Cat's Take On It

Moving on over...

2010-06-09T10:26:00.000-07:00

I've tried to keep up with two seperate blogs and have finally figured out...I can't. So like the many of blogger's before me I'm combining the two. I decided to move this one over to http://composingcat.blogspot.com/ which is a little bit of everything. It started as a writing blog but I quickly relized I wanted more out of it. So if you would like to keep following my book reviews please joing me over there. I'll still be doing that; after all, that's one of my favorite activities. Thanks for following and I really hope you join me over there.

As always...happy reading!

Cat!

http://composingcat.blogspot.com/

Tuesday Teaser

2010-06-08T03:45:00.000-07:00

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers

So I watched them move smoothly forward noticing other things about them. How they stayed in a perfect diamond formation that never was the slightest bit out of line no matter how the terrain changed under their feet." ~the short second life of bree tanner an eclipse novella

I just had to see for myself. (Not real impressed at this moment but I just started.

So what's yours?

Lover Mine JR Ward

2010-06-07T07:34:00.000-07:00

Last year I stumbled across a book whose cover looked very much like a “smut” book. It’s name was Dark Lover. I had just finished the light reading of the Sookie Stackhouse Series. I was having book switching adjustment issues at first. I wasn’t going to like it. Then…WOW!! Not a smut book but an amazingly clever world altogether that gave me a new appreciation for paranormal/urban fantasy. Since that day, the WARDen, as her loyal followers call her, has captivated me with the Black Dagger Brotherhood.

I tore through each book one after the other and then…I had to actually wait for her to finish the last one. Talk about agony. Ha! Ha! The latest book was a much anticipated book because it was the story of a character that anyone who follows the BDB series absolutely LOVES…John Mathews.

In the darkest corners of the night in Caldwell, New York, a conflict like no other rages. Long divided as a terrifying battleground for the vampires and their enemies, the city is home to a band of brothers born to defend their race: the warrior vampires of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. John Matthew has come a long way since he was found living among humans, his vampire nature unknown to himself and to those around him. After he was taken in by the Brotherhood, no one could guess what his true history was- or his true identity. Indeed, the fallen Brother Darius has returned, but with a different face and a very different destiny. As a vicious personal vendetta takes John into the heart of the war, he will need to call up on both who he is now and who he once was in order to face off against evil incarnate. Xhex, a symphath assassin, has long steeled herself against the attraction between her and John Matthew. Having already lost one lover to madness, she will not allow the male of worth to fall prey to the darkness of her twisted life. When fate intervenes, however, the two discover that love, like destiny, is inevitable between soul mates.

I have loved the series and the intense world that JR Ward has built but I have to say that some of the books have had flaws. Not great big ones that kept me from reading on but just little things that I thought could either be left out or done differently. Well, Lover Mine was not one of those. It was also the book that made me eat my words. Ward has an amazing ability to see a picture light years away and put bits and pieces into each book. For me, this book tied in some things from long ago and even planted a few seeds for future books. She’s great at the soap opera addictive style which is why after each book I’m begging for more.

Lover Mine has been long anticipated because readers have watched John Mathews basically grow up into his vampness. From a helpless, damaged pretrans to a bad arse Brother to be (he’s not a full member of the Brotherhood just yet technically) we watch him struggle and he’s become like one of our own. In most romance books you know there’s going to be that HEA but Ward always puts some kinks into things; after all, this band of merry men are damaged to nth degree.

Xhex, a warrior in her very much deserved own right, has fought her attraction to John throughout the series. She’s tough as nails and she doesn’t give a dam about anyone. Yeah, right. The attraction has been there the entire time and we all saw. The great thing with Lover Mine is that the heroine isn’t the stereotyped weak woman turned strong woman because of her man. Nope, that would not be Xhex in anyway fashion or form. Xhex is strong as nails but she goes through some rough crap that would break anyone. John does help stable her but not by doing things for her. He’s there for her and lets her be who she is. I love that about this book. Ward didn’t take an already strong (yet damaged) character and make her weak for the sake of love. She did give her weaknesses but they way she handles them and the way she incorporates John’s role is brilliant. They really become a true team on and off the battlefield. Yet you still aren't sure throughout the book if they have their HEA moment.

With all of Ward’s books she never lets the focus leave the other Brother’s completely. We still get a taste of the household and glimpses of the others’ lives. Especially they tension between Quinn and Blay. This was heart breaking and I am still raw over this relationship. Ward handles it beautifully though and I'm respecting her in her vision. One of my greatest loves of this series is that none of them are perfect. They all make mistakes, have serious mental issues, yet no matter what they care for each other. Even when they deny their feelings outwardly.

This book also introduces some new characters like No’One. Other secondary characters (Layla, Saxton, Payne) return from previous books and their stories began to grow. I can see a future with these characters and I love that they won’t just pop up from out of the blue. This makes you feel like you are a part of their story in some ways. We get to watch their lives unfold over time not just in the time frame of the cover of the book.

