Follow Friday

Change the Plot. If you could, what book would you change the ending or a plot thread? Go ahead and do it…change it.

It would probably have to be Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. The ending just didn't do it for me. She left too much dangling without explanations. Katniss should not have ended with either boy, which, I think, would have given the story a stronger ending highlighting all the damage that the Games can do, etc. 


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Teaser Tuesdays

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!
 
From The Last Enchantments by Charles Finch


"Like all authentic snobbery-backed by public affirmation, by heritage-it was disagreeable and also cunningly pleasant, an occasional remoteness that made his friendship seem more valuable. It also made it all the stranger when he picked the person he did to fall in love with."
















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Musing Mondays

3 BOOKS THAT HAVE IMPACTED YOU

1. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
2. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
3. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

 3 BOOKS CURRENTLY ON YOUR WISHLIST

1. The Secret History of Moscow by Ekaterina Sedia 
2. Orfeo by Richard Powers
3. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt


3 BOOKS YOU’VE PURCHASED IN THE LAST 6 MONTHS
  
1. The Demonologist by Andrew Pyper
2. Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson
3. The Adventures of Arthur Conan Doyle by Russel Miller

3 BOOKS YOU CAN’T HELP BUT RECOMMEND TO OTHERS  

1. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
2. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
3. The Egyptologist by Arthur Phillips

  3 BOOKS WITH AMAZING COVERS

1. The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison
2. The Secret History of Moscow by Ekaterina Sedia 
3. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman




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Follow Friday

What was the last book that made you cry?

I think it was Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia by Marya Hornbacher. 
As someone who used to have anorexia, this book struck me pretty hard. It is an intensely emotional read.













P.S. Please don't forget to sign up for my brand new newsletter which is located right at the top of the page. It will be out once a week, featuring my exclusive stories, poetry, and even songs from my upcoming album! Don't miss out!

The Quick by Lauren Owen

London, 1892: James Norbury, a shy would-be poet newly down from Oxford, finds lodging with a charming young aristocrat. Through this new friendship, he is introduced to the drawing-rooms of high society, and finds love in an unexpected quarter. Then, suddenly, he vanishes without a trace. Unnerved, his sister, Charlotte, sets out from their crumbling country estate determined to find him. In the sinister, labyrinthine city that greets her, she uncovers a secret world at the margins populated by unforgettable characters: a female rope walker turned vigilante, a street urchin with a deadly secret, and the chilling “Doctor Knife.” But the answer to her brother’s disappearance ultimately lies within the doors of one of the country’s preeminent and mysterious institutions: The Aegolius Club, whose members include the most ambitious, and most dangerous, men in England.

I know the year is still young, but this is my favorite book of 2014 so far. It has the Gothic touches I love with some great action and mystery sequences that will make anyone excited.

What was most enjoyable for me was the way that the story was handled. There is nothing truly unique about the plot, per se, but it is the way that the plot unravels that makes it a special story. The reader is never too sure where the story is going, because it changes directions a number of times (though never losing the reader’s focus). There are so many layers of stories here that give it a saga-like quality.

There are some very frightening moments as well, which, for a lover of horror like I am, are a huge plus in any book. The ending, too, which I won’t reveal, is fantastic and makes me hope that there will, at some point, be a sequel. If you love historical Gothic fiction, this is one you HAVE to pick up.

P.S. Please don't forget to sign up for my brand new newsletter which is located right at the top of the page. It will be out once a week, featuring my exclusive stories, poetry, and even songs from my upcoming album! Don't miss out!

Musing Mondays

Musing Mondays asks you to muse about one of the following each week…
• Describe one of your reading habits.
• Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s).
• What book are you currently desperate to get your hands on? Tell us about it! 
• Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying it.
• Do you have a bookish rant? Something about books or reading (or the industry) that gets your ire up? Share it with us!
• Instead of the above questions, maybe you just want to ramble on about something else pertaining to books — let’s hear it, then!?

Last night, I finished reading The Quick by Lauren Owen. I absolutely loved it. It's probably my favorite book until now for this year. It's such an intricate book, with layers of stories that come together at the end, that it really amazed me. Truly one I recommend.








P.S. Please don't forget to sign up for my brand new newsletter which is located right at the top of the page. It will be out once a week, featuring my exclusive stories, poetry, and even songs from my upcoming album! Don't miss out!

Exit:Stage Left by Jack Coey

 

It is always hard to put together a short story collection. It is a notoriously tricky endeavor, since they all have their unique voices and viewpoints, but I think this collection did a great job of unifying all of these interesting stories into a cohesive whole.

What I think helped the most was the author’s voice. It is strong throughout the collection, so that you feel like you are in good hands as you read. All of them have their own characters’ voice, making each story unique, but the narrative is what makes the collection flow together.

All of the stories are entertaining, offering an inside look at beginning actors’ lives, but I especially enjoyed “The Audition”. There was something very real to this one that struck me as different from the others. There’s also an enhanced sense of urgency in this one that made it both funnier and more desperate than the rest.

If you are looking for an interesting collection that gives you an honest look at what being an beginning actor really means.

