Indie Chicklit Book Tour!

Welcome my first book review for the Indie Chick Lit website! I am so excited to be a part of this endeavor.

Cerise Norrel, Type A substitute teacher by day, is ready to quit being a domme. Despite her best intentions, none of her partners can keep up with her scene fetish and attention to detail—let alone her demand that they have a costume and set waiting every afternoon by the time she’s home from school.

Over a dozen potential subs have left her in the past year, but just when Cerise thinks it’s impossible—that she’ll have to go back to vanilla relationships, or be alone forever–she meets William, who wants to make all her fantasies come true. He turns her home into a geisha’s dream apartment, a concert hall with a grand piano (which he uses to play an original composition while wearing a tuxedo), and even rents an abandoned loft for a zombie apocalypse scene—complete with canned goods.

But there’s something strange about William. Well, a lot of strange things. He must be absurdly rich, since he can afford to provide extravagant costumes and props on a daily basis without having to leave work early. He must be insane, since he puts up with Cerise’s over-the-top demands. And most importantly, he doesn’t redden when he’s spanked, and his skin is as cool as satin sheets. When Cerise discovers she’s become domme to the infamous “Chilly Willy,” as he’s known throughout BDSM urban lore, she begins to find out there’s a whole lot more to her handsome submissive than a creative mind and a hard body.

And when it’s William, ironically, who starts pressing Cerise to give him the kind of commitment she’s never given anyone, it’ll take everything she has to work through her issues, confront her past, and learn to be vulnerable.

Before I begin, I have to admit that I am not a fan of vampire anything and I have never read anything so . . . steamy. However, in the last few years I have begun to stray out from my little sheltered cove of book reading to try new things. With this book, I killed two birds with one stone.

That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I intended to read it over a few days as I had a deadline looming with my Grandparents paper as well, but that didn't happen. I read it in two evenings while Boyfriend watched movies I didn't care for, like Kill Bill. I literally couldn't stop reading.

We find that Cerise (or Mistress Cherry), our female Domme, is one helluva picky gal when it comes to her potential submissive men. Comically and annoyingly picky. She has an eye for detail and is highly disappointed when her Sub doesn't and they are summarily dismissed. She has ridiculously high standards and requests from her Sub being self-employed to the Sub being required to have a scene set up and waiting for her each afternoon when she gets home from work, and let's not forget that eye for detail. Details are the "thing" and are extremely important in Cerise's world of "scenes".

The most hilarious bits of this book include Bizzy, Cerise's very demanding . . . hmmm, how do I keep this this family friendly? I'm sure you get the point. Ahem. Anyway, Cerise describes Bizzy as a kind of heckler with absolutely no filter, and at least once accidentally attempts to silence her out loud, making people look at her funny.

She's fresh off the Disappointment Train when she goes to a BDSM type of speed-dating gig and meets William. From the moment she lays eyes on him, she can't stop thinking about him. He's not put off by her high demands and is hot enough that it makes Bizzy scream. William's nickname is "Chilly Willy", and pretty much tells Cerise point blank that he's a vampire but she doesn't believe him. Since vampire is very trendy these days she thinks nothing of it. But because William does things very differently than her previous Subs (mostly he does stuff right and amazes her with details) she soon begins to wonder just what secrets he's hiding. And William slowly pushes his Mistress to open up and we find out just what events in life have made Cerise who she is.

Another comical bit is that since she's a substitute teacher, Cerise is often reading things from William, or just thinking about him and gets lost in thought to the point where she wonders if the students in the classroom have any idea why she's flushed.

For me, one of the best things about this book was that the vampire thing, while a constant in the background, wasn't shoved in my face (you know, because of that whole not-into-vampires thing). It didn't really become a huge deal until the last quarter of the book. Considering the title of the book and the fact that William basically outs himself right away, you already know what he is, you're just waiting for Cerise to figure it out. Another thing I liked was that when Cerise realized the truth, she embraced William as he is; she didn't fly off the handle, wig out, and tell him that he was "dismissed".

Cerise has a lot to learn about being "human", and a vampire shows her that. A bit of a twist there and I liked that.

Overall, this was a great, saucy, humorous read that I recommend to just about anyone. I am definitely looking forward to reading more from Mina Vaughn. To get yourself a copy of this book, click here. To see what other great books are available, check out the Indie Chicks Store.

7 Deadly Sins of Reading

I stole this from The Frisky Virgin. Well, okay, I didn't really steal - she told me I could take it.

1) Greed - What is your most expensive/least expensive book?

Most expensive? Hmmm . . . Probably Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, hard cover for around $20? Next might be Catching Fire and Mockingjay, each around $18 in hard cover. (Of course, I could cheat and list a few text books from college . . . lol)

Least expensive? Not sure, something I would have picked up from the bargain table at Barnes & Noble or something.

2) Wrath - What author do you have a love/hate relationship with?
Yeah, I really haven't got a clue on this one.  Maybe Alice Sebold - I loved her book The Lovely Bones, but Almost Moon was not one I really liked. I haven't read anything of hers since.

3) Gluttony - What book have you devoured deliciously over and over with no shame whatsoever?
Pride & Prejudice, also the fan-fiction continuation of the story by Sharon Lathan. Also? The Hunger Games books and the Harry Potter books.

4) Sloth - What book have you neglected to read due to laziness?