This has been by far one of the greatest books in a series I’ve read in a while. Especially in the paranormal romance/urban fantasy/kick butt genre. It’s powerful, moving, and has just the right amount of action for the story. I would recommend reading the books in order if you haven’t started them yet. You can read them as stand alones but you get so much more from learning the worlds.

I’m so happy for John Mathews and Xhex to finally get their story and now dear WARDen, I want MORE…Please?

Happy Reading

Reading order:

Tuesday Teaser

2010-06-01T05:52:00.000-07:00

I'm "borrowing" this idea from another site. I've been reading it for a while now and love getting to this site to see Tuesday's teaser line. I've decided to incorporate it here.

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that others can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

As the silence droned on, all he could think of was..shit, she was shutting the door on him. Again. On one level it so wasn't a surprise and therefore shouldn't have mattered. God knew he'd been on the receiving end of her rejections plenty of times. The reality was that it felt like another death for him to face-- Lover Mine by JR Ward (Black Dagger Brotherhood series)

So here's the fun if you want to please leave a comment with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your 2 ‘teasers’ in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks and happy reading!

Summer Reading List

2010-05-30T20:00:00.000-07:00

My Summer List (a work in progress)

Lover Mine by JR Ward
Cape Refuge by Terrie Blackstock
Southern Storm by Terrie Blackstock
River's Edge by Terrie Blackstock
Breaker's Reef By Terrie Blackstock
Under the Dome by S. King
Covet by JR Ward
Notes from a spinning planet: Ireland by Melody Carlson
?????
?????

This is, like I said, a work in progress. I'm still digging through the stacks, trying to norrow down by top 10. It's like trying to pick your favorite piece of candy in a huge candy dish. ARG! I'll keep you posted.

My Summer Book Challenge

2010-05-29T19:54:00.000-07:00

It's Memorial Day weekend! The official start of summer. With the grand opening of summer, several sites are listing their summer reading lists, recommendations, and even a few challenges. I've never participated in a reading challenge of any kind. I didn't want to break into the wonderful world of reading challenges with no experience at all. So what is there for a novice to do? Start her own. Well, start my own for myself. I decided that I would create my own challenge to practice with.

First step: What kind of challenge do I want to give myself?
There's as many different kinds of challenges as there are genres and books. Do I simply want to set a certain number of books to read? That sounds kind of boring or plain or just down right too simple. Do I want to pick a genre? or multiple genres? That sounds good.

Second step: What's my personal time frame?
Summer Reading Challenge should consist of, well, summer. Since this is the weekend that officially starts summer I'll pick Monday, May 31st to start with. To finish it off with the same "theme" I'll finish it out with the closing of summer which is officially Labor Day Weekend. That's Monday, September 6th. Now I got a time frame: of almost a hundred days. WOW! 99 days...

Third step: What's my plan?
This is where I'm lost. I got my days set. I know I want to read different genres but how many books can I read and enjoy in that time frame AND still enjoy the family and they enjoy me?

Here's my choices...

Plan A: Read 10 books from 10 different authors
Plan B: Read 10 books from 10 different genres
Plan C: Read as many books as I can in by one author in a HUGE series
Plan D: Read 10 books, 10 genres, and 10 different authors
Plan E: Read 10 + books from the plethora of books in my TBR list.

That's the one...Plan E! As I've said before, I have a huge addiction to buying books and now that Amazon has free Kindle downloads it's even worse than before. I'll just have to go through and pick out my top 10 I want to finish this summer and then go from there.( Usually 10 books in a summer is a piece of cake but I'm also taking 2 classes this summer so I need to be realistic.)

So what's your summer reading plans? Are you joining a challenge? Have you created a list to get through this summer? Or if you have any suggestions, please comment and let me know what your ideas are. I could really use some help.

Happy Memorial Day! Stay safe, have fun, and happy reading!

Book Addiction

2010-05-19T11:48:00.000-07:00

I have a major book collecting addiction. I have books everywhere and they aren't just limited to the physical forms that encase the place I call my room. With the addition of the Kindle app on my iPhone, I now have a plethera of books at my disposal at all times. Especailly since Amazon.com offers free books weekly. So at this moment I have more books than I can possibly read this year with a list of books to be released this year that I really want to read. Add to that the fact that I am taking classes and have tons of required reading, I'll never get through it all. So how do I stop myself? I need a 12 step program for book buying/getting addiction. Unfortunately, I know of no such thing and with my luck they'd have books to go along with the program and I'd be right back at square one. I'll continue my semi-fight to literary freedom (well, truthfully no I'll continue to aquire more than I can handle)...Meanwhile, here's a list of the ones I've picked up of late:

There's a bunch more but I won't bore you with the long list. In any case, I'm either going to have to drop off the planet and read for the next year, quite all together, or find some kind of middle ground to live my life, read, and stay on top of my want to read list. Life is such a burden. ha! ha! Happy Reading!

