Last 2013 Post!

So faithful readers we have come through another year together. It has been a year of ups and downs, of good reads and bad, of some posts and none. I know that I haven't been as faithful with my posts this year as I could have been and I apologize but it has been an intense year. And this post will not be a review nor will it be the author interview that was promised after my last review, it is instead something else.

This year was full of new books, some with sad memories attached (like the books I read while I was in California helping my dad recover from surgery), books that I fell instantly in love with, like 'Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore', and 'Shadow of the Wind'. Books that made me laugh like Christopher Moore's 'Lamb' and Tina Fey's 'Bossypants.' And it was filled with books that inspired me to read even more books like 'Tolstoy and the Purple Chair' and even though I didn't like it 'Howard's End is on the Landing.' I visited different worlds, like in 'CyberWorld' and battled cancer and an impossible decision with the characters in 'Loving Marcus.' It was a year of books that I absolutely loved and books that I couldn't stand and books that made me go 'meh.' But the thing that united them all was the fact that they were all brand new to me. Which of course is a wonderful part about reading, all the new stories and authors that await you. 

Now I may be a little odd in this but I truly love going back and rereading a favorite novel. The past couple of years I have mainly focused on reading new things. 2014 is going to be a little different for me and hopefully for you dear readers. I have decided to make 2014 my reread year. I am going to take some of my favorite novels and visit the worlds they hold between their covers once more. I will of course be reading some new things because lets face it, I just can't help myself. But I will be doing my reviews a little differently. I want to set up a virtual book club, not sure yet how I am going to do it but what I want to do is pick a book and get my readers to read it with me and then some how we can get together and discuss it. I think what I am going to do is get one of those conference numbers and post it here each time it is time for the discussion. 

I am planning on starting with a little Jane Austen, I think I was thinking of starting with 'Emma' and moving on from there. Now I know that not everyone reads at the same pace so the discussion will be recorded and downloaded here so that if you miss it or choose to skip it you can listen to it and comment on it here. I plan on reviewing some of the new books I read as well so that I can offer new recommendations. I hope that you will join me in this new adventure for the new year! I'll post the details of how it's all going to work in the next week or so. If you or any of your reading friends decide to come on this journey with me I can promise a good time, and as always lots of good reading! 

Thank you all for spending 2013 reading with me. I look forward to the next year and all the great books that await us whether new or old! Happy New Year dear friends! I'll see you in 2014! Happy reading!

"CyberWorld: The Legend of Alaxeria" by Josh Conrad

Book Title: CyberWorld: The Legend of Alaxeria
Author: Josh Conrad
Version: eBook
ISBN: B00GWNSJQQ
Publisher: Self Published
Published: November 25th, 2013
Genre: Fantasy Adventure

SYNOPSIS: Max Cruiser seems to have it all under control. He's a straight A student, he's well loved by all, and once he turns 16 he just knows he's going to make it onto all the varsity teams at school. He has the perfect home life, parents that love him, a brother that is away at school and a mom that knows how to throw a party. Basically Max Cruiser's life rocks.

On his 16th birthday things begin to take a turn for the weird and unusual. While out getting surprise party supplies his mom gets attacked, and almost killed. After the assassin is taken into custody by her team of rescuers, something even stranger occurs. The sky opens up and ships appear. This does not faze Maria Cruiser at all, but the news the ships bring does. An old friend also suddenly appears, Félix Santalago, and tells Maria some incredible news. Her near perfect son Max has just been accepted at the Cyber Academy!

Back home Max's surprise party goes off wonderfully, he has tons of friends there and he gets all the presents he wanted. After the party when all the guests are gone and Max was still glowing, his parents and their dear friend Félix, sit him down to give him one last gift. They tell him that they are actually CyberSpies and he has just been accepted to their old training school Cyber Academy. Max goes to bed feeling angry, confused and betrayed. After thinking about it through the night and with a little help from a very special friend, Max decides to accept the invitation to CyberWorld and the Cyber Academy. What starts with a surprising trip to a new dimension soon turns into the adventure of a lifetime.

REVIEW: Let me state right up front that I truly enjoyed this book all the way through. I couldn't seem to put the book down, which for a first novel is quite something. So please remember that I really, really liked the book because I did.

All that being said I did have a few moments of 'oh right this is a first novel.' And I must admit that it felt a little bit like Harry Potter set in space. Which is fine because I have a true love for Harry Potter. And there is nothing wrong with imitating something you love. The story was great though, full of incredible characters, adventure and mystery. I loved it all the way through but it also felt familiar. This of course is not bad and for a first novel is a lost expected, and I take no points off for that.

The writing was wonderful and has much potential to be truly great that I can hardly wait for the next from Josh Conrad. I think that Mr. Conrad has a great voice and though the story felt familiar at times his voice was fresh and I think that we can safely say that Mr. Conrad has some great things in him just waiting to get out. I guess I should say more great things waiting to get out. All in all the book was well written, well put together and full of wit and twists that kept me up late into the night. It was really well done for a first novel. I think that he is just going to get better the more he writes.

The book was great and I loved the story and the characters but I also felt that it was a tad too long. It was a first novel and I think that maybe Josh Conrad was nervous about finishing it or how to end it or something because it went on for a little longer then I felt necessary. I loved the climax of the story but I felt like it happened early and then the book just kept going. In his author biography Mr. Conrad says that he is working on four sequels, which I can't wait for because I love Max and all his friends, but that means that there is plenty of time to keep the story going. I hope that with the subsequent sequels Mr. Conrad has more confidence in himself and is able to trim down and really make us beg for more.

I'm not usually a fantasy reader, although I have started enjoying it more in the last year or so, but this book captured me. I know that I may have said some harsh things here but above and beyond all things the book captured my attention and kept me reading from the first page to the last thrilling sentence. I do think that the author has a long way to go until he is truly great but I think, no I know that we are all going to really enjoy the journey.

All in all the book was a really good first novel and I highly suggest those fantasy buffs out there, find a way to buy a copy and not only support a budding new author but also to enjoy a truly fun fantasy story. It's worth the read because it is a fun and exciting read and what more can you ask for when it comes to a fantasy novel? I tip my tiny hat four times to Mr. Conrad for excitement, mystery and a great start to what I think is going to be an exciting career. 