Anything I had to read in high school. Seriously, unless I was forced to read it in class, I didn't read them. Usually it was John Steinbeck - I had to read Grapes of Wrath. Yeah, never made it past the turtle chapter (which is like Chapter 2 or 3); I kinda read the cliff's notes. Kinda.

5) Pride - What book do you most talk about in order to sound intellectual?
Um, Jane Austen or Charlotte Bronte? lol

6) Lust - What attributes do you find most attractive in male/female characters?
I love when a book can make me laugh out loud; situations the characters find themselves in, things they say, etc. I love being able to connect to a character in even just one small way, or in several ways.  For example, here are two reasons why I have fallen in love with the Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich:

Ranger says, "I ran into him two years ago and he was operating an all-night dog grooming and cockfighting operation. The cockfighting didn't involve poultry." Stephanie thinks - took me a couple beats to figure that out. And even then how the heck did the guy go about it? Was it like thumb wrestling? It took me about 20 minutes to stop laughing enough to continue reading.

Stephanie thinks: "in my mind I cook a lot. I make a lot mental turkey dinners, bake pies, roast tenderloins, and whip up rice pudding. I even own a mental waffle maker." Lmao! That is soooo me.

7) Envy - What book would you most like to receive as a gift?
I honestly have no idea.

A quick book review

I just finished a book that I really wanted to share with you guys. Well, I figure it's pretty much chick lit, so for any male readers out there I won't be mad if you totally skip this post. And no I won't renege on that.

And the reason I figure it's chick lit is it has Jane Austen in the title, and many guys shy away from anything that has anything to do with Jane Austen.

Anyway, the book is titled The Jane Austen Marriage Manual, and I picked it up when I was in Target a couple weeks ago. I was killing some time in the book section, which is obviously not a good place to be because it means I usually walk away with at least one more book to read. I will shamefully admit I was interested in the book from the get-go simply because of the title. And when I finished it Tuesday evening, I had thoroughly enjoyed it. And I loved the simple lesson the main character learned.

Katherine Shaw - Kate - is happy with her life. She has supportive friends, a glamorous magazine career, and a love of all things Jane Austen. But when she loses her job, and a financial disaster forces sale of the family home, Kate finds herself facing a crisis that would test even the most stalwart of Austen heroines.

Friends rally round, connecting her to freelance gigs and presenting her with a birthday gift - title to land in Scotland - that's about to come in very handy. Turns out that Kate's first assignment is to test an Austen-inspired theory: In the toughest economic times, is a wealthy man the only must-have accessory? What begins as an article turns into an opportunity as Kate - now Lady Kate - jet-sets to Palm Beach, St. Moritz, and London, where, in keeping company with the elite, she meets prospects who make Mr. Darcy look like an amateur. But will rubbing shoulders with men of good fortune ever actually lead her to love? And will Kate be able to choose between Mr. Rich and Mr. Right?

Now, anyone who has read Jane Austen (and who knows any history at all), knows that back in those days, marriage was basically an obligation. Both men and women married strictly for money and no affection. Some people were fortunate and there was respect, admiration, and affection in their marriage. Only few people married for love. But in Austen's time, marrying for love was becoming more wanted, especially by women. And it was rare that a woman would choose to never marry, as Jane Austen and her sister did, because they had to depend on friends and family in order to live. Jane Austen did not make a lot of money on her books, and therefore depended on the kindness of her brothers to help support her.

In today's society, marrying for love is pretty much how things are done. There are of course gold diggers in both genders, but we're not going to go there. Or I'm not. This book takes place at the beginning of the recession around 2008/2009, where even the rich were worried about losing money in investments. And the main character finds herself in a situation where marrying for money is definitely an option. And she asks the question: At forty, is it too late to marry for money?

Her journey is entertaining. And she learns a lot from her friends, family, and her experiences. 

Book Reviews

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April Blog Challenge: R is for Reviews

Book reviews that is. I have a few quick books to review. Can't get behind on letting you know the awesomeness of which you should be reading. (Other than my blog of course)

I'm first going to tell you how much I loved the other two Hunger Games books. The Hunger Games was recommended to me by Jewels, who basically cornered me and forced me to read it. (just kidding about the cornering and the forcing) If you haven't read these books, you definitely should. There's always a twist, usually one you didn't necessarily see coming. You become vested in the characters and their safety and thank God that you don't live a world like this. Seriously captivating books!

Catching Fire

Against all odds, Katniss has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and her longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol - a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create. Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.

 

 

 

Mockingjay

Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding. It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans - except Katniss. The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' mockingjay - no matter the personal cost.

 

 

 

I recently read Jennifer Weiner's Best Friends Forever, and thought it pretty good. It's the first book of hers I've read, and I'd be happy to read her other works. This book follows two girls, who grow up as best friends, have a falling out, and through a twist of fate, have to come back together to get out of a sticky situation. The first part of the book has a lot of flashbacks to their childhood, through Addie's eyes, as the book is told from her point of view. Addie seemed to have to drawn the short stick in the game of life, while Val seems to always be one sandwich shy of a picnic. But it does convey that sometimes, though life has gotten in the way, one girl gets the lemons and the other brings over the vodka.

Addie Downs and Valerie Adler will be best friends forever. That's what Addie believes after Valerie moves across the street when they're both nine years old. But in the wake of betrayal during their teenage years, Val is swept into the popular crowd, while mousy, sullen Addie becomes her school's scapegoat. Flash-forward fifteen years. Valerie Adler has found a measure of fame and fortune working as the weathergirl at the local TV station. Addie Downs lives alone in her parents' house in their small hometown of Pleasant Ridge, Illinois, caring for a troubled brother and trying to meet Prince Charming on the Internet. She's just returned home from Bad Date #6 when she opens her door to find her long-gone best friend standing there, a terrified look on her face and blood on the sleeve of her coat. "Something horrible has happened," Val tells Addie, "and you're the only one who can help."

