It's Been Busy

Sorry for my extended abscence. Things have just been super busy lately. Since today is a bank holiday, I actually have a little time to write. Mainly because I have to tell you that I'm super excited about the book I just started reading: Rick Riordan's latest book in The Heroes of Olympus Series, The Son of Neptune. I get excited every time a new Riordan book comes out. I've only just begun the book, but I can already tell I'm going to love it!! I can't wait to let you know how this one turns out.

Fleetwood Mac Would Approve

Rumors by Anna Godbersen continues her exploration of turn of the century New York and all of it's high society scandal. Unlike the first book, the second volume in this series does not end on a high note. Things are looking dismal for both of our Miss Hollands' (though one can really no longer claim that title). It will be interesting to see how Ms. Godbersen turns things around for our characters, if she does at all. I certainly hope so. I can't stand to see the bad guys win. I'm really hoping there's some karma at work here, otherwise I might scream. It will be awhile before I read the next book in the series. I haven't even bought it yet and I already have over fifty books to read. Next up: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne. Like I've said before, you can never tell what kind of book I'll read next...

Seriously?

So, I gave up on reading The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance 2 by Tricia Telep. I got through one and a half of the stories and I just couldn't take it anymore. They were awful. If it had been music, it would have made my ears bleed. Thankfully, I have better things to look forward to. I've started reading the second book in The Luxe series: Rumors. I hope this book is not a disappointment. I don't think I could take it.

Second Chances Pay Off

I was pleasantly surprised by Kate Mosse's novel, Sepulchre. I had read her previous novel, Labyrinth and found it very difficult to get through. While this book took me a while to read, I found it to be a much, much better story. I think the reason it took me so long to read was because I haven't had a whole lot of time to read lately. My new job takes up a lot of my time, so reading has taken a back seat. It's okay, I'd rather have a job than not! Now, this book is definitely not for everyone. It is a little strange, but strange is usually just my cup of tea. Everything doesn't wrap up all nice and pretty, but that's pretty true to life. People make sacrifices to help the ones they love. While the circumstances are fantastic and certainly not true to life, the sacrifices are still real enough. Now I'm reading something even more different, The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance 2. I hope the stories in this one are better than the first one, although, I have a feeling this book will join the "To Sell on Ebay" pile.

Angels Among Us

I finished The Van Alen Legacy by Melissa de la Cruz today. The power went out today, so I found some natural light and finished my book. It was as good as the rest of the series has been. I love this particular concept of vampires more than most. I think the fallen angel angle is very interesting. When the ultimate evil your characters are fighting is Lucifer himself, it makes things very interesting. I love how there can be so many different ways to shape one kind of mythical being.

Next book in "The Stack" is Sepulchre by Kate Mosse. It's quite a long book, so this might take awhile!

Choice Words

I've read plenty of books by Nicholas Sparks. I've loved most of those books. I, for some reason couldn't get through Message in a Bottle, but I am considering giving that one another go. I was quite a bit younger when I tried to read that one. Last night I finished reading The Choice. It didn't take me very long to read. At just over 250 pages, it ranks among the shorter books I've read lately. However, I never felt like the book left the ground. It put down some interesting ground work, but the plot never picked up. Sure, there were some emotional moments, but I didn't feel the typical heartstring tugs that Nicholas Sparks usually invokes. Most of his books have, at some point, left me absolutely sobbing. I read his books expecting a good cry or at least a palpable connection to the characters, but I just didn't get that from this book. I wish I could say that I really enjoyed it, but I don't like to lie. Unfortunately, this book has made it into my "to sell" stack. (Yeah, another stack).

This morning I sunk my teeth (pardon the pun) into the first few chapters of The Van Alen Legacy by Melissa de la Cruz. I've enjoyed the other books in the Blue Bloods series very much, and I hope I enjoy this one just as much. I find this incarnation of the vampire myth to be very interesting.

It's Never Who You Expect

I wasn't expecting to like Goodnight Nobody by Jennifer Weiner as much as I did. I didn't expect to be sucked into a murder mystery, but I loved that I was! This book took so many twists and turns it was unbelievable. The resolution took me completely by surprise. The killer was not who I expected it to be at all. I like being surprised. This book was such a find for me. I actually found it at a bookstore on a $3 rack! I love finding things like that. Now back to an author I know and love, Nicholas Sparks. This time it's The Choice. I hope it's a good one!

