Blue Lily, Lily Blue- by Maggie Stiefvater

Everyone that has been reading the words of this girl in the tiny hat knows how much I have enjoyed Maggie Stiefvater's Raven Boys Cycle books. When I finally read the ARC of "The Raven Boys" I loved it so much that I kind of mentally kicked myself for not reading it sooner. You know how you do when you read a really good book after it has sat on your shelf for awhile? You mentally yell at yourself 'WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG TO READ THIS?! OMG THIS IS AWESOME!!!' Yes I do it in all caps and everything. Then with the second book in the series "The Dream Thieves" I was even more blown away, enough so that I went and bought the hardcover autographed edition of it. In total-honest-truth-telling fact I liked it more then the first. Which is usually a good thing because it just means that the author is really finding a voice for these characters and that things are just going to keep getting better. Knowing this when I heard about the third installment "Blue Lily, Lily Blue" coming out I gave a little fan girl squeal and did a little happy dance. Then proceeded to eagerly await the day I could go and pick it up. And then the day finally came! I was so happy and started it right away.

The first few lines scared me a bit simply because they were a little over the top. A little bit like she was trying really hard for poetry when she should of just stuck to the brilliance of the story that was already there. Don't get me wrong I think that Ms. Stiefvater is a brilliant writer and I love her Raven Boys books with a passion but I love them so because they are beautiful and intriguing and utterly amazing in their simplicity. Anyway being the faithful reader that I am I forged ahead and was relieved when things started feeling more Raven and less 'hello I am fancy pants.' As the story really got going I started feeling lost and confused and at times a little bit hurt. It just didn't have the same feel as the first two. Something felt off and still after a couple months of thinking on it I can't quite pinpoint what it was that threw me. What I can tell you is this, the writing was mostly as good there were times when she went off on overly lyrical flights of fancy that ground my teeth a bit. The characters that I grew to love were all there in abundance and the story progressed a bit. But what I found was that many the writing was off at times because she was maybe trying too hard to take it to a new level which in my humble opinion was unnecessary.

The characters that I have grown to love were all there, Ganesy and Blue, Adam and Ronan, Chainsaw the raven and course Blue's aunts and their very special brand of crazy. But Ms. Stiefvater also felt it was time to add in some brand new characters to add some spice. Which is usually always a good thing, new characters with new plot lines usually mean big things are happening and to keep an eye out. Unless of course you are going for the 'War & Peace' vibe in which case you are simply adding characters because you have nothing better to do. I fear that Ms. Stiefvater had a little 'War & Peace' syndrome going on. There were just too many new characters with brand new plot lines to follow that were added on top of all the old loveable characters and all their plot lines that it kind of got twisted and confused a bit. I felt a little lost and confused at times which made it hard to speed through this one the way I did with the first two.

Maggie Stiefvater is a great storyteller. I've never read anything by her other than The Raven Boys cycle books but I think that she is just brilliant n her storytelling ways. That being said in "Blue Lily, Lily Blue" the story got a little lost or maybe it simply took a nap in Cabeswater and woke to find itself in another time and place. Whatever the reason I struggled to follow it and found myself wading through pools too deep for me. Again it was the simplicity of the story that was the brilliance of both "The Raven Boys" and "Dream Thieves." But in "Blue Lily, Lily Blue" things felt too complicated, too all over the place for me. It was still a decent story and towards the end things begin to shift back into perspective a bit so it is worth the read if you are a fan of the series. I recommend it solely based on the fact that it is the third in the series and it helps (somewhat) to guide us to the next plot point. I am of course excited about book 4 whenever that may be coming out but this time I plan on going into it with a little bit of reserve.

I tip my hat (my almost forgotten rating system) 3 times to Maggie Stiefvater's "Blue Lily, Lily Blue" not the best book I've read this year but not the worst by far. Well folks it has been quite a reading year. Less with the reviewing part and I apologize for that but a reading year indeed. I can't wait for 2015 and the many, many books that are awaiting us. So for the last time this year my dear, dear readers happy reading!

Joss Whedon is Even Cooler Than I Thought He Was

I have internet again!!!! I am soo very excited to be back up and running! With that being said it is a well established fact, that is if you have been paying attention, that I am a book nerd. What is less well known is that I am a nerd in many other ways as well. There is the comic book hero nerd in me, such as worshipping Batman and all things Batman (my phone case is the Bat symbol). The movie nerd, rather obsessed with movies and TV (thank the Netflix Gods for making it easier for me to enjoy such things) and then there is the Joss Whedon nerd. What does this mean you may ask? It means that I am totally obsessed with all things Whedonverse. Ever since the very first time I saw the show Buffy the Vampire Slayer I was hooked. There was just something about the perfect blend of humor and darkness that I just couldn't get enough of. Luckily for me one of my best friends is also a huge fan of Joss Whedon and when I went to visit her, many years ago now, she introduced me to the wonderful world of Firefly also by Joss Whedon. We spent a very rainy weekend watching all 14 episodes plus the movie 'Serenity.' This just cemented my obsession even more.

When I read that there was going to be a biography coming out about him I naturally was immediately intrigued and just knew I had to read it. I borrowed it from work and it was awesome, no it was amazing, no, no tubular? No matter what word you use to describe it, it is super good and well worth the read. The book 'Joss Whedon: the Biography' by Amy Pascal was filled with not only factual tidbits like the fact that when he was young he went to school in England and grew up in a feminist household where his mom would hold Shakespeare dinners. But fun facts as well such as while growing up he loved old westerns and science fiction so much that when he was grown and trying to decide what his next project was going to be he decided why not mix the two? And the magic that was Firefly was born.

Nowadays everyone knows who Joss Whedon is, 'oh yeah he's the dude that did the Avengers right?' And everyone nods in unison and smiles 'oh yeah that guy. The Avengers was awesome.' But Mr. Whedon didn't always spark that kind of recognition to the public. He was this kind of strange wide eyed hopeful young guy that was trying to make it in Hollywood's cut throat world of script writing. Landing a job on the new show 'Rosanne' was a huge deal for young Joss. A new type of show talking about some real issues was just the place that Joss was hoping to find a home. But it wasn't all that he was hoping for and though one of his scripts made it on air, with quite a few rewrites, 'Rosanne' turns out to be just a place to stop for awhile and not the home Joss was looking for.

Joss started bouncing around trying to find a place that felt right. He worked as a script doctor for awhile, including doing some work on the dialogue in 'Toy Story,' making a name for himself as an excellent wordsmith. While making a name for himself as the go-to script doctor Joss was writing a full length script if his own. A script that would go on to become a niche classic that took the 'vulnerable' young girl running from the bad guy story and turn it on its head. A script titled 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer.' When the directing/producing team, the Kuzuis, bought the script Joss had a feeling that this was finally going to be the break he had been hoping for. He got especially excited when the project was greenlit and the cast was in place. Things were looking up and he started getting excited, the cast was listening to him about his ideas for his characters and things were moving along rather smoothly. And then they started filming. And the studio had all these ideas and the Kuzui team had all these ideas and Donald Sutherland who was playing Buffy's watcher (don't know what that means? Look it up! XD) had some very specific ideas about his character. Eventually the rewrites to his script and demands from the studio make more than Joss wanted to deal with and he walked away before production finished.

With his pet project not panning out the way he was hoping Joss started thinking on a smaller scale. He thought to himself 'why not try writing my Badass girl story for TV?' And so the show 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' was born. A show that would continue on for seven seasons, inspire a spin off series, comic books, video games, and a cult following unlike anything that had been seen before. From the fame of Buffy Joss went on to start 'Firefly' (which was unappreciated in it's time and therefore cancelled before it should have been) and with Buffy's success came Angel's and he went off to start his own show. Joss continued to work on projects and ideas that he was passionate about. Creating not only 'Angel,' 'Firefly,' and 'Dollhouse' but also writing, directing and producing a mini web series/musical 'Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.' A brilliant piece of musical theater about a wannabe super villain that just wants to get the girl. Later Joss would go on to produce a film version of 'Much Ado About Nothing,' filmed at the beautiful home that his amazing wife Kai designed and built for them. Who starred in it? His 'found' family of actors that had been working in the Whedonverse for years at this point.

