham phase for awhile. Jurassic Park is one of my all time favorites and so is The Lost World. Yes you can bite me if you think that book (TLW) and movie sucked. I LOVED them! As for Grisham, I liked Runaway Jury and The Client the most. Although I have to say as hard as it was to read, A Time To Kill was an excellent book too. After those I slipped into the Anne Rice thing for a bit with her Mayfair Witches series and anything that WASN'T the Vampire books. Which is hilarious now since I adore vampire books and anything to do with vampires! (Unless it sparkles, then it's a passing interest...lol) I think my favorite by Anne Rice is The Mummy. Awesome book and I REALLY wish she had written a 2nd. And this is the point that I found Paranormal books of all kinds... Romance, Urban Fantasy, and more recently young adult paranormal fiction. I got started with Christine Feehan's Dark Series and it kinda snow balled from there! I grabbed everything I could find that sounded remotely good. And at the time there was WAY less out there than now. Plus the paranormal stuff didn't get published much unless it was under Romance. That's probably why I prefer them to have at least an underlying romance to the story to be satisfied. While reading Charlaine Harris I found out she had started as a regular mystery author. I jumped into those and liked them too. I've discovered I will read pretty much anything if it sounds interesting. So that is my history of reading.
The first book I read over vacation was "A Matter of Class" by Mary Balogh. I happened to see this by the register of the book store the day before we left. The cover hooked me and reeled me in. And I was not disappointed in the least! This is my first Georgian/Regency novel in years and it was a shorter one than normal for me at 224 pages. It jumps back and forth between the two main characters in the past and present which I found a bit confusing. But once I got used to it, the story really picked up. The ending was a bit of a surprise, although I'm sure if I'd been less distracted by the train ride, I might have picked up on it. I liked both the hero and the heroine a lot. For a short book they were well developed. I'm going to read more by this author since I loved this one so much. It's short and well rounded so it's going on my re-read list.
Next was Kim Harrison's latest, Pale Demon. OMG I loved this book. While LKH is dragging her books into the sewers, Ms. Harrison is really showing how talented she is. This book had so much action I found myself putting it down just so I could breathe! There was some heart wrenching character development but I'm glad she's and author that isn't afraid to make her characters grow! No boring old books here.... That's all on this book because you really need to just go read it and I don't want to spoil it!
After Pale Demon I really needed a light read so I went back to the Regency Romance. I read "The Heiress" by Lyndsay Sands. It's actually the 2nd book in the series but that's ok. This one reminded me in some ways of my early relationship with my husband, so I enjoyed it more than some people might have. The plot was pretty standard for this genre but I liked how it played out. Here's the synopsis:
I read a few books over the course of our vacation and I'll review them in this post. Just to warn ya, I did jump genres! But before I get started I'll give you a bit of history on my love of reading and how it went down through the years...
The first books I started reading when I was younger were romances. Yeah, yeah I can hear your teasing... But if it got me into the world of reading, does it really matter?? Nope, not one damn bit. So back to my point... I started reading them but branched out as I got older. And to be honest, I read so fast that the authors and types of romances I was interested in dried up. I simply read too fast. But before I left the romances behind, I stumbled across the A&E Pride & Prejudice special and got sucked in. That led me to Jane Austen and then on to Regency Romances, (books set in the same time frame as Jane's) which I devoured! When I was 12 I went through 100 books in one months time. No book was under 300 pages and most were 400+. Reading was my refuge from the reality I hated. Well...after the romance section dried up for me, I slipped into a Michael Crichton and John Grisham phase for awhile. Jurassic Park is one of my all time favorites and so is The Lost World. Yes you can bite me if you think that book (TLW) and movie sucked. I LOVED them! As for Grisham, I liked Runaway Jury and The Client the most. Although I have to say as hard as it was to read, A Time To Kill was an excellent book too. After those I slipped into the Anne Rice thing for a bit with her Mayfair Witches series and anything that WASN'T the Vampire books. Which is hilarious now since I adore vampire books and anything to do with vampires! (Unless it sparkles, then it's a passing interest...lol) I think my favorite by Anne Rice is The Mummy. Awesome book and I REALLY wish she had written a 2nd. And this is the point that I found Paranormal books of all kinds... Romance, Urban Fantasy, and more recently young adult paranormal fiction. I got started with Christine Feehan's Dark Series and it kinda snow balled from there! I grabbed everything I could find that sounded remotely good. And at the time there was WAY less out there than now. Plus the paranormal stuff didn't get published much unless it was under Romance. That's probably why I prefer them to have at least an underlying romance to the story to be satisfied. While reading Charlaine Harris I found out she had started as a regular mystery author. I jumped into those and liked them too. I've discovered I will read pretty much anything if it sounds interesting. So that is my history of reading.