 

 

The last book I'll show you is Emily Giffin's Heart of the Matter. The book is told from two women's point of view, in the wake of a tragedy that intertwines their lives. Right or wrong,  you see each woman's point of view, and wonder how their lives may straighten out. This was definitely a good read, and would recommend it.

Tessa Russo is a stay-at-home mother of two young children and the wife of a renowned pediatric surgeon. Valeria Anderson is an attorney and single mother to six-year-old Charlie - a boy who has never known his father. Although both women live in the same Boston suburb, they are strangers to one another and have little in common, aside from a fierce love for their children. But one night, a tragic accident causes their lives to converge in ways no one could have imagined. This is the moving, luminous story of good people caught in untenable circumstances. Each being tested in ways they never thought possible. Each questioning everything they once believed. And each ultimately discovering what truly matters most.

 

 

Apil Blog Challenge: A is for "Adults should read Adult books"

On Facebook, I "like" Jen Lancaster, who writes extremely witty and hilarious memoirs. Today, she posted a link to an online article called "Adults should read adult books." In this article, Joel Stein basically rips those adults that read Harry Potter, Twilight, The Hunger Games, and pretty much any other Young Adult book. He also has issues with adults blaring Justin Beiber, but I have issues with his music being blared by anyone. Ick.

He says, "I’ll read “The Hunger Games” when I finish the previous 3,000 years of fiction written for adults." And then goes on to say how we should let the tween girls have their own little world of child wizards and vampires and games you play when hungry. OMG. All you have to do you pompous ass is read the back of the book to know it's not about a bunch of kids playing Sorry and Aggravation around a campfire while they starve to death.

The goal of reading 3,000 years worth of fiction is an admirable goal for anyone, however, he should probably get off his high horse before someone gets hurt.

Just because a book is technically in the Young Adult genre, doesn't mean it's no good. Reading is supposed to be an escape, and often times the YA books are just the ticket. I mean, who wouldn't want to run off to Hogwarts? I totally would. In fact, I would love to go to the Harry Potter park at Disney World. Besides, an adult wrote the series, why can't adults read it without feeling guilty?

As long as it's interesting to you, it shouldn't matter if it's Tolstoy, Rowling, King, Grisham, or anyone else you can think of. I can count on one hand how many people I know that read for fun - or have the time to read continuously. For me, it's an escape. Some books hook me from the first chapter. Others sometimes not until the middle of the books. As long as I enjoy the book, who cares what genre it's from?

Not to mention that when I was a kid, I had to read Shakespeare, Steinbeck, Orwell, Golding, and several others. I'd like to mention I didn't like a single book I had to read for school. I hated "Animal Farm" and "Lord of the Flies". I couldn't understand Shakespeare. And Steinbeck was boring. And technically, while Classics, would also fit under Adult. 

In this day and age, just be glad people are r-e-a-d-i-n-g at all. 

Book Reviews!

I have lots of books to review, because I've been devouring them.

First off, however, I'm going to review a book that my good blogging friend, Jewels,  recommended to me. I had read the reviews, and they were mixed - people either loved it or hated it. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Jewels twisted my arm, telling me I had to read it. Now, I'm going to tell you the same thing. 

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before - and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really trying to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

This book captures you on the day that the names are drawn for the games. It's like reality TV gone horribly wrong (not that hasn't already). You follow Katniss to the Capitol where they dress her up and teach her, and 23 other teenagers, how to kill and survive. They call the kids, "Tributes", and make it seem like it's an honor to be chosen, that it's an honor to fight to the death so that the Capitol can keep it's citizens in line. I can't wait to read the second book, and I hope to catch this movie in theaters.

The next book was recommended to me by a Facebook friend. Actually the author was recommended, so I just started at the beginning. I'm talking about the Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovitch - One for the Money.

Welcome to Trenton, New Jersey, home to wiseguys, average joes, and Stephanie Plum, who sports a big attitude and even bigger money problems (since losing her job as a lingerie buyer for a department store). Stephanie needs cash - fast - but times are tough, and soon she's forced to turn to the last resort of the truly desperate: family. Stephanie lands a gig at her sleazy cousin Vinnie's bail-bonding company. She's got no experience, but that doesn't matter. Neither does the fact that the bail jumper in question is local vice cop Joe Morelli. from the time he first looked up her dress to the time he first got into her pants to the time Steph hit him with her father's Buick, M-o-r-e-l-l-i has spelled t-r-o-u-b-l-e. And now the hot guy is in hot water - wanted for murder. Abject poverty is a great motivator for learning new skills, but being trained the school of hard knocks by people like psycho prizefighter Benito Ramirez isn't. Still, if Stephanie can nab Morelli in a week, she'll make a cool ten grand. All she has to do is become an expert bounty hunter overnight - and keep herself from getting killed before she gets her man.

And it's as entertaining as it sounds. From begging to not having her car repo'd in front of her parents house to getting handcuffed to the shower butt naked, she manages to get herself into enough trouble. I'm looking forward to reading the many books about this lingerie buyer turned bounty-hunter.