Happily Ever After

I always love the way Eva Ibbotson comes up with her happily ever afters. They are never easy and they always come so close to not happening at all. She always comes up with creative ways to make things happen in the end, and A Countess Below Stairs is no exception. I loved it! There were some characters in this book who I felt were actually insane. The kind of insane where they should have papers. That made it really fun, though.
Now, onto the next book: Goodnight Nobody by Jennifer Weiner.

Stick a Needle in My Eye

This post is a little late. I spent a little time in Ocean Springs, so I'm playing catch-up. I finished the second book in the Gallagher Girls series, Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy by Ally Carter. I liked this book better than the first. This book expanded on the world that the first book introduced. That is as it should be with a series. Each book should expand upon a world that the author introduced in the first book. I think Cameron is turning out to be a very interesting character. I do have the next book in the series, but it is several books down in "The Stack." (Twelve, if I'm not mistaken). Right now I am reading another fantastic book by Eva Ibbotson, A Countess Below Stairs. Her books are always interesting, though most seem to follow the same pattern. The characters and settings of her books are the real draws in all of her stories. She creates both very vividly. That's how she draws in the reader every single time.

[insert spy music here]

I just finished reading I'd Tell You I Love You, but Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter, the first book in the Gallagher Girls series. One thing I enjoyed about this first book were all the references to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I've always been a HUGE Buffy fan, and those references made me smile. I hope the rest of the books in this series live up to the potential that is present in this first book. This first book was really good, but I think there are things that could have been improved. I hope the next book is even better. The next book in the series is actually next in my stack, so we will soon find out. This one is titled, Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy.

Gossip Girl: The 1899 Edition

Well, that didn't take me long to finish! In a matter of days, I finished reading The Luxe by Anna Godberson. Since this book takes place in New York City and it follows a group of (mostly) high society girls and guys, it reminded me of Gossip Girl. I've never actually read the series, but I've seen the TV show. This series is a bit tamer, (less drugs, actually none so far) but still full of plenty of shocks and scandals. These scandals might not be what something we'd consider scandalous today, but in 1899, they were enough to get you disowned. I'm interested to see where the series goes from here. A lot of things were left up in the air at the end of this book, so I want to see how things are going to play out. The next book in the series is a few books down in "The Stack," so if won't be long until I get to it!

Next up, I'd Tell You I Love You, but Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter.

Here Comes the Sun

Last night I stayed up later than I should have just so I could finish reading The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan. The book quickly became impossible to put down (maybe because of ancient Egyptian magic, I'm not sure). Sadie and Carter Kane were swept up in another fast-paced adventure that tested them to their limits, and this is clearly not their last battle. The book ends with the knowledge that an even bigger battle is looming for our globe-trotting siblings. This book was a worthy sequel to the first book in The Kane Chronicles, The Red Pyramid. There were great new characters introduced and many familiar faces reappeared along the way. My favorite new character in this book was a god named Bes. He's an interesting fellow, to say the least. This book centered around the Kane siblings search for the Book of Ra and their attempt to awake the god. I won't tell you whether they succeed or not (that wouldn't be any fun), however, I will tell you that this book will not disappoint any fans of Rick Riordan. The Throne of Fire is every bit as engaging and addictive as any book in his much lauded Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. I, personally, cannot wait for the next installment in this series. I also await the next book in Riordan's The Heroes of Olympus series which will be here in the not too distant future!

I've already begun reading my next book, The Luxe by Anna Godberson. I just started reading it this morning and am already more than one hundred pages into it. More on that book next time!

Witchy Woman

I just finished reading The Sorceress by Michael Scott, who has yet again mixed and melded so many fantastical elements into his story that it boggles the mind! Even more unusual characters were introduced this time, a few of them quite unexpected. This book, more than any before it in the series, really showcased how powerful Nicholas's wife Perenelle is. She is a frighteningly powerful sorceress and her foes vastly underestimate her time and again. Technically, she is even more powerful than Nicholas Flamel himself. The twins, Sophie and Josh, are also becoming quite powerful. When they combine their powers they are practically unmatched in their abilities. As they learn more, they will only get stronger. I loved this book, and can't wait to read the next book in the series. I have a feeling that things not as we have thought for the last three books. I believe I see a twist coming, a very interesting twist.