Let's recap shall we? Why do I like Joss Whedon so much? He is a feminist with some of the greatest ideas about equality I've heard in a long time. He says of women that he has '...an unseemly fascination with these women and at the same time a desire to empower and protect them so that they could in return empower and protect me.' I mean how right on is that? Although he has been clear about his views on equality 'Q: so why do you write these strong female characters? A: Because equality is not a concept. It's not something we should be striving for.  It's a necessity...' Some people don't seem to quite get it:

He has a brilliant mind, a healthy love of Shakespeare (he has dinner parties where they sit around and read Shakespeare plays with each other) and is an absolute genius when it comes to writing. He is all around a pretty cool guy. I just think he is brilliant. And to illustrate such a brilliant man properly you have to have a brilliant biographer. And with Amy Pascale we as readers get just that. She takes the life and times of Joss Whedon and turns them into an ongoing conversation that you never want to end. She not only gives us the facts and fun but she does it such a Joss Whedon way that it felt like talking to him. She captured not only his style, that unique ability to blend action, comedy and tragedy seamlessly, but she captured his essence on the pages as well. I thought that Amy Pascale did a great job of bringing Joss Whedon to the page.

 

Basically this book is for Whedonverse junkies such as myself. In order to truly appreciate this book and the man that it is about you have to really love and respect Joss Whedon and all that he does. I do and I thought this was a great book. It really made me want to meet Joss and Kai and sit and shoot the shit for awhile. They seem like the type of people that would be really great to just chat with for a few hours about anything. Of course this sitting and chatting would come after the crazy fan girl nerd out that I would have. But that happens to the best of us right?

The Mime Order-Samantha Shannon

Alright so I am not really going to tell you guys what the book is about. Because that would be cheating and revealing way too much information that would no doubt ruin the book. So I am going to be magnanimous and say nothing about the story or what happens to Paige after she escaped from Sheol 1. I'm not going to say anything about what happens when she sees Jaxon again or what 'The Mime Order' is. I'm not gonna say anything about anything. Well except what I felt about it.

In short it was amazing. 100% edge of your seat, can't stop reading, heart racing, page turning amazing. Samantha Shannon is a force of nature as we saw in her debut novel 'The Bone Season,' (reviewed here) but she has surpassed herself with her second novel. She has grown as a writer by leaps and bounds, and I just know that she is going to continue to do so. With this second novel she was able to more seamlessly blend action and dialogue. Her down moments weren't too slow or overly drawn out, every bit of the book was crafted just so and I couldn't stop reading or thinking about it.

The story was of course incredible as we knew it would be. So much was brought into the light in this tale and Paige alone was fleshed out so much more. She became so very real and so three dimensional that she leapt off the page and I fell in love with her even more. Paige turned into a character that you not only rooted for but someone that I wanted to meet, to help and I wanted nothing more to be in there with her fighting the good fight. I felt like everything became much more intricate and well put together in this second adventure. And I have to tell you I was so very swept away this time, I mean don't get me wrong I loved the first book so much, but because Ms. Shannon has grown so much as a writer 'The Mime Order' is even better. I really can't wait to see where Samantha Shannon takes us next.

This time around the characters were even fuller and richer than in 'The Bone Season.' This was really a great chance for Ms. Shannon to take already great characters and really flesh them out turn them into unforgettable and truly incredible people. Each character became so much more real and likeable or unlikable as the case may be. If characters can leap off the page and make me feel something viscerally I know that the author has done a superb job in creating them. And every character in 'The Mime Order' leapt off those pages and made me feel something. Samantha Shannon really did a great job bringing her characters to life and I think that with each book she is only going to get better and better.

I know, I know I was super vague and annoying. But I really did it for you guys, I didn't want to give anything away. This is the kind of book that even the slightest detail would be too much so I kept it vague and short. Trust me when you read it, it comes out January 2015, you will thank me for not giving anything away. Because guys this book is so good and reading it the first time will be mind blowing and absolutely wonderful. Be ready dear readers because co me January 2015 all your lives will get better because Samantha Shannon's 'The Mime Order' will be out. Make sure to set aside a couple days where you do nothing but read because once you start there will be no stopping. With this book sleep is for the weak.

Leaving Time-by Jodi Picoult

Ok so it has been well established that I love Jodi Picoult and am pretty much determined to read everything by her. This fact is so well known that anytime there is anything related to Jodi Picoult people at work come to ask me if I know about it. With this in mind one of the managers at work, and a thank you to Peter for his kindness, saw an ARC for Ms. Picoult's newest novel entitled 'Leaving Time' and hid it away for me. It made my day when I saw it and I started reading it right away.

It is the story of young Jenna Metcalf and her decade long search for the truth about what happened to her mother. Her mom, Alice Metcalf studied grief among elephants. After a tragic accident at the elephant sanctuary that she ran with her husband, Alice disappeared leaving behind a three-year-old daughter and what appears to be a body trampled by an elephant. Ten years later Jenna pores over her mother's old journals trying to find a hidden clue meant just for her to tell her she hadn't been abandoned. When she turns 13 Jenna decides that it's time to take matters into her own hands and starts her own search for her mother. Enlisting the help of two rather unusual allies, a disgraced psychic who was once the biggest name in helping to find missing persons and a drunken private detective that was once a detective assigned to her mother's case, the three begin a journey that takes them to unexpected places.

Going between journal entries from Alice's past and the search that Jenna and her oddball companions are putting on Jodi Picoult has come away with another winner. Blended into the story are some fascinating facts about elephant tribes and the way they grieve and raise their young. The beauty of the moments that Alice witnesses is stunning and heartbreaking in equal measure. As Jenna and her unlikely team try to retrace her mother's steps and find the truth of what happened at the sanctuary that last night we watch as Alice struggles through love, grief, and secrets that no one should ever have to keep.

As always Jodi Picoult weaves together a story both simple and beautiful and heart racingly dark. A story that kept me sucked in until the very end. I really enjoyed the way it tied itself up in knots and then at the end it found a clever way of untangling itself. It is a story that is worth reading because it takes a usual story and tells it in an unusual way. I was surprised by it which is always something that I look for in a good book and I think that it is one that will surprise you as well.

Ms. Picoult knows how to write and so that was never in question when I first opened the book. What really struck me this time around was the depth of what she wrote. All of her novels are impeccably written but with this I felt that there was a special level of care that went into each word. Maybe it was because her subject matter was so deep in and of itself but there seemed to be more weight behind each word, each sentence. And I loved it, I really found myself feeling the story which was just great.

All in all 'Leaving Time' was a good read and one that I recommend for an October read. It comes out October 14th and I think that it's going to be not only worth the wait but worth buying the hardcover. It's a beautiful story and as always it's well written and full of characters that I think you will find utterly fascinating. I really enjoyed reading the book and I hope that you read it and enjoy it as well. It is one of those perfect beginning of fall books that you can easily curl up with and enjoy with a good cup of your favorite tea. Be warned though you may end up unable to put the book down so make sure you get real comfortable!

A Trip Down Memory Lane Part 2

So one post was clearly not enough to talk about all the books that have left an impact on me. I'm sure that 100 posts would not be enough but I think I'll cap it at 2 for now and just stick with some of the most important books. I've already talked about some of the classics that have changed the way I read or stayed with me so I figured that in part 2 I'll go a little more modern.

A couple years ago I came across a non-fiction book call 'The Kennedy Detail: JFK's Secret Service Agents Break Their Silence.' Being fascinated by history I picked it up and simply devoured it. It was heart breaking and terrifying and in many ways beautiful. I think the reason it stuck with me so much was because of the love that these agents felt for the Kennedy family and the feeling of guilt that they felt after Kennedy was shot. The thing that was truly amazing was the fact that when Kennedy first took office none of the agents were happy about their new assignment. As time went on and the agents got to know their protectees their duty became a joy. Reading this account of the months and days leading up to the assassination was moving and it really affected me. If you can stand non-fiction I highly recommend this unique view on the Kennedy assassination.