The first book I read over vacation was "A Matter of Class" by Mary Balogh. I happened to see this by the register of the book store the day before we left. The cover hooked me and reeled me in. And I was not disappointed in the least! This is my first Georgian/Regency novel in years and it was a shorter one than normal for me at 224 pages. It jumps back and forth between the two main characters in the past and present which I found a bit confusing. But once I got used to it, the story really picked up. The ending was a bit of a surprise, although I'm sure if I'd been less distracted by the train ride, I might have picked up on it. I liked both the hero and the heroine a lot. For a short book they were well developed. I'm going to read more by this author since I loved this one so much. It's short and well rounded so it's going on my re-read list.
Next was Kim Harrison's latest, Pale Demon. OMG I loved this book. While LKH is dragging her books into the sewers, Ms. Harrison is really showing how talented she is. This book had so much action I found myself putting it down just so I could breathe! There was some heart wrenching character development but I'm glad she's and author that isn't afraid to make her characters grow! No boring old books here.... That's all on this book because you really need to just go read it and I don't want to spoil it!
After Pale Demon I really needed a light read so I went back to the Regency Romance. I read "The Heiress" by Lyndsay Sands. It's actually the 2nd book in the series but that's ok. This one reminded me in some ways of my early relationship with my husband, so I enjoyed it more than some people might have. The plot was pretty standard for this genre but I liked how it played out. Here's the synopsis:
Desperately seeking a husband . . .
Suzette is not like other heiresses; she wants a poor husband, a gentleman who will be so grateful for her dowry that he will allow her access to it so that she can pay off her father's gambling debts. When this alluring beauty encounters Daniel Woodrow—handsome, titled, single . . . and even more impoverished than she could have hoped for—it seems Suzette's wildest dreams have come true.
But Daniel has not been truthful. Tired of being accosted by an endless stream of vapid coquettes and their fortune-hunting mothers, Daniel has decided to plead poverty to stop them in their tracks. Yet here is a most refreshing and delectable lady, who claims to be thrilled by his penury. Now all Daniel has to do to find true happiness is to keep a little white lie alive . . . while avoiding a villain who's determined to prevent this union by any means necessary.
Sounds a bit cheesy and it was. But I enjoy this kinda thing sometimes and it's not "fluff" as much as regular romances are.
I seem to be stuck on Regency right now but I wanted something paranormal for my next read. I had picked up a trilogy about a year ago about 3 vampires in Regency England. These are SO vamp romance but they aren't bodice rippers which rocks. (I really hate bodice rippers, I skips whole chapters... if I want naughty fun like that, I'll grab my hubby!) I should be done with this one today. Doesn't it look silly?!? I'm enjoying it!
Ta ta for now!
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Trip excitement and more books off my To Be Read list!!
I've knocked another couple books off my To Be Read list. I finished The Iron Fey series by Julia Kagawa.
I've already written in my previous post about the first book. I thoroughly enjoyed the second book and most of the third. The end of the third book irritated me quite a bit as I heard this was a trilogy and it seemed to end on a cliffhanger. But I have not found concrete evidence of it being the last book so my opinion is a bit higher now. The plot conclusion was predictable but enjoyable none the less. Now I just hope she's hard at work on the next book!