Magic in the Kingdom

I am so glad I finally got around to reading Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark by Ridley Pearson! I, being a self-diagnosed Disneyphile, love any and all things Disney related, none so much as Walt Disney World itself. This book, while a work of fiction, relied heavily on several little-known truths about Walt Disney World, the Magic Kingdom in particular. For example, the book takes you into the Utilidors, a system of tunnels that runs underneath the Magic Kingdom. These Utilidors are not typically seen by park guests unless you take a special tour. These Utilidors play a very important role in the book. If you are, like me, interested in all things Disney, I think this book would be a fun read for you.

Oops!

I meant to update this yesterday when I only had one book to write about, but now I've finished two books without writing a word! First up, we have Bad Moon Rising by Sherrilyn Kenyon. This is more or less the sequel to Acheron which was a huge book and a little hard to get through. There was just so much backstory that I thought I'd never finish it! Not so with Bad Moon Rising this books plot was more straight forward and to the point. It was much easier to get through and I enjoyed it a lot more. However, I have to say I enjoyed this next book even more: The Glass House by Rachel Caine. It is the first book in the Morganville Vampires series. In Morganville, Texas the vampires run the town. If you are a human, you are either protected by them or you are prey. What makes it even more fun is that Morganville is a college town, so there are lots of tasty co-eds for the vampires to feed on. The university actually lets the vampires have a set number of students each year. The majority of the town is extremely screwed up, and trusting anyone is always a risk. I look forward to learning even more about this crazy town in the next book.

Elephants Never Forget

I'm surprised to be able to say that the movie and book Water for Elephants are very similar. There are a few differences, but for the most part the movie makers stayed pretty faithful to the book. The most notable difference is the absence of the character of Uncle Al in the movie. (It is my understanding that they combined Uncle Al and August into one character for the movie). The book also interspersed present day happenings with flashbacks, while the movie stayed in the flashback once it had started. I was impressed with how faithful the movie makers were to the book. There is one small (and I feel important) plot point in the book that is not mentioned in the movie, but I will not reveal that here because I'm not a fan of posting spoilers! I loved the book. I thought it was fantastic! I also loved the movie. I can't wait to add it to my home movie collection.

I also feel the need to tell you that "The Stack" has multiplied into several stacks. There are 70 books in total, ten in each stack. I really need to stop getting books and read what I have!

Guilty Pleasure

I read through Stephenie Meyer's Official Illustrated Guide quite quickly. It is amazing to me how much thought she put into the history of all of these characters. Characters that might have only appeared in one chapter of The Twilight Saga had completely realized backstories. It was really interesting to read about her thought process and how each character was connected. I really wish I could do something like that. So, now that the guilty pleasure is out of the way I've begun reading Water for Elephants. Yes, I've seen the movie, but I really wanted to read the book anyway. I've only read the prologue and the very beginning of the first chapter, but I can already tell a few differences. We'll see just how much they changed.

Selfish, Self-Centered People

I knew what Something Borrowed was about before I picked it up. However, I could not anticipate how much I would dislike nearly every character in the entire book. Most of them are immature and self-centered hypocrites. Two sets of best friends, both of them incredibly disfunctional. I have to say, the character I hated the most was Darcy. She was incredibly manipulative and the biggest hyprocrite of all. I cannot stand those women who constantly try to "one-up" their friends. The kind who only take and never give. They are the women who are selfish, but are thoroughly convinced that their very giving friend is actually the selfish one. I have personal experience with people like this, so I have to say I took Darcy's behavior to heart. I truly felt that Darcy and Dexter did not need to be together, but I also felt that Rachel should never have gone down the path she did with Dexter. Dexter should have been man enough to end things with Darcy before he ever started anything with Rachel. It just made me absolutely crazy!!

Up next for me is something I've been waiting on for quite awhile,The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide. Oh yes! Time to immerse myself in one of my favorite guilty pleasures!