Two For the Price of One

Tonight I have decided to put together two reviews and make it just one post. See both books that I want to review are by the same author. And since I am trying to keep things fresh and new I am combining the two. Sounds a little strange I know because they are two different books, different stories so how can the two be combined? I guess we will just have to discover that together. 

Book One Title: The Thirteenth Tale
Author: Diane Setterfield
Version: Hardcover
ISBN: 9780743298025
Published: September 12, 2006
Publisher: Atria

Book Two Title: Bellman & Black: A Ghost Story
Author: Diane Setterfield
Version: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781476711959
Published: November 5, 2013
Publisher: Atria/Emily Bestler Books


First and foremost I would like to state that I think Diane Setterfield is a great writer. I find that her writing is addicting in all the best ways. Once you start reading you can't seem to stop, you can't stop reading, can't stop thinking about it and it is all consuming and amazing. The great thing too about these two books is how they differ from each other. There is a hole that authors can sometimes fall into, where book after book feels the same, same basic story, same character traits and after awhile it becomes boring. With Ms. Setterfield, so far, each book has a unique flavor to it. 

"The Thirteenth Tale" is a book about books, about the love of books so of course I was intensely interested from the start. Margaret Lea lives in an antiquarian bookshop with her father and mother. From a very early age Margaret was fascinated by the world of books and reading. Her father, a simple quiet lover of books, encouraged this. Her mother was distant and sad and never really seemed to respond to Margaret. As Margaret grew up she became endlessly fascinated with the stories of people and the lives they led. Biographies became not only her passion but her livelihood. One day she receives a letter from a very famous and very private mystery writer, Vida Winter. Although Margaret has never met this woman, in fact she has never even read her books, Ms. Winter requests that Margaret comes to her and writes her biography. Surprised but intrigued Margaret decides to meet with Ms. Winter. Her curiosity heightens even more after reading her books, and Margaret goes to meet Ms. Winter. As her story starts unfolding Margaret finds herself drawn into a world of darkness, hopelessness and twins. Above all she finds herself drawn into the story about twins, a story that touches the very core of her own.

"Bellman & Black" is a story about a man who as a young boy killed a rook with a catapult. Frightened by what he has done William Bellman pushes the memory as far into the recesses of his mind as possible and locks it away for good. As he grows up he becomes the best loved young man in town. He is friendly, hardworking, handsome, and well trusted by all. Since he is related to the Bellmans that own the Bellman mill he learns the business. As he learns it, and quickly masters it he suffers the loss of his mother, his uncle and his cousin in quick succession. Using his grief to fuel his work, he becomes the head of the mill and starts taking it to all new heights. He eventually gets married and has kids and his life seems to be going perfectly. When two of his kids and then his wife die he throws funeral after funeral for them. At each funeral a strange man appears, a man all dressed in black, a man that is never there when William goes to look for him. One night, drunk and alone William stumbles to his wife's grave where who should be there but the strange man himself. This man proposes an idea to William, an idea that sparks an empire, an empire of death called 'Bellman & Black.'

Both books are well written, well put together and utterly mysterious. Diane Setterfield has a mystical voice that comes out beautifully in both books, a voice that from the very first line of 'The Thirteenth Tale' captured me. Her writing is magical and in each book I found myself unable to tear myself away. For a debut novel 'The Thirteenth Tale' was perfectly written and 'Bellman & Black' followed it masterfully. Ms. Setterfield has an incredible talent and I really look forward to seeing what else she brings to the world of literature. 

Now as for stories 'The Thirteenth Tale' was truly amazing. Of course I went into it knowing that I would like it because it was about books and the love and respect of books. But when I really started getting into the book and the story within it I found myself loving every detail of the story. It was up and down and elegant and gruesome and I loved every second of it. It took me in directions that I was shocked at and there were times when I actually had no idea what was going on at all but I was so into the story that I kind of liked not knowing what was happening. It was incredible. 

With 'Bellman & Black' the story was good. I found myself confused a lot of the time about who was who and what was going on but not in the same way as with her first book. It's full title is 'Bellman & Black: A Ghost Story' and I found myself confused as to why. Even now after reading it and letting the story sit for awhile I have no idea what it was actually about. Where was the ghost story? What was the book actually about? I found myself being confused by it and even at the end I stayed confused. The story was just good enough to keep me interested all the way through and of course the writing made up for it. It just didn't wow me as much as 'The Thirteenth Tale' did. But it was still a good story. 

All in all the books were well done and I am so glad that I read them. I'm already looking forward to the next book by Diane Setterfield because she is such an amazing writer. It's been a long time that I have found a new writer that is truly unique and talented. It is an exciting thing finding a new author to be this excited about. I hope that you, my readers, find a way to pick up one of Diane Setterfield's books because I think that they will sweep you away and make you fall in love with reading all over again. I tip my tiny hat five out of five times to 'The Thirteenth Tale' and only three and a half times out of five for 'Bellman & Black.' I highly recommend both of them though simply because her writing is just that good!      

The Magician's Assistant-Ann Patchett

Book Title: The Magician's Assistant
Author: Ann Patchett
Version: ebook
ISBN: 9780547548791
Published: September 17th, 2004
First Published: October 1st, 1997
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Genre: Fiction

Background: I have a funny and rather incredible story about Ann Patchett, well about her books anyway. When I was growing up my dad and I didn't always have enough money to get me new books. I had a voracious appetite at the time for books, as we all know that appetite has only grown, but at the time I didn't work at a bookstore where I got a big discount so we couldn't always buy new books. Anyway when that happened my dad would lend me books from his library and there were times that I was very receptive to them, like when he lent me 'Memoirs of a Geisha' by Arthur Golden and 'The Book Thief' by Markus Zusak. And there were times when I resisted his suggestions, like when he suggested his favorite book 'Moby Dick' which is something that I still to this day hesitate over (sorry dad, I just don't think I am ready for it yet). 