I am an avid Jane Austen fan, (listening to Persuasion audio as I type this) so my next book is a young adult book that's a take off on Pride and Prejudice called "Prom & Prejudice". It's not a long book and seems to be set up rather well even with the authors modernization of the plot and the new setting in a bordering school. I should be through it if I can sit still to read it!
We are just days from our 3rd Wedding Anniversary trip to Savannah and Texas. I am very excited and finding it ever so hard to get through the endless waiting. The days always seem to drag the few days before an exciting trip like this! I will post some photos when we return or even on the trip if possible. I'm very excited for our train trip to get there. It sounds like loads of fun and we'll be free to move about as we're checking our luggage for maximum freedom.
Ta Ta for now!
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Naughty Sick Girl!
I have been horribly sick for the last two weeks which is why there have been no posts. I'm starting to feel better and as such started to read again too. I couldn't concentrate long enough to be able to read! Thank goodness that part of my illness is over....
Right now I'm in the middle of reading The Iron Daughter. It's pretty good although there are some things that make the story drag. I'm not that interested in the details of characters that have no bearing on the plot. For instance there is a battle against a monster where I'm at in the book and there is a lot of detail about creatures fighting it but no one pertinent to the plot. Finally the creature ends up after the main character and that's when it gets interesting. But the author puts a lot of these little details in that I just don't care about and don't seem to move the story forward all that fast. I'm much more fond of the Bitter Frost series with Faeries. The author doesn't give as much detail and moves the plot along very smoothly. But don't get me wrong, I am enjoying the book and completely swept up by the story. I just skip more than I read sometimes.
I got another book called "A Discovery of Witches" that sounds fantastic and I'll be reading that next I think. The cover caught my eye and I do have good experience judging a book by its cover art. And after reading the synopsis, it sounds like it could be decent.
I'm getting pretty excited right now. Our anniversary trip is only weeks away and we will be taking a train to Savannah. I've never been on one and we'll be checking our bags so we can move about to the food car or just to stretch our legs. We'll get in to Savannah and check into the hotel before heading to our favorite pub that has the BEST ruebens I have EVER had!!! We'll spend a day and a half there and then fly to Texas for 4 days to visit with my husbands family.
Hopefully after we get home I'll be able to pick up my new computer. I'm SO happy about that. I'll have a huge monitor and great graphics so City of Heroes will look AMAZING! I'll be able to use the new Ultra Mode they introduced to see the extreme detail they have worked so hard towards for 7 years now. They have some amazing end game (not to be confused with end of THE game!) content that will be released every couple months. They also just released a teaser trailer showing the new animal costume pack they are releasing! Tiger, Leopard, Lion, Wolf, and Eagle heads, tails, and feet plus various skins will be part of it. I'm getting this the second it's out. My Kitty Norville can finally have a true werewolf form. Plus they are adding a special run power that will let a character run on all fours!!! It looks AMAZING! I hope some of this brings even more people back than the recent stuff already has. I haven't seen the servers this full since before they upgraded to larger servers!
Ta ta for now!!
Right now I'm in the middle of reading The Iron Daughter. It's pretty good although there are some things that make the story drag. I'm not that interested in the details of characters that have no bearing on the plot. For instance there is a battle against a monster where I'm at in the book and there is a lot of detail about creatures fighting it but no one pertinent to the plot. Finally the creature ends up after the main character and that's when it gets interesting. But the author puts a lot of these little details in that I just don't care about and don't seem to move the story forward all that fast. I'm much more fond of the Bitter Frost series with Faeries. The author doesn't give as much detail and moves the plot along very smoothly. But don't get me wrong, I am enjoying the book and completely swept up by the story. I just skip more than I read sometimes.
I got another book called "A Discovery of Witches" that sounds fantastic and I'll be reading that next I think. The cover caught my eye and I do have good experience judging a book by its cover art. And after reading the synopsis, it sounds like it could be decent.
