Is it bad?

So it seems that Ms. Hillary Duff has decided to try her hand at penning a novel. Why? I do not know. Maybe she's bored with all the singing and acting that she does, maybe this story was burning a hole in her mind and needed to get out. Who knows why Hillary Duff decided to write this book (and how much of it was actually written by her). But it looks good.

Clea Raymond has felt the glare of the spotlight her entire life. The daughter of a renowned surgeon and a prominent Washington DC politician, she has grown to be a talented photojournalist who takes refuge in a career that allows her to travel to the most exotic parts of the world. But after Clea’s father disappears while on a humanitarian mission, Clea’s photos begin to feature eerie, shadowy images of a strange and beautiful man—a man she has never seen before.
When fate brings Clea and this man together, she is stunned by the immediate and powerful connection she feels with him. As they grow closer, they are drawn deep into the mystery behind her father’s disappearance, and they discover the centuries old truth behind their intense bond. Torn by a dangerous love triangle and haunted by a powerful secret that holds their fates, together they race against time to unravel their pasts in order to save their lives—and their futures.

So onto my point, is it bad that I kind of want to read this book? Not because Hillary Duff wrote it, and not because I am a little curious about her ability to write a novel geared for young adults, but because the story itself looks interesting. Although if I am going to be completely truthful I would like to know how the book itself reads and whether or not Hillary can pull it off. I haven't seen or read any interviews with Duff as to why she decided to write a book and how much help she had writing it. But I find it funny.

It's a beautiful cover, and the title of the novel 'Elixir' is kind of cool. So I am extremely curious and would very much like to read this book and know if Duff pulled through.

Pretty Pretty

I've said it before and I'll say it again, But I am in love with the Black Dagger Brotherhood series by JR Ward. I love love love those books, and I hate hate hate that they only come out once a year. Ugh. She's recently released the cover for the next installment-Lover Unleashed and it's perfect. So so so pretty, and I wanted to post it here for all to see.

This one isn't due out until March, and I can't wait.

Happy Reading everybody.

My Thoughts: The Outcast By Sadie Jones

One summer's day in 1957, Lewis Aldridge looks like any nineteen-year-old travelling home to the South of England, except that Lewis is straight out of jail and now sees his world-the oppressive suburb of Waterford-with fresh eyes. From the fractured remains of this old life, Lewis must forge his own future in this place, and in doing so forces painful and horrifying childhood secrets into the open-secrets that may trigger the implosion of the entire community.

I finished reading The Outcast by Sadie Jones last night and decided not to write about it right away. I thought I would let it sit with me for a little bit, to process the story.

I am not picky about what I read and generally don't find fault in anything (if I don't like something, it's probably because it was actually really bad). This sometimes makes me wonder if the book I thought was wonderful was actually wonderful. But whatever, it doesn't matter. I know beauty and I know good writing, and this book by Sadie Jones had both.

The Outcast opens with Lewis leaving prison and contemplating what this means for his life and how things are going to be different for him now, and how he wants to make amends. Right away I wanted to know what he did; what had been so bad. This isn't revealed right away. This makes sense, because in order to know why Lewis did what he did, you had to know Lewis, his life and the people around him. He was so broken and throughout the story you could see what broke him and how if certain individuals had made different decisions or responded differently his life and his relationships would be been different.

What made this book amazing was Kit, and how loyal she was to Lewis, and how clueless Lewis was to her loyalty. She loved Lewis even when he was broken and when Lewis does something that jeopardizes this, you can't help but feel like Lewis is doomed.

The whole time I was reading this book, I felt sad for Lewis, but not depressed, I was more hopeful. I knew that something was going to happen to make things alright. In a way they were. This was a really great read-not an easy read, but totally worth it. I was very pleased.

Haulin'

I went on a little adventure last night to the book store. I was going simply to buy Nora Roberts' new one. It was supposed to be an in and out type of deal. Bah, yeah right. I so love going to the bookstore and am going to tell you what I bough.

Hush Hush By Becca Fitzpatrick
For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She''s never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch came along.
With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment.
But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora''s not sure who to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can''t decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.
For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

I am so so so excited to read this book. I have read so many amazing reviews on this book already. So excited.

Fallen By Lauren Kate

There''s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.
Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price''s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He''s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.
Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce--and goes out of his way to make that very clear--she can''t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.

I haven't read to much about his book, but reading the back cover has made me very very curious. I'm looking forward to this one as well.