In the spirit of this, one day my dad reached up and pulled down this really beautiful light blue book called 'Run' by Ann Patchett, someone I had never read before, saying he thought that I might like it. The book jacket intrigued me, the book took place over a twenty-four hour period and was about a family in New England and a single accident that changes their whole lives. I loved it, I read it quickly and enjoyed every moment of it. Years later when I discovered goodreads.com and was trying to remember every book I had ever read I remembered a book about two brothers in Boston, with a blue cover and that there was something about fish. A couple more years went by with the vague memory nagging at me until one day, a very slow boring day at Barnes & Noble, I had, had enough. I went online and starting doing a search for a blue book set in Boston having to do with brothers and fish. And sure enough I found it, 'Run' by Ann Patchett. 

About a year later I was looking at the under $5 nook books online and saw 'The Magician's Assistant' for only about $2.99. I thought to myself 'I really enjoyed 'Run' I bet that this one is going to be just as good.' So I went ahead and bought it. It took a few months for me to actually pick it up to read it, but I finally finished it a few days ago. 

Synopsis: Sabine has just been widowed and is trying to figure out a way to continue living. Her life seems to be falling apart now that she no longer has the love of her life, Parsifal, around to take care of. Nor does she have Phan, Parsifal's partner around, all she has left is a giant lonely house filled with memories and a rabbit named Rabbit. These days she spends most of her days in bed dreaming of a life that is lost.

One day she gets a call from Parsifal's lawyer saying that he has to talk to Sabine in person. Some secret from his past that now has to be revealed. She finds out that Parsifal has been lying to her about his family for years. Parsifal told her that his parents had died years ago but in reality his mom and sisters live in Nebraska. The lawyer tells Sabine that it is up to her if she wants to have any contact with them. At first she decides she is just too mad at the lies and decides she doesn't want to know any more. And then one day she gets a call from a woman named Dot Fetters, Parsifal's mother, saying that her and her youngest daughter Bertie are planning a trip to LA and want to meet her.

When Sabine decides to go ahead and meet Parsifal's family she begins a journey that takes her into the heart of Parsifal's life before Sabine, before LA, before everything that made him Parsifal. It's a journey that takes her to Nebraska in the middle of winter where she meets the rest of his family, a sister named Kitty, her two sons, Kitty's husband, Howard (who turns out to be a jerk) and Bertie's fiancée. What Sabine finds there is a sort of family of her own, one she felt she had missed. What they find in Sabine is a savior, one that they didn't even realize they needed. The longer she stays the more secrets come out, and the more the family comes to rely on her. And Sabine has to decide whether she is willing to stay and live in the house that Parsifal grew up in or go back to LA and move on with her life.

Review: I went into this book expecting something great because I remembered liking 'Run' so much. I was hugely disappointed in this though. The story was rather ridiculous and I really, really did not like Sabine! She annoyed me the whole book which is a huge flaw when it comes to a main character. I read it all the way through so that I could review it but it was not a fun read.

I mean no disrespect to Ms. Patchett of course but this was not a well put together book. The writing wasn't all that bad, it wasn't great but it was passible. She is a talented writer but her talent seems to have been lost in the terrible story. There were moments of beauty throughout but not enough to make it a beautiful book. Maybe part of it had to do with my high expectations of her and what she had given me with 'Run,' but I was disappointed overall.

Like I said previously the story was stupid. Well let me rephrase, I felt that the story was stupid. A woman who fell in love with a gay man and then felt betrayed when he didn't love her back and felt as if he had lied specifically to her about his past. The only reason she went back to Nebraska was so she could be in the room that Parsifal grew up in. Because she was entitled to all of his life, and everything that he did when he was growing up. It was stupid and annoying and I found myself truly hating Sabine and wanted her to get a major reality check. The rest of the characters were monochromatic and hidden behind the annoyingness that was Sabine.

All in all it was a bad book, well for me anyway. I just didn't like any of it and I'm a little turned off of Ann Patchett. Maybe someday I'll pick up another one of her books and be wowed once more, like I was all those years ago when I first picked up 'Run.' I tip my tiny hat only once to 'The Magician's Assistant,' and that only because I have belief in the greatness that it could have been.

The Bone Season-Samantha Shannon

Book Title: The Bone Season
Author: Samantha Shannon
Version: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781408836422
Published: August 20th, 2013
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction

I read this book right when I got back from vacation because my good friend, fellow blogger, and author Sidney McEntyre highly recommended it after reading it on the vacation. In fact it turned out that all my friends at work were either just finishing it, in the middle, or just starting it and so I thought that since I was hearing such good things I might as well jump on the bandwagon and read it too. It turned out to be a really good choice. I was taken on a ride starting from the very first pages to the crazy climax and I found myself unable to stop reading or thinking about it the whole time. 

'The Bone Season' is one of those books that I can't really tell you that much about without spoiling things and so I will give you the short synopsis from the very reliable goodreads.com! "It is the year 2059. Several major world cities are under the control of a security force called Scion. Paige Mahoney works in the criminal underworld of Scion London, part of a secret cell known as the Seven Seals. The work she does is unusual: scouting for information by breaking into others’ minds. Paige is a dreamwalker, a rare kind of clairvoyant, and in this world, the voyants commit treason simply by breathing.

But when Paige is captured and arrested, she encounters a power more sinister even than Scion. The voyant prison is a separate city—Oxford, erased from the map two centuries ago and now controlled by a powerful, otherworldly race. These creatures, the Rephaim, value the voyants highly—as soldiers in their army.

Paige is assigned to a Rephaite keeper, Warden, who will be in charge of her care and training. He is her master. Her natural enemy. But if she wants to regain her freedom, Paige will have to learn something of his mind and his own mysterious motives."

I tend to ramble when I really like a book and I didn't want to spoil anything for my readers that might want to read it so instead I will just ramble on about how much I liked it thereby keeping an air of mystery and intrigue about the actual plot. 

This was Samantha Shannon's debut novel and I thought that it was a truly great debut! It was well written with a really great voice that kept me captivated the whole book. Ms. Shannon had a really beautiful way of describing the surroundings, the characters, the emotions all of it that was the perfect blend of poetry and prose. I'm excited to see how she keeps growing as a writer, because I think that we can expect nothing but truly incredible things from her. 