Heroes and Gods

It's no surpise that I zoomed through through The Lost Hero with relative ease. Rick Riordan's books are always engaging, and I always read them quickly. The Lost Hero begins shortly after the end of The Last Olympian, the final book in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series. At the conclusion of The Last Olympian a dangerous prophecy is revealed. This book begins the journey that will see this prophecy fulfilled. In The Lost Hero we quickly discover that Percy has disappeared. Three new demigods have appeared at Camp Half-Blood and they must complete a quest to save Hera, the Queen of the gods, before the world is thrown into even greater chaos. In The Lost Hero, we join Jason, Piper, and Leo on this quest and discover that this quest will solve only part of the problem. An even bigger and more dangerous quest awaits. A quest that will require the skills of the seven greatest demigods of the age. Will they unite and save the world as they know it? Or will age-old feuds destroy this quest before it even begins? With an author like Rick Riordan, I guarantee the answers will come in interesting and unexpected ways. I can't wait unitl The Son of Neptune is released this fall.

Next book, Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin. I'm only two chapters in and it's already a sordid mess of adultery and guilt.

Yay for Readable Classics!

Classic literature and I don't always get along (i.e. Jane Austen), however, I am happy to announce that I read The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and actually enjoyed it. On another high note, it also only took me days to read. (This post is a little late since I actually finished the book Friday evening). I found the book to be nicely paced and not overly long. Somtimes I feel authors write a little too much. (Suzanne Collins, I'm talking to you. Mockingjay didn't need to be that long). While the book in no way has a happy ending, I didn't feel let down as is sometimes the case with a tragic ending. Every character was flawed, but could not see past their own gratification and self-preservation. Perhaps Nick was a little more concerned with others than the rest, but he too had his flaws.
My husband finally finished reading The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan, so I am now reading that. I think he finally finished it because the next Rick Riordan book comes out this week. My husband always gets to read new Rick Riordan books first, per his request. I wish it were the other way around because I finish books a lot faster than he does. However, I let him have it because there's not too many books he actually enjoys reading.

Game Over

I decided to postpone my update until I finished the entire Hunger Games trilogy. Well, I finished Mockingjay yesterday, so I guess it's time to talk about it. Those books certainly put the reader (and the main character, Katniss) through the wringer. By the end of the trilogy, so many people have been lost, it is almost unfathomable. Characters you thought were surely safe, died in an instant. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, it was war after all. Wars cost lives. I was just shocked by some of the deaths. I have to admit, the love triangle in this trilogy was an issue for me. Reading the books I discovered that I didn't care who Katniss ended up with. I had no real preference on her choice of Peeta or Gale. I found that unusual. I usually have a clear cut choice in my mind. While reading the Twilight saga I was so adamantly "Team Edward," and I still am by the way. With Katniss, however, I didn't care who she chose, but I did care that she chose. If she had refused both of them, I would have been very angry. I think she made the right decision for herself. I was satisfied with the road the trilogy took.  Catching Fire, the middle book in the trilogy is my favorite. I felt The Hunger Games began too slowly, and I felt like Mockingjay dawdled along for a while before anything really happened. Yes, I enjoyed the trilogy and I would definitely recommend reading them, but they aren't joining the shelf I have at the top of my bookcase for my absolute favorite books. I've taken a more literary turn with my next book selection, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Here's hoping I do better with it than I did with Vanity Fair.

This Isn't a Game

Wow, The Hunger Games  really became an intense book. I was a little worried at the beginning because it took a while to pick up, but once it picked up it was incredibly hard to put down. In fact, as soon as I finished it I went straight to "The Stack" and immediately started reading Catching Fire. Now I'm already one-third of the way through with it! Now, I know that these books are about to be made into movies and I'm curious how they're going to do this. There are a lot of things in this book--mainly the violence of the games--that will be very hard to get around censors. I don't know how they are going to be able to make these movies so that the teenage audience can actually go see them. They are going to have to cut a lot out to get a PG-13 rating. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what they come up with. I know this is a bit brief, but I plan to write a bit about the whole trilogy when I finish reading them all. I'm sure that will not take very long.