Now I know that the next book I'm going to talk about is probably on everyone's list but I just can't forgive myself if I don't mention it. 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone' by JK Rowling. Now to be clear this isn't my favorite Harry Potter book but it is the one that started the obsession. To be honest I don't remember how I came upon Harry and his world of magic. I'm sure I started reading it because everyone was reading it and it was fresh and just becoming super popular. I do remember falling instantly in love with it and that was that. I read through all the ones available, which at the time were the first three I believe, and eagerly awaiting the next installment. I rarely, rarely buy hardcover books but when the fourth Harry Potter came out I made my dad buy it for me. It was the only book I was allowed that month but I was perfectly content with that. Because of reading that very first book I discovered a world that I love and a series that I can't get enough of. And so 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone' makes the list of books that have had a huge impact on me. Because it was my entry into the incredible world that has since become an obsession.

I never used to like fantasy books, I guess I felt that they just weren't my cup of tea. I absolutely refused to read anything fantasy until one day I accidentally picked up a book that changed my mind totally. The book was 'The Summer Tree' by Guy Gavriel Kay and it changed my mind about fantasy for good. I remember the day I finished it, I had just come home from school and was sitting in my favorite reading chair and as soon as I finished I called my mom who was out running errands and asked her to go to a used bookstore and pick up the next two in the trilogy. As I have mentioned before this is now my favorite trilogy, one that I have read over and over again and in fact just finished a reread a few weeks ago. I know I don't know much about fantasy and I have been told that this is 'average' fantasy but I found 'The Summer Tree' to be well written, thought out and all around really, really good! In truth the whole trilogy has stuck with me in a very important way and whenever I have a hard time or need to remember why I love reading I go back to the wonderful work of Guy Gavriel Kay. He opened my eyes to a whole new genre that I now really enjoy. And it's all thanks to that first accidental encounter with a book called 'The Summer Tree.'

Well friends I hope you enjoyed this special two part post about some of my important books. Short posts for sure but important and fun ones I hope. They were certainly fun for me to write. More posts to come soon. Next? A review of a new Jodi Picoult! Keep your eyes peeled for it! =D



 

A Trip Down Memory Lane

It's been a long while I know. It's been a rough few months and a lot has been happening so it's been tough to sit down and write. But here I am now, ready and willing to entertain the masses with my often brilliant and occasionally witty reviews. I had planned on writing of the new Jodi Picoult book due out in October. But I changed my mind. I'm going to leave that for next time and instead tonight I am going to write about books that not only touched me as a person but helped to shape me as a reader. As some of you know there is a post going around Facebook where you tag ten people and ask them to make a list of 10 books that stuck with them. Although I knew almost right away what I wanted my 10 books to be, I realized (as I scrolled through my read list on Goodreads) that there were just so many more than 10 that have stuck with me in one way or another. Realizing this I was inspired to write a post about some of these incredible books.

First and foremost I have to mention a couple of the ones I posted on Facebook, 'Little Women' by Louisa May Alcott and 'Gone With the Wind' by Margaret Mitchell. I honestly don't remember when or where 'Little Women' came into my life but I do have a very clear memory of reading the book. I have this vivid memory of coming home from school one day hopping on my bed, shoes and all, and reading straight through until dinner. I think this was the very first book that I got truly lost in. A simple book I know but one that showed me for the first time what it was to get so swept up that I lose track of time. For this reason 'Little Women' has become one of my favorite books. One that I have gone back to time and again and each time I get lost and with that the memory of getting lost for the first time returns. 

When it comes to 'Gone with the Wind' I have a very clear memory of the first time I read it. I was at a friend's house and we had been playing inside all day and were getting restless. I guess we started getting a little rowdy and loud and her mom told us that we had to do a quiet activity for a half hour. Our options were reading or cleaning. Being more partial to books than household chores I went over to the bookshelf, and thinking a little highly of my reading skills, I picks up their mass market version of 'Gone with the Wind.' In that scant half hour of reading time my whole reading self was turned upside down. I fell in love with Ms. Mitchell's words, her characters the story. It was a big project to get trough it but once I did I realized how wonderful reading a classic could be. Before diving into her world I had been nervous about reading classic literature. What if I didn't like one of the 'great' novels? I feared that people would look at me and think 'oh she isn't a real reader.' But once I made my way through 'Gone with the Wind' I discovered just how great a classic could be and I was hooked. Today some of my all time favorite novels and authors are the classics. All thanks to Margaret Mitchell and her brilliant novel 'Gone with the Wind.'

A book that was not on my Facebook list but had a huge impact on me was 'The Green Mile' by Stephen King. Now growing up I knew who Stephen King was, I had seen 'The Stand' and 'Carrie.' I heard people say that Stephen King was the 'master of horror' but I never had any inclination to go out and read his work. Until that is I saw the film 'The Green Mile' and I discovered that it was based on a book by Stephen King. When I realized that a story of such depth and emotion came from the 'master of horror' flabbergasted me to such an extent that I went right out and bought a copy of the book. And I fell instantly in love. His writing threw me for a loop, and his story telling was out of this world. I became obsessed and decided that I had to devour a much of Stephen King's novels as I possibly could. I now follow him on Twitter, Facebook, I keep track of all the release dates of his novels and I currently have two waiting for me on my nook. He's become one of my top read authors and it was all thanks to that very first read of 'The Green Mile.' 

Another Facebook mention was 'Persuasion' by Jane Austen. I love Austen, I have since the very first time I read 'Sense & Sensibility.' All her novels are beautiful and I have read them at least two times each. But there is something about 'Persuasion' that ha just stayed with in ways that the others haven't. It's a story about a true underdog. Anne Elliot is her family's punching bag in many ways. She was once in love but because her family convinced her that he just wasn't good enough for her she turned down his proposal. Many years later when she has been swindled into coming and taking care of her neurotic sister and her family she runs into the man of her dreams once more. The story from there is all about finding worth within oneself, and learning to maybe do things for yourself rather than everyone else. Imagine a woman in Austen's time writing about that? I just find 'Persuasion' to be inspiring, well written and totally engaging. To this day it is my favorite Austen without a doubt. 

Well friends that is the end of part one for tonight. Part two coming soon with a few more books that have stuck with me in one way or another. In the meantime what are some books that have stuck with you? Feel free to leave them in the comment section! And be on the lookout for part 2!    

Jodi Picoult Really is as Awesome as I Thought She Was

Sometimes in our lives as readers we come across an author, a book or a series that completely blows us away. We don't know why and we can rarely explain to others but something about that person, book or series takes hold of us and just won't let go. As an avid reader I have found myself blown away by all of the above. A favorite series has come out of my reader, The Fionavar Tapestry by Guy Gavriel Kay has become a trilogy that I have read at least four times now, 'Gone With the Wind,' by Margaret Mitchell has become my favorite book and Jodi Picoult has become without a doubt my favorite author. Saying that one has a favorite author, book or series does not diminish the love that one feels for well loved books, authors and series. For me what it means when I say Jodi Picoult is my favorite author doesn't mean I don't love J.K. Rowling, George R.R. Martin, or J.R. Ward. It means for me that no matter what she writes or when it comes out I will read it. I own all her books, some even in hardcover (and I never buy full priced hardcovers), and I always, always know when she has a new one coming out. I never thought that I would get to see her in person for some reason I just figured something that cool, for me the ultimate celebrity sighting, would just never happen. And then there was BookCon. 