FYI Y MIA

2010-05-17T13:55:00.000-07:00

I haven't forgotten this blog nor have I forgotten how to read. I'm using this year to cram the last of my AA degree in and I've spent months with my face in text books. This summer appears to be no different. I have been rereading some books I've already passed through but nothing yet to spark some witty lines or anything to say You gotta read it. I will return with my odd assortment of reading materials. I just had to let some of you know I haven't dropped off the planet. Now I'm headed back to my Communications Mosaic book...(yes I find THAT fun and interesting)

Happy reading!
Cat

WE HAVE A WINNER!!!

2010-04-19T08:25:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay in announcing the winner but I had one of those weekends that the internet at home decided to have a nervous breakdown and wouldn't stay up consistently. Oh Joy! I'm somewhat back up and ready to announce the winner of my first ever book giveaway.

ANGIE

Send me a message with you're mailing information and I'll get it out to you as soon as possible.

I hope you enjoy it and if you haven't read any of her work I forewarn you...she's very addictive!

HAVE A HAPPY MONDAY!!!

Multimedia message

2010-04-17T06:03:00.001-07:00

I'll announce the winner this afternoon. I'm on the road at the moment. Can't wait to find out who the lucky reader is!

The First Drop of Crimson by Jeaniene Frost & Book giveaway

2010-04-09T08:42:00.000-07:00

This is my confession. While I am trying to broaden my horizons and read more intellectual works, works closer to the type of writing I do, I have a weakness. A crack of sorts. It’s like crack for the brain. Brain Crack! Yes, I am addicted to brain crack. What’s my brain crack? Two authors who write in the paranormal genre. I’m not crazy about paranormal altogether. It’s just these two that really have me waiting for the release of their books. One is JR Ward, author of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. The other is Jeaniene Frost, author of the Night Huntress Series. I’m going to talk about the Crypt Keeper, Jeaniene Frost.

I just got around to her latest book, the first of the Night Huntress World Series, The First Drop of Crimson. As per her norm, she has laid out an amazing paranormal world, full of ghouls, vampires, and demons. This book is an extension of the world Frost created in her previous books centered around Cat, the half-breed vampire and Bones, the 200 some year old ex-gigolo turned bounty hunter vampire. Cat and Bones themselves make an appearance as well as other characters from the series. Yet this is very easily a standalone book.

The book in short? Without giving away too much. Girl meets demon. Demon brands girl. Demon forces girl to search for double crossing relative or demon kills girl’s family. Girl begs vampire to help. Girl hates vampire world because of the death of her husband. Vampire doesn’t like relationships with humans because his human girlfriend was killed by humans. Girl and Vampire go after relative. Girl has major “identity” issues. Girl and Vampire don’t want to fall in love but do. Girl, Vampire, relative, and a few characters from the other books go after bad vampire and the demon. All hell breaks loose. Bad guy gets it from vampire. Girl goes after Demon to get released…You’ll have to read to know the rest and all the good stuff in between.

This is not a deep literary piece of work but it’s the kind of fluff that makes you forget the real world for a while. There’s just something about her characters that draws you in and makes you feel each of them. I’m a character driven person so her books are addictive to me. I’m also a HEA (happily ever after) kind of person. That made this a good one. Although, I will admit some loose ends were cleaned up a bit to easily but there were a couple of issues left dangling unanswered. Though, these could be holes waiting for life in other books. Overall, a great quick read to lose yourself from reality for a while.

PS I'm looking forward to the second book in The Night Huntress World series: Eternal Kiss of Darkness scheduled for release in August of this year.

Now for some fun. I ended up with two copies of this book. I’m keeping one to reread but I’d like to share one with some lucky reader. So this is my very first contest and here’s how we’ll work it. To enter leave a comment below answering this question, “Which fictional character are you most like and why?” This can be any genre. It’s that simple. BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE…

I’ll throw in more entries for the following:

1 for each place you post about the contest on your blog, social network, or anywhere you can. Just make sure to link add a link to it in your comment.
1 for any review you comment on, but please make them relevant and meaningful. Let me know which on in your answer/comment
1 for following this blog. (Only if you want to though. Don’t be bullied by me to join)

And finally, I’ll give 1 entry for being a member of Frost Cemetary. You know who you are. Just leave me your forum name.

That about wraps it up. I'll select a winner on Friday, April 16th using the Randomizer. Good luck and Happy Reading!!

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

2010-04-03T09:15:00.000-07:00

Three little letters...W-O-W! That's what I have to say about this book. Wow! This is a powerful book. I've loved every moment, every word, every letter. This a powerful book with no true happy ending nor sad ending. It's the story of several woman in 1960's Jackson, Mississippi. Told mostly by the colored help but also by one lone white woman who feels the winds of change coming; or at least hopes they are coming.