Candy Store

A genius writer Lauren Conrad is not, however, L.A. Candy is certainly addictive and entertaining. I am sure a lot of this book came from her experience on The Hills. Of course, she knows the in's and out's of filming a "reality" show, so I'm sure that was all pretty accurate. The content of the book is vapid and overly simple, but strangely alluring and highly addictive. One of the good things about this book is that the pages seemed to fly by so you never felt like you were bogged down. Things moved quickly and I liked that.

So now begins my reading of The Hunger Games trilogy. My husband decided that they had to be the next books I read, so I acquiesced and bought them. I'm on chapter 3 of The Hunger Games, so I don't really have an opinion about the book yet. I know it's gotten rave reviews from nearly everyone, so we shall see.

Hitler Just Screwed Up Everything, Didn't He?

Eva Ibbotson never fails to weave an interesting plot line. This book actually reminded me a little of The Sound of Music, actually. Austria before Hitler got to it, music, unlikely love connections. Eva Ibbotson never makes it easy for her lovers to get together, but they (usually) do in the end. It might not be in the time that they thought, or the way that they thought, but it happens. Ellen and Marek are no different. They belong together and they both feel it, but are determined to ignore it for different reasons all throughout the book. It absolutely made me want to scream sometimes! I was so frustrated that they just couldn't get together! Of course, when it seems like they have finally found each other, horrible things happen to drive them apart again!! I think this might have been the most frustrating of Eva Ibbotson's books so far! A Song for Summer is definitely a great book as long as the reader doesn't give up hope that everything will turn out all right in the end!

Dark Much?

Wow, talk about a dark book. The Chocolate War is a book I've had on my "must read" list for ages and had never gotten around to it. A small part of me wishes I had never gotten around to it. It was utterly depressing. I knew going into it that this was not going to be a light-hearted folly, but I thought it at least might have a happy ending! I know it might make me sound immature or unintelligent, but I just prefer a book to have a satisfying ending. The end of The Chocolate War just made me throw up my hands and ask myself why I had spent the last few days reading it! It was just bleak and left me feeling as if nothing had changed at all. I didn't feel that any of the characters grew. I felt like Jerry took a step in the wrong direction and that everyone else ended up exactly where they had begun. So what exactly was the point of the journey if nothing really changed?

Worth the Read

This morning, I finished reading I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore. My husband and I saw the movie about a week ago and it was good, but the book is better in a few ways. There's a bit more romance in the book which I thought was a good change. Also, they delve more deeply into the story of Lorien, Number Four's home planet. I know that things like this often hit the cutting room floor when it comes to movies, but I think, in some cases, that this is to the detriment of the characters. In my opinion, knowing details of what happened on Lorien made me feel more for these characters. To realize how brutally their home had been taken from them just made the heroes that much more heroic and the villains that much more villainous. I'm looking forward to the sequel. I need to find out what happens to Number Four. I really hope he gets to be with Sarah in the end.

What is Wrong with Amelia Bedelia

I work in an elementary school, so I am exposed to children's books all the time. (In fact, Scholastic Book Fair is next week and I am the librarian's assistant, so I will be selling lots of children's books next week). Today I was reading a book to some second graders. This book was Amelia Bedelia and the Cat. Now, I'm no stranger to Amelia Bedelia. I've read several Amelia Bedelia books over the years. However, it never occurred to me until today that Amelia Bedelia could have some form of Aspergers. I know that most people with Aspergers can take anything people say literally. They don't understand sarcasm or some of the strange little sayings we take for granted everyday. Amelia Bedelia always takes everything literally which gets her into all sorts of trouble and funny situations. I was just wondering if I'm the only person who has ever thought Amelia Bedelia may have aspergers. I hope this post doesn't offend anyone who has or knows someone who has aspbergers. One of my best friends has a sibling with aspbergers, so I know some of struggles that families can go through.