Although the story was entertaining and kept me guessing and wanting more I felt that there were elements that felt familiar. I know that I will be in the minority on this but I felt vibes of 'Hunger Games' in the story. Now this is not a bad thing at all because I really liked the Hunger Games books! And I think that it was a simple thing of debut novel jitters that made Ms. Shannon take the idea of 'The Hunger Games' and shape it into her story. I know this all sounds pretty harsh but I mean no disrespect to Ms. Shannon or 'The Bone Season' but the stories are similar in nature and I tell it like it is. Now this is not to say that I disliked the story at all or that it didn't interest me it was in fact the opposite. I loved the story and it was different enough that I couldn't wait to see what turn it would take next. It is all around a really great story that stayed with me even after it was over. 

The characters were absolutely wonderful, they were depicted fantastically and each one of them were unique and so deliciously imperfect. Paige, the main character, was so well rendered and real that she had me rooting for her the whole time. Even the 'bad guys' were so well done that I truly hated every one of them. Which is exactly what you are supposed to feel towards the bad guys in a book. Samantha Shannon has quite a way with drawing her characters, she is so great at it that each time I went back into the book, I fell in love with and hated the characters each and every time! 

All in all this was a great read, one that kept me up late and kept me fully distracted during lunch breaks. Whenever I opened the book I fell into it in such a way that everything else got blocked out. It enveloped me and became my whole world. That is the mark of a truly excellent book, when it totally takes you over and fills every one of your senses. I tip my tiny hat four times for Ms. Shannon's debut novel 'The Bone Season.' I am really looking forward to the next book in her absolutely exciting series!  

Night Film-Marisha Pessl

Book Title: Night Film
Author: Marisha Pessl
Version: ARC
ISBN: 9781400067886
Published: August 2013
Publisher: Random House
Genre: Fiction, Mystery

[Note: I'm back! I am so sorry that it has taken so long to get this review up but things have been so crazy at work lately, maybe I'll tell you all about it sometime, that I've been too exhausted to be creative so this has been a long time coming. But finally here it is! And hopefully this is my big return to more regular updates.]

Synopsis: It opens with a dead body. Ashley Cordova's body is found in a seedy part of New York supposedly having committed suicide. When former big time reporter Scott McGrath finds out he is unconvinced that the young piano prodigy's death was a suicide. McGrath knows of the Cordova family and the darkness that seems to follow them wherever they go. Deciding that finding out what really happened will kick start his career again, Scott begins a journey that will drive him to the very edge of his sanity.

Along the way Scott picks up a couple of companions, a young man that claims to have known Ashley when she was young, named Hopper. And a young wannabe actress who was one of the last people to see Ashley alive named Nora. Although at first Scott resits the help standing firm in his 'I work alone' policy he slowly finds that the two of them are not only assets in finding out all the secrets that he is desperate for. But they end up as perfect allies in the dark world that he finds himself entering with each piece of information that they uncovers. 

Diving into Ashley's past means that Scott has to once again dive into the life of her father, Stanislas Cordova, the dark genius filmmaker that garnered a cult following. Digging into Cordova's life was what had cost Scott his career the first time around and this time he isn't just poking at Cordova he is messing around with his family life. Just the thought of going up against Cordova again makes his stomach turn but he is determined to get the answers he seeks and find out the truth about Ashley.

REVIEW: I was hooked from the very first page. From the opening web pages that were fake news articles and web posts from fans of Cordova and his films, I knew that what I had started was going to be an amazing journey. And I was right, this was a great book! The storytelling, the mystery, the intrigue was all so well put together that I couldn't put it down and when I did I couldn't wait to get back to it. 

From the very beginning I knew that this was a good story. I was gripped from the moment I opened the book and once I got into it a little bit I was already so invested that it was an automatic love. The way Marisha Pessl wove mystery and her fake web pages into what could have been another dull 'who-dunnit' was nothing short of incredible. It wasn't really action packed but the subtle menace that followed the characters through the book sure kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. 

Marisha Pessl's characters were unique and lovely and perfectly flawed in totally human ways. They were truly three dimensional, they had all the flaws that people have and you didn't really like any of them unconditionally. And that's kind of what I like most about them. Scott McGrath was a rather selfish uptight man that's only real redeeming quality was the love he felt for his daughter. Hopper was this sullen, almost obnoxiously taciturn guy that feels that because he had it tough as a kid the world owes him a huge debt. Nora is this bumbling, totally naive young girl who plays up the little girl 'I have no idea' routine. And of course there is the Cordova family who are dark, secretive and possibly even murderous. Their imperfections were what made them perfect. 

The writing was brilliant, especially the dialogue. Marisha Pessl has a wonderfully fresh voice that is simple and pure and one can tell that she spent a great deal of time thinking about each word and each sentence. It was really wonderfully done. I loved how well the dialogue flowed between the characters, there was a naturalness in the dialogue that I thought was simply brilliant. All in all this was a very well written book.

Now I may be a little biased about the book because I read it on vacation in Hilton Head, by the ocean, with my two best buds. But I truly liked this book. I highly recommend it to everyone looking for a good old fashioned good read. That's what this is all around, well written, great story, awesome characters. It's a triple threat and I take my tiny hat off five times to it. (Thanks DGF for that rating suggestion). This is a great, great book so go out and get it, it is very worth the read!  

Howards End is on the Landing-Susan Hill

Book Title: Howards End is on the Landing
Author: Susan Hill
Version: Nook Book
ISBN: 9781847652638
Published: August 8, 2010
Publisher: Profile
Genre: Memoir

Note: I know that I said I was going to review "Night Film" after my vacation but I have been thinking about this book for too long and I just have to get this review out of the way before I do "Night Film." 

SYNOPSIS: This book was supposed to be about a woman named Susan Hill who is a writer and reviewer and who after a search for a particular book in her home realized how many books she had that she had forgotten. She then decided to take a year and just read the books that she had in her home that she hadn't read yet or books that she owned that she forgot she had. She was going to buy no new books, she was instead going to enjoy the ones she already had.

This book was really about a woman who simply wanted to name drop and put down people with eReaders. There was very little talk about the books she read and more talk about where books were put in her house and the authors and famous journalists she met. There was some talk about books she has read, and some talk about books she studied in school. Mostly though she would talk about how she would never get an ereader because that was what real readers did and which famous people she knew or corresponded with. 

REVIEW: I try very hard to be as kind as possible while still being truthful in my reviews. But I feel as if I was being put down through out the whole book because I was reading on my nook. She made me feel inadequate because I hadn't read the complete collection of the famous writer Snotty McHighonhishorse. 

