From Book to Movie

When I first saw this trailer, I thought to myself "this would totally make a good book". Little did I know that it already was. I haven't read Beastly by Alex Flinn yet, but I plan to. I mean who wouldn't enjoy a modern day telling of Beauty and the Beast.

The movie doens't look to bad either.

Happy Reading

My Thoughts: Love You Hate You Miss You By Elizabeth Scott

What would you do if your best friend died? Not just died, but died while you were with them. It's an insane idea, one that is so freaky and so that you don't even want to think about it. But this is exactly what happens to 16 year old Amy in Elizabeth Scott's Love You Hate You Miss You.

It's been seventy-five days, and Amy still doesn't know how she can possibly exist without her best friend Julia, especially since it's her fault that Julia's dead. When her shrink tells her it would be a good idea to start a diary, Amy starts writing letters to Julia instead. But as she writes letter after letter, she begins to realize that the past wasn't as perfect as she thought it was"and the present deserves a chance, too.

I really liked this book. Even though I found it very very difficult to read, because it made me very very sad. Not once did I get annoyed with the main character (like I sometimes do). I felt sad for her, she was going thought a lot, at times I did wish that she would say what she was thinking and open up like she often wanted to. But then again that wouldn't have made for a very good book.

Amy wasn't perfect, she definitely had some issues. She fought through them and I really liked that. She made an effort. She tried. This is the first book by Elizabeth Scott that I have read and I have a few more that I would like to read, and I am looking forward to that. I was very pleased with this one.

So that's it. No more from me till after Wednesday.

Happy Reading.

Books I have and have not read

The BBC believes most people will have read only 6 of the 100 books listed here. Instructions: Copy this into your BLOG. Bold those books you've read in their entirety, italicize the ones you started but didn't finish or read an excerpt. And just for fun add "movie" for the ones you saw the movie only for . Tag other book nerds.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien (Movie)

3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte

4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling

5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

6 The Bible

7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte

8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell

9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman

10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens

11 Little Women - Louisa May Alcott

12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy

13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller

14 Complete Works of Shakespeare

15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier

16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien

17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulkner

18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger

19 The Time Traveler’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger



20 Middlemarch - George Eliot

21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell (Movie)

22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald (Movie)

24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy

25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams

27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky

28 Grapes Of Wrath - John Steinbeck

29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll (Movie)



30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame

31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy

32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens

33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis

34 Emma -Jane Austen

35 Persuasion - Jane Austen

36 The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe - CS Lewis

37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini

38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres

39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden (Movie)



40 Winnie the Pooh - A.A. Milne

41 Animal Farm - George Orwell

42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown

43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving

45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins

46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery

47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy

48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood

49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding



50 Atonement - Ian McEwan

51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel

52 Dune - Frank Herbert

53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons

54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen

55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth

56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon

57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens

58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley

59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon



60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck

62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov (Movie)

63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt

64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold

65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas (Movie)

66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac

67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy

68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding

69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie



70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville

71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens (Movie)

72 Dracula - Bram Stoker (Movie)

73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett (Movie)

74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson

75 Ulysses - James Joyce

76 The Inferno - Dante

77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome

78 Germinal - Emile Zola

79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray



80 Possession - AS Byatt

81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens

82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell

83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker (Movie)

84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro

85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert

86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry

87 Charlotte’s Web - E.B. White

88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom

89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle



90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton

91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad

92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery

93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks

94 Watership Down - Richard Adams

95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole

96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute

97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas

98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare

99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl (Movie)

100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo (Movie)

Total Read: 15

Total Attempted to Read: 7

Not to shabby if I say so myself.

Happy Reading everyone!

Blast From The Past: The Hunter's Moon by OR Melling

The Hunter's Moon By O.R. Melling
16 year old Gwen is spending the summer in Ireland with her cousin Findabhair. The two have always looked for doors into the other world, but did they really expect to find them? When Findabhair is kidnapped by the High King of Faerie, Gwen must chase the fairy court around Ireland to try and save her cousin. But does Findabhair want to be saved? And what dark secret lies behind the fun and the shimmer of magic?

(The original cover from when I first read this book in 1996)




One of the very first books that I remember reading was The Hunter's Moon by O.R. Melling. I was in the fourth grade when I read it which would mean that I was nine which thinking back was maybe a little young to be reading a book about 16 year olds and their loves. I think it was this book that made me fall in love with books and reading. Because it was such an amazing tale. It was so intense and scary and so much fun. It was an epic adventure for me. I loved every minute of it. There was so much going on and Gwen met so many amazing people on her adventure. Some you hated (well wanted to, but couldn't really) and some you loved. I adore this story and have read it numerous times.

When I found out it was not in print anymore I think I cried (I'd borrowed the original from the school library so I did not own it). But on my 16th birthday my mom surprised me with The Chronicles of Faerie, which was a publication of The Hunter's Moon, The Summer King and The Light Bearer's Daughter (all part of the same story). All of these stories are amazing but nothing (well to me at least) like The Hunter's Moon. I think The Hunter's Moon is back in print and farily easy to get a hold of, so if you can, do.