The next book is another memoir by the hilarious Jen Lancaster, Pretty in Plaid: A Life, A Witch, and A Wardrobe OR the Wonder Years Before the Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smart-Ass Phase.

Think Jen Lancaster was always "like David Sedaris with pearls and a supercute handbag"? Think again. She was a badge-hungry Junior Girl Scout with a knack for extortion, an aspiring sorority girl who didn't know her Coach from her Louis Vuitton, and a budding executive her found bewildered by her first encounter with a fax machine. In this hilarious and touching memoir, Jen Lancaster looks back on her life - and wardrobe - before bitter was the new black, and reveals a young woman not so very different from the rest of us.

Jen's previous three memoirs had me laughing so hard I nearly peed myself. This one, while entertaining, wasn't as good as the first three. It was a bit comical how badge-hungry she was as a Girl Scout, and made me glad I wasn't a teenager in the 80's. Little kids fashions were bad enough. And she was a bit neurotic when it came to sorority life. It was a good read, but I didn't think it near as funny as her previous memoirs.

And now for the fluff book! As y'all know, I make no bones about professing my love of Pride & Prejudice. Nor the books one of my old co-worker got me hooked on - the fan fiction based sequels to Jane Austen's satirical love story. I only started reading Sharon Lathan's book shortly before I left my old job - and let me tell you, I miss my equally obsessed co-worker who introduced me to these books. The books are in order: Mr. & Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy, Loving Mr. Darcy, My Dearest Mr. Darcy, In the Arms of Mr. Darcy, The Trouble With Mr. Darcy, A Darcy Christmas, and the latest novel which I will review, Miss Darcy Falls in Love.

The choice of a lifetime . . . One young lady following her passion for music. Two strong men locked in a bitter rivalry for her heart. A journey of self-discovery, and a trap of her own making. Georgiana Darcy is going to have to carve out her own destiny, however ill-equipped she may feel . . .

I admit I was a bit disappointed that the focus was no longer on Elizabeth and Darcy, however after the first 5 or 6 novels, really, what else can we focus on? This book chronicles Darcy's little sister's year in Europe, where she meets an old friend from England at a soiree. After spending quite a bit of time with this young man, she doesn't understand her feelings for him. Then she meets another man and she doesn't understand her feelings about him either. She makes quite a mess of things, but finally figures out exactly what she wants. I also admit that I wasn't sure if I'd like this one, considering we're now focusing on other characters for more than a few chapters - but I actually didn't want to stop reading once I started! And I'm looking forward to her next book, due out next spring (unfortunately). 

Channeling My Inner Bookworm

I'm stealing this from The Frisky Virgin, who stole this from another blogger. Who doesn't love some stolen blog post ideas???  ;o)

1. Favorite childhood book?

That's easy - the Black Stallion series by Walter Farley. I was never without one of those books. That series is the reason I fell in love with Arabian horses, and I was ecstatic that my first horse was an Arabian.

2. What are you reading now?

I just finished a book today actually - Everywhere That Mary Went by Lisa Scottoline. I enjoyed it - totally never guessed the "whodunnit". I now have a small stack to pick through.

3. What books do you have on request at the library?

None. The library in Sticksville is only open a total of 8 hours  a week if you're lucky. And it's tiny - like my living room tiny. The next nearest library is about a half hour away. At this point, it's actually just a hassle, which is highly unfortunate. I remember Nana used to take me to the library in Redding every week in the summer. I miss those days.

4. What do you currently have checked out at the library?

Nothing.

5. Do you have an e-reader?

Technically yes as I can use my phone as one. However, I haven't downloaded any books onto it. It came with three free books, one of the being Pride & Prejudice, which I read when I go to lunch on Saturday's in Town, or if I have to sit in my car and wait. However, I don't really want a Kindle or Nook. I much prefer to have the book in hand. I'm a book lover, and I love the smell of books. Now if I traveled a lot, that would probably be a reasonable thing to have.

6. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once?

I typically read just one at a time. When I was younger I may have read a couple at a time, but I am definitely no Rory Gilmore. I find that sometimes I'll get plots confused or characters or events mixed up. Keep it simple.

7. Can you read on the bus?

Oh yes. Car, bus, plane - you name it. That's how I often passed my time on the school bus as a kid. It's the easiest way to keep me entertained in an airport or on the plane. And my parents will vouch that I passed many silent hours in the back seat of the car on road trips. Even had a little book light so I could still read after the sun decided it was bed time.

8. Favorite place to read?

My couch or my bed. Now that it's winter, if it's a sunny day, I open the blinds in my bedroom and lay on my bed in the sunshine. I almost always read before going to bed officially. And some days are just good days to curl up on the couch with the cat and read until my eyes go buggy.

9. Do you ever dog-ear books?

Only my text books! I may have dog-eared a few books in my time, but only when necessary. That's why humans invented that cute item called a "book-mark". Although I'm down to one, as I can't find one that someone gave me a few years ago - one I really liked. But I'm too cheap to buy any so this one better last!

10. Do you ever write in the margins of your books?

NO!

11. What makes you love a book?

Oh, so many things. Characters, plots, the setting. Some books are tougher to get into than others. The first time I read Pride & Prejudice it took me quite awhile to get into it because it was written around 1800 in a form of English that we no longer use, with words I had to look up in the dictionary. I was often lost as to why the phrased things they way they did. When I reached the half-way point I couldn't put it down. It's now one of my favorite books of all time. 