I didn't like this book, I didn't enjoy being talked down to through literature. Books are supposed to be enjoyed however they can be, in any form that people choose to enjoy them. Now I am a huge fan of every sort of book, I think that I have established that, but not all people are. A lot of people only like reading romance novels, or their bookshelves are filled with nothing but James Patterson, have Nooks filled with every classic ever written. Does that mean that the person who loves 'Fifty Shades of Grey' and all books like it is less of a reader than the person who's favorite book is 'War & Peace?' I think not. Am I any less well read because I read some of my books on a nook rather than the physical book? I don't think so. 

In fact I am able to read more because I have a nook, ebooks are more affordable and because this is New York and my space is limited I can own more books because ebooks take up no space. Because ebooks are more affordable and more accessible more people seem to be reading these days. So why would Ms. Hill spend a good chunk of her time putting down ereaders and those that use them? I feel as if that is totally counter intuitive for people to read. More people are getting back into reading because they have become more accessible to books again due to ebooks and ereaders.   

The writing was sub par, the story wasn't really what it was supposed to be and Susan Hill just all around rubbed me the wrong way. I was highly disappointed in the book as a whole and I was so angry the whole time that the question has to be asked 'why did I finish reading it?' I have no answer, I kept hoping that there would be some talk about books, or the utter joy she had while rereading a favorite passage but it just wasn't there. For someone who claims to love books the way she did I felt that she spent most of her time talking about how well educated and awesome she is. I want to say that there are a few parts about her excitement about libraries and how reading has always been a big part of her life. Books were talked about to a degree, I am not being fair saying that there was no book talk, however I feel that this was supposed to be a book all about books. An entire year spent reading and rereading amazing books. Her love for each new book or rediscovered book was what was missing. That was what I was expecting and the fact that, that wasn't what I was given was what disappointed me.  

I hate to put down a fellow reviewer and book lover but I felt like she just didn't care. I apologize to Susan Hill if my review seems harsh but I felt the whole time that I was being made fun of and put down for not having a degree in English literature and enjoying ebooks. I read books because they make me feel good, they make me laugh or cry, I get excited or fully absorbed in a new subject but no matter how I feel after I've read a book I always, always feel accomplished. I'm excited about reading and learning new things. But after I finished this book, I felt judged and angry and frustrated. This is not a good book to read. It's something that you can skip easily. It really was a disappointment but I have to say that I do not recommend this book at all. And I really hate not being able to recommend a book. However this is just a book that I have to say a big no to because it just doesn't love it's readers back, and I feel that, that is what good books do. 

My One True Love and Why I Love Them Part 2

I am so sorry that this wasn't posted last night. I was busy yesterday cleaning and then editing the friend's book I have been working on and I just lost track of time. As I was saying before I got too tired to continue there are just too many books in the world for me to get to all of them and I know this. However I feel as if I am letting them down by not trying. And so one book at a time I try to absorb a little bit of everything. I know that I am sorely lacking in quite a few genres or sub-genres but I am trying my best to become a truly well read person. 

I mentioned that I was on vacation, a couple friends and I went to Hilton Head, South Carolina for a week. While there I finished two books I had been in the middle of and read a third. All of which I will review here shortly. But in the meantime, one of them was a book called "Howard's End is on the Landing" by Susan Hill. It was a book that said it was supposed to be about a woman who spent a year reading only the books that were on her shelves in her home. Through out the book her love for reading came through and this reminded me of my own love and inspired me to finally write about why and what I love about books. 

Books are magical portals into other worlds and if they are put together right they can take you to places that your imagination only dreams of. They can be fun, or sad, they can anchor you or lift you up to new heights. I love the way books look all lined up on a shelf or stacked side by side on a table, just waiting for a new reader, a new friend to pick them up take them home and begin a new journey with them. 

I also truly appreciate bookstores. I am the first to admit, that I love my Nook, the books are cheaper and as a New Yorker it saves me a lot of space. But I still love bookstores with an undying passion. There is something about walking into a bookstore and seeing all the books that are out, there taking them in as a whole that can't be duplicated by 'browsing' online. As I mentioned before I was recently on vacation. While driving to Hilton Head from the Savannah airport we saw a "Barnes & Noble Center." At first, being B & N employees on vacation from said store, we were are all 'wow, we can't seem to escape it.' But as our book supply started to run out and as our bibliophile nerddom began to feel neglected we decided that it was a visit that had to be made. And so towards the end of our trip we bit the bullet and headed to the Hilton Head Island Barnes & Noble. Just walking in there made my heart beat faster, and made me get antsy and want to get back to reading. There is just so much to be read and seeing it all laid out in a bookstore makes me feel all happy and excited. Every time I walk into a bookstore I all in love with reading all over again. That is a pretty powerful thing don't you think?

I think that my love of books is pretty obvious. And I guess that it would be pretty easy to think that I am nothing but a book collector that enjoys reading occasionally. However this is not the case. Reading is what drives my love of books. I buy beautiful books but the difference between me and a collector is that I will go back and pick up that beautiful book to read again. A book can be beautiful but it doesn't serve its purpose unless it is being read. I love books, I love reading I love getting that rush of excitement when I walk into a bookstore. I love all of it. And I hope that someday I can inspire people to find that love as well, maybe not as obsessively as me because let's face it I'm a totally obsessed nerd and proud of it! 

Well I think that is all for now. I hope that you dear readers have truly enjoyed my two part post about my love of books and reading. It was a post that I knew had to be done at some point and I hope that I did my enjoyment justice enough to cause you enjoyment. 

  

My One True Love and Why I Love Them Part 1

I love books. I feel that, that is pretty self evident but I also felt that it needed saying. I love books of all shapes, sizes, material, color. I love them all as a whole. I don't always love all the individual stories that I read but I certainly respect the fact that the author made an effort (in most cases anyway.) There is a quote by Erasmus that says "When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes." In a lot of ways this explains me to a 'T' because there was a time when this was almost literally true. Books feed and protect me in ways that food, and clothes just can't do. In short I love books.