The Fallen By Thomas E. Sniegoski

THE ULTIMATE QUEST FOR REDEMPTION

On his eighteenth birthday, Aaron begins to hear strange voices and is convinced he is going insane. But having moved from foster home to foster home, Aaron doesn't know whom he can trust. He wants to confide in the cute girl from class, but fears she''ll confirm he's crazy.
Then a mysterious man begins following Aaron. He knows about Aaron''s troubled past and his new powers. And he has a message for Aaron: As the son of a mortal and an angel, Aaron has been chosen to redeem the Fallen.
Aaron tries to dismiss the news and resists his supernatural abilities. But he must accept his newfound heritage -- and quickly. For the dark powers are gaining strength, and are hell-bent on destroying him....

This one I was really excited for, but when I got home and started to read the reviews that were found on the website I got a little less excited. So I don't know what to do. I think I may return it and if I still want to read it, I may go to the library.

So there you have it. The three extra books I left the store with, (along with my original Happy Ever After by good ole' Nora). I'd say it was a pretty successful trip.

Happy Reading.

My Thoughts: The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson

I go to the bookstore often. Sometimes with a mind to buy something and sometimes just to browse around hoping to be inspired. And this is what happened one day almost a year ago. I went to Chapters and walked around for hours, looking for something to call my name. I was about to head downstairs and leave when The Gargoyle By Andrew Davidson called my name. Normally I would have totally ignored such a calling but for some reason I decided to pick up the book and this is what I read:

An extraordinary debut novel of love that survives the fires of hell and transcends the boundaries of time.

On a burn ward, a man lies between living and dying, so disfigured that no one from his past life would even recognize him. His only comfort comes from imagining various inventive ways to end his misery. Then a woman named Marianne Engel walks into his hospital room, a wild-haired, schizophrenic sculptress on the lam from the psych ward upstairs, who insists that she knows him - that she has known him, in fact, for seven hundred years. She remembers vividly when they met, in another hospital ward at a convent in medieval Germany, when she was a nun and he was a wounded mercenary left to die. If he has forgotten this, he is not to worry: she will prove it to him.

And so Marianne Engel begins to tell him their story, carving away his disbelief and slowly drawing him into the orbit and power of a word he''d never uttered: love.

I was totally intrigued when I saw this and decided that this book was coming home with me, and boy am I totally glad that I did. This is one of the most beautiful books that I have ever read.

Where to start, it's not your most conventional novel. It's not all sunshine and rainbows. It's dark and it's harsh, but it's also hopeful and romantic. It's beautifully written. This book broke my heart, not because it was sad, but because Marianne Engel was an amazing character who loved, and was loved in turn.

Another great thing about the author is that he's Canadian, which is totally awesome in itself but he's also from a small town not far from where I live! Yes! I sometimes take Canadian authors for granted and don't really appreciate their work as much as I should, so I was glad to have loved this one so much.

It's a must read. A must must must read. I loved it, and I am so glad that picked it up when it called my name.

Happy Reading

Shout It!!!

I've recently discovered many a different book blogs this past week and have become fully addicted to finding out what they're reading and what they've thought. There are three that I've been following and I want to mention them...now:

-Ames who is Thrifty Reader and you can find her here: http://thriftyreader.blogspot.com/ who was the first blog I found, totally by accident while looking for a Megan Hart review (just because). In browsing her blog I discovered we have similar taste in novels and live in the same city. She's hosted on a lot of other blogs, which I think is totally cool, and seems to be pretty active in the blogging community.

-Kristi who is The Story Siren and can be found here: http://www.thestorysiren.com/. It's a wonderful blog and really fun to browse through. She does this thing called in my mail box where she talks about the books she's received either in the mail, or books she bought or got from the library and she does youtube videos for them and the link to her channel is: www.youtube.com/user/thestorysiren which are a lot of fun to watch. She mostly talks about Young Adult novels which is what I've been into a lot recently. So you should go check her out.

-Rowena from The Book Scoop and she is: http://www.thebookscoop.com/. This blog is also predominantly Young Adult fiction and it's great. Honest reviews with a kick. I really enjoy her. She also has an adult reading blog, The Book Binge: http://thebookbinge.com/ that's pretty cool to.

So there you have it, this is where I have spending a lot of my time, and where I will continue to spend a lot of my time. Happy Reading!

Out Tomorrow

Yippee the last installment of the Bride Quartet comes out tomorrow and I am pretty stoked about it! I loved this whole series, it was easy to read and made me feel all nice and gooey. So I can't wait!