So there is my little trip down memory lane, happy reading everyone.

My Thoughts: Something Like Fate by Susane Colasanti

I generally love drama (which is totally pathetic I know). I think it's fun and entertaining and the more dramatic a situation is, the better. So when I read the synopsis for Something Like Fate by Susane Colasanti I was pretty excited. The story looked like it would be full of drama:


Best friends Lani and Erin couldn't be more different. Lani's reserved and thoughtful; Erin's bubbly and outgoing. Lani likes to do her own thing; Erin prefers an entourage. There's no possible way they could be interested in the same guy.
So when Erin starts dating Jason, Lani can't believe she feels such a deep connection with him-and it may be mutual. The more Lani fights it, the more certain she feels that it's her fate to be with Jason. But what do you do when the love of your life is the one person you can't have?

It's true the story was pretty dramatic, but not in a good way. I thought maybe it was a little over done (which is strange coming from me).

I found Erin and Lani's friendship to be a little bit tiresome. Erin was bossy and self-centered and I often wondered why Lani chose to stay friends with her; I found the whole concept that it was because Erin saved her life a little weak. I loved Lani because she's loyal, but when Erin finds out about her and Jason and then what she is put through and how she just takes it, that really drove me insane. I found myself screaming "come on, stick up for yourself!" What she did wasn't great, but really it was also not that big a deal.

I loved Blake though and the relationship he had with Lani. I thought "now there a real friendship" one that gives and receives, and I was so heart broken for Lani when Blake blames her for outing him, because she felt so bad. That was a pretty sad part.

There were other things that I did not like about the book, but there is no need to go into detail. I'm pretty sure I would have enjoyed this book a lot more if I were 10 years younger, I do realise that this book is a YA but I have read YA as an adult and enjoyed it. So...

Something Like Fate wasn't terrible but it wasn't very good either.

On a side note. I may not be posting much in the next week and a half. School is winding down which means assignments and tests are on full throttle. Which means I won't be reading much. But after the Dec 1st I have a little bit of time before exams start. Hopefully.

Until then,

Happy Reading

2011 Debut Author Challenge

My new found addiction is young adult literature. It's a great genre, and because I am so new to it (I've read other YA before but it's not what I usually go to) I am not always aware of the up and coming (not even a little bit). Which is why I have decided to take part of the 2011 Debut Author Challenge hosted by The Story Siren, what this is and how you can also participate can be found over on her blog (http://www.thestorysiren.com).

Basically what you want to aim to do is read 12 debut authors of the YA genre in the year 2011, you can read more or less even. But the challenge is 12. There are rules and other stuff but Kristie does a great job explaining everything, so go check it out.

This year I am planning on reading at the very least 12 (Probably more, but I don't want to make any promises). The first six I know that I am going to read and that I am super pumped about are:

1) Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
2) XIV by Julia Karr
3) Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton
4) Entwined by Heather Dixon
5) Clarity by Kim Harrington
6) Falling Under-Gwen Hayes

I am totally looking forward to getting my hands on these books and getting lost in every single one.

Just in case anyone was wondering, YA isn't the only thing that I am going to be reading from now on. I still need me some romance and I don't think that I could ever turn my back on my true love. But it's nice to change things up every once in a while, broaden the horizons. So that's what I am doing. So with that being said,

Happy Reading.

Haulin' (2)

I love finding out about what other people are reading, what they've been sent, what they've bought, what they have checked out from the library. It gives me so many ideas on what to read (this is probably why I have 20 books on my Chapters online wishlist where as 2 weeks ago I didn't know that the wishlist existed).

There is a weekly meme that a lot of people take part in called 'In My Mailbox' but I don't because nothing really arrives in my mailbox (well if I've ordered it, it does), and I don't buy a new book every week, I try to buy a lot at one time and hope that that will keep me through until my next bookstore visit.

So, getting to my point. I have a haul for you. A few weeks ago I placed an order on Amazon and have been waiting somewhat patiently for my books to come in, and today they did (well some of them did, I'm still waiting on three). The majority were bought used (only two were new actually) which saved me bucketloads of money and yes I did buy them with my own money. So here it it:

Something Like Fate-Susane Colasanti.

Best friends Lani and Erin couldn't be more different. Lani's reserved and thoughtful; Erin's bubbly and outgoing. Lani likes to do her own thing; Erin prefers an entourage. There's no possible way they could be interested in the same guy.
So when Erin starts dating Jason, Lani can't believe she feels such a deep connection with him-and it may be mutual. The more Lani fights it, the more certain she feels that it's her fate to be with Jason. But what do you do when the love of your life is the one person you can't have?

-I've just started reading this one and I am not sure yet how much I like it. But we'll see. It's still pretty early.

The Unwritten Rule-Elizabeth Scott

Sarah and Brianna have always been friends, and it's always gone like this: guys talk to Sarah in order to get closer to Brianna. So even though Sarah met Ryan first, she's not surprised that he ends up with Brianna (even though Sarah has a massive crush on him). The three of them hang out, and Sarah and Ryan's friendship grows until one night an innocent exchange between them leads to a moment that makes Sarah realize that Ryan might be interested in her after all. But if there's one unwritten rule, it's this: you don't mess around with a friend's boyfriend. So Sarah tries to resist temptation. But with the three of them thrown together more and more, tension builds between Sarah and Ryan, and when they find themselves alone together at one point, they realize they just can't fight how they feel anymore....