I think that with a dad like mine I always knew the importance of books just like with a mother like mine I've always known the importance of art. But books never spoke to me when I was younger. I enjoyed them, and my dad reading Grimm's Fairy Tales was a favorite part of my day but I don't think that I ever really got them. Movies were more my thing maybe even too much my thing but there you have it. However when I was in the eighth I had to do a big joe project. This project was a huge part of me graduating and I was putting it off. And so my dad made a rule that there would be no more movies until it was done. I could however read whatever I wanted after my homework was done. And although I truly missed my movies, I even made a list that grew every day of movies I wanted to see once my punishment was lifted, I think that this is where my love of books started to grow.

I'm not a 100% sure that my memory is completely intact about this but I feel that this is where I finally started understanding books. Since then, even in my darkest days, books have been beside me in some form or another. My love for these magic creatures grew as I did. I think that I have always read above my level, I mean I was reading Shakespeare before I ever picked up a teen novel. Although those came eventually, Francesca Lia Block and Christopher Pike especially. But as I grew my appetite for them grew and all I could think about was what else could I read, what more was there that I missed? 

I want to read them all. I want to have read every book in every genre that I enjoy. I've read all of Austen's full novels, all Jodi Picoult's published novels. I've read a lot of Shakespeare, some Jack Kerouac, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, some Plath. I've read science fiction, fantasy, history, historical fiction, some biographies, poetry, plays, classics, general fiction, mystery, horror. And I feel as if I've read nothing. It seems crazy I know because for someone my age I have read more than my fair share. Yet I still feel like there are books out there that I don't know about and so many types of books that I will just never get to. 

I just got back from vacation and I'm feeling pretty tired so I think that I am going to end this here for now. Looks like this is going to be a two-parter. So more tomorrow.    

"The Angel's Game"-Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Book Title: The Angel's Game (Cemetery of Forgotten Books #2)
Author: Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Version: Paperback
ISBN: 9780767931113
Published: May 18th, 2010
Originally Published: 2008
Publisher: Anchor
Genre: Fiction

REVIEW: I'm a little rusty and very tired so this is going to be a straight review. I fell in love with Carlos Ruiz Zafon in the very first pages of "The Shadow of the Wind" (the review can be found here) and I just knew that my love would only grow while reading "The Angel's Game," and sure enough it did. Zafon, once again, brought his unique voice to a rather strange story and made it sing. I found the story of David Martin irresistible and utterly alluring. Every time I thought that I had been twisted and confused as much as possible Zafon would throw another curve ball my way. And I loved every minute of it. I found myself thinking about the book even when I was doing other things, in fact I would sometimes lose myself in the thoughts of 'what's gonna happen next?' There is something about the book that makes it stick with me. I'm still thinking about it and it's been a week since I finished it. Now that is something really special.

Zafon has such a beautiful writing style, there is poetry about it and as strange as it sounds almost a levity in his words even during the darkest bits. His writing makes me want to write, to create to strive for the very highest level of creativity. Very few authors are talented enough to do that, to make someone want to reach for a pen, a paintbrush, a can of spray paint. There was something about "The Angel's Game" especially that made me feel like writing a novel of my own. 

The main character was David Martin and he was rather pathetic. He was a hard character to fall in love with, instead I found myself feeling sorry for and hating him in equal measure. Despite having these conflicting feelings I found myself rooting for him, hoping that something would go in a better direction for him. I promise I'm not going to say anything more because I don't want to spoil it for anyone but David Martin is one of the strangest and most frustrating characters that I have ever come across and he's a character that you won't want to miss. 

"The Angel's Game" was all around a fantastic read and an edge of your seat story. I highly recommend finding a copy of the book somehow because it is highly worth reading. I read it in about 4 days and I promise you it's not because I'm a crazy fast reader it's just that good, it's not a book that can be put down. Carlos Ruiz Zafon has done it yet again with "The Angel's Game" and I can't wait to see what he brings me next. I can solidly say that Carlos Ruiz Zafon has become one of my favorite authors now and I think that he might just become one of yours as well. I know that I am doing this book a disservice by leaving it at that but there is so much mystery about it and so many twists and mind blowing moments that I would be doing an even greater disservice by revealing anything more. So forgive me dear readers for leaving it a little short and so very trimmed of juicy parts. Go out and pick up a copy and read it for yourself and you will find the magic there, in the pages and in the story rather than trying to simply get a whiff from my review.  

Something Different

Alright y'all since it has been so long since my last post I figured I would throw you a curve ball and do something that I have never done before. I am going to be talking about a book that I have recently read and a movie that I have recently seen again. After reading this book and seeing this movie I realized there are similarities there and I wanted to post something that was more like a discussion about how they are similar even though they were made many years apart. The book is "Breakfast At Tiffany's" by Truman Capote and the movie is "Crazy/Beautiful" starring Kirsten Dunst and Jay Hernandez and directed by John Stockwell. 

Now if any of you faithful readers know the book or the movie or both you will know just how different they are. Or rather how different they seem to be on the surface. "Breakfast at Tiffany's" is the story of a young man who meets a young broken woman who is doing her best to continue running from her past. These two strangers live in the same building and meet rather accidentally and in a strange twist of fate they become friendly. Holly is a sad, lonely and rather lost young woman who finds solace in $50 for the powder room and walking by Tiffany's when she gets the mean reds. The only person she truly loves at all the world is her slow-witted brother Fred. The narrator finds himself swept up in her crazy world and despite his efforts not to finds himself wanting to save her. 

"Crazy/Beautiful" is a movie about a wealthy politician's daughter who has a darkness in her that she tries to simultaneously hide and run from by drinking, doing drugs and pushing the limits that are set for her as much as possible. She meets a young Hispanic man while doing trash pick-up community service. He is from a poor, one-parent household with very little opportunity. With that in mind he becomes a straight and narrow type of guy. He takes a bus an hour each way to get to the better school, he studies hard, is part of the football team and follows all the rules to the letter. His dream is to make it to Annapolis and become a pilot. When he first meets Nicole he knows that she is a distraction but he can't seem to stay away. What follows is a dangerous downward spiral that almost tears both of them apart.