I'm getting pretty excited right now. Our anniversary trip is only weeks away and we will be taking a train to Savannah. I've never been on one and we'll be checking our bags so we can move about to the food car or just to stretch our legs. We'll get in to Savannah and check into the hotel before heading to our favorite pub that has the BEST ruebens I have EVER had!!! We'll spend a day and a half there and then fly to Texas for 4 days to visit with my husbands family.
Hopefully after we get home I'll be able to pick up my new computer. I'm SO happy about that. I'll have a huge monitor and great graphics so City of Heroes will look AMAZING! I'll be able to use the new Ultra Mode they introduced to see the extreme detail they have worked so hard towards for 7 years now. They have some amazing end game (not to be confused with end of THE game!) content that will be released every couple months. They also just released a teaser trailer showing the new animal costume pack they are releasing! Tiger, Leopard, Lion, Wolf, and Eagle heads, tails, and feet plus various skins will be part of it. I'm getting this the second it's out. My Kitty Norville can finally have a true werewolf form. Plus they are adding a special run power that will let a character run on all fours!!! It looks AMAZING! I hope some of this brings even more people back than the recent stuff already has. I haven't seen the servers this full since before they upgraded to larger servers!
Ta ta for now!!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Awful Bloody Flu!
Do yourselves a favor and stock up on Vitamin C and Zinc and keep away from any plague carriers such as myself. My wonderful husband managed to give me his nasty flu and cough he's been fighting for weeks. YUCK. On the upside, it leaves lots of time to catch up on tv and books! The Iron Queen just arrived on my doorstep so I get to start that series tonight. Well....after Vampire Diaries, Nikita, Private Practice, Grey's and Royal Pains! I LOVE Thursdays!
So the last book I finished was the 4th and latest book in Rachel Hawthorne's Dark Guardians series. It was great. She is growing on me with each book. The first 3 seemed to be variations of the same couple while this last one separated itself from the pack (tee hee!) with a nice twist. The departure from the locale used in previous books was a nice breath of fresh air.
Next up on the book list is either the Iron Fey series or A Brush of Darkness by Alison Pang.
Ta ta for now!
So the last book I finished was the 4th and latest book in Rachel Hawthorne's Dark Guardians series. It was great. She is growing on me with each book. The first 3 seemed to be variations of the same couple while this last one separated itself from the pack (tee hee!) with a nice twist. The departure from the locale used in previous books was a nice breath of fresh air.
Next up on the book list is either the Iron Fey series or A Brush of Darkness by Alison Pang.
Ta ta for now!
Friday, January 28, 2011
Hiatus for a couple days....
I'm going to be offline for posting until Monday since this weekend is Double XP on my favorite MMORPG City of Heroes. (The picture above is my first character and my favorite. Her name is Scarlett Rowan) Here's some pics of my characters:
This is Kitty Norville. She's a Claw Scrapper.
This is Lucinda Dark. Also a Scrapper. (Monere, Children of the Moon Books)
And this is Rachel Morgan. She's a witch. I have another version of her that has whips and she summons demons! Soooooo perfect, right from the books!
Well that's it for now. Back on Monday.....
Ta ta!
Monday, January 24, 2011
Horrible, No good, Very bad day!
So its been one of those days. The not so fun kind. But rather than bring everyone down, here's some fun stuff. I got my Season 4 of Psych in the mail today. That show is so wonderfully funny. And the 80's references are the best. My leather boots my hubby bought me came in today too. I'm a bit disappointed because they have an issue on the inside of the boots but, I think I can deal with it by wearing nylons with them. They do look super sexy on! Aren't they just amazing???