12. What will inspire you to recommend a book?

One that brings my emotions to the surface - like The Diary of Anne Frank, Sarah's Key, The Help, Look Again, Harry Potter, Marley & Me, Seabiscuit, any of Jen Lancaster's Memoirs, among so many others. Books that make me laugh out loud for half an hour (one of Jen Lancaster's books) before I can calm down. Books that make me cry like Sarah's Key. Books that make me fall in love with the characters like Harry Potter or Pride & Prejudice. Or books that allow me into someone's life like Marley & Me.

13. Favorite genre?

I really like Mystery. Currently Harry Potter is the only Fantasy I've read and enjoyed.

14. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews?

I hate to say that a book sucked. I don't think I've come across any yet that truly sucked. There have been random books that just couldn't suck me in because of they way they were written. Like Secretariat. I think I went into that one thinking it would be written like Seabiscuit, but I was very wrong. I absolutely loved the way Seabiscuit was written. I got about 6 chapters into Secretariat and I realized I had absolutely no freaking idea what was going on because the author went into too much history about the horse's linage and their purse winnings, not to mention the people that owned these horses. I was so lost and disappointed I finally gave up. I may try again, but I'm not sure. Too much jargon.

15. Favorite poet?

I'm really not into poetry. The only poetry I ever read was in school because I couldn't escape.

16. How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time?

None now. But as a kid, I could check out several at one time. On average I probably only checked out two or three at a time because Nana took me every week in summer.

17. How often have you returned books to the library unread?

I don't think I was ever guilty of that.

18. Favorite fictional character?

Alec Ramsey from the Black Stallion series. Elizabeth Bennett. Tempe Brennan. And pretty much the entire cast of Harry Potter.

19. Favorite fictional villain?

Voldemort and/or Dolores Umbridge. Both are evil, but two very different types of evil. But you still love to hate them.

20. Books I'm most likely to take on vacation?

Anything by Dean Koontz or Kathy Reichs.

21. The longest I've gone without reading?

Probably in college. I just simply had a hard time keeping up with my studies with work as well. Once breaks hit, though, I was all over normal books like flies on . . . um . . . well, you know.

22. Name a book you could not/would not finish.

So far, Secretariat. Which really disappoints me. And Uncle Tom's Cabin - I couldn't understand what they were saying!

23. What distracts  you easily when you're reading?

Anything going on outside my window. And if I'm at an airport, I often get distracted by the people around me.

24. Favorite film adaptation of a novel?

Seabiscuit, Marley & Me, Pride & Prejudice (BBC mini-series with Colin Firth), The Help, Harry Potter's, Sense & Sensibility, Princess Bride. To name a few.

25. Most disappointing film adaptation?

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Only in that I don't understand why the beginning had Harry in a train station - made absolutely no sense at all. I mean, I couldn't have been the only person dying to see wine goblets dancing on the Dursley's heads as Dumbledore lectured them. And at the end, Harry should have been petrified by the Petrificus Totalus curse by Dumbledore, because Harry doesn't just stand around and do nothing by nature - everyone knows that. Knowing that David Yates was also directing Deathly Hallows, it made me extremely nervous about how the final movies would turn out. Fortunately, I loved them.

26. What would cause you to stop reading a book half-way through?

Too busy. But more than likely it would be because I can't relate to what's going on in the book. Like in Secretariat, too much information that I don't need or give a crap about.

27. Do you like to keep your books organized?

Sort of. I keep authors together. If they are random books, then they just get stacked or placed on a shelf in no particular order.

28. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you've read them?

I tend to keep. I will loan out books, like I share them with Mom or her circle of friends, or K if she's interested. My BFF will share books with me, but I don't think I've shared them with her, because I don't always read books that are up her alley. She will try books and if she doesn't care for it, she'll ask me if I'm interested. Every so often, I will clean out my book selection and send some to the  yard sale.

If you've read this, than consider yourself TAGGED - share your inner bookworm!!

Book Reviews

In December I read The Help by Kathryn Stockett, and completely loved it. I loved how it was written, from the perspective of three different women - Aibileen, Minny, and Skeeter. It was funny, it was sad, and it showed the terrible reality of life in 1962. It also showed just how  hypocritical white people were when it came to black people. The hypocrisy of things like blacks should have their own bathroom so whites don't get their diseases, BUT those same black people cleaned the white folks' silver, cooked their food, and raised their babies. I did a lot of head shaking while reading this because I just kept thinking, do these white people realize how insanely hypocritical they really are??? Of course, the answer is no, because the world was a vastly different place in 1962.

Aibileen is a black maid in 1962 Jackson, Mississippi, raising her seventeenth white child. She's always taken orders quietly, but lately it leaves her with a bitterness she can no longer bite back. Her friend Minny has certainly never held her tongue, or held on to a job for very long, but now she's working for a newcomer with secrets that leave her speechless. And white socialite Skeeter has just returned from college with ambition and a degree but, to her mother's lament, no husband. Normally Skeeter would find solace in Constantine, the beloved maid who raised her, but Constantine has inexplicably disappeared.

Together, these seemingly different women join to work on a project that could forever alter their destinies and the life of a small town - to write, in secret, a tell-all book about what it's really like to work as a black maid in the white homes of the South. Despite the terrible risks they will have to take, and the sometimes humorous boundaries they will have to cross, these three women unite with one intention: hope for a better day.

I'm currently waiting for the movie from Netflix, it keeps telling me "long wait". Ugh. My parents saw the movie and said it was great, so I'm hoping I'll enjoy it like the book. I highly recommend this book - so get to it!