At first when I heard about it I was all 'that seems pretty cool, like BEA only less expensive. Neat.' I thought about going but not really all that seriously until I found out that Jodi Picoult was going to be there. As soon as I knew that she would be there I went to my dear friend Sidney McEntyre and said 'ok let's do it for sure. We now have to go to BookCon! Thank you so much for finding it!!' And so we went, with big dreams about meeting Jodi Picoult, Sidney wanted to get he Lemony Snicket book signed by the man himself (also appearing at BookCon), and getting lots of free ARCs. For the most part we were disappointed, first of all we were only allowed to wander a third of the showroom floor. BookCon people were not allowed to go over to the BEA side which meant that there would be no free ARCs. When we got there the first thing we did was grab a program to see when Jodi Picolt was, when Lemony Snicket was and what other panels or discussions we wanted to go to. What we discovered was that besides the two we really wanted to go to there were a few others we thought about going to. One included a discussion between Deborah Harkness, author of 'A Discovery of Witches' and 'Shadow of Night,' and Lev Grossman, author of 'The Magicians.' We talked about it and thought that could be a fun panel to sit in on because I really like Deborah Harkness and Sidney really likes Lev Grossman. There were a couple of other panels we were thinking about but we noticed that most of the panels we wanted to see were all at the same times. What a decision making process that was. For me no matter what else happened I had to see Jodi Picoult, I told Sidney that and being the awesome friend she is we made that our priority and went from there. 

We got to the room for the panel early, not early enough apparently because there was already a line formed. Anyway we got in and got good seats in the second row. And then we played the waiting game, we waited not only on Ms. Picoult but on her fellow panelists Kathy Reichs, author of the Temperence Brennan series, and debut fiction author Ruth Reichl. Right in front of us sat a young woman and a couple of her friends and they were talking to an older gentleman who turned out to be the moderator. This young woman was talking about how much she loved Jodi Picoult and her writing. When Ms. Picoult walked in the moderator introduced the young woman to her as her biggest fan and they ended up taking a picture together. Damn those extroverts!! A true book nerd, in the deepest sense of the term, I have very little in the way of social skills. And so I was left to sit and stare and dream that one day that too could be me. Anyway when the discussion started I was too swept up in the discussion to really think about missed opportunities. I was impressed with all the panelists, especially Ms. Picoult obviously, but they all had good insights into what makes a writer and hearing about their writing and research processes was inspiring. They were funny and utterly intelligent and watching them speak was a totally surreal experience. I had to keep looking over at Sidney to make sure it was all real. I was a little nervous before going into the panel because authors can sometimes be a little strange in person but Jodi Picoult was eloquent and funny, spoke up for women writers but didn't vomit a bunch of 'women rule, men suck' crap. It was a really beautiful thing to watch. 

After the discussion was over there was a rush of people going up to get autographs. I went up to Ms. Picoult's assistant (I think that was who she was) and told her how important Ms. Picoult's work was to me and how she was my favorite author and was there any chance I could get a picture with her. Unfortunately she had to be rushed out of the space as soon as possible so I was unable to get a picture with her but I did get her autograph. And I got to tell her that I loved her work and that she was my favorite author. So at least I got to meet her and wonderful Sidney reminded me that Jodi Picoult would be back in New York at some point. So I gave myself a stern talking to and we went in search of our next adventure. After careful consideration we decided to go the panel involving Lemony Snicket, James Patterson, Rick Riordan (was more excited for him than I should have been), Rachel Renee Russell and moderated by Jeff Kinney. Because of the popularity of the event we decided to get in line really early so we were guaranteed a seat. And boy was it a good idea. Because the giant hall was packed with young kids in Camp Halfblood (from the Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan) t-shirts all clambering to get close enough to see all their favorite authors up close. Despite the long wait it was so the right choice. Again this panel was full of well spoken, amusing interesting authors. I'm not a huge fan of James Patterson (although he was more entertaining than I thought he would be) but all in all in was a hilarious event. I have to say though that Lemony Snicket was by far the best. He is just such a personality. There really is no other way to phrase it. He is intelligent and darkly hilarious and I liked him so much that I started hoping I could just be friends with him. Sidney and I just couldn't stop laughing the whole time and all we could talk about was how awesome he was. Again he had to be rushed out and the line for an autograph was already too long for us to have a chance to meet him so Sidney wasn't able to get her autograph. 

Overall BookCon was more of a disappointment than I would have hoped. But I did get to meet my literary idol and see an incredible panel of children's authors speaking about how they write and why they write. And spending time with Ms. Sidney McEntyre is never a bad day. Meeting Jodi Picoult was huge for me. She is as awesome and poised and all around cool as I thought she would be. I can't wait to read her newest book that is coming out in October called 'Leaving Time.' In fact I am trying to use my connections at the bookstore to get an ARC. What can I say I got all excited about it hearing her talk. I know that I haven't reviewed many of her books here but Jodi Picoult's work is very important to me. So much so that I'm not even sure if I can describe it. But I feel like I want to try because this blog is all about sharing the books I love with all of you. For now, know this, Jodi Picoult is my favorite author, her books are all special to me even the ones that I don't love as much as others, and I will read everything she writes. And find a way to see her whenever she gives a talk, does a signing, or is appearing anywhere. I hope that you all have an author like Ms. Picoult in your reading lives because I know that having her books in my life, turned me into not only a total book nerd (reading her books pushed me over the edge into real nerdom) but into a totally eclectic reader as well. She writes about very different subjects and so she inspired me to want to learn more about many things. Basically she is really and truly awesome and I think that you all should go out and get all her books. Just because.    

The Black Dagger Brotherhood-by J.R. Ward

Ok reading fans let's just cut to the chase, we all have our guilty pleasures when it comes to books. Whether it's secretly hoarding the entire Twilight series or reading the Outlander books while maintaining that you only ever read 'real' literature. And no matter what it is, it's all ok mainly because it still involves reading and loving books. My guilty pleasure is The Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J.R. Ward, which happens to be a paranormal romance series. And yes I did indeed say paranormal and romance in the same sentence. It is a series that involves vampires (the good guys), their mortal enemies the lessers (the undead bad guys), The Scribe Virgin (the goddess that made the vampires (that's right maternal society)) and The Omega (the creator of the lessers). 

How did I even come across this series, you might ask? Well it starts with the fact that I work at a bookstore and when I worked on the book floor I saw a lot of the new books that came in. One of these was the (at the time) latest installment in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series 'Lover at Last' and for some reason I became super curious about the series. So, feeling utterly foolish, I bought the first book in the, 'Dark Lover,' on my nook and after that I became obsessed. I instantly fell in love with the characters, the story line, the writing. I realized that it was so much more than just a silly romance, yes, yes there is romance and sex and all that in there but it's all so much more exciting than just that. 

I know, I know you are all thinking 'eww vampires? Really? It's like 'Twilight' or some other really stupid angsty teen vampire novel isn't it?' And the answer is no, it is nothing like that at all. These vampires are warriors that protect their race from being murdered by the lessers. They are fully grown males that start out as big meat head types that focus only on their war and yet when they find the female that they belong to they become bonded and the most important thing in the world becomes their females. It's a beautiful thing to see these giant warrior men bowing down to the smallest whims of their females. 

There is fighting, suspense, adventure, ghosts, medical emergencies, and pretty much non-stop excitement. Each book focuses on a different Brother and the journey they take to finding their mate. So each new book is an exciting new story to grab onto while still focusing on the overall goodness of the whole story line. Not only are the story lines intriguing and engrossing but the writing is amazing. J.R. Ward is a really great writer, she has a way of blending suspense, romance, tragedy and bliss that I have not really seen before. I think that the reason I enjoy these books so much is that they are simple or as easy as 'a man meets a woman, there is lust, followed by sex, followed by a big fight followed by a happy ending.' At least that's how I see it, it's not just stupid vampires or lame formulaic romance (yes of course some of the formula is in there I'm not denying it is) but it's detailed and intricate and in many ways beautiful. I guess I enjoy the fact that not only are the vampires a matriarchal society their creator and deity is The Scribe Virgin, but they take that love for the female into their love lives. Their mates become their world, they can't exist without their females and they treat them like the goddesses they are. 