The characters in this book are so strongly written that they stay with you when you aren't in the pages of the book. I found myself during the day when not able to read wondering if Mini was going to be alright or if Ms. Skeeter would ever find happiness or acceptance for being herself. I worried for each of the characters. Feared for them. Cried for them. Even laughed with them.

There are always books that stick with you but this one has been written so well that you can almost smell the cotton in the fields and the chemical hair dye at the salon. Katheyn Stockett has a wonderful understanding of how to make words bring people to life. I was transported from my reading spot to right smack dab in the middle of Jackson Mississippi in 1962. It's truly amazing. The dialog is written so that you can feel the vernacular just roll off you tongue. At times, I found myself struggling not to talk out load with a southern twang. The accents, the descriptions, the emotions, and overall power of the 1960s changing South are so well written you can't help but be there in the moment.

This is easily not only one of the best books I've read all year but of all times. For a first novel, Kathryn Stockett came out of the gate leading the pack. I look forward to watching for her talents to produce some amazing work in the future.

The Shack by William P. Young

2010-03-22T19:25:00.000-07:00

As usual, I'm behind everyone else reading this book. There might be someone out there who hasn't read this so I'll give my take on it... just in case. I am a lover of my different genres and I am quite found of Christian Fiction when it is not really preachy or when it doesn't involve an Amish love story. (I really don't get why many Christian writers feel the need to toss in a token Amish girl but that is a different topic all together). The Shack started out with quite a bit of potential. A story of a man and his family after the abduction and murder of his youngest child. Great start. He then receives a note from "Papa" (his wife's nick name for God) telling him to meet him at the Shack where his murdered child's bloodied clothes were found . Long story short, he struggles with the decision and goes to find out who is at the Shack: the murderer or God whom is extremely angry at.

The story continues on with Mac, the lead here, meeting up with an african American woman, a lumber jack, and an oriental woman...all representations of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Yes, you heard that right. Without giving away too much, the weekend is spent with these three making Mac face many of his fears, false idealisms, and his misplaced anger and judgement. These are still great structures for a good story but that's all I was left feeling...a good short story. This was a short story that drug on a bit to long for what little it delivered. It had a good message but I felt it may have been watered down a little too much. Then again I am Southern Baptist and the only thing we seem to water down is the Kool Aid during Bible School.

It is a good stop-and-look-at-your-life, feel good kind of book if you don't want to look to deeply into your spiritual self. You can feel William Young's heart go into these stories that have been woven together to heal this man and his broken family. I won't say it was a total waste of time. I just didn't grow from it but sometimes that's just as well.

My To Be Read List

2010-03-14T06:24:00.000-07:00

The Following is a list of books I am planning to read. These are books I have in my possessing not just books I want to read. That list is far to long for this blog.

Everything is Illuminated by Johnathan Safran Foer
The Help: A Novel by Kathryn Stockett
The Memory Book By Henry Loraine
Cape Refuge By Terri Blackstock
Southern Storm By Terri Blackstock
River’s Edge By Terri Blackstock
Breaker’s Reef By Terri Blackstock
Land of a Hundred Wonders by Lesley Kagen
First Drop of Crimson By Jeaniene Frost
Notes from a spinning planet Ireland By Melody Carlson
Roads By Larry McMurtry
Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane
The Spark By Chris Downie
The Almost True Story of Ryan Fisher by Rob Stennett
Bride Most Begrudging By Deeanne Gist
Primitive by Mark Nykanen
Booth’s Sister By Jane Singer
You Can’t Stop Me by Matthew Clemens
My Name is Russell Fink by Michael Snyder
Daring Chloe (Getaway Girls Novel) By Laura Jensen Walker
More Blood , More Sweat by Tom Reynolds
Talk of the Town by Lisa Wingate
Edgar Allan Poe’s Complete Poetical Works by Edgar Allen Poe 1809-1849
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Crossroads Café by Deborah Smith
Dark Pursuits by Brandilyn Collins
Exposure: A Novel by Brandilyn Collins
Mossy Creek by various authors
The Keeper by Sara Langan
Murder Takes the Cake by Gayle Trent
The Angel Experiment by James Patterson
My Soul to Lose by Rachel Vincent
Serial by Jack Kilborn
MetaGames by Sam Landstorm
Full Moon Rising by Keri Arthur
Vanish by Tom Pawlik
Wit’ch Fire by James Clemens
Already Dead: A Novel by Charlie Huston
Unbreakable by Sydney Somers

The Ruins by Scott Smith

2010-03-13T10:55:00.000-08:00

A perfect title. The Ruins...what can I say. I remember seeing the previews for the movie based on this book and it look extremely thrilling. I didn't see it. I don't usually see movies for at least 2 or 3 years after their release if they aren't a kids movie or an action movie since I live with a house full of teenage boys. But I saw this on the book shelve in the library and remembered how interested I was in watching the thriller. I snatched up and dug in. There's those moments in life when you lift your head and say wow! amazing. Amazing that you've found such a moving and thrilling piece of work. This was not one of those times for me. I did lift my head only to see how much time of my life I wasted on the book.

