Moving Heaven and Hell

Oh Cassandra Clare, you sure know how to spin a yarn. City of Lost Souls was so good in so many ways. I really need to get my hands on City of Heavenly Fire soon. Sebastian (or whatever you want to call him) makes my skin absolutely crawl. Especially near the end of the book when he is assaulting Clary, his sister, almost going as far as raping her! He would have, too, if Clary hadn't been able to fight him off. Jace and Clary never have it easy, do they. They finally find out they aren't brother and sister, then Jace gets possessed (essentially) by Lillith. They are able to break that connection, only to have him be kidnapped (that really isn't the right word) and controlled by Sebastian. Now they have broken his bond with Sebastian, but he seems to be consumed with Heavenly Fire and unable to really touch Clary. A few little stolen kisses, but come on! These guys deserve a little break!

Now I've started reading The White Queen by Philippa Gregory. I've seen the TV show that is based on this book and so far it's exactly the same. However, I have read less than a chapter, so I don't expect that to be the case for much longer.

Taking This One to the Grave

I finished reading A Winter Wrong by Elizabeth Ann West earlier this morning. It was a very entertaining novella retelling of Pride & Prejudice. However, that's not really what I want to talk about in this post. I want to talk about the book I started reading just this morning, The Perfectionists by Sara Shepard. I've barely started it, but it reminds me a good bit of Sara Shepard's most popular work, Pretty Little Liars. Between watching the DVDs of season 5 of Pretty Little Liars and beginning that book, my mind is full of intrigue. Like Pretty Little Liars, this series begins with a group of girls that share a dark secret. This will be an interesting read, and I can't wait to get further into it. Someone knows their secret and only time will tell who it is and what they decide to do with that information.  

Late is Better Than Never

I've finished reading a few books since I last wrote. I finished the first two books in Emma Knight's vampire series Sworn and Taken. I was not impressed by the first one, and equally so with the second one. I bought them both as free e-books on Amazon, and I only plan to continue the series if the third book becomes free. It is definitely not a book worth paying for.

I also finished reading The Elite by Kiera Cass. I really enjoy this series. I am anxious to read the third book, The One. I am so eager to read it, that I bought it as soon as I finished The Elite. I've stuck it a few books down in my stack, so it will be soon, but not terribly soon, that I'm able to get into it. I know what I would choose to do if I were America, and I want to see if she will make the same choice and how she comes to her decision.

I have managed to finish one more book, Imperfect Chemistry by Mary Frame. It was short, but very good. The main character was awkwardly intelligent and I loved her quirkiness. It was a very fun read, and I highly recommend it. It's short enough that it doesn't require a large commitment, but if it were longer the commitment would be worth it.

Currently, I am reading City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare and A Winter Wrong by Elizabeth Ann West. Both are very good, and I will be finishing them rather quickly I presume. Tomorrow is my birthday and I will be turning 30. I always enjoy my birthday, and this year will not be any different. I refuse to believe that turning 30 is a bad thing. To be completely cliched age is only a number and you're only as old as you feel. I've been feeling great lately and I owe a lot of that to AdvoCare's 24 Day Challenge. It has really been a big change for the better. I love it so much I became an AdvoCare distributor! Not what I had planned initially, but I am very pleased with this decision. Here's my site if you want to check it out: https://www.advocare.com/150914309/

2 for 1

I've been a busy, busy bee lately. I've managed to finish two books since the last time I posted. I've finished Paper Towns by John Green and Loving Mr. Daniels by Brittainy C. Cherry. Paper Towns was very good and extremely thought provoking. It isn't my favorite John Green book, in fact, it may be my least favorite, but that, by no means, means that it isn't a good book. It is definitely worth reading. I might talk about the merits of John Green's work a little more in depth on another post, but I'm a bit tired right now and I want to get to the other book I finished and mention what I'm reading now. Loving Mr. Daniels is a surprisingly deep book. Initially, the description makes you think that the book is just going to be a sordid story of a teacher-student relationship, but it is so much more than that. It is emotional and piercing. It makes you think about your life and how you live it and if you are living it to the fullest. What would you leave behind if you knew you weren't going to be around much longer? I highly recommend the book. It was free on Amazon when I got it. The two books I've started reading are The Elite by Kiera Cass and Sworn by Emma Knight. Honestly, I'm halfway finished with Sworn and I'm not sure where this thing is going. I know it's supposed to be about vampires at some point, but so far there is no sign of anything supernatural. So, we shall see...  

The Heiress Remains

I finished The American Heiress today. The end of the book left me wanting. I felt as if I needed more closure to the story. There has to be more to tell, especially with Charlotte's cryptic words to Teddy on the train platform. She told him to wait with a sly smile on her face. I also don't know whether I believe Ivo or Charlotte's version of the story of their relationship. They both admit to having been lovers, but while Ivo maintains that the relationship ended before his marriage to Cora, Charlotte insists that the relationship is ongoing. Perhaps Charlotte is delusional. It's obvious that she is a liar and schemer, so I'm more inclined to believe Ivo's version of the story. Either way, I feel like things were left unsettled in many ways.

I'm still reading Paper Towns. I like it a lot so far, but I'm only on page 130 or something along there. Margo and Quentin have already had their night of insanity and Margo has already flown the coop. They boys and Lacey have begun trying to piece together the clues of her destination, but that's as far as I have gotten. Also, Margo's parents are terrible.