This is a series that I usually would pretend I don't read, I would hide the truth and bury it as deeply as possible. In short this would be my guilty pleasure perfectly hidden and tucked away. But after reading the most recent installment, 'The King,' I realized that I love the series enough and feel that it is good enough that I am going to be open and proud about this little guilty pleasure of mine. Although I didn't love 'The King' as much as the others I still feel that the entire series is worth it. There is something addictive about the series, something that makes me want to go back again and again to visit the Brother's mansion and bite my nails about whether or not Wrath will take the throne or Vishous will survive his visions. 

I know that not everyone will want to pick up a series such as this one. And so I am not going to recommend it, instead let me say this. Guilty pleasures are good to have because they can introduce us to a world that we fall instantly in love with and can't seem to get enough of. There are even times when our guilty pleasure turns into something that becomes a favorite thing, a great pleasure that we are willing to share with the world. I guess my point is this, never shy away from something, especially when it comes to books, just because it looks strange or is labeled something that you normally bypass. Again in short don't judge a book by its cover because it is what is in between the covers that moves you to laughter or tears, transports you to Westeros or teaches you the best summoning spell at Hogwarts. So what's your guilty pleasure?  

A Change is Upon Us

To My Faithful Readers,

   The time has come once more to switch things up. I have come to realize, and I am sure that you have noticed as well, that I don't stick to the simple read and review formula. I change things around, do interviews (when I can get them), comparisons, discussions etc. I find that I rather enjoy writing this way. With more creativity and spontaneity than just 'this is the title of the book, here is what happened and this is what I thought about A, B, and C.' And so with the start of a new season, spring/summer (in New York they seem to flow into one another) has finally begun, I am embracing this wacky way of updating. 

    Now fret not dear ones for there will of course be times that I revert back to the old formula standby. I am not knocking this method of blogging or updating. In fact I quite enjoy it most of the time, but I find that if I try to force myself to stick to that and only that I lose the passion for reviewing that I started with. That passion is not something I am willing to give up and so I am trying to find new ways of expressing it. I hope that since you have stayed with me for so long already that you too will be excited with the 'new' way of doing things. 

    Here is what I am hoping will be the new Girl in the Tiny Hat, I want to bring a little more me into the mix. I love reading people's personal accounts of how they came across a favorite book or an incredible story of a person's journey reading everything a favorite author has ever written. I hope to share these kind of stories about myself with all of you. I want to be able to share when I've gone to an author reading or a big book event in detail and without feeling like I am taking away from the reviewing process. There will still be book reviews for sure, that will never stop, but I want to focus more on the discussion aspect of the review process. Remember my review/discussion of 'Breakfast at Tiffany's?' If not click here. That is the type of comparison/discussion that I am going for.

     This is something that I have been thinking about for quite awhile but haven't yet put into motion. I plan on starting this in the next post. I guess though that this may even be considered the first post of the new Girl in the Tiny Hat. I believe that change can be a good thing most of the time and I hope that you all feel that way too. Because the more I think about it the more I realize that reading and reviewing, for me anyway, is less about the A, B, C's of the book and more about the feeling I get when I finally open that one book I've been looking forward to for months or finish a book that I came across in some unusual way. Isn't that more exciting and fulfilling than just reading what the book is about and if I liked it? 

     Anyway this is what I have planned for the new me. I hope that you all keep coming back to see what new thing or adventure I have to talk about. I think that this is going to be a super exciting new direction that I am taking and I look forward to hearing from all of you on it as well. I want to take this time to thank all of you for being readers, for coming to support me and for just generally being all of you. Maybe I haven't yet met you all or heard from all of you yet but just knowing you are out there being supportive of a book nerd such as myself is amazing. You are the reason I get on here and review book after book, and why I finally pick up that one book that I have been promising myself I have to read. So thank you for everything, and I look forward to this next journey we are taking together.

                 Happy Reading All,

                  The Girl in the Tiny Hat

 

'The Value of a Woman'-by Victoria Kante

Book Title: The Value of a Woman
Author: Victoria Kante
Version: Paperback
ISBN: 9781497346956
Publication Date: March 14, 2014
Publisher: CreateSpace
Genre: Fiction

Victoria Kante has a true gift for storytelling. This was made perfectly clear in her wonderful first novel 'Loving Marcus' which I reviewed here . With her second novel Ms. Kante has brought something totally different and more visceral to the table. I had the incredible honor of editing one of the first drafts and with discussion and encouragement I feel that Ms. Kante was able to really let herself be herself. She took her storytelling talent and her love of writing and really allowed herself to write the way I always knew she could.

The novel tells the story of Amitola a young Native American woman living in Las Vegas and working as a prostitute. She walks the streets in order to make enough money to help care for her son who is currently lives with her Aunt Miriam. Told through the eyes of both Amitola, or Amy, and Miriam the story follows Amy's journey into dark places and her struggle to make a life for herself and her son. Amy finds herself in impossible situations that at times scare her and at others excite her. She is pushed and challenged, beat down and brought back up and ultimately discovers that in order to find true happiness she must first look within. The novel has all the parts that one looks for in a great read. A good story, it's well written and has incredible characters.

Victoria Kante has a talent, a truly beautiful talent, for taking dark subject matter and turning it into beautifully poetic stories. With 'The Value of a Woman' Ms. Kante has done it once again. It may begin as a story about a prostitute but it turns into a journey of self discovery. From the draft I helped edit to the final product so much changed that it was almost like reading a new book. And it was a beautiful change because she allowed herself to run free with her imagery and her descriptions. I loved seeing the transformation and I look forward to seeing what she will allow herself to do with the next book. I have true faith that Ms. Kante is only going to better with each new book and I look forward to seeing her talent grow.

All in all the book was a good read and full of some wonderful messages. There are parts that took me back and made me tear up but for every tear shed there was a smile that took its place. I really enjoyed following Amy's journey from the streets, to her tribe's reservation, to a whole new life for her and her son. It was a journey that had it's moments steeped in darkness but also had moments of breath-taking beauty.

I saw from the first pages of 'Loving Marcus' that Ms. Kante was a great storyteller, and I knew that she had it in her to be an equally great writer. With 'The Value of a Woman' I saw her writing talent really begin to come forth. By allowing herself to write for herself Ms. Kante has finally started tapping into her true talents. It's a beautiful thing to witness and something that no one should miss out on. This is a great book that I highly recommend to all my readers. Don't miss out on this wonderful read, and not just because I say so, but because it's a beautiful story, a well written novel and full of characters that touch the heart and soul. 'The Value of a Woman' by Victoria Kante is a journey well worth taking.

'Jack of Spies'-by David Downing

Book Title: Jack of Spies
Author: David Downing
Version: ARC
Publication Date: May 13, 2014
Publisher: SoHo Crime
Genre: Mystery/Thriller


SYNOPSIS: It is 1913 and the world seems to be on the brink of war. Jack McColl is a Scottish car salesmen, traveling the world to help his company sell cars, picking up a new language here and there and doing some light spying for England on the side. Jack finds that though he is worried about the state of the world he rather enjoys his side business of spying to be rather enjoyable. Going from place to place, using his language skills, and at times being able to do a little bit of undercover work.

However as the world begins to slide further and further into a war zone things begin getting more complicated and dangerous for Jack. Especially when he meets a woman that puts into question everything that he has been working towards. When he is attacked in China Jack realizes that his casual side job ha taken a serious turn. When he gets to the states and starts spending more time with this utterly engaging woman he realizes that ever so slowly he is falling in love with her. Things get even more complicated when it turns out her family might be involved with the very people that Jack is trying to stop.

As things begin to escalate and all around the world more and more signs of war Jack McColl has quite a few big decisions to make. Does he want to quit life as a salesman and become a full time spy? Is he willing to leave the life he knows for one of danger and uncertainty? How far will he go to protect his country, is he willing to give up the woman he loves to do his duty?