Here's the story: Four friends on vacation after college decide to venture into the jungle with a German tourist looking for his brother and a Greek looking for an excavation site at an old Mayan Ruins. They find it only to get trapped on it and attacked by a ancient plant. The locals won't let them off and you basically sit and read how they go mad and lose it...lose all of it. It had a good plot but the book fell short of explaining many things that could have made the book more believable and even more understanding.

To give the book a fair shot, I watched the movie. This is one of those moments I have to contradict myself. The movie, although graphic and completely different in characters development, was actually better than the book. I noticed that the screenplay was written by Scott Smith as well. Perhaps he saw the holes in his story and tried to fix it. Still it left much to be desired. Overall, I can't recommend this one. There is just to much left unanswered and it left me wanting a different story line. I don't know if I am just not into the Horror/Thriller genre anymore but I'll have to pass on a sequel.

The Lost Symbol by Dan Smith

2010-03-12T11:32:00.000-08:00

I've never read any of Dan Brown's books. Yes, I've seen the movies. Reluctantly at first. After all, they were full of so much controversy I shied away. I don't like debate or disagreement. That's another story though.

I decided to tackle this one. The movies were good but sometimes, if you blinked, hard to keep up with. I wanted to see if I could follow along and I'm happy to say I did. Not only could I keep up, as with any reading, I found I could even get a step ahead but not enough to ruin the storyline.

Dan Brown is a wonderful story teller. It is, of course, the third book revolving around Professor Robert Langdon and his many historical symbolic adventures. The Lost Symbol is packed with historical myths and fact leading to fiction (vice versa as well). This book is loaded with information about the Freemasons and other secret societies, historical facts, and even a few mystical ones. Brown lays out a very intense storyline and even the twists and turns you see coming do not turn out the way you would have thought. The start could be a bit slow to some but it was good transition for me to go from one book to another - especially in a different genre. The characters are well developed and flawed. This is my favorite kind of character...especially in a hero. There were some nail biting moments and even one (without giving to much away) that caused me to put it down and walk away. Thankfully I returned and the twist was very much worth the agony.

I think I'll have to add his previous books to my TBR list. It was a pleasant and engaging change from some others I've flipped through. Overall, its a multi thumbs up!

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

2010-02-12T11:17:00.000-08:00

"When there’s an elephant in the room introduce him" That's how Randy Pausch starts his Last Lecture. The elephant in the room that day was his Cancerous tumors. Randy Pausch, a professor of computer science and human-computer interaction and design at Carnegie Mellon University, remained as he put it a "Tigger" through his battle with Cancer. In The Last Lecture, he details how to achieve your childhood dreams. The book isn't about him dying of Cancer but rather about him living the life he wanted; his childhood dreams.

"We can’t change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand. If I’m not as depressed as you think I should be, I’m sorry to disappoint you" Pausch didn't take a moment for granted. He enjoyed every moment he could. He used the opportunity to participate in The Last Lecture series at CMU to not only tell the audience how to acheive their childhood dreams but as he put it pull a head fake and tell his children.

The Last Lecture is not only an inspiring story told by a man fighting Cancer but an inspiring story of a man living. In the book, he gives practical and positive advice for living the life you want. I loved every moment of this book. Many times people will say a book has touched them and even changed their lives. I can honestly say this is one of those books. "Decide if you’re a Tigger or an Eyeore. I’m a Tigger" Pausch says. After reading The Last Lecture I'm working really hard to be a Tigger. Hopefully, after you read it, you'll be a Tigger too.

And in case you want to check out the lecture itself here it is:

Change of Direction

2010-02-02T21:11:00.000-08:00

Today I took books back to the campus library unread. Yes, you heard
me. Unread! They weren't even research materials. I've found that my
tastes,while always eclectic, have changed. Thank God! I have become
bored with candy for the brain. Don't get me wrong. There's nothing
wrong with some mindless fiction. I had just became trapped in the
paranormal world and need to get out or get exercised.

However, I do have some good material to read. Just need to find the
time to do so. I am enjoying a quick read I picked up on the advice
from Madame X. "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow.
It might be a quick read but sounds intense. I'll keep you posted.

That's it for now. I'm trying out posting via email (via iPhone).
We'll see how it goes! Happy Reading!

Sent from my iPhone

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

2010-01-24T16:02:00.000-08:00

I finally finished On Writing by Stephen King; not because it's a long or hard read. I've once again buried myself with everything.

However, This is a great book for both the avid fan as well as aspiring writers. King gives a brief glimpse into his background and the road to becoming the writer he is today. He has a "pull no punches" approach to telling about his life, from his childhood being raised by a single mom to his battle with alcohol through to his recovery after his near death accident.