And hopefully in a couple days my lovely new pajamas with matching slippers come in from Victoria's Secret. I'll post pics of then when they arrive. They're black with light pink flower shapes on them and light pink edging. Definitely going into the suitcase for our anniversary trip to keep me warm.On to the book portion of this post.... I finished the next book of The Dark Guardians, Dark Side of the Moon. Very good. Better than the first two in my opinion. I still have the same opinion on this series that I did in the last post BUT I enjoyed the romance more because I've been rooting for Brittany for two books now. Any girl who has felt like she's in the background next to her friends will identify with this character. She's pretty but not the model looking type like her best friend. The guys have never seemed to notice her and it doesn't seem to be changing until the book gets rolling. I really enjoyed how the two lovers got together in this one and I'm interested in the next book. Although I was confused as to who they were moving onto from this one because the "core" group is all paired up now.
I did pick up another book in paper format last night but I may not read it yet. The plot is intriguing but seems to be held together by steamy scenes. In other words it's probably a bodice ripper. That's alright. Most people consider Christine Feehan's Carpathians to be bodice rippers too but the plot that holds them together is SO amazing well done that skipping through the endless sex scenes is worth it.
Time for some relaxation and crime fighting....
Ta ta for now!
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Knocked down 2.5 more!
I managed to get two more books read and almost a third in the last 36 hours. I read the first two of the Dark Guardians Series by Rachel Hawthorne and started the third. They are young adult novels about werewolves living in a National Park near the Canadian border.
I enjoyed the first book a lot and I was eager for the second. As much as I enjoyed it, there were many plot points that aggravated me. Some of my favorite authors write there stories as if they were real life. The lovers may end up together but they may have a lot of things against them if they do. Not true in these books. The main plot of each book seems to be neatly tied up by the end except for the plot line tying all the books together. Without giving too much away, let me explain one scene that pissed me off.
(Okay this does contain some *Spoilers* so if you want to read the book, don't read ahead. If you do, I warned ya so maybe put it back on the shelf for a bit until you forget what you read here...)
The scene begins with the heroine of the novel returning with her chosen. Not the boy her wasp parents wanted for her but a blue collar mechanic's son they would never bother to even cast their eyes upon except that he's a Dark Guardian. Instead of angrily demanding she fix it, they welcome her with open arms and say their chosen boy for her explained and they were just glad that she was happy. They all hug and make cutesy small talk. Right. And each night I transform into a superhero and fly on a purple unicorn to fight evil sea turtles. I don't think so. In the real world, her parents would have been ticked and maybe even disowned her. She would have probably never spoken to them again in return. (At least for a book or two) But no, we got rainbows and happiness. Even the spurned boy isn't all that upset. He's just annoyed he wasted time on the girl. (And a tattoo unfortunately!)
Back to my overall impression of the books? I still like them. I just wish the author had thrown more obstacles in the way of "true love" to make it more interesting. Because out of all the Young Adult fiction I've read, these come the closest to being for middle grade girls than for high school/college girls. I originally picked up YA books to get away from the increasing amount of erotica sneaking it's way into my urban fantasy section at the bookstore. I wanted detailed worlds with unpredictable plot lines where yes, the guy might still get the girl, but you never knew exactly how that would pan out and you didn't have to skip two or three chapters of R-rated loving to get to the next part of the story.
So if you want a nice light read to give you a break from the emotionally heavier stuff of Kim Harrison and P.C. Cast of late, these are perfect. If you're looking for something between these and say Kim Harrison? I can't recommend Rachel Caine enough. Her Morganville Vamps are my favorite reads of the last 6 months. She'll keep you guessing all over the place!
Ta ta for now!
Friday, January 21, 2011
2011 Debut Author Challenge
As part of my 6 Month Challenge I'm going to also do the Debut Author Challenge too. They will actually blend together very well as the the book I read for the DAC will count as one of my books for the each month. Out of January's picks I chose Alison Pang's "A Brush Of Darkness". And I will admit that I picked it for the Ipod and unicorns....
If you are interested in joining, head here to take a look at January's Authors.
Photo Friday (snagged from The Qwillery)
One of the blogs I read, The Qwillery, does Photos every Friday and I figured that would be a great way to start this post.
