Classic Double Challenge...Just In The Nick Of Time

My friend Melissa started this challenge just this year and I decided I really needed to join. I chose to just read one classic and a retelling. It's a dang good thing I didn't try to do more than that because I barely managed to read the two books for it! I decided at some point this last summer to read The Scarlet Letter and the retelling, When She Woke. When She Woke took me like maybe a week to read. The Scarlet Letter took me four freaking months! Argh! Anywho, here we go.

Title The Scarlet Letter
By Nathaniel Hawthorne
Genre Classic
Pages 247
Recommended by Me

First Sentence A throng of bearded men, in sad-coloured garments and grey steeple-crowned hats, inter-mixed with women, some wearing hoods, others bareheaded, was assembled in front of a wooded edifice, the door of which was heavily timbered with oak, and studded with iron spikes.

Synopsis
Hester Pryne has been sentenced with the crime of adultery....does anyone NOT know what this one's about? Really???

Title When She Woke
By Hillary Jordan
Genre
Pages 344
Recommended by Kaye

First Sentence When she woke, she was red.


Synopsis
Hannah lives in a world where a person's crime is told by the color of their skin. She has been turned red. Her crime: abortion. Released after time in prison, Hannah must learn to live as she is. Haunted by her choices she begins a journey to discover who she truly is and what she really believes.


What it has going for it 
TSL
Um, well, it's a classic. That's something, right? Everyone and their dog and their neighbor's best friend's dog was forced had the pleasure of reading this one in high school. That has to mean it's an amazing book. I know people say there's all this symbolism and crap but really all I saw and took away from the book was... and shall here for be called "good ol' Puritan guilt". I was so freaking shocked at how guilty everyone felt! For heaven's sake! Quit living in the past, Hester, Reverend Dimmesdale! Sheesh! Your choices were made now deal with it and move on. So, yeah, I at least felt I took a little something away from the book. Let's not all walk around with are hand pressed to our chest feeling so guilty that we actually, physically make ourselves sick and die!

WSW
Sadly I read this one a good four five months ago and I don't remember every little detail. What I did enjoy about this one was Hannah's journey away from all that "good ol' Puritan guilt" to a new life with self acceptance. I also really liked that it slapped you in the face with every single thing in this world that makes people judge and called you out on it. It was eye opening, I tells ya! The world that was created in this one was very well put together and thought out. Nothing was fudged over or didn't make sense. Very important in a dystopian, am I right? Can I get an amen?! Alright it's late, I'm tired just ignore me. ;)

What's lacking
TSL
Oh boy, I'm really not sure why this one is required reading in high school. It's so ridiculously pretentious! The writing, I mean. The whole story could have been told in 25 pages...50 tops. But all that fluffy, snooty writing? So not necessary. I really despised all the characters too. Their guilt being the biggest reason. Reverend Dimmesdale was so freaking annoying! I mean, yeah, we're none of us perfect, but come on! What a pansy! I sure as hell wouldn't have fell for him. Hester would have been fine but her inner feelings about her only child being some devil spawn were awful. If guilt is making you feel that way towards your own kids, it's REALLY time to stop.

WSW
The only real complaint I had with this one was the whole lesbian thing. And not because of THAT reason. I just thought it came out of nowhere and was only thrown in to have one more thing in the story to remind us not to judge. That's fine but it didn't fit...at all.

Favorite moment
TSL
When the good Reverend FINALLY owned up and then died! Huzzah!

WSW
When Hannah finally stormed out of that "women's center". R E S P E C T find out what it means to me! You go girl!

Yea or Nay
TSC    If you weren't tied down to a chair in high school with your eyes taped open and forced to read this one, consider yourself lucky to have escaped THAT misery, and move on.
WSW  I would recommend this one. And just try not to judge anything that the author shoves in your face. I dare you!

Best And Worst Of 2012

It's that time again! I know you all are listing the best books you read this year and I wanted to join you. But I can't resist throwing in the WORST books too. So here you go!

BEST!

This retelling was spectacular! If you haven't read it, you must!