REVIEW: I usually enjoy a good spy novel, I find it exciting to see what happens next, spend time guessing who the bad guy really is and will he or she get away with it? I like the mystery of it and the twists and turns. I think that, that is why one of my managers gave the ARC of 'Jack of Spies' to me. He and I were hoping that I would enjoy the characters and the mystery and the excitement of it all. This however was not the case with this book unfortunately.

I felt that it was a little long winded for a spy novel. The story was ok, nothing really all that exciting or new. There wasn't all that much spying or rather novel worthy spying. It just all felt so very boring. I didn't really care what happened next or how it would end. I also felt that it was a little too stretched out and unfocused. It was kind of a disappointment story wise.

Actually all around the book was a disappointment there was very little I liked about it. It was ok, and that is about it I really didn't find anything extraordinary about it. It was cookie cutter boring and not really filled with all that much mystery or thrill. I was rushing to finish it just to finish it. I have nothing much more to say about the book because it was just so very blah. I don't tip my tiny hat at all for this one, looking back at it I just didn't like it.

'Night Owls'-by Lauren M. Roy

Book Title: Night Owls
Author: Lauren M. Roy
Version: Mass Market Paperback
Published: February 25th, 2014
Publisher: Ace
Genre: Fantasy


Synopsis: The Night Owls bookstore is every college student's dream, open late into the night, lots of comfy study corners, right next to a late night coffee shop oh and it's run by a vampire. Of course no one knows she's a vampire they just think she's the super cool owner that only works the night shift. But Val is indeed a vampire with her very own Renfield, the occasional blood lust and a dark past that she is doing her best to keep there.

All Elly has ever known is a life on the run with her mentor and adoptive father Father Value. When Father Value is murdered protecting a book, going against everything that he taught Elly, Elly takes the book and runs from his murderers the Creeps. Knowing only one place where she and the book may be safe Elly runs to the college town of Edgewood to meet Professor Clearwater a one time friend of Father Value. Elly hopes to find some answers as to why Father Value had to die.

When the Creeps find Elly and Professor Clearwater things quickly take a turn for the worse and soon Elly finds herself running for her life but this time without the book. Professor Clearwater, a dear friend of Val's, put the book at Night Owls bookstore for safe keeping. When one of Val's employees and dear friend somehow extracts a spell from this mysterious book the Creeps come after him. Val taking this as a personal insult, along with her Redfield, Chas team up with Ellyn and her adoptive brother Cavale. Together with a pair of lesbian succubi they take a stand against the Creeps and their evil plans.

REVIEW: This is totally my kind of book. Magic, vampires, strong ass-kicking women, handsome men and books. I had a feeling I was going to like it right away and I was not disappointed. The fun part about this book even before I started it was that a friend of a friend edited it. Now I realize what I'm about to say is makes me a complete book nerd but the fact that I am acquainted with someone who is a full fledged editor is more exciting for me than meeting a celebrity.

Anyway knowing the editor of the book was the reason I picked up the book but once I started reading I found myself wanting to keep reading based on the book itself. I was immediately swept up in the story. The mystery and adventure of it all kind of took me away and kept me enthralled for 296 pages. It was a story that I loved losing myself in and the more I got lost, the more I wanted to get lost. I am thrilled that this is merely the first in an exciting new series because I can't wait for the next chapter in this story!

This is Lauren M. Roy's debut novel and what a debut it is! I thought that the writing was wonderful. I think the thing I liked most was that she didn't try to prove herself by using big fancy words that had me reaching for the dictionary every other sentence, she just wrote her story. Don't get me wrong I always enjoy improving my vocabulary but I find it rather annoying when authors use big words just to use big words. Ms. Roy is a good writer indeed, one that knows that her story can stand alone with out a lot of flourish and fancy trimmings. She had a very well put together story, lots of great twists and turns that had me guessing and jumping and wanting more! Also she seems to have a knack for slipping in some very funny moments. Lots of wit woven in which I absolutely adored. I can't wait to keeping reading what Ms. Roy writes because I know it's gonna be good!

The characters were totally captivating. Val and Chaz a perfect twosome full of love and kindness and an absolute perfect partnership. Elly with her grim outer exterior and her inner desire to just find a place to call home, Cavale with his charm and big heart hoping to make Elly's dream come true. These core characters along with the rest of the cast were so well created and drawn that I fell instantly in love with them. I loved all of them because they seemed like just the people next door with a few extra qualities. All of the characters were wonderful and I am so looking forward to seeing what other adventures they go on!

All in all I enjoyed the book from page 1 to page 296. Well written, well put together, great characters and an intriguing story all made for a really fun read. I recommend it to anyone who likes a really good fantasy novel and a great adventure. 'Night Owls' by Lauren M. Roy is the total package for a fun fantasy read, so if you are a fantasy fan go out and find yourself a copy because it's the beginning of a truly exciting adventure.

84, Charing Cross Road

Is there anything more beautiful or fulfilling to a book lover than a book about books? Whether it be fiction or non there is something magical about reading about the love of books. I even love movies about books, although since those are almost non-existent, I find I make due with movies based on books. Rarely do they compare to the book (however I have to admit that I have come across at least two movies based on books that I liked better than the books themselves) but I usually enjoy seeing books I love brought to life even if they usually are wrong. There have been times when I see and really enjoy a movie and then find out that it was a book first. The two movies that I liked better than there book counterparts were like this. I found out that these movies I loved were books, and being the book nerd I am, I had to go and read the books. Highly disappointing in both cases.

However, back in the day when I was working at the video store in Cali, I came across a movie about books. Titled '84, Charing Cross Road.' I watched and was utterly swept away by it. For someone who is looking for a movie for simple entertainment this is not the movie for you. In fact for quite a few people this movie may seem boring and make no sense as a movie. But if you are true book nerd this movie is so much fun and endlessly entertaining. Imagine my delight when I discovered that this was not only based on a book but that it is a true story as well. It is the story of Helene Hanff a writer and script reader from New York who writes to a book shop in London called Marks & Co at 84, Charing Cross road. What begins as a simple request for out of print books turns into a twenty-year long correspondence and friendship.

Helene Hanff is a writer and script reader in New York who has a voracious appetite for secondhand books. When she has trouble finding some of the books she wants here in New York she goes searching internationally. After seeing an ad in the Saturday review Ms. Hanff writes to a bookstore in England called Marks & CO searching for her books. To her delight they send her two of her requested books and promise to send along the rest when they find them. She responds "Gentlemen: the books arrived safely, the Stevenson is so fine it embarrasses my orange-crate bookshelves, I'm almost afraid to handle such soft vellum and heavy cream-colored pages. Being used to the dead-white paper and stiff cardboardy covers of American books, I never knew a book could be such a joy to touch" (pg. 3). This is just the start of what soon becomes much more than a simple client proprietor relationship. Very soon Ms. Hanff and Frank Doel, her main correspondent, begin a friendship that lasts them twenty-years. One Christmas Helene sends the shop a bundle of food because they are still under ration. This kindness opens the door to the other employees in the shop to write to her and in short order the entire shop has become pen pals with her.

The whole book is no more than 97 pages, and is made up of nothing but letters between Helene and various people connected with the bookstore. Some letters even seem to be missing as time seems to jump rather drastically. But for someone like me that loves books because they are books this was an amazing read. It made me want to find a bookshop in some beautiful country and start a letter writing relationship with someone who has a true love of books. I find that in our day of modern technology, where 140 characters is the most people are willing to use to communicate, people are reluctant to write letters. I love letter writing, and there is something truly fulfilling about receiving something in the mail that isn't a bill or credit card offer. For me this is the perfect book because it is about people that love books and it's all letters. It's a beautiful book about a beautiful relationship and I highly recommend it. This book is simple and wonderful and perfect for book lovers everywhere!

I know this isn't much of a review but I got so excited by reading the book and seeing the movie again that I wanted to share that excitement. There is nothing less amazing than sharing the joy of a book one has just read and enjoyed immensely. That is what this is, me sharing my joy with you all. I hope that it was as enjoyable to read as it was for me to write.