-This one seems to have a similiar plot to 'Something Like Fate' ewhich is interesting. I've never read anything by Scott and I have two books by her to read. I have heard many many good things about her. So I'm excited.

Love You Hate You Miss You-Elizabeth Scott
It's been seventy-five days, and Amy still doesn't know how she can possibly exist without her best friend Julia, especially since it's her fault that Julia's dead. When her shrink tells her it would be a good idea to start a diary, Amy starts writing letters to Julia instead. But as she writes letter after letter, she begins to realize that the past wasn't as perfect as she thought it wasâ€"and the present deserves a chance, too.

-This one looks like a tear jerker and when I'm in the right mood I'll break it out and take a stab at it. I am looking forward to reading this.

Two Way Street- Lauren Barnholdt

there are two sides toevery breakup.
This is Jordan and Courtney, totally in love. Sure, they were an unlikely high school couple. But they clicked; it worked. They're even going to the same college, and driving cross-country together for orientation.
Then Jordan dumps Courtney -- for a girl he met on the Internet.
It's too late to change plans, so the road trip is on. Courtney's heartbroken, but figures she can tough it out for a few days. La la la -- this is Courtney pretending not to care.
But in a strange twist, Jordan cares. A lot.
Turns out, he's got a secret or two that he's not telling Courtney. And it has everything to do with why they broke up, why they can't get back together, and how, in spite of it all, this couple is destined for each other.

-Awwwwww this looks so cute and so funny. I mean when girls try to fake it, it tends to be a little comical. I don't think I'll tackle this one until I'm done school for the term.

The Book of Luke- Jenny O'Connell

Emily Abbott has always been considered the Girl Most Likely to Be Nice -- but lately being nice hasn't done her any good. Her parents have decided to move the family from Chicago back to their hometown of Boston in the middle of Emily's senior year. Only Emily's first real boyfriend, Sean, is in Chicago, and so is her shot at class valedictorian and early admission to the Ivy League. What's a nice girl to do?
Then Sean dumps Emily on moving day and her father announces he's staying behind in Chicago "to tie up loose ends," and Emily decides that what a nice girl needs to do is to stop being nice.
She reconnects with her best friends in Boston, Josie and Lucy, only to discover that they too have been on the receiving end of some glaring Guy Don'ts. So when the girls have to come up with something to put in the senior class time capsule, they know exactly what to do. They'll create a not-so-nice reference guide for future generations of guys -- an instruction book that teaches them the right way to treat girls.
But when her friends draft Emily to test out their tips on Luke Preston -- the hottest, most popular guy in school, who just broke up with Josie by email -- Emily soon finds that Luke is the trickiest of test subjects . . . and that even a nice girl like Emily has a few things to learn about love.

-I like a good laugh and I think that this story could give me that. I'm a fan of light reading (especially when I know I shouldn't be reading but studying).

So there you have it. What I am probably going to be reading over the next couple weeks.

Happy Reading Everyone.

My Thoughts: Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Being a student limits the amount of time I am allowed to read. This has made choosing what to read rather difficult, because I need to choose something that I can put down when I need to, I need to choose something that has an interesting plot but that isn't all consuming (that happens to me sometimes, I forget about real life when I've found a good read). So in my latest attempt to find something interesting to read but not get to invested, I have ventured into the Young Adult genre, thinking that there would be some great novels to read without taking over my life. Yeah. Right. That was before reading 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 started reading Hush, Hush Wednesday night (half an hour after I finished The Outcast) and was done the book by Saturday. For some this is loads of time to start and finish a book, but, for me it's not. I had to fit reading this book into full time school, part time work and an event that took up all of Friday night. In short I devoured this novel.

I really enjoyed reading this book, the characters were well thought out and they were funny (well Patch and Vee were funny). I feel like any teenager out there could relate to Nora, regardless of whether they have lost a parent or loved one. The story was intriguing and I had a hard time putting the book down (or leaving it at home when I went out). It's a well written novel which is important in keeping my attention, as well as most young adults.

In the beginning I couldn't help but compare this book a little to Twilight, simply because of Patch and Nora were thrown together in a Biology class (can anyone say Bella and Edward). I've read all the books in The Twilight Saga and hated them (sorry) so I was a little apprehensive about this little spin. I was pleasantly surprised.

On the back cover it says pretty clearly that this book was meant for 14 and older, I would tend to disagree a little with that. Patch is pretty suggestive in parts of the story, and I think that content like that would be better for a slightly older demographic. 14 is still a little young for the some of the content in the book; it was little sexual. When I though to myself about whether I would want my non-existent 14 year reading this, I kind of leaned towards no. I feel like the book would do a lot better with a crowd of 16 and older.

Hush, Hush is the first of the series and I am not sure where they are going to go with the story. I felt like the book could have ended where it ended. But I am looking forward to reading on, because I really did like the characters.

Book two is called Crescendo, and is in stores now.

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!