Like I said at the beginning, these two don't seem to have all that much in common. But the longer I watched the movie the more I realized just how similar they are. They are both tales of women that have lost their ways and can't seem to find their way back without a guide. In "Crazy/Beautiful" Nicole, our heroine, escapes from her past with booze and drugs, and in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" Holly escapes with men and delusions. Two very different escapes but we have to remember that 'Holly' escaped in the late fifties when women were still fighting the lady-like restrictions of the early fifties. In the nineties when 'Nicole' was escaping it was the norm for young wealthy women to be taking designer drugs and "rebelling." However different they may seem these two women were actually very much alike in their need to run run from the things that they couldn't face. 

In the midst of their escaping they both found men that became a guide for them. I don't want to give anything away so I'm not going to say much more but both women go through intense journeys in very different ways. But for me they were also very similar in the ways they handled their journeys and the way they were both desperately looking for something to hold on to in a world that seems to be continuously rocking them. 

Because this is a review blog I want to say that I loved "Breakfast at Tiffany's." I thought that it was well written and very different then the movie but I kind of enjoyed that part of it. I read the 50th Anniversary edition which included three other short stories by Capote. All were strange and intricate and incredibly well written. I must say that I really love his writing and look forward to reading more of his work. The story of "Breakfast at Tiffany's" has always been a favorite of mine and granted it was the movie I knew but the basic story was something that I loved and I loved it in book form just as much.

Well that's it for this round cats and kittens. I hope you enjoyed this new thing that I did here. I just thought that I would try something new and see where it got me. It might be something that I do again and it might be a one time thing but I know that either way I really enjoyed it, a one-sided discussion about two things I really love. Books and movies. What could be more fun than that? Please feel free to comment with some of your ideas on the subject of the similarities between "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and "Crazy/Beautiful."    

Author Interview #3-Victoria Kante

Hey guys, I must be doing something half-way okay because here is a third author interview. And I am very excited about it! I hope that you will be too! This goes along with the review I posted on June 7th, Loving Marcus. Please read, enjoy and go out and buy her book! 

1) What inspires you to write?

      I began writing when I was a young teenager. It was my way of expressing my feelings and the things I saw happening around me. Over the years, it became a comfortable habit and after taking several creative writing classes in college, I was told by my professors that I had a gift for storytelling, especially when it came to my journals! 



2)  You mentioned that this was a personal story for you, what is it that is personal for you?


         Unfortunately, many people who have been close to my heart, have suffered with and succumbed to cancer. I believe this was my way of working through what they went through and to show how difficult it is to make choices when their life is at stake, knowing how it will affect the people who love them. 


3) This is a very emotional story, so full of sadness, what made you want to write about such an intense topic?


      It wasn't really that I wanted to, or chose to. The topic picked me. I have stories in my head all the time and the characters come to life on the pages of their own free will. I know this sounds strange, but when I sit down to write, the story unravels without any forethought. 


4) Do you have any authors that really move you?


    The authors who have moved me the most are Harper Lee, "To Kill a Mockingbird", any works of C.S. Lewis, William Golding, "Lord of the Flies" and of course more recently, Nicholas Sparks and Danielle Steel are excellent story tellers. 


5) You once told me you were a storyteller, have you always been one or is this something new that has developed?


      I've always enjoyed storytelling. When I was younger, I would entertain my two little sisters (yes, sometimes it was strictly meant to scare them to death!) and I raised my children telling them stories at bedtime. 


6)  Can we expect to see more from you soon? I know I'm looking forward to seeing what is next, so I hope it's soon! 


        I'm working on a modern novel about a young American Indian woman who has moved away from her family and is struggling to create a life for herself. It's very different from my first novel! I'm hopeful that it will be ready by the end of the summer.



And there it is folks, another interview for your viewing pleasure. Remember I'm still getting the hang of actually being able to interview authors so forgive me if this is a little short or not quite as back and forth as most interviews. I'm trying and also it's still an interview with an awesome author so be grateful for that! I know I am, and with that a very special thank you to Ms. Victoria Kante for her time and the wonderful novel she wrote. I can't wait for her next book! Watch for a review here! 

"Loving Marcus"-Victoria Kante

Book Title: Loving Marcus
Author: Victoria Kante
Version: Paperback
ISBN: 9781484063019
Published: May 3rd, 2013
Publisher: Createspace
Genre: Fiction

SYNOPSIS: From the back of the book: Brelynn's life seems to be going in the right direction. She has a caring, loving man in her life, an over-protective sister who raised her and a job in New York City that she loves. When a diagnosis of Leukemia falls into her lap, her world begins to crumble and the people around her alternately support and desert her. She must find the strength within herself to make difficult decisions and search in new places for the help she needs. A love story that captures the beauty of life from an unexpected birth and death; it finds the characters caught in situations that force them to reach deep inside to find their true selves. In the middle of her fight to live, Brelynn must make a difficult choice, to her life or to give life. This story follows her journey as she struggles with her own conscience and with the demands of her family and friends who believe they are putting her interests first. When her lover walks away, she turns to the God she never knew, and finds that even with the guidance of a friendly priest, the ultimate decision is hers.


REVIEW: I heard about this through someone that I work with because Ms. Victoria Kante works with us. I bought it and read it in support of a writer I know. But as soon as I started reading it I found myself sucked into the story and not wanting to put the book down. It is a first novel, and self edited and published and you can tell but there is something about it that makes it impossible not to like. 

The story is a tragic one, and that's obvious from the very beginning. But it's also obvious that it's a meaningful one, a personal one to the author. This personal touch makes the story richer and deeper which is important in a tale such as this. And the thing is the story is so intense that I couldn't not fall into it. I truly appreciate a really good story even if the writing isn't perfect and this was a really good story.

The writing was good, it's obvious that Ms. Kante is a talent in the making. She has a good style and feel for the way a story should unfold and I can't wait to see where she goes from here. I think though that this really would have benefited from some editing. There were moments that were a little scattered and a few parts that didn't really feel well put together or realistic. The dialogue was mostly unbelievable in the sense that most people don't actually speak the way her characters spoke. All in all I think that having a few more pairs of eyes read the manuscript before it was published would have turned this good book into a great one. 

The characters were good, for the most part well fleshed out. I found myself liking Brelynn and appreciating her will to make it through her struggles. I liked Brelynn's friend Peter and I found myself liking the priest that shows up most of the way through. Again these were characters that were good but I know that Ms. Kante has more in her. I am really very excited to see what comes next from her because there really is a great storyteller there and I think that she can become a truly great writer. 