After the first of the year, I started Sarah's Key by Tatiana DeRosnay. This book came highly recommended from a friend of my parents last summer. I had no idea what it was about, but I know I had seen it on the shelves at Target for ages and had often wondered if it was any good. Just trying to write out how much you should read this book brings me to tears. This book was supremely excellent. While the characters are completely fictional, the history is true. The history portion follows a ten year old French Jewish girl in 1942, the year of the Vel' d'Hiv' roundup - where thousands of Jewish families were rounded up by French police - not Nazi's, although it was Nazi orders - and taken to the Vel' d'Hiv', then to camps outside Paris, then shipped to German concentration camps. In present day, it follows a journalist who is told to cover the 60th commemoration.

Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten year old girl, is taken with her parents by the French police as they go door-to-door arresting Jewish families in the middle of the night. Desperate to protect her younger brother, Sarah locks him in a bedroom cupboard - their secret hiding place - and promises to come back for him as soon as they are released.

Sixty years later: Sarah's story intertwines with that of Julia Jarmond, an American journalist investigating the roundup. In her research, Julia stumbles onto a trail of secrets that link her to Sarah, and to questions about her own romantic future.

To me, this is a must read. A definite must.

In the fall, I read My Jane Austen Summer by Cindy Jones. It's not bad if you love Jane Austen's novels. It follows a gal to a Jane Austen literary festival in England (which could be fun but I'm not sure I'd fly all the way over to England just for that), and finds that the friend who invited her is more flaky than she realized - she's just the woman's pet project. And when her wish doesn't come true, is forced to find her own way as it were, and becomes a success to the delight of her friend and the dismay of others.

Lily has squeezed herself into undersized relationships all her life, hoping one might grow as large as those found in the Jane Austen novels she loves. But lately her world is running of places for her to fit. So when her bookish friend invites her to spend the summer at a Jane Austen literary festival in England, she jumps at the chance to reinvent herself.

There, among the rich, promising world of Mansfield Park reenactments, Lily finds people whose longing to live in a novel equals her own. But real-life problems have a way of following her wherever you go, and Lily's accompany her to England. Unless she can change her ways, she could face the fate of so many of Miss Austen's characters, destined to repeat the same mistakes over and over again.

My Jane Austen Summer explores how we fall in love, how we come to know ourselves better, and how it might be possible to change and be happier in the real world.

Another book I wanted to tell you about is also a Jane Austen take-off. My BFF gave it to me a couple years ago now, as kind of a joke because she knows how much I fell in love with Austen's novels. It's called Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Vierra Rigler. I enjoyed it.

After nursing a broken engagement with Jane Austen novels and Absolut, Courtney Stone wakes up and finds herself not in her Los Angeles bedroom or even in her own body, but inside the bedchamber of a woman in Regency England. Who but an Austen addict like herself could concoct such a fantasy?

Not only is Courtney stuck in another woman's life, she is forced to pretend she actually is that woman; and despite knowing nothing about her, she manages to even fool the most astute observer. But not even her level of Austen mania has prepared Courtney for the chamber pots and filthy coaching inns of nineteenth century England, let alone the realities of being a single woman who must fend off suffocating chaperones, condomless seducers, and marriages of convenience. This looking-glass Austen world is not with its charms, however. There are journey's to Bath and London, balls in the Assembly Rooms, and the enigmatic Mr. Edgeworth, who may not be a familiar species of philanderer after all. But when Courtney's borrowed brain serves up memories that are not her own, the ultimate identity crisis ensues. Will she ever get her real life back, and does she even want to?

I'm pretty sure I wouldn't care much for the whole chamber pot thing myself. And I'm pretty sure I would consider myself mad if awoke in 19th century England.

Anyway, the first two reviews I'm totally dead serious that you should read. The other two are fluff, so to speak.

Sarah's Key was the last in my stack of new books to read. I'm on the prowl for new authors/books. So if you have any recommendations of books or authors, please let me know. Please keep in mind I don't do vampires. At all. Facebook friends have recommended Janet Evanovich, Emily Griffin, and Jody Picoult (although I hear her books are real tear jerkers). As well as a few others, and I still have my regular addictions to tend to: Dean Koontz, Kathy Reichs, Jen Lancaster, and Sharon Lathan.

Two Quick Book Reviews

I just finished an excellent book. And yes, I'm going to tell you which one it is.

It's called Think Twice by Lisa Scottoline. I didn't want to put it down. Unfortunately, I have three jobs so sitting and reading for 12 hours isn't going to find room on my schedule. I love my sleep far too much. Although, I have risked no sleep in order to read a book. I admit, it was the final Harry Potter book. It's pathetic, but I just had to know how it ended. Needless to say I was exhausted the next day at work, but I was happy knowing the ending.

I digress.

Here's the synopsis for Think Twice:

Bennie Roasato looks exactly like her identical twin, Alice Connelly, but the darkness in Alice's soul makes them two very different women. Or at least that's what Bennie believes - until she finds herself buried alive at the hands of her twin. Meanwhile, Alice takes over Bennie's life, impersonating her at work and even seducing her boyfriend in order to escape the deadly mess she has made of her own life. But Alice underestimates Bennie and the evil she has unleashed in her twin's psyche. Soon Bennie, in her determination to stay alive long enough to exact revenge, must face the twisted truth that she is more like Alice than she could have ever imagined....and by the novel's shocking conclusion, Bennie finds herself engaged in a war she cannot win - with herself.