Sooooo I give you BUNNIES! These two cuties and their pals live around our house. On any given day we might catch one or two as we take out the trash or come home from dinner. They are adorable to watch. Although I do wish they'd leave the plants by the windows alone!
I'm still making headway on my 100 books in 6 months goal. I finished the most recent book in the Frost Series last night and started my next series. Silver Frost was even better than the previous book. The plot line moved forward quickly and then the end gave us one hell of a cliffhanger. Now I'm going to be on pins and needles until the 28th of Feb. waiting to find out what happens!
Next up on the To Be Read book list is Moonlight from The Guardians Series by Rachel Hawthorne. So far it seems to be about werewolves but I haven't read too far in. The writing is very well done. I got hooked just from the first chapter, which bodes very well for the rest of the story. (The last time that happened was The Morganville Vamps, those are GREAT!) I just wish there was more time to read. Between being sick, trying to keep the house in order, writing this blog, juggling the budget, and responding to calls and texts while trying to snooze here and there... I'm super busy.
In concert news, I just found out that 30 Seconds to Mars and OneRepublic will be playing at Universal in March and April. I want to go SOOOOO much! I missed Counting Crows last year and I haven't been to a concert since the one in Miami with S. (God what a horrid time trying to find the club! We almost missed the show, but a super fun time anyhow.) Hopefully we'll be able to catch at least one of the shows. And maybe drag a few friends along with us. ;)
Sooooo I give you BUNNIES! These two cuties and their pals live around our house. On any given day we might catch one or two as we take out the trash or come home from dinner. They are adorable to watch. Although I do wish they'd leave the plants by the windows alone!
I'm still making headway on my 100 books in 6 months goal. I finished the most recent book in the Frost Series last night and started my next series. Silver Frost was even better than the previous book. The plot line moved forward quickly and then the end gave us one hell of a cliffhanger. Now I'm going to be on pins and needles until the 28th of Feb. waiting to find out what happens!
Next up on the To Be Read book list is Moonlight from The Guardians Series by Rachel Hawthorne. So far it seems to be about werewolves but I haven't read too far in. The writing is very well done. I got hooked just from the first chapter, which bodes very well for the rest of the story. (The last time that happened was The Morganville Vamps, those are GREAT!) I just wish there was more time to read. Between being sick, trying to keep the house in order, writing this blog, juggling the budget, and responding to calls and texts while trying to snooze here and there... I'm super busy.
In concert news, I just found out that 30 Seconds to Mars and OneRepublic will be playing at Universal in March and April. I want to go SOOOOO much! I missed Counting Crows last year and I haven't been to a concert since the one in Miami with S. (God what a horrid time trying to find the club! We almost missed the show, but a super fun time anyhow.) Hopefully we'll be able to catch at least one of the shows. And maybe drag a few friends along with us. ;)
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Sundance Films I'm looking forward to!
First off, let me say that I LOVE Eonline. I read it religiously.No judging me.... :P Besides, I skip all the stuff about reality shows because I can't really stand most of them. (Except for ANTM, I'm such a sucker for the photo shoots!) I skip all the rumors.... until substantiated. I skip anything that says Lindsay Lohan, Lady Gaga, or Britney Spears. BUT, I always check out their posts on movies and tv. Kristin (~TV writer~) is my hero when it comes to spoilers! Anywho, today I happened to come across a photo list of 15 Sundance Films getting a lot of buzz. These five caught my interest.
1.)Perfect Sense
Ewan McGregor stars in this story about two people who fall in love just as the world around them begins to fall apart.
2.)Another Happy Day
Demi Moore, Kate Bosworth and Ellen Barkin star in this comedy about good ol' family fun as a pair of siblings get dragged to a chaotic family wedding by their agitated mother.
3.)The Details
Tobey Maguire and Elizabeth Banks star in this comedy about a young couple whose lives are turned upside down when a pest problem sets off an absurd chain reaction of events.
4.)I Melt With You
Rob Lowe and Jeremy Piven star in this thriller about four friends who gather to celebrate their friendship. But when they reflect on the choices they've made in life and realize their paths are vastly different from what they set out to do.