On a side note as for the book club/discussion thing that I want to do, I'm thinking of veering once again from that which I thought of originally. My friend, writer/blogger Sidney McEntyre, has a friend who is an editor (I know, I'm jealous too) and her first book is coming out soon. I've decided that I want to read this book next. Not only am I supporting a new friend but the book looks really good. It's called 'Night Owls' by Lauren M. Roy and once it comes out I hope that you will all join me in reading it for discussion! More details when I have them! Don't worry KD the spy novel review will be posted next! =D 

'While Beauty Slept'-Elizabeth Blcakwel

Book Title: While Beauty Slept
Author: Elizabeth Blackwell
Version: ARC
Publication Date: February 20th, 2014
Publisher: Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam
ISBN: 9780399166235
Genre: Fiction/Fantasy

EDITOR'S NOTE: I'm back by popular demand...well by demand anyway...ok, ok since I'm supposed to tell the truth I'm mainly just back because my manager (who has just started reading my blog) brought it to my attention that my last post was about a month ago. And so here I am once again. As my faithful readers have probably discovered the whole book club idea hasn't taken off. I seem to have lost my steam and excitement for it due to the lack of excitement from everyone else. So things have changed around a little bit. I'm still going to be rereading some books, although I've so far been weak to the calling of new books, but instead of trying to set up a discussion I'm going to put down my insights and thoughts on them and if people feel the urge to comment than that is awesome. One day I hope to have a more interactive website where things like virtual book clubs are the norm. For now this is what the new plan is. I hope that you all keep reading and enjoying what I put out for you for now!

SYNOPSIS: This is supposed to be a retelling of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale. That's how it was presented to me anyway, and it was that, that made me so excited going into it. As soon as I started I realized it was more of what seemed to be a prequel to the story. It starts on a farm where a young girl, Elise, is searching for something more than just the life she leads. She lives a hard life of farming, raising her younger brothers, taking care of the animals of the farm and trying to dodge her father's blows. Although her dad was a hard man, a man that seemed to treat his children as objects, he seemed to always hate Elise just a little more than her brothers. One day at the town market Elise gets into a little scuffle with a boy, the boy angry and feeling above Elise calls her 'bastard.' Confused and hurt Elise asks her mother why the boy would call her such a thing. After thinking it over her mother tells her that Elise is actually the daughter of a man that her mother had met while working at the castle. 

Knowing that her mother had lived a whole life before the hard one she was living now was like throwing gas on a flame and Elise became determined to leave the farm and find a better life. After a great tragedy that kills almost all her brothers and her mother Elise decides to leave her old life behind and head to the castle. When she finally arrives she meets with the head housemaid Mrs. Twekes and when Elise tells her who her mother was Mrs. Twekes decides to give Elise a chance. As Elise begins to learn the ins and outs of the castle she finds that although it's a scary place she feels that she has at last found a home. 

After working there for some time Elise gets promoted to the Queen's personal handmaid. An honor that skyrockets Elise into a brand new style of living that takes her farther away from the rest of those that work at the castle. When the Queen finally gives birth to a beautiful baby girl Elise's love and loyalty is further cemented. On the day of their daughter's baptism the King and Queen throw a giant feast to honor their daughter and celebrate her becoming their official heir. In the middle of their great celebration the King's aunt, Millicent, who has been cast out of the royal favor shows up uninvited. Angry and vengeful Millicent makes a promise, a promise that seems like a curse, she says that her revenge will be that the King and Queen will enjoy the love and beauty of their daughter for only a handful of years and then one day they will have to watch her wither away and die. Scared and worried the whole castle gets turned upside down and the royal lives are halted. The Queen takes to fretfully watching over her daughter, the King to trying to find Millicent. 

Elise is witness to this all and as Rose grows Elise begins feeling as if she is her own. Watching her grow into a willful young woman who is searching for more. And though the immediate danger of Millicent seems to have disappeared Rose is always protected and warned against the dangers of the outside world. When the castle goes to war against those that protect Millicent every one's world gets turned upside down and the war seems to be just the beginning of a doom that seems impossible to escape.

REVIEW: Alright so I have to say I'm a little obsessed with fairy tales. I watch 'Once Upon a Time,' love all things Disney, and enjoy reading and hearing about all the real stories behind the fairy tales. And lately I've felt the urge to read whatever I can on them. So when I was given this I was super excited. I couldn't wait to get into a whole new telling of Sleeping Beauty. And though I liked it overall it wasn't really what I had been hoping for. But that's not going to stop me from telling you all how much I enjoyed it. 

Though the story was less a retelling and almost more of a prequel to the story of Sleeping Beauty. And it was interesting and it kept me wanting to read for most of the story but as I mentioned it wasn't what I had been hoping for. I felt that though the story was good it had it's moments when it seemed to drag. I felt that there was a chunk of about 90 pages or so that were unnecessary and made the story drag for a bit. But all in all it was an interesting story that I enjoyed reading. 

This was Ms. Blackwell's first novel and although she was a freelance writer before I was thoroughly blown away by her novel writing abilities. Keeping a voice and imagery alive for an entire novel can be a difficult thing at times for new authors. But I truly felt that Ms. Blackwell did a great job keeping the writing at a top level the entire book. It was flowing, and intriguing. I ended up thinking about the way she stated things and how she described the castle and the King's knights and the giggles of the ladies in waiting even while not reading. Her writing stuck with me and I really enjoyed it. 

The characters were well drawn out and full of life. Elise especially was put together in such a complicated and real manner that she was practically jumping off the page. The funny thing about the characters, and it made me like the book even more, was that none of the characters were all that likable. Elise was annoyingly naive, the Queen ridiculously overprotective, the King nothing but a hothead, and Rose was the spoiled brat that everyone circled around. But I kind of liked that I I didn't like any of them. It made it more honest somehow, everyone at court had a part to play and they all did it perfectly. 

All in all I found the book enjoyable. I tip my tiny hat three times to Ms. Blackwell and her journey into a different side of Sleeping beauty. It's a good book and one that if you have a true love for fairy tales could be a fun one to read. It is not a retelling of the Sleeping Beauty tale so go into it fresh and not expecting that. But it's a good book, well written and mostly exciting. 'While Beauty Slept' is a book that needs to be read and decided upon by each person. I liked it and recommend it and hope that you my dear readers pick it up on the 20th, read it and enjoy it as well.   

Author Interview #4 (Finally!)

Hey folks here, finally, is the author interview with Josh Conrad! If you missed the review of his super fun book click here. I am so excited to present it after so long. I really hope you all enjoy it!

1) What drew you to writing?
      "It all began in fourth grade for me. Every year, my school participated in a project called Young Authors where we had to write and illustrate our own book. I always loved receiving a new book with blank pages and endless possibilities, though I was definitely too young to take writing 'seriously.' I just did it for fun. I think this was the second time I had written and illustrated one of these books, and since the first one had taken place in space, I thought that this one should too. I decided to call it 'Lost in Space' and wrote about a boy who receives help from three aliens in an attempt to get back to Earth (somehow he had become lost...). My mother helped me type in all up after I hand-wrote the story, then I illustrated it and outlined everything in black before handing it in to my teacher. A few weeks later, she announced to our class that I had won the Young Authors award that year for 'Lost in Space.' I was shocked! Completely ecstatic (though I secretly didn't know what exactly 'winning' meant. Like, did I win a medal or something? Or just a new set of gel pens, which, let's be real, I would have happily taken...) I ended up bringing my book to the Young Authors Conference in Bloomington, IL (where, ironically enough, I would later go to college to study Music Theater) and had an amazing time there. Kids from all over the state brought their winning books and we all got to share them with each other and talk about writing. I had never experienced anything like it before. We even got to meet some of our favorite childhood authors, like Debbie Dadey, the author of the 'Bailey School Kids' books. Months later, I was sitting at my desk while my teacher read aloud from whatever book we were in the middle of when I started jotting down ideas for another story. When she saw what I was doing, she stopped reading, walked over to me, and bent down with a stern look on her face. 'Are you writing a story?' she asked. I nodded very nervously. She smiled. 'Good. Keep going.' Then she resumed reading. That moment has stuck with me until this very day and it is her support that I believe fueled my desire to continue writing through the rest of grade school and into middle and high school. I named a character after her in 'CyberWorld.'"