King also gives some great practical and realistic writing advice that really tops the chart of 'On Common sense'. Overall, this was a great read. One of the few books I've highlighted & underlined. It's a keeper that will be going on my resource shelf. I highly recommend this one.

Favorite Line: "I did it for the pure joy of the thing. And if you can do it for joy, you can do it forever." -Stephen King, On Writing

Blackstock Book Give-Away

2010-01-17T10:45:00.000-08:00

Terri Blackstock is offering the first two books of her Cape Refuge series FREE! Yes, I said free. Starting today through the next 2 weeks you can download Cape Refuge and Southern Storm from Amazon's Kindle Store. If you haven't read any of her work, this is a great opportunity to sample it. She's an excellent mystery writer (one of my favorites).

This is great if you got a Kindle for Christmas. There's nothing like a free book. Don't have a Kinde? No problem. Amazon recently released Kindle for PC, a free download for your computer as well as the Blackberry and iPhone. Here's links to all those:

Kindle for PC

Kindle for MAC

Kindle for iPhone

Kindle for Blackberry

Book Contest First Drop of Crimson

2010-01-13T18:31:00.000-08:00

Here's a great contest for an ARC of First Drop of Crimson by Jeaniene Frost. This is the first book from the Night Huntress World...an extended world of Cat and Bones.

Literary Escapism has the best contest going on there. Follow the link for your chance to get this great Advance Readers Copy. Plus check out her site. She does an amazing job at interviewing authors, reviewing great and not so great Urban Fantasy books, and she always has something great going on.

Best of luck!

About FDOC (taken from Amazon):

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Night Huntress series comes a breathtaking new journey to the dark side of desire.

The night is not safe for mortals. Denise MacGregor knows all too well what lurks in the shadows—her best friend is half-vampire Cat Crawfield—and she has already lost more than the average human could bear. But her family's past is wrapped in secrets and shrouded in darkness—and a demon shapeshifter has marked Denise as prey. Now her survival depends on an immortal who lusts for a taste of her.

He is Spade, a powerful, mysterious vampire who has walked the earth for centuries and is now duty-bound to protect this endangered, alluring human—even if it means destroying his own kind. Denise may arouse his deepest hungers, but Spade knows he must fight his urge to have her as they face the nightmare together . . .

Because once the first crimson drop falls, they will both be lost.

About the Author

Jeaniene Frost lives with her husband and their very spoiled dog in Florida. Although not a vampire herself, she confesses to having pale skin, wearing a lot of black, and sleeping in late whenever possible. And while she can't see ghosts, she loves to walk through old cemeteries. Jeaniene also loves poetry and animals, but fears children and hates to cook. She is currently at work on the next novel in her bestselling Night Huntress series.

Check out the other great books in the Night Huntress series at FrostFans.com. I'll give my take on the books soon. FYI: AWESOME Urban/Paranormal Romance.

2010 Let the reading begin!

2010-01-05T08:02:00.000-08:00

I use an online bookshelf to keep track of things I read (that's it over there on the right--->>). I stumbled acrossed it last year and fell in love with it. aNobii.com A quick rundown: You enter the books you've read, you are reading, you want to read, and even review books. You can check out other peoples shelves, read their reviews, and even see your compatability. My favorite feature is the Groups. Groups are based on your interests. Its fun. One I belong to is a 50 Book Challenge. Some people do more. Some do less. Either way its a fun way to keep yourself accountable.

One of the members has added a twist to their challenge. They're going to blog each of their books. I thought this was a wonderful idea. I'll give it a go here. It'll help me come up with content for this blog. Plus it'll combine my two great loves: reading and writing. I always look for excuses to combine the two.

Looking back at 2009, (at least since I joined the site sometime in late spring, early summer), I've read 34 books (not counting text books) equalling 13,525 pages. Probably not alot for most but I impressed myself. Especially in the short time I recorded my reading list not to mention the countless pages of text material I covered last year.

Looking ahead to this year, I set my goal for the 50 books. I hope to pass ithat. No. I know I will pass that. More importantly, I have set a goal to read more variety. This past year I allowed myself to get caught up in the Paranormal Romance genre (aka vampire love stories). I'm not big on romance. I suppose when they threw in a few gory fight scenes they hooked me. So for 2010, I'll branch out.

At the moment, I'm reading On Writing by Stephen King (love this one) and The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr (this one I'll reread forever). I'm attempting my first audiobook with Dan Brown's The Symbol. I've never made it through one because the narrator's irk me. I'm going to look past that or at least attempt to. I spend a good half hour in the car one way Monday through Friday. I should put that time to good use.

That's my plan. At least my reading plan. I've been writing as much as reading. A writer friend and professor here where I work gave me some great advice last year. Just do it. Don't think. Just write. So far this year, its working. But that's a story for the other blog.