5.) Flypaper
Stars Patrick Dempsey and Ashley Judd are caught in the middle of two simultaneous bank robberies and must team up to save the day. (The image at the top is from the movie! Ineteresting...hmm? Tee hee!)
1.) A Time To Kill - I read John Grisham novels for a LOOOOOONG time. They were the first real adult books I took up and I devoured each one I came as they came out. This book/movie was very harsh to read and harder to watch but the story was very well done. I watch it occasionally when it comes on tv. Mostly for the scene right near the end of the trial that brings tears to my eyes every time. It's just so well done. Matthew M. is brilliant in his delivery of his lines.
2.) Kiss The Girls - She's just awesome. One, she goes through Hell and still maintains her inner strength. Two, it's Cary Elwes as a homicidal maniac! And three, Morgan Freeman. Need I say more?? I mean what movie isn't made better with the addition of a bit of Freeman???
3.) Where The Heart Is - Natalie Portman, Ashley J, Joan Cusack, Stockard Channing and the always awesome James Frain. (Frain was most recently in True Blood as the crazy-ass vamp that kidnaps Tara)
4.) Double Jeopardy - Ashley J and Tommy Lee Jones. She gets framed for her husbands murder...by her husband. After she gets out of jail, she finds him and kills him because after all... she's already been tried and convicted for it so Double Jeopardy applies. :) Maybe a bit predictable but I enjoy it every time.
Ta ta peeps!
Must...Read...More....Cough, cough.
Crawling out of bed to type this out seemed like a good idea at the time. Now I'm not so sure!
I finished Forever Frost early this morning. I have to say I liked it more than the first book. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed Bitter Frost. The author just seemed to move the story forward very quickly without a lot of build up or getting to know the characters. Which in its own way was refreshing too. I've read too many books lately that drone on and on and on about the tiniest details and every bit of the past between characters. The story in BF was refreshing and the descriptions were vivid and yet wonderfully simple in their details.
Breena feels similar to me when I moved to FL as a pre-teen. She feels different, out of place... like she just doesn't belong. Her dreams were like the books I read, an escape to another world where I was who I was supposed to be and I could accomplish anything and the world was amazing.
The second book got me hooked even more and I'm quickly reading through the third. I should be done by the end of the night and then not so patiently waiting for the next book due Feb. 28th. Ack! That's the day I leave for my Anniversary trip! I guess I'll have something to read on the train....
So..... real quick, if you like fairies and want some light but interesting reads without all the um... erotica, check it out. I think it is labeled as a YA fiction but I am not entirely sure.
Ta ta for now!
I finished Forever Frost early this morning. I have to say I liked it more than the first book. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed Bitter Frost. The author just seemed to move the story forward very quickly without a lot of build up or getting to know the characters. Which in its own way was refreshing too. I've read too many books lately that drone on and on and on about the tiniest details and every bit of the past between characters. The story in BF was refreshing and the descriptions were vivid and yet wonderfully simple in their details.
Breena feels similar to me when I moved to FL as a pre-teen. She feels different, out of place... like she just doesn't belong. Her dreams were like the books I read, an escape to another world where I was who I was supposed to be and I could accomplish anything and the world was amazing.
The second book got me hooked even more and I'm quickly reading through the third. I should be done by the end of the night and then not so patiently waiting for the next book due Feb. 28th. Ack! That's the day I leave for my Anniversary trip! I guess I'll have something to read on the train....
So..... real quick, if you like fairies and want some light but interesting reads without all the um...
Ta ta for now!
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
My resolution's for 2011
I don't usually make these lists because they bug me. I forget about them and then kick myself later or worse... I don't even care. So this time I'm going to pick stuff I actually have a hope of completing. The stuff I love.
1.) Read 100 books in 12 months.
2.) Drop some fat, not weight mind you, just that icky extra tummy pudge us ladies hate!
3.) Continue to maintain this blog.