The Cleansing Fire

Brady Udall's The Lonely Polygamist felt excruciatingly real. In this huge family, there were several characters that felt completely alone and unrecognized. There were three characters in particular who felt that the world and their family had abandoned them. This perceived abandonment led to many indiscretions. These indiscretions ranged from actual adultery to lustful thoughts and stealing. Of course, these characters have to find eventual redemption of some sort. Their worlds come crashing down when one of the children is fatally injured. He does eventually succumb to his injuries, but in the weeks it takes his body to give in, he makes the rest of the family realize that they can't ignore each other and they can't be selfish if they want to keep the family safe. This book is about a Mormon polygamist family, but by the time you finish reading the book, you've forgotten about their unconventional situation. You've come to realize that all families can go through something like this. A lot of times you do see families that have gone through a tragedy, and that tragedy has changed them as a family. In some cases it might destroy the family, but often it brings them closer to each other. It makes them severely protective of each other. The family in this book uses the tragedy to bring them closer together and realize the value of each member of the family.
I've started reading I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore. I saw the movie last night, and I thought it was pretty good. We'll see how the book stacks up.

Nostalgic

Do you ever have the desire to revisit a part of your childhood? I do, and today I ran across something I couldn't pass up. I'm helping a co-worker sort through some new books for her classroom and I came across a Baby-Sitters Club book. Back in fourth grade I read every Baby-Sitters Club book that was in the school library. I also bought and read several others. The book I ran across today happened to be one of the books I'd never read. So, I decided I must read it. I've started reading it and I am remembering things about these books that I had forgotten about. It's great to revisit a bit of my childhood. This book is bringing back a lot of memories!

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Not so Super

I apologize for my recent absence. Everybody around here has been sick (including me) and that made everything absolutely nuts. The weather has been incredibly erratic here and that really kept everyone from getting better quickly. Unfortunately, when I'm sick I don't feel like reading. I'm just finally getting into The Lonely Polygamist and I can tell it's going to take a while for me to read. It's good, and the book's plot is very intricately woven and told from varying points of view. It's just not one of those books you can easily fly through. I'll get it done, but not soon.

Did any of you watch the big game? I didn't find it very "super" this year. I thought last year's game was much more exciting. Though the game wasn't nearly as bad as the half-time show. Geez, that was just painful to watch! Usher was the only redeeming quality in my opinion. After the game I stuck around to watch my favorite show, Glee. That, I'm happy to say, was much better than the game and the half-time show! Another new Glee comes on tonight and it looks like it's going to be another good one.

On the Run

I just finished my latest book, The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong. These poor kids in this book can't seem to catch a break. This book was more intense than the first in the series. Probably because there was a lot more action and the characters were never in the same place for very long. I really enjoyed reading this book and I can't wait to read the next book in the series. If the end of The Awakening is any indication, the next book The Reckoning is going to be even more intense. It will be awhile before I get to read The Reckoning, though. I don't even own it yet and there are fifty or so books in my infamous stack.

Next on the agenda, The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall. Yes, it is my coveted signed copy that I am going to be handling with kid gloves as I read. It was on Entertainment Weekly's Best Books of 2010 list, so I'm looking forward to reading it. I don't really know what to expect from it (except Mormons), but that is perfectly fine with me. I like jumping in with no expectations sometimes. Also, I really want to read I Am Number Four before I see the movie, but I don't think that's going to happen. My husband is really interested in seeing the movie, (probably because Dianna Agron is in it) so we'll probably see it when it comes out. I don't really think I'll have time to get to it before we go see the movie. Oh well, it's not like I've never seen the movie before I've read the book before... 

Wishes Do Come True!

I'm being overly dramatic, but I did get a very nice surprise today! A few days ago I was lamenting my need for a new Weight Watchers cookbook, and guess what was in the mail when I got home today?! A brand new cookbook! This one is full of amazing sounding recipes that I can't wait to try! We actually tried one tonight. We were having Italian steak sandwiches and we found an oven baked onion ring recipe in the new cookbook that we decided to use as our side dish. They were amazing! Crispy and crunchy and not greasy at all! Plus, they didn't leave me with that weighed down feeling you sometimes get from fried food. I see us making those again very soon! I am so excited about this cookbook that it's a little embarrasing, but I don't care! I just had to share my joy.