2) In 'CyberWorld...' you have such an interesting story line. What was the inspiration behind it?
      "In the Young Authors book I had written, the main character was playing a video game in an early scene and I needed to think of a name for it. On a whim, I chose 'CyberWorld.' Months after I had written it (when I was starting a new story about aliens running a secret Dimension in outer space), I re-read the book and decided to call my new story CyberWorld. It was a land completely run by aliens...and that's it. (Clearly I went through an alien phase...). I didn't really know what the story was going to be about, but I remember constantly asking myself, 'What IS CyberWorld? Who lives there? How are aliens running it?' Then, when I decided that I wanted humans in CyberWorld, I nixed the aliens and was struck with a new idea: I wanted to merge two of my childhood interests together. (SPOILER ALERT: If you have not yet read 'CyberWorld: The Legend of Alaxeria,' I would stop reading this paragraph here and skip to the next question). I lived in a cul-de-sac my whole life, and one of my sister and I's favorite activities was spying on our parents and on our neighbors. We had spy kits and everything-it was legit. And since I was on a 'space' kick with my writing, I started to wonder what it would be like if a group of agents learned how to spy in outer space. As I considered this possibility, the muddy image of a boy and his dog trickled into focus. I still don't know why, but I knew that (SPOILER ALERT) the dog could talk. I also knew that the boy didn't learn that people could be trained to spy in outer space until he reached a certain age...and for a long time that age was 13. I was nine years old when the ideas for the story began percolating, and from its inception, it only continued to grow and grow as my imagination grew. I was constantly interested in seeing what new ideas I would get and where they would take my characters. Since I was so busy with school, it was unreasonable to set a deadline for the book; I worked on it when I could and toyed with the plot almost on a daily basis. I literally couldn't get the characters out of my head, nor could I stop asking questions about how they all ended up together in this unimaginable place fighting evil forces that they didn't even know existed. It evolved into an extremely long, nonlinear process, but the basic plotline (which was almost fully developed by the time sixth grade rolled around) remained the same."

3) What is your writing process? Do you sit down each day and force yourself to write for a while or do you sneak in time whenever you get inspired? 
    "After reading Julia Cameron's incredible book, 'The Artist's Way,' I   have taken to doing Morning Pages every morning right when I wake up. Basically I write three pages of stream-of-consciousness longhand before doing anything else. I do this to wake myself up, get my brain moving, and take dictation fro whatever my muse is throwing at me that morning. Sometimes I don't use punctuation and write complete gibberish or lists; other times the words just POUR out of me in perfect order and I'm shocked at how profound it sounds (especially when the rest of it is complete crap). I never know what to expect, which makes it exciting, but I'm not gonna lie, writing first thing in the morning can also be tedious. Otherwise, my process is very disjointed. I must have written twenty or thirty drafts of 'CyberWorld' before I even hit the halfway point; this was mainly because I was, well, a child, and my writing continued to evolve as I advanced through school. Even though I had the entire book planned when I was in sixth grade, I did not finish my first draft until exactly one month before I graduated from college. At that point, I had been writing it for so long that even finishing was a big deal. After that, I spent a year and a half editing, revising, submitting it to agents and publishers, editing again, revising again, etc. I was adding new things all the way up until my final read-through of the book a few days before I self-published it as an e-book. In terms of a writing ritual, my new favorite thing to do it sitting down in a new cafe that I've never been to and just go. I find that my writing is more dynamic when I throw the rule book out the window and let myself be messy with it. Lord knows I'll go back and fix it later! The thing that I find to be the most important is to always carry a notebook with me. I'm constantly writing down interesting words, thoughts, ideas, and epiphanies. They hit me at the weirdest times and in the strangest of places, so I absolutely fascinated by the idea of the 'artist's process' and have learned that our processes are as unique as we are; we all have to find what works for us and what makes our inner artist feel like he or she can come out and play."

4) Charlie is a truly great character! What was the inspiration behind him?
    "Thank you! I absolutely love Charlie, and I love writing him. He ended up being the dog that appeared in my mind when I envisioned Max going up to CyberWorld for the first time. Honestly, Charlie evolved entirely on his own. He came to me years ago, in summertime, when I was sitting on the side of my future high school's running track while my mom, sister, and I were getting our daily exercise (or, rather, my mom and sister were and I was sitting there writing...). I saw him clearly in my mind and knew that he was a sassy young thing. (SPOILER ALERT!) It only made sense to me that he could talk. Why not? Who doesn't love a talking dog? Especially one who can be facetious one moment and earnestly serious the next? After a while, he simply started writing himself. I have a few characters like that-Charlie, Sarah, Danny, Gyro-and there is nothing more incredible to experience or difficult to describe as having a character's words flow right through you, as if they live inside you and want to have their say before you can edit them. Not all of the characters are like that for me, but it's the ones who bugged me to get their story finally published that excite me the most."

5) What authors inspire you in your writing?
    "Oh gosh, good question. Well, the ultimate answer for me is an obvious one: J.K. Rowling. Even though it took me a little while to get into Harry Potter, she taught me everything about structure, character development, pacing, language, mystery, and the best trick of all: leaving breadcrumbs for your reader to either pick up or pass over without realizing that it's a clue for something that happens later on. She revolutionized books for everyone, not just children, and she heavily influenced my young and imaginative mind. Before J.K., I was obsessed with Roald Dahl. I don't know if I have ever read more imaginative children's books in my life; he tapped right into my soul and invited me to spend time with characters that I wished were real because I knew that we would've been friends (like Fantastic Mr. Fox for instance). In middle and high school, I became nuts over Ray Bradbury and John Steinbeck, and in high school I gained an appreciation for classics like The Catcher in the Rye (my favorite book) and Anthem. Lately, I'm reading all kinds of authors and genres, but I'm absolutely mad about the Beats. Jack Kerouac's writing is pure magic to me; I could read him every day, all day (and sometimes do). There are absolutely no rules for him; he just writes it like he feels it and didn't care much for vast amounts of editing, which speaks a lot to the idea that writing from a completely honest place often yields better work than an 'edit-as-you-go' approach. In terms of non fiction, I absolutely swear by Julia Cameron. Her books, including the 'Artist's Way' series and 'The Right to Write' have changed my life and made me see how important it is to grow in my art every single day. Collectively, these authors have shown me how to step out of my own box and embrace all that could be while also thoroughly investigating what is. I know that CyberWorld would not be what it is today without each and every one of their influences."

6) What can we look forward to from you in the future? I know in your author biography you mentioned more adventures in CyberWorld but anything else coming soon? Although truth be told I can't wait for the next adventure involving Max and his friends!!
     "Well, I know it won't take 13 more years, but I am hard at work on the sequel to Legend of Alaxeria and am hoping to have some kind of rough draft completed by the end of this year. I have planned for five books in the series, so I'm also simultaneously adjusting the plot lines for those books and figuring out how all the loose ends come together. Though I don't often stray from the Cyber Dimension when I'm in the zone, I have also been working on two television pilots (a sitcom and a musical drama), another book series, a stage play, and something that I should probably celebrate: having TOO many ideas! If I could sit and write all day, I would, but there are things to do and bills to pay, so I write in whatever free time I have. My ultimate goal at this point is to have Legend of Alaxeria published on a mainstream scale and then complete the CyberWorld series with the remaining four books. Then, the sky's the limit. (Though I wouldn't be surprised if in between writing the remaining CyberWorld books I dabble in some other ideas)."


Thank you Josh Conrad for taking time away from your precious writing time to answer the questions! I loved getting a glimpse into your life as a writer! I'm sure my readers will love it just as much!! I know we all look forward to the next from you!!