Why Can’t I? Thursday, May 30 2013

Hi Readers,

Any ideas as to what this post could possibly be about?

Oh, I don’t know. Let’s think about this…

I would love to post every single time I finish a book… but that is just not going to happen. For one reason or another I just can’t do it. Hell, I can’t post once a month. Maybe it isn’t “can’t…” I don’t know. Not a clue. Either way… you’re reading this post for some reason, and me? I am posting this out of some off sense of obligation. Without further ado, here is what I’ve read since January 1, 2013, (spoilers might be involved):

1-15-13: Blood Noir, Laurell K. Hamilton, 3/5, “Sometimes it’s not the light in a person you fall in love with, but the dark. Sometimes it’s not the optimist you need, but another pessimist to walk beside you and know, absolutely know, that the sound in the dark is a monster, and it really is as bad as you think. “

1-31-13: Skin Trade, Laurell K. Hamilton, 4/5, “I’m a Christian, but if God is truly a God of love, then why would he have a private torture chamber where he put people that he was suppose to love and forgive to punish forever? If you actually read the Bible, the idea of hell like in the  movies and  most books was invented by a writer. Dante’s Inferno was ripped off by the Church to give people something to ba afraid of…”

2-14-13: Flirt, Laurell K. Hamilton, 3/5, “I put power into the words, all the power I had, and willed it to work.” (149)

2-19-13: Bullet, Laurell K. Hamilton, 3/5, “I’d more likely be staring into a pair of my own dark brown, and I can see that everytime I look in a mirror. I’m not fond enough of my own eyes to want to see them in someone else’s face.” (356)

2-24-13: Lost in Time, Melissa de la Cruz, 4/5, “The battle was finished.” (328)

2-28-13: Gates of Paradise, Melissa de la Cruz, 4/5, “Sometimes love means letting go.” (332)

3-3-13: Last Sacrifice, Richelle Mead, 3/5, “‘Just because we want something doesn’t mean it’s right.'” (452)

3-12-13: Hit List, Laurell K. Hamilton, 5/5, “‘Tell that to the BTK killer,’ I said. ‘He was a churchgoer, raised two kids, married, and resisted the urge to kill for decades. He was a person, but he was a monster, too.'”

3-21-13: Kiss the Dead, Laurell K. Hamilton, 4/5, “I’m beginning to try and wrap my head around the thought that no one gets to hurt the people I love, not even another man that I love.” (359)

3-22-13: The Second Empress: A Novel of Napoleon’s Court, Michelle Moran, 4/5, “He smiles widely. ‘As accomplished as any Hapsburg archduchess should be.'” (12)

3-26-13: Cleopatra’s Daughter, Michelle Moran, 4/5, “He brushed his lips against my ear. ‘A brave young woman who has always fought for what was right, even when it was unpopular. A woman who can’t return to the land of her birth, but is welcome to cross the seas and rebuild Alexandria in mine. And a woman who has suffered enough in Rome and deserves happiness for a change. Will you come to Mauretania and be my queen?'”

4-8-13: Wild Mind: Living the Writer’s Life, Natalie Goldberg, 4/5, “Writing practice brings us back to the uniqueness of our own minds and an acceptance of it. We all have wild dreams, fantasies, and ordinary thoughts. Let us to feel the texture of them and not be afraid of them.Writing is still the wildest thing I know.”

4-9-13: The King’s Concubine: A Novel of Alice Perrers, Anne O’Brien, 4/5, “‘It is important for a woman to have the duplicity to make good use of whatever gifts she might have, however valueless they might seem… You have to have the inner strength to pursue your goal, and not care how many enemies you make along the road. It is not easy.'”

4-16-13: The Last Nude, Ellis Avery, 4/5, “She looked up at me then as if I were a dream she was having, and that’s when I thought it: I can do whatever I want to her.” (287)

4-18-13: Wintergirls, Laurie Halse Anderson, 5/5, “She wipes a snowflake off my cheek. ‘You’re not dead, but you’re not alive either. You’re a wintergirl, Lia-Lia, caught in between the worlds. You’re a ghost with a beating heart. Soon you’ll cross the border and be with me. I’m so stoked. I miss you wicked.'” (196)

4-25-13: Daddy Love, Joyce Carol Oates, 3/5, “Of every one hundred children perhaps one interested Daddy Love in the depths of his soul. Of every two hundred children perhaps one excited him.” (53)

5-2-13: The Vanishers, Heidi Julavits, 3/5, “Blame is the cord you can never sever, the viscous umbilical you can swipe at with you hands, but there it will be always ghostily hover, connecting you to monsters exactly as pitiful and needy and flawed as yourself.” (278)

5-23-13: God is Not One, Stephen R. Prothero, 5/5, Click here to read my review!