A Little Lighter Please

I'm very pleased with my next book choice so far. I was in the mood for something a little lighter. I could do with a good comedy, but that will come in time. Right now I'm reading The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong. It is not a light and fluffy book by any means, but it is by far more interesting than the last book I read. I read the first book in this series a while back and it was very easy to jump back into it. I know I'm not a teenager anymore, but I still enjoy reading "young adult" fiction. I don't know if it's strange or not, but I guess until I have a child, I'll still feel like a teenager in some ways. It wasn't that long ago that I was a teenager and I still find it easy to relate to these books. I've never been one to limit my book choices. I've always been able to read whatever I wanted (my parents never censored my book choices) and I guess that has bled over into my adult life. I'll read almost anything (except westerns, I've never been able to read westerns). I'm not picky about what I read, but I always have an opinion about it. Very rarely do I give up on a book. I can only think of four that I just completely stopped reading (two of which I'm thinking of picking up again and reading one chapter at a time until I get done). We'll see how that pans out.

In other news, I'm still going strong on Weight Watchers. I've even started a workout routine. Next time I weigh in, I'll let you know how much (if any) I've lost.

Happy Reading!

The Wizard of Bore

I finally, FINALLY finished A Lion Among Men by Gregory Maguire. Honestly, I rushed through the end of it just because I wanted it to be OVER!! I can't even say that I remember most of what I just read, that's how much I didn't like it. Honestly, I think Gregory Maguire's talent would have been put to much better use in a land other than Oz. I don't know what happened with this book. I enjoyed the other two "Oz" books that Gregory Maguire wrote. Wicked was fantastic, and Son of a Witch was a perfectly decent book, but I could not get in touch with this Lion at all. (The capital L is intentional, if you've read any of Gregory Maguire's "Oz" books you know what I mean). This book seemed like a rambling, bumbling mess. The story-within-a-story concept didn't work for me at all. I didn't think the book ever made a solid decision on what it was, or needed to be. I just couldn't wait for it to be over. I'm glad it finally is and that I can start a new book now...

On a happier and totally unrelated note, my favorite TV show, Glee, won three Golden Globes tonight! Best Supporting Actor - Chris Colfer, Best Supporting Actress - Jane Lynch, and Best TV Show Musical or Comedy!

The Cookbooks Have Landed

The books in my life lately have consisted of lots and lots of cookbooks. My husband and I have rejoined the Weight Watchers bandwagon. We have a lot of Weight Watchers cookbooks and they really help us keep ourselves on track. I'm dying for a new cookbook, though. There are three cookbooks that I really like. They all have quick and easy recipes. I want another cookbook like that! I like meals that taste good, but don't require a lot of time to prepare. When I get home from work, the last thing I want to do is spend hours in the kitchen. In case you were wondering, yes, I've lost some weight already. Only about 6 pounds so far, but we just started less than two weeks ago. I'm trying to lose at least 30 more, so I've got a long way to go. I know this isn't the kind of stuff I usually write about, but writing about this stuff helps keep me focused (and, hey, cookbooks are books). If you've ever done Weight Watchers and have some recipes you'd like to share, I'd love to hear from you!

To eBook or Not to eBook that is the Question

The case for and against eBooks has been argued by most book lovers. I do not own an eBook device, but I do have the Amazon Kindle app on my phone. (An HTC Wildfire) The only books I've downloaded are the free books they offer (mostly classics). I'm currently reading a collection of Grimm's Fairytales. I'm not a big fan of eBooks, but if I can get books for free, I'll use it. Also, I'm not going to spend more money on a device that is strictly used for eBooks, like a Nook or Kindle. If I can read Kindle books on my phone, why bother? I much prefer holding a real book in my hands, but if I find myself waiting for something and I don't have a book with me, I can just pull out my phone and read a little classic literature. Of course, the Grimm Brother's Fairytales are mostly well-known stories like Hansel and Gretel. If you've never read the original Grimm versions, you really should. They are often a little more gruesome than what we were told as kids. I've also downloaded some Hans Christian Andersen tales because I've always been interested in that material. So, that is my stance on eBooks. If I can get it for free on another device I already own, I say go for it. However, I'm not going to spend money to buy an eBook device and strictly start using eBooks. I love my real books and I enjoy collecting them.
Still reading A Lion Among Men by Gregory Maguire. I have about 100 pages left, but it might take me awhile before I finish it. I'm not enjoying it very much, unfortunately. More on that when I actually finish it.