 Oh. My. Awsomeness! Please don't tell me this one just isn't your type. You HAVE to read this one. It will mess with your mind...in a good way. ;)

Beautiful! Romantic! Heat warming! Touching! (do you feel like you're reading one of "those" reviews yet?) Seriously, though. A must read. ;)

The greatest unknown, unheard of book ever! So romantic and sweet!

I LOVE this series. I loved how it ended...well, I want more actually but I'm OK with the ending.
Oh, Cassel! Sigh!

Like you didn't know this book would be on here. ;) Once again I plead with all urban fantasy lovers to read this series. Please!

In a world of overused plot line and overdone love triangles comes something refreshingly unique!

FINALLY more Odd to enjoy! And I did, I did!

This was the only book this year I just could NOT put down! I adored it! I want more! You hear me, Camille, I want more!

So startlingly real! I love this woman's books! They make you laugh and cry and fall in love...sigh!

Worst! 

(And the real reason you're reading this post)

LA LA LA, LA LA LA (That's the Smurf song, btw) The entire book fit that theme song. Can you say all over the place?!

Oh, John, my boy. Quit trying to discover yourself by writing about yourself. It's SO ANNOYING!

It sounded good, it was urban fantasy (my favorite genre) but oh how scattered and boring. Sigh!

A book about bunnies?! I expected magic or superpowers but no. Just bunnies doing bunny things. And lest you think there's some symbolism there, NO! Don't you dare try to make this book better in your mind. The author says there was no symbolism.

The author could have TRIED to disguise the fact that she ripped off She's The Man a tinsy bit better. Just sayin'.

Just thinking about this series makes my eye twitch and my hands involunteeringly pull at my hair. Stupid, stupid, stupid characters!

 Just sad and dark and depressing. Maybe that's Neverland to some people but not me!

"Oh, no she din't!"  Oh, yes I did! What a pretentiously written book.

If you're going to make a story THAT boring the least you could have done was make it surprising. But, no. Predictable, thy name is Ender's Game.

Feminist? Anti-feminist? We'll never know, we're still trying to figure out what the heck happened!

Review: Unwind

Title Unwind (Unwind 1)
By Neal Shusterman
Genre YA dystopian
Pages 335
Recommended by Book Club

First Sentence "There are places you can go, " Ariana tells him, "and a guy as smart as you has a decent chance of surviving to eighteen."

Synopsis
In the future, parents have the choice to have there children between the ages of 13 to 18 "Unwound". Conner, Risa, and Lev are on the run after their parents choose to have them Unwound.



What it has going for it
I have absolutely nothing against Neal Shusterman, the man's a genius and a damn fine story teller. I'll admit I've only read a few books by him so far but I've enjoyed each one. This one's strongest attribute is how much it makes you think. I read it for book club and, boy, did we have a fun discussion. You can't read a book like this one and not discuss. Told from mostly three point of views, I was surprised that in the end I most enjoyed Lev and was curious as to where his story would go. Conner and Risa were fine but I couldn't connect to either and I felt a little bit like I was being told what to feel for them. Not so with Lev. And, yeah, that's about all I can say in support of this one.

What's lacking
Sadly I was rather disappointed in this one. First off, it was completely unbelievable. I have a hard time buying that pro-life people would actually agree to the whole Unwind thing. I seriously doubt it. Second, I was expecting this nonstop, gripping, un-put-downable book and what I got was a rather dull "journey" book. Everything that happened didn't exactly feel like it fit together. No, instead it felt rather episodic, if that makes sense.  I really did like Lev, though, (don't ask me why, I'm not sure) and I think I might read the rest of the series just for him.

Favorite moment
Hands down how Lev steals from the pawn shop....AWESOME!

Yea or Nay?
Once again I seem to be in the minority on this one so don't take my word for it. Go ahead and give it a go.

In My Thoughts This Fine Day # 7

1 Well, despite decorating, putting up a tree...

and watching all my holiday movies I don't seem to be feeling Christmas-y. Instead of Christmas music I can't get enough of blaring this song.  Apparently it's not one of their popular songs. See? It's not just in books that I'm in the minority!

2 I've been slowly trying to get back to all you guys. There're day's I just can't muster up the energy to even read let alone blog but I'm getting better, I swear! Thanks for bearing with me. I love that I can go days or weeks without blogging and then post something and still get readers. Makes me so happy! Time wise, I've been thinking about stopping replying to all my comments. Would anyone miss them? I can't decide so please weigh in. 