5-23-13: Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn, 5/5, “Each clue was hidden in a spot where I’d cheated on Amy. She’d used the treasure hunt to take me on a tour of all my infidelities.” (226)

5-26-13: Frost Burned, Patricia Briggs, 4/5, “I was going to have to come up with a rank for myself besides Alpha’s mate. In the pack, I was just Mercy- but if ten more people called me the Alpha’s mate, I was going to hit someone. It sounded like a chess move.” (316)

I love Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake series. Damn near addictive. Michelle Moran is truly fantastic! The authors that I keep returning to… they know their stuff. Wintergirls broke my heart. The quotes at the end are my favorite lines–just fyi.

Daddy Love and Wintergirls… they were difficult to read. That is probably the point, but after reading them, I felt angry. And I’m not going to lie… a part of me still isn’t over it.

In other news, I feel like a majority of 2011’s Reading List is going to be… cancelled? Yes, cancelled. I’m just not into the titles now like I was when I first found them. That being said, I am finished with 2010’s Reading List–even God is Not One by Stephen R. Prothero. I’ve been reading it since January–it is fairly intensive on some portions, so I decided to take it slow.

So, it is the end of May… and this entry has been five months in the making. Here’s to attempting another entry similar to this in June. Or maybe we’ll all wait until December…

Always,
Nolaleigh

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Shadow Kiss Sunday, Nov 14 2010

Hello Readers!

November is flying by and that means the end of the semester will be here in a month or less. Ultimately, lots of exams and papers that need to be written. Methinks, however, I will write about that particular topic in another post…perhaps on summing up Fall 2010 semester at large.  I think I’ll post something for the very end of the year as well. But I digress. Without further ado–may I present Richelle Mead’s Shadow Kiss.

“Suddenly, the burn of that black magic vanished from the bond, along with that sickening sensation. Something hit me like a blast of wind in the face, and I staggered backward I shuddered as a weird sensation twisted my stomach. It was like sparks, like a coil of electricity burning within me” (340).

Probably my favorite out of the series thus far. There was so much action in this particular novel–I can only imagine the coming action in the next novels-I am so excited! I guess you want an example of this action, yes? I figured–you shouldn’t want so many spoilers, my dear readers. 😉 But guess what–the above is as much as you’re getting. Anyway, Mead has done a wonderful job with Shadow Kiss as far as her descriptions and the plot is, as usual, fantastic!

To be ‘shadow kissed’ means to have been to the other side and come back; a second chance at life and forever bonded with whomever brought you back. Rose is shadow kissed and that is why she is bonded to  Lissa Dragomir, a spirit user (keep in mind spirit is highly rare). It is one of the five elements the Moroi use as magic: Fire, Earth, Wind, Water, and Spirit. Adrian Ivashkov is actually another spirit user and fire belongs to Christian Ozera. Speaking of Christian, I really want him to become less insecure–he is such a sweet guy and Lissa loves him. That and he helps Rose kick some serious Strigoi ass. Sweet!!

I’ve come to the conclusion that Adrian is going to be another Mason. Sad day. Good guys who love Rose, but she doesn’t or didn’t want them. Not saying that Belikov isn’t *cough*wasn’t*cough* a good guy, but she can’t be exclusive with him and the really places burden on her shoulders that she shouldn’t have. However, if there is one thing I believe to  be true–just because someone is good to you does not mean you will be happy. I’m hoping that Rose will be able to find someone who can be her equal in most, if not all facets of their lives. Or, I should say that Mead will hopefully write the story in that way.

So, anyway–lots of laughs, action, and a perfect amount of romance… and heartbreak. I leave you to read and discover what happens. I’m still rooting for Dimitri Belikov and Rose–but there’s a lot that needs to happen in order for that to happen. If you’ve read the books, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about…

I loved Shadow Kiss! Completely fantastic and it is because it was so good I read it in one day–I want to say six hours. I’m giving Richelle Mead’s Shadow Kiss a 4/4.5 out of 5. Impressive and truly pulls you into their world.

“Unique and mesmerizing… this little gem is sure to be a hit… Readers will bite on this series for some time to come.”
–VOYA

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Frostbite Sunday, Oct 17 2010

Hello Readers. Long time, no see. So far, October has been a busy month. And besides, since it is October, you would think I would try to get a theme for all the books I read and make them all supernatural–I already read that general genre, so I’m good and maybe slightly ahead of the game. 76 days (give or take a day or two) until a new year which means I will soon be compiling a new list of books that look interesting. This time I know to keep it looking reasonable. So, to the reason this entry is going up: Frostbite byRichelle Mead. If you haven’t already guessed, the title says it all.