Escape Isn't the End

I finally finished Incarceron! I dedicated myself to finishing it this weekend, and I was able to succeed before 4:00pm on Sunday!! I admit it ended up being a better read than I anticipated in the beginning. However, I don't really feel the need to read the sequel. I'm happy with the way it ended, and I don't think I need to know what happens next. I started reading Paper Towns by John Green after finishing Incarceron. I've only read the prologue so far, so I don't have anything to report as yet. I'm a little more than eighty percent done with The American Heiress. I'm pretty sure I'll finish it some time this week. I'll probably be reading that during my lunch breaks while I focus on Paper Towns while I'm at home. Then again, I may get so consumed with Paper Towns that I put The American Heiress to the side. I tend to do that with John Green's books. I keep telling people that John Green is my spirit animal. His vlog kills me! Have you seen the one where he tries to see whether or not he is an octopus? Or the one where he becomes a rage squid?  Priceless! Excited to get into Paper Towns. I haven't been to see the movie yet; I want to read the book first.

Slow and Steady

I still have not managed to finish Incarceron nor have I finished The American Heiress. I am really enjoying The American Heiress, but I'm trying to give equal time to Incarceron because I want to finish it soon. I'm anxious to get to the next book in my stack, Paper Towns by John Green. It is the only John Green book I haven't read yet, and I am really anxious to start it. The stack, meanwhile has grown to nearly monumental proportions. (See picture below).

That stack is over 100 books strong. I dare say there are just as many, if not more, e-books downloaded onto my Samsung Galaxy Tab. (Sorry, I'm not one of the many Apple flunkies. Actually, no, I'm not sorry). I'm more than halfway done with both of my books right now, so I think I'll go read a bit before I settle in for the night. Tomorrow is a big day; we're having my cousin's baby shower. She's having a girl, so I'm ready to coo over all the cute baby things. However, I'm not looking forward to being asked a million times about my future family plans. A baby will get here when a baby gets here, and the timing of that is really between my husband, God, and myself. 

Guardians and an Heiress

I finished book three of the Ancient Guardians series last night! The Awakening ended on quite a cliffhanger so there better be a fourth book! I am dying to know what happens with Reece, Levi, the baby, Harrison, and Angie. S.L. Morgan has to write another book for this series. There are too many loose strings to leave the series like that. It is a very good series and I highly recommend it if you are in the mood for something fun. I especially recommend it if you like a little sci-fi with your love story. I really hope I don't have to wait too long for the next book.

I started another book today during my lunch break, The American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin. I'm only a chapter or so into it, but I like it so far. It reminds me very much of Downton Abbey, and I LOVE Downton Abbey. I've also been reading another book, I started it a while ago and put it aside to finish some other books. These days I keep two books at a time going, one e-book and one physical book. It is the physical book that I've kept on the back burner for awhile while. It is Incarceron by Catherine Fisher. I've read a few chapters so far, and I'm having a lot of trouble getting into it. At the moment I'm trying to get through it so that I can start reading something else. The next book on my stack once I finish Incarceron is Paper Towns by John Green. John Green is my favorite author right now. I have read three of his books so far: Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, and The Fault in Our Stars. I am officially a Nerdfighter. I am also completely caught up on the Song of Ice and Fire series, better known to a lot of people as Game of Thrones. Those books are a little hard to get through in places, but I do enjoy reading them. I have a feeling George R. R. Martin is going to die before he finishes the dang series though.

Unexpected Gems

I have to admit, I'm a hoarder of books both of the physical and e-book variety. I will read almost anything once (or at least attempt to) and that can lead me to discover some really great hidden gems. It can also lead me to discover some truly terrible writing, but I digress. This time, I am happy to say I found something I really enjoy and it led me to purchase the next two books in the series. The Ancient Guardians series by S.L. Morgan is very reminiscent of the fairy tales of my youth and I finished the first book in the series, The Legacy of the Key in less than a week. I finished the second book, The Uninvited at an even faster pace. I am currently about halfway through the third book, The Awakening at the moment. Reece, the main character of the series, is surprisingly easygoing about being transported to a different dimension, but I guess I would be too if there was a man like Levi Oxley hanging around in said dimension. He is the quintessential "Prince Charming." Reece and Levi share a love and passion that is all consuming and frankly, the scenes between the two of them are pretty darn hot! And they manage to convey this passion and "hotness" while staying in a very PG to PG-13 range. It's nice to see an author be able to convey that love an passion without being overly graphic. Also, before anyone gets up-in-arms about this, Reece and Levi's relationship also encourages something we don't see a lot in Young Adult literature these days. They wait to "do the deed" until they are married. While I know that is not a choice that is extremely popular these days, it is nice to see that there are some books that express that as an option and even seem to encourage it. I don't know if this was a choice by the author based on personal opinion, or just because it fit the characters, but for these characters it was definitely the right direction for their relationship. That is important. The decisions and actions of these fictional characters have to feel authentic. It has to make sense for the character and the story.

Now, let me return to the dimension of Pemdas and see what Reece and Levi are up to... 

Long Time No Write

Can't believe I let this blog go for so long. I've moved (more than once), lost two pets, got a new pet, bought a house, changed jobs, lost a grandfather, made new friends, and had new experiences. All the while reading way too many books to write about here all at once. I promise not to be away so long next time. As of right now it's late and I am very tired. I'll be getting up in the morning to run before work (yeah, I run now too) and I have to go to the dentist after work.

Oh, and this is a picture of my dog, Kael. Yes, he's a Siberian Husky, no he isn't mean. He's very playful and thinks he's still a 10 lb puppy and not a 60 lb ball of fur and muscle.