And yes it's as good as it sounds. If I could have sat down on the couch for a day, I would have finished this book in that time frame.

About a year ago is I discovered this gal, by reading another book of hers called Look Again. This book was excellent. I was left guessing until the very end, and cried. When my mom saw me reading it, she looked it over and asked me to loan it to her when I was done. I saw the book a year or so later. After it had gone through my mom's circle of friends. Yes, folks, it was that good of a book. Here's the synopsis of Look Again:

When Ellen Gleeson gets a "Have You Seen This Child?" flyer in the mail, she almost throws it away. But something about it makes her look again, and her heart stops. The child in the photo looks exactly like her adopted son, Will. Everything inside her tells her to deny the similarity between her son and the boy in the photo, because she knows her adoption was lawful. But she's a journalist and won't be able to stop thinking about the photo until she gets to the truth. And she can't shake the question: If Will rightfully belongs to someone else, should she keep him or give him up? Ellen makes the wrenching decision to investigate, uncovering clues no one was meant to uncover. And when she she digs too deep, she risks losing her life - and that of the son she loves.

Seriously. A must read.

And tonight I'll start another book, The Help. I heard the movie was awesome, so I'm assuming the book is, too. I'll let y'all know!

Go read those books. You'll thank me later.  :o)

April Blogging Challenge: A is for Austen

Jane Austen, that is. As I've posted before regarding my obsession with Pride & Prejudice, I've become a huge fan of Jane Austen.

Although it took me a little while to get used to the way of writing, I couldn't put her books down. She held you at bay until the very end. Something always happened, some little twist you didn't expect. And sometimes you just don't know if what she wrote was meant to be taken seriously or as a joke.

Some of her characters, or heroines, are quite annoying, really. Emma drove me crazy by meddling constantly in everyone's affairs, thinking she was completely right her match-making abilities. And she stunk. I wanted to smack Lydia until a light finally came on inside her extremely dark head. Fanny just took all the abuse her cousins gave her. Catherine's imagination literally ran away from her. Ann let a good thing go because her family didn't like the guy, and it came back to bite her in the ass. And Maryann was a wee bit over-dramatic, literally trying to die from a broken heart.

But as much as the characters annoy, you can't help but love them. Except Lydia. I'm sorry, but that chick hasn't got a clue, and I'm just thankful the story wasn't about her. All you want is for the character's dreams to come true, for them to find their happy ending.

I'm always amazed that Jane Austen wrote such wonderful novels about finding love and the troubled roads her characters take to find it, yet she never married or had children. In fact, neither did her sister. She only lived to her early 40's, and until her passing, all her books were published "By A Lady". The original title for Pride & Prejudice was "First Impressions", and many believe it's loosely based her own bout with love with Tom LeFroy. No one is completely sure what Jane Austen died from, some think it was Addison's Disease, some believe it was Hodgkin's Lymphoma, and still others believe it was bovine tuberculosis which is a strain of typhus.

I think she'd be thrilled if she knew how popular her books have become and how they've endured as people's favorites.

Although, I think she'd turn over in her grave if she knew someone took Pride & Prejudice and ran away with it to call it Pride & Prejudice & Zombies.

Half-Assed Weekend 2/5/11

I am obsessed. I admit it. Although I cannot blame myself entirely for this obsession. I have a co-worker I can blame partially. For she is equally obsessed and is fueling the fire. A couple years ago, I finally decided to be brave and enter the world of Jane Austen. You men out there roll your eyes all you want. I first read Pride and Prejudice, and once I reached the half-way point in the book, I literally could not put the book down. I wound up getting about two hours of sleep before going into work, but I had to know. I had to know how it ended. I quickly devoured her remaining five novels, and loved them as well. But none touched me like Pride and Prejudice. 

After reading each novel, I watched it's movie counter-part. And naturally, my favorite was BBC's miniseries version of Pride and Prejudice, with Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy. It's 5 hours long but it is, quite literally, the book. Verbatim. I think that's why I love it so. This movie is watched quite often, sometimes just the second disc. Pathetic, party of one.

A couple months ago, this particular co-worker mentioned to me this book she was reading, called The Pemberly Chronicles. She recommend I read it when she was done, and loaned it to me. I thoroughly enjoyed it. And this past week she said the same thing about Mr. &  Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One. She said that she could not put it down and highly recommend I read it, too. I did. In two days. Well, three. I read 90% of it on Friday. Again, I literally couldn't put it down. My co-worker and I love the story, and agree that even though these two characters are absolutely sickening and obnoxiously happy and in love, we can't get enough.

Therefore, I have decided I will not settle for anyone who is not Mr. Darcy. At least, my version of him. In some fashion. As soon as I can, I am running out and purchasing the next in this set so that I fuel my obsession even more.

I think . . . I may have a problem, people. The entire world is either Twilight or Justin Beiber obsessed and I'm running around obsessed about a book written roughly 200 years ago.

On second thought . . . maybe I don't have much of a problem at all.

For the Love of Books

Now that the spreading of the Blog Love to all my wonderful followers is done, I shall attempt a real post. If you don't know what I'm talking about, go here to find out!

Yesterday I finished a book. Not that this is like a news flash or anything, as I love to read. I used to always carry a book around with me as a kid - drove my parents nuts. However, after I finished the book, I realized even just a few years ago I might never have tried it. Why? It wasn't by Dean Koontz.