Happy New Year and Happy Reading!

MERRY CHRISTMAS READERS!

2009-12-24T23:59:00.000-08:00

Jesus Reason for the Season Animations provided by MySpaceAnimations.com

I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a blessed Holiday. Below is story written by Laura Jeanne Allen that has stuck with me for many years. It touched me and I still use the saying to this day. I hope you enjoy it and it touches your life. Please appreciate your loved ones not only today but through out the year.

May God bless you and yours!

Best wishes!

Christmas Light Animations provided by MySpaceAnimations.com
SHMILY

Written by Laura Jeanne Allen

My Grandfather and Grandmother were married for over half a century, and played their own special game from the time they had met each other. The goal of their game was to write the word "shmily" in a surprise place for the other to find. They took turns leaving "shmily" around the house, and as soon as one of them discovered it, it was their turn to hide it once more.

They dragged "shmily" with their fingers through the sugar and flour containers to await whoever was preparing the next meal. They smeared it in the dew on the windows overlooking the patio where they always had warm, homemade pudding with blue food coloring.

"Shmily" was written in the steam left on the mirror after a hot shower, where it would reappear bath after bath. At one point, my Grandmother even unrolled an entire roll of toilet paper to leave "shmily" on the very last sheet.

There was no end to the places "shmily" would pop up. Little notes with "shmily" scribbled hurriedly
were found on dashboards and car seats, or taped to steering wheels. The notes were stuffed inside shoes and left under pillows. "Shmily" was written in the dust upon the mantel and traced in the ashes of the fireplace. This mysterious word was as much a part of their house as the furniture.

It took me a long time before I was able to fully appreciate my grandparents' game. Skepticism had kept some of them from believing in true love-one that is pure and enduring. However, I never doubted my grandparents' relationship. They had love down pat. It was more than their flirtatious little games; it was a way of life. Their relationship was based on a devotion and passionate affection which not everyone is lucky to experience.

Grandma and Grandpa held hands every chance they could. They stole kisses as they bumped into each other in their tiny kitchen. They finished each other's sentences and shared the daily crossword puzzle and word jumble.

My Grandmother whispered to one of her friends about how cute my Grandfather was, how handsome and old he had grown to be. She claimed that she really knew "how to pick 'em."

Before every meal they bowed their heads and gave thanks, marveling at their blessings: a wonderful family, good fortune, and each other.

But there was a dark cloud in the couples' life: my Grandmother had breast cancer. The disease had first appeared ten years earlier. As always, my Grandfather was with her every step of the way.

He comforted her in their yellow room, painted that way so that she could always be surrounded by sunshine, even when she was too sick to go outside.

Now the cancer was again attacking her body. With the help of a cane and my Grandfather's steady hand, they went to church every morning. But my Grandmother grew steadily weaker until, finally, she could not leave the house anymore. For a while, my Grandfather would go to church alone, praying to God to watch over my Grandmother.

Then one day, what everyone dreaded finally happened. My Grandmother was gone.

"Shmily." It was scrawled in yellow on the pink ribbons of my Grandmother's funeral bouquet. As the crowd thinned and the last mourners turned to leave, my aunts, uncles, cousins and other family members came forward and gathered around Grandma one last time. My Grandfather stepped up to my Grandmother's casket and, taking a shaky breath, he began to sing to her. Through his tears and grief, the song came, a deep and throaty lullaby.

Shaking with my own sorrow, I will never forget that moment. I knew that, although I couldn't begin to fathom the depth of their love, I had been privileged to witness its unmatched beauty.

S-h-m-i-l-y:

See How Much I Love You.

2010 TBR (to be read list)

2009-12-24T06:22:00.000-08:00

As with this time every year, I find myself not only reflecting on the year that is passing but also focusing on the up coming year. This year was my reading revival year. Loving to read is one thing but dedicating and finding time to read hasn't always been a priority. This year I made time to read, even if only for a few minutes (which usually turned into a few hours) at bedtime. With the coming year I want to continue to find the time or rather make the time to read for pleasure and personal growth. With one year left on my degree I'll be focusing quite a bit on required reading in the fun and fascinating fields of Science and Math (never put of your least favorite subjects til the end...it will come back and bite you). However, I plan to squeeze in some leisure reading (as well as writing). With that in mind here's a small list of what I've planned for the very first month of 2010.

"On Writing" by Stephen King

Technically I've already started this one. So far its great. Fascinating even. I love to learn how people get where they are. King lays it out there and doesn't bother to pretty it up. Which I respect and prefer in autobiographies/how to books.

Since the holidays are in full swing, I more than likely will not get this one finished before the New Year.