“It had taken me several moments to grasp what she was talking about. Then it occurred to me that in decapitating two Strigoi, I’d earned two molnija tattoos. My first ones. The realization had stunned me. All my life, in considering my future career as a guardian, I’d looked forward to the marks. I’d seen them as badges of honor. But now? Mainly they were going to be reminders of something I wanted to forget” (Pg. 312).

In the sequel to Vampire Academy, our favorite dhampir is back and we meet her mother, Janine Hathaway. I won’t pretend to have immediately liked her character, but the more I read, the more I understood her. While part of me is going, “Yes! I understand the mind of a parent!” While at the same time, my mind is screaming at me, “What the hell!” In any case, based on Rose’s words in Vampire Academy, I’d assumed that her mother would not be in the picture at all. The way it had been worded made me think “working mom who puts her career before her child.” However, reading this novel made all the difference. So, that being said, you will like Janine.

Speaking of people you will like, I would like to bring up someone you will love. I would know, I fall in love with fictional characters–but that’s another blog, another time. Anyway! Guardian Dimitri Belikov. There is so much going on with him and Rose in Frostbite–intense as hell. I mean, you add another woman into the mix–not cool Belikov, not cool. Buuut, things are working out and reaaally going well. Things are amping up! I mean, stuff happened with Mason–he might have been what she needed, but he was not what she wanted.

Btw–RIP Mason. That’s all I’m saying.

Now, I’m very happy for Lissa and Christian. Interesting new character by the name of Adrian. Bad boy in every sense of the word–almost–he has a heart of gold. There are other characters that have been developed a great deal and I am really enjoying seeing them transform into the kind of character that is endearing. Granted, there are some that just need to go away. Permanently. Got to meet some Strigoi–they are nasty pieces of work.

So, overall, I really liked Frostbite. Richelle Mead is consistent in how she writes and she writes well. I am looking forward to reading the next novel and finding out where all this leads. Content was great, plot was fantastic, and of course, I love the characters. I am giving Frostbite a 3.5/4 out of 5.

“In a world that seems saturated with vampire books, Richelle Mead has created characters and a world that is both unique and believable.”– TeensReadToo.com

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Vampire Academy Wednesday, Aug 25 2010

“She became a Strigoi, Rose.” (241)

Five hours. Total time it took to read Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy. Incredibly quick read, but an incredibly good book. I could not put it down. Okay,  I put it down a couple of times so I could move around. This might sound familiar, but I have never read a novel like it. It is different from what I have read and definitely different than the Blue Bloods series. I’m not going to lie–I love the idea that Montana (of all places) has a hidden area where vampire teens and their companions go to school.

Mead takes a different approach to vampires and their companions. The main character’s name is Rose Hathaway–half-human, half-vampire–a dhampir. Her best friend is Lissa Dragomir–a Moroi princess–Moroi being mortal vampires. In Mead’s world, there are two kinds of vampires: Moroi, good; Strigoi, evil. A dhampir’s purpose is to protect a Moroi royal. Personally, I’ve never heard of mortal vampires and vampire guardians–but I think it is fantastic!

Character development is very high in this novel–and as such, I hope so in the rest of the series. I am all for the relationships that are forming: Lissa/Christian and Rose/Dimitri. I look forward to future novels, partly for these couples, and partly because I like the plots. Lissa and Christian understand each other because they are the last in their line, everyone else has passed on. Then there is Rose and Dimitri. Hmm… Dimitri Belikov. I am not sure what is to happen with this pair, but I love them together! Don’t know why–maybe it is the older guy thing–the maturity and knowledge that younger males seem to… lack. Ahm. Anyway, the romantic relationships are not nearly as complicated in Vampire Academy as in the Blue Bloods series. Don’t get me wrong–love them both and really love the complications as an outside looking in–that’s it. 🙂

”’That’s part of it, ‘ he said. ‘But also… well, you and I will both be Lissa’s guardians someday. I need to protect her at all costs. If a pack of Strigoi come, I need to throw my body between them and her.'” (324)

I think I will introduce this series to my sister. That is, if she hasn’t already discovered them. So–I like Mead’s storytelling and characters. I’m giving Vampire Academy a 3.4/4 out of 5. I really wish I had come across this series earlier than now.

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