I think all in all this is a good first novel and you should give it a chance. It's been self published so it's going to be a little hard to come by. It is available as an ebook so if you have a reader of any kind go ahead a buy yourself a copy. The physical book will be available at Barnes & Noble 5th Ave. so if you are in the New York area stop on by and purchase your very own copy. I promise, story-wise it is well worth it!

"The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson & The Olympians #1)"-Rick Riordan

Book Title: The Lightning Thief
Author: Rick Riordan
Version: Library ebook
ISBN: 9781423131892
Published: May 5th, 2009
First Published: June 1st, 2005
Genre: Young Readers Fantasy/Adventure

SYNOPSIS: Percy Jackson has grown up having a lot of problems. First off he isn't really sure who or where his dad is, his mom has to work in a candy shop just to support them when all she ever wanted was to go to college and become a novelist. He has been diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD and been kicked out of six schools in six years. It's pretty safe to say that his life has been a little on the difficult side. 

Percy's sixth grade year at Yancy Academy started off the same as almost everywhere else. But for his mom's sake Percy wants to try and make this school work. He has a new friend named Grover who has a disability that makes him limp and he gets picked on a lot so Percy looks out for him. And he has a teacher that seems to be on his side for once, his Latin teacher Mr. Brunner. However towards the end of the term things begin to go a little wonky. On what should be a routine field trip to The Met Percy ends up alone with his math teacher Mrs. Dodds who turns into a crazy scary monster and attacks him. Thanks to a little help from Mr. Brunner and a magic pen Percy disintegrates Mrs. Dodds and gets away.

When Percy confronts Mr. Brunner and Grover about what had happened they both act as if they have no idea who Mrs. Dodds is and what really throws him off is that all the other students seem to be on the same train. Percy tries to put the whole incident behind him and get through the rest of the school year. When he is told that he will not be allowed to come back to the school for the next year Percy kind of gives up. But because Mr. Brunner has always been on his side Percy decides he'll make some effort to pass his Latin final. On his way to ask for some last minute guidance from Mr. Brunner he hears something that stops him in his tracks. Mr. Brunner and Grover talking about him, Percy, Mrs. Dodds and the terrible danger that Percy is in. Feeling confused and a little scared Percy heads back to his dorm room and attempts to fall asleep. 

When he gets back home on the first day of summer he has great plans to spend the summer with his mom and finding a new school. Everything seems to be going in a good direction when his mom and him head out to Montauk for a stay at the beach. But then things start going wrong that night when Grover shows up and tells them it's time to leave. And so begins an adventure that Percy soon realizes isn't one he signed up for. While on the run he finds out that not only is all the Greek mythology that he has been studying actually real and still valid, seeing as the gods are all alive and well, but that he is in fact the son of one of them. He is a demigod, a half-blood and he is in terrible danger out in the mortal world. As the three of them head toward camp half-blood they are chased by a Minotaur who grabs Percy's mom who then disappears in a shower of gold. Percy defeats the Minotaur and promptly passes out. 

He awakens in a room in Camp Half-Blood feeling weak and out of sorts. When he is strong enough to move into the general population he is put into the Hermes cabin where kids who are unclaimed go to live. There he meets Luke, son of Hermes, who kind of takes him under his wing and they quickly become friends. After a few days during a game of capture the flag Percy finally finds out who his father is. His father is Poseidan god of the sea and one of the big three, the three brother gods, Zeus, Hades, and Poseidan who had sworn an oath never to sire half mortal children again. He moves into the Poseidan cabin all alone and feels more confused and lonely than before. If all that wasn't enough Percy finds out that Zeus is threatening war against Poseidan because Zeus believes that Percy has stolen his master lightning bolt. Offended and angry and hoping to clear his name and prevent a war Percy, his new friend Annabeth, daughter of Athena, and Grover set off on a quest to find the lightning bolt, return int to Olympus and find the real lightning thief before war breaks out. 


REVIEW: Ok I'm going to be 100% honest, I saw the movie first and I really loved it. And it is only now, years later, that I have finally read the book. There cat's out of the bag and we can all move on. The movie was good, the book was amazing! I love Greek mythology I always have and that was what originally drew me to the movie. After moving to New York and meeting my good friend Sidney McEntyre and after hearing her talk about how good the book series was I added it to my giant list of 'to read' books. After being here over a year I finally got a library card and with my new lending abilities I decided to borrow the ebook version of "The Lightning Thief" and I am so glad that I did.

This was such a great book! I had been in a little bit of a reading rut lately, reading a lot of simply ok books or books that I wasn't that excited about. This book though turned everything around. I was reading it and I got excited about reading all over again. The writing is great for a young reader's book. Simple but full of things that would make kids want to learn more. And I found that the way that the Greek mythology was part of it was a stroke of genius on Mr. Riordan's part. I thought that he did an incredible job making it accessible and yet keeping it so that kids will want to learn more. It's pretty cool.

The story is amazing! Pure and simple, I mean what kid wouldn't love an adventure story about kids that have extra powers because they are the children of Greek gods? The story is just so very cool and full of awesomeness. It was a fun read from start to finish, I didn't want to put it down ever. That is a great adventure story, one that makes you want to read all the time and never put it down. I'm really glad that this is a series because I didn't want the story to end. This way I get a lot more of Percy Jackson and the Olympians. 

The characters were so much fun! These kids were cool, like really cool! Sure they greatly burdened with the fact that they are half god and are kept in constant danger by the monsters that seem to always find them but they are still really cool. They have these powers that comes from their god/goddess parents and they know how to use them to a extent. Although they are young and just starting out they can take care of themselves and they know how to navigate themselves in the world of myth and legend which is very real to them. I just loved the characters in this book and I went ahead and read the second one and I simply can't get enough of Percy and Annabeth and all their merry friends!

I highly recommend this series to all readers who are interested in Greek mythology. This is a great read for every age and a great way to start the love of reading for young kids just starting out. It's a fantastic book and I'm thinking that the rest of the series is just as great. I say go forth and find a copy, buy it, borrow it, however it is done take a chance and read "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan because it's a truly great read and I know that it made me love reading all over again!