P.S. Please don't forget to sign up for my brand new newsletter which is located right at the top of the page. It will be out once a week, featuring my exclusive stories, poetry, and even songs from my upcoming album! Don't miss out!

Teaser Tuesdays

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!

 From The Last Enchantments by Charles Finch

"It was true that I had never felt more are home anywhere than college, and that I missed it. Oxford, specifically, was linked in my mind with a peculiar blended sense of peace and grandeur."













P.S. Please don't forget to sign up for my brand new newsletter which is located right at the top of the page. It will be out once a week, featuring my exclusive stories, poetry, and even songs from my upcoming album! Don't miss out!

Musing Mondays

Musing Mondays asks you to muse about one of the following each week…
• Describe one of your reading habits.
• Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s).
• What book are you currently desperate to get your hands on? Tell us about it! 
• Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying it.
• Do you have a bookish rant? Something about books or reading (or the industry) that gets your ire up? Share it with us!
• Instead of the above questions, maybe you just want to ramble on about something else pertaining to books — let’s hear it, then!?



I just started reading The Last Enchantments by Charles Finch. I've only read about a chapter and I've already fallen in love with the writing style. It is expressive without being meandering or overwhelming. So far, I am very much enjoying it. 









P.S. Please don't forget to sign up for my brand new newsletter which is located right at the top of the page. It will be out once a week, featuring my exclusive stories, poetry, and even songs from my upcoming album! Don't miss out!

Echoes of Balance by Cally Ryanne

 

 For Chloe Moraine, fighting wild bears– and the occasional vampire– is a better pastime than the tediousness of keeping the universe in balance. But balancing is the family business. It comes with being one of the last in the ancient line of Naimei.

So when the impending return of the Original Demons threatens global harmony, Chloe is obligated to help. Even when that means the dull-as-dirt task of following a human girl who “might be involved, maybe,” instead of the thrilling hunt she craves.

With their powerful magic and ancient Ways, Chloe’s family is unconcerned, certain they’ll quickly fix the imbalance while she’s preoccupied with human high school. But when the Ways start to fail, the threat becomes more serious, and the only person that seems to know anything is a debonair vampire with an offer to help.

If Chloe chooses to trust him, and the darker side of the supernatural he represents, she’ll betray her family and risk losing them, and herself, in the process. But if he’s right, he may just be their only chance to stop the return of the Originals and save the world.

Maybe high school won’t be so boring after all.

This is a great beginning to what promises to be a thrilling trilogy. If you think you have had enough of vampires and the supernatural, think again.

This young adult novel sets up a very interesting world, where beings called the Naimei work to balance the forces in the universe. The protagonist, Chloe, is a spunky character, with lots of attitude to love and none of the tendencies that some other YA heroines have for endless whining. But all the characters are well developed and interesting. Josef is just the right amount of cocky and mysterious, so that as you read you don’t know whether you want to slap him or snuggle up to him.

What impressed me most was the very last chapter. I won’t give anything away, of course, but let me just say it had some truly scary moments. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt frightened by a book, but this one did it!

If you are looking for a great, fresh young adult trilogy to sink your teeth into, then I highly recommend this one. 

Buy it here!

P.S. Please don't forget to sign up for my brand new newsletter which is located right at the top of the page. It will be out once a week, featuring my exclusive stories, poetry, and even songs from my upcoming album! Don't miss out!

Follow Friday

If you could read a book for the “first time” again, which book would it be? Why?

 It would probably have to be Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky. It is my favorite book and I would love to re-experience it. The great thing about a book as complex as that one, though, is that every time I reread it, I fin new things to love and explore.

P.S. Please don't forget to sign up for my brand new newsletter which is located right at the top of the page. It will be out once a week, featuring my exclusive stories, poetry, and even songs from my upcoming album! Don't miss out!

Teaser Tuesdays

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!
 
From The Adventures of Arthur Conan Doyle by Russell Miller

"He remains one of the few household names in English fiction, arguably the most famous character in literature after Hamlet, and one with whom the public has an extraordinarily intimate acquaintance. Everyone knows his catchphrase, 'Elementary, my dear Watson!', although few are aware is is nowhere to be found in the stories."











P.S. Please don't forget to sign up for my brand new newsletter which is located right at the top of the page. It will be out once a week, featuring my exclusive stories, poetry, and even songs from my upcoming album! Don't miss out!

Musing Mondays

Musing Mondays asks you to muse about one of the following each week…
• Describe one of your reading habits.
• Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s).
• What book are you currently desperate to get your hands on? Tell us about it! 
• Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying it.
• Do you have a bookish rant? Something about books or reading (or the industry) that gets your ire up? Share it with us!
• Instead of the above questions, maybe you just want to ramble on about something else pertaining to books — let’s hear it, then!?



A few days ago I started reading Echoes of Balance by Cally Ryanne. It is a YA fantasy book with lots of good stuff to offer: interesting world-building, a strong heroine, and even vampires that aren't boring. Although I just started it, I am really enjoying it. 







P.S. Please don't forget to sign up for my brand new newsletter which is located right at the top of the page. It will be out once a week, featuring my exclusive stories, poetry, and even songs from my upcoming album! Don't miss out!