The Cape Refuge Series By Terri Blackstock

This is one of her earlier series but after reading the Restorations series, I can't wait to dive into this one. Terri Blackstock writes beautiful real life characters. Blackstock left the mainstream romance genre and dug her feet into the Christian fiction genre and thank God she did because her books leave you laughing, crying, and thinking. Her books aren't all about the sunshine and roses and I have yet to find an Amish settlement in her books. (Just a thing I have about Christian fiction, seems to have to involve an Amish settlement in someway). There's murder, theivery, deception, love, and a whole lot of the characters digging deep inside themselves in very realistic struggles. Terri Blackstock definately has a grasp on being a Christian in modern society.

Queen of Babble by Meg Cabot

Well actually I've already read the Queen of Babble but I indend on reading the second and third books: Queen of Babble in the City and Queen of Babble gets Hitched. These are some seriously light hearted reading. But I love them. I love Cabot's writing because its quick, light, and lets you get lost in a whole bunch of fun and zanniness that I think we as adults forget to have from time to time.

Cabot is best known for her Princess Diaries series.

There's a few others such as:

The Elements of Styl By Willaim Strunk Jr.
The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
First Drop of Crimson by Jeaniene Frost
Hey Yeah Righ Get A Life by Helen Simpson
Vanish by Tom Pawlik
Already Dead: A Novel by Charlie Huston
Unbreakable by Sydney Somers
The Keeper by Sara Langan
The Mammoth Book of Irish Romance by Tricia Telep

There's at least a good start to the New Year. If it weren't for the whole having to eat, sleep, work, and interact with the real world I could get a pretty good dent in those books. Something I've learned this year after staying up half the night multiple times just dying to get to the end of a good book, is that some books are like a good wine or a warm soup on a very cold day, its better to take your time and savor the good stuff. With that in mind, I am not setting a numeric goal for 2010 but rather a quality goal. I want to read good things and those that are bad I want to finish and figure out what made them bad. Best of luck in the coming year and happy reading!

Sookie Stackhouse Series by Charlaine Harris

2009-12-05T08:38:00.000-08:00

Continuing with the Paranormal Romance Genre (as well as the Series Theme), the next series is the oober-hyped Sookie Stackhouse Series by Charlaine Harris. First let me address one issue. As with the Twilight world many people compare the literary works and the visual media with one another. This is impossible to do fairly. No one can visualize exactly what we see in our mind’s eye; therefore, for the avid reader there is no director, producer or script writer that can satisfy our territorial sense of the original work. Because of that, I try very hard to separate the two as individual works and not compare them. That being said, True Blood, the HBO series based on the series is good for its medium, but please don’t base the books on the show. They are similar but there are many, many difference in the two.

Now that I have that out of my system, let me say I was hesitant at first when I read Book 1: Dead Until Dark. I realized it was from all the hype of the television series. Plus I had just finished a very addictive series. I gave Book 2: Living Dead in Dallas a shot just to be fair to the series and the advice of a few people on one of the forums I frequent. I admit it, I was pleasantly surprised. It was just the withdraw that comes from finishing one series and jumping into another.

Charlaine Harris writes with that southern humor I grew up with. The words flow easily and you can hear the twangs and drawls of the southern language as you read through the story. You become so attracted to her characters you find yourself sometimes rooting for the guy/gal you don’t thing you should. However, Harris lets you off easy by making each character both flawed and engaging so you don’t have to feel guilty for it.

The premise of the story starts with Sookie Stackhouse herself. She’s a waitress with the "gift" of being a telepath (not psychic). She’s tried her entire life not to eavesdrop on the residence of Bon Temps but she slips from time to time. This makes the town think she’s not quite right. However, everything changes in Sookie’s world when the Vampires “come out” thanks to the invention of synthetic blood called True Blood. They are marketed as having an “illness” that makes them allergic to sunlight, etc… Sookie saves the new Vamp in town and her world is never the same afterwards.

In the series of nine books, Harris introduces us to more mystical creatures including weres, shape shifters, witches, fae, some serious fang-bangers and a few others. Throughout this world, it isn’t always the supes who are the villains which makes the storyline all the more interesting. There’s a ton of humor, personal imperfections, hot scenes ((blushing)), and characters that you love one minute, hate the next, and love again. It’s a great light read and a wonderful escape from reality.

The books so far include:

Book 1: Dead Until Dark
Book 2: Living Dead in Dallas
Book 3: Club Dead
Book 4: Dead to the World (My FAVE)
Book 5: Dead as a Doornail
Book 6: Definitely Dead
Book 7: All Together Dead
Book 8: From Dead To Worse
Book 9: Dead and Gone

There’s a few short stories as well but I haven’t had the chance to touch them yet. They are as follows:

A Touch of Dead (Sookie short story collection)
Must Love Hellhounds Anthology (short story of Sookieverse)
Strange Brew Anthology
Unusual Suspects Anthology
Many Bloody Returns Anthology
My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding Anthology
Bite Anthology
Night’s Edge Anthology
Powers of Detection Anthology

For more information on these and other works by Charlaine Harris check out her official site. HERE