I admit, I am a huge Dean Koontz fan. It's extremely rare for me to not enjoy every word written in each of his novels. I am constantly lying in wait for his next book to come out in paperback (I'm not a fan of hard cover).

But it got me thinking. Or rather, remembering. I have always seemed to be quite selective when it came to my books. As a kid, I only read horse books. This of course limited my reading material. I had few exceptions, but if I found a book that had anything to do with horses, I was reading it. I guess you could say I was slightly obsessed? I mostly remember reading The Black Stallion series by Walter Farley as a kid. I read those so many times I can still tell you about every book. I actually wrote to Walter Farley for school once. We all had to write a letter to our favorite authors. I was singled out as mine was the only one who happened to be dead. I wrote to him in 1989 I believe, and he had passed away only in the last year. I was so disheartened to hear that my favorite author had passed on.

My great-grandma gave me my first non-horse book that I remember enjoying. I believe it was Sweet Valley Twins. I was around 11, I think. After that, I slowly branched out. Very slowly. I was still obsessed with horses, so I was still after those books. I used to spend a day of the week in summer with my Nana, who would take me to the library. I usually always got the same books, just re-reading the same material. One summer, I decided I wouldn't check out a single book I had already read. It  was a huge challenge for me. But I made it. I read new books for the whole summer. And you know what? I enjoyed them. I used to live going to the library with Nana. Then libraries became my study hall and the bane of my existence in college.

I eventually branched out into the books written by R.L. Stine. These lead me to my first Dean Koontz book, Strangers. I've been hooked ever since. I've tried reading Stephen King, but his shit comes from so far out in left field I have no idea how that man sleeps at night. The few books of his that I've read, I did enjoy but they were so freaking weird they actually gave me weird dreams. Something Dean Koontz's books never did. One book that I read that I wound up loving was The Diary of Anne Frank. I later bought myself a copy at the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C.

A few years ago, though, I ran into a snag. I had read all of Dean Koontz's work to date, and Stephen King did little to help me sleep at night. I had nothing to read and I was anxious for a book. Enter Harry Potter. I had happened across the movies and found that I enjoyed them. After the 4th film (Goblet of Fire), I decided I would try to the books. I had heard nothing but good things about them. I loved them. I devoured them. And when the 7th book (Deathly Hallows) came out, I realized there was no way I would be able to wait a year for it to come out in paperback. It's one of the rare books I own in hard cover.

After enjoying Harry Potter, I thought, maybe I should just try random books. So I did. Soon I had a stack of books on my dining table just waiting for me to read them. I'm not a speed-reader, I enjoy just lounging with a book. I would browse the book section in Target for something that caught my eye. I'd spend ages in Barnes & Noble's trying to choose. I enjoyed every book I bought and tried.

I read two of Alice Sebold's books, Lovely Bones and Almost Moon. I'm still on the fence about the latter. I enjoyed the former, however. I read Look Again by Lisa Scottoline. If you haven't read it, you should - my mom borrowed and won't give it back as she has a line of friends that want to read it, too! At least I'm getting my money's worth!

I also started to attempt the classics. I started with Jane Austen. And of course, I started with Pride & Prejudice. I admit it took me a bit to get into it. No one talks like that anymore, that old English and we no longer use a portion of the vocabulary they used back then. I had to break out the damned dictionary. And luckily for me, the Barnes & Noble Classics have notes by scholars in them, defining some words and describing other things so I didn't have to look shit up on Wikipedia or something. I mean, really, how many different types of carriages did there have to be??? Anyway, about half way through the book I couldn't put it down. I had to know. Then I moved on to her other novels and loved them almost as much as Pride & Prejudice. And my best friend introduced me to the hilarious Jen Lancaster - some of her stuff had me laughing in such fits I couldn't stop for 30 minutes.

The book I just finished was loaned to me by a co-worker, who shares my love of Pride  Prejudice. It was called The Pemberley Chronicles, and it continues the story of everyone in Pride & Prejudice. I did get a wee bit tired of hearing about all the happy marriages, but really enjoyed the book.

I recently purchased a book by Kathy Reich, whose books spawned the TV show "Bones", which I adore. Now that I'm done with my recent read, I will be trying out Kathy Reich. 

I also want to continue attempting the classics, although some of them seem to scare me. For lack of a better term. I tried Uncle Tom's Cabin, and got about 2 chapters in and realized I had absolutely no idea what was going on. I couldn't understand anything. I tried a couple more times, to no avail. Perhaps some books make me wonder, simply because of the classics I was forced to read in school. No offense to anyone, but Steinbeck bores me to tears. I pretty much failed every quiz relating to The Grapes of Wrath because I never made it past that damned turtle chapter. And I hated Lord of the Flies and Animal Farm. Because I didn't like the premise of the books I had to read, not to mention I was forced to read them, I think these are partly reasons why I can stand at the Classics section in Barns & Noble for an hour and walk out with nothing. However, one day, I will actually try another one.

I'm not saying I was right or wrong as a child to be so selective in my reading. I did learn a lot about horses that way. My love of Arabian horses comes from the Black Stallion books - in fact, my first horse was Arabian. But I see movies that are being made out of some of the classics like Narnia, where I enjoy the movies and I wonder if I would have enjoyed the books as a kid? We'll never know now if I would have.

For now, all I can do is keep moving slowly forward and dive into all sorts of new worlds.

Except for Twilight. I don't do vampires. Even sparkly ones.