That's it! Yes I know it is a little light. But I think the more you add can just weigh you down and make you feel a lot worse if you don't complete the list. Although honestly the first one should be rather simple. My record is over 100 books in one month when I was 12. Books were my safe haven and escape from the misery of my pre-teen years. Nothing made coming home crying from school once again a lot easier to take then a trip to a mystical world locked in the pages of a book.
Here's the beginning of my list:
1.) My Soul To Take, Rachel Vincent - JAN 3rd
2.) My Soul To Save, Rachel Vincent - JAN 4th
3.) My Soul To Keep, Rachel Vincent - JAN 5th
4.) My Soul To Steal, Rachel Vincent - JAN 8th
5.) The Accidental Demon Slayer, Angie Fox - JAN 16th
6.) Bitter Frost, Kailin Gow - JAN 18th
7.) Forever Frost, Kailin Gow - Reading
I think this is a pretty good start for the month. Although I only have 12 days left to get 10 more books read to keep up the average needed for each month. Honestly I think it will be easy. :)
I LOVED the Soul Series by Ms. Vincent. They are awesome. Reminds me a bit of the Morganville vamps series which I read in December. I highly recommend them. I enjoyed the Demon Slayer but it wasn't one of my favorites to be sure. I have started the second but I've set it aside for the Frost series. I can't help it, the cover images got me. Honestly a great looking cover will keep me coming back to look at a book even when I'm not all that interested in the story. And I really have found some gems that way. I was very iffy on Emma Bull's book "The War For The Oaks" and that book is one of my all time favorites. Kushiel's Dart is another good example. I haven't read past the first three in that series but I liked them all too. They stray a little farther into erotic subjects than I'm comfortable with but other than that.... the story was fantastic.
Well, it's time to level up Kitty a bit more while I wait for my medicine to kick in. It's January and time for cold and flu season. Whoo hoo! Soooo not.
Have a happy one all!
1.) Read 100 books in 12 months.
2.) Drop some fat, not weight mind you, just that icky extra tummy pudge us ladies hate!
3.) Continue to maintain this blog.
That's it! Yes I know it is a little light. But I think the more you add can just weigh you down and make you feel a lot worse if you don't complete the list. Although honestly the first one should be rather simple. My record is over 100 books in one month when I was 12. Books were my safe haven and escape from the misery of my pre-teen years. Nothing made coming home crying from school once again a lot easier to take then a trip to a mystical world locked in the pages of a book.
Here's the beginning of my list:
1.) My Soul To Take, Rachel Vincent - JAN 3rd
2.) My Soul To Save, Rachel Vincent - JAN 4th
3.) My Soul To Keep, Rachel Vincent - JAN 5th
4.) My Soul To Steal, Rachel Vincent - JAN 8th
5.) The Accidental Demon Slayer, Angie Fox - JAN 16th
6.) Bitter Frost, Kailin Gow - JAN 18th
7.) Forever Frost, Kailin Gow - Reading
I think this is a pretty good start for the month. Although I only have 12 days left to get 10 more books read to keep up the average needed for each month. Honestly I think it will be easy. :)
I LOVED the Soul Series by Ms. Vincent. They are awesome. Reminds me a bit of the Morganville vamps series which I read in December. I highly recommend them. I enjoyed the Demon Slayer but it wasn't one of my favorites to be sure. I have started the second but I've set it aside for the Frost series. I can't help it, the cover images got me. Honestly a great looking cover will keep me coming back to look at a book even when I'm not all that interested in the story. And I really have found some gems that way. I was very iffy on Emma Bull's book "The War For The Oaks" and that book is one of my all time favorites. Kushiel's Dart is another good example. I haven't read past the first three in that series but I liked them all too. They stray a little farther into erotic subjects than I'm comfortable with but other than that.... the story was fantastic.
Well, it's time to level up Kitty a bit more while I wait for my medicine to kick in. It's January and time for cold and flu season. Whoo hoo! Soooo not.
Have a happy one all!
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