3  I'm not sure why I decided AFTER getting a job to finally get Netflix but I did....I need more time, people! Yeah, sure there's lot's of TV series on there that everyone is telling me to watch but there's so many bad movies I HAVE to watch...it's a sickness, I tells ya! 

Sorry, this was one boring post. Now you know what my thoughts have been like lately...boring.  

Have a great week! 

Review: Pushing The Limits

Title Pushing The Limits (Pushing The Limits 1)
By Katie Mcgarry
Genre YA Contemporary
Pages 392
Recommended by Steph

First Sentence "My father is a control freak, I hate my stepmother, my brother is dead and my mother has...well...issues."

Synopsis
Echo used to be "normal". But coming back to school with scars all over her arms and no memory of how they got there hasn't been easy. As if that's not bad enough, she's in therapy, and so is Noah. Noah has lost his parents and gone through foster care. His brothers have been taken from him and he'll do anything to get them back, even if it means meeting with a therapist.

What it has going for it
I'm such a sucker for a romance that promises to be steamy, and with that cover you just know this one is going to be. ;) The premise behind this one immedietly drew my attention and from page one, I was sucked in. I loved LOVED the slow building of the romance. No annoying insta-love here. So refreshing, guys. This ones biggest strength is the characters. They were carefully written out with little traits that were consistent and true to them, and for a book written in two points of view, I was impressed. It was an easy read despite the issues and length.

What's lacking
Sigh! Well, despite it being easy to read I did find myself looking at how many pages I had left and wondering why the heck the book had to be THAT long. It took no time at all to figure out what happened to Echo and what the big "mystery" was. I was very invested in the romance until Noah started calling Echo "Babe". Oh my gosh! Gag! That's just a personal thing but if a guy ever calls me "babe" I'll sucker punch him! Noah just wasn't a very believable guy to me and that, and the length, sorta ruined this one for me. I didn't hate it....I just didn't love it.

Favorite moment
The Valentines dance, when Noah and Echo finally got together...alas, he ruined it by beginning to call her "babe" Ugh! 

Yea or Nay?
Remember, dear blog readers, I'm always in the minority and everyone else adores this one. So, yes, go ahead and read it if YA romance is your thing.     

Review: Shut Out

Title Shut Out
By Kody Keplinger
Genre YA contemporary
Pages 273
Recommended by Me

First Sentence there is nothing more humiliating than being topless in the backseat of your boyfriends car when someone decides to throw an egg at the windshield.

Synopsis
Tired of the feud between her high school's soccer team and football team always getting in the way of her dates with her football playing boyfriend, Lissa decides to take matters into her own hands. She convinces the girlfriends of both teams to join her in a sex strike. No sex for the boys until the feud ends but will the girls be able to stay strong when the boys start fighting back?

What it has going for it
Kody Keplinger fascinates me. She really does. Her books sound like they're going to be just awful. Not badly written but incedibly risque...they are steamy but risque isn't a word I'd use to describe them. This one had such a surprisingly good little message in it and I enjoyed that the best. But I also loved watching the neurotic Lissa learn to let go a little and grow up. Usually in Keplinger's books the endings wrap up all neat and clean and it never feels very realistic considering the issues that are in her books but this one didn't have any huge issues so the nice little happy ending was perfectly fine by me.

What's lacking
I'll admit that this one and A Midsummer's Nightmare weren't quite as delicious to me as The DUFF was but I still enjoyed them. My biggest complaint was how unrealistically perfect Cash was. Seriously? I don't think so....but I guess that's why they call it fiction.

Favorite moment
I'm going to say it. Don't judge. I LOVE the steamy kissy scenes in this book. Whew! *fans self*

Yea or Nay?
Yeah, I say give it a go.     

November Wrapup 2012

Well, despite my slump I managed a few more books this month...not by much but hey.

The Adventures Of Tilda Pinkerton by Angela Shelton
Best read aloud to children.

Forgive my Fins by Terra Lynn Childs
Finally a mermaid book that takes place underwater...if only there had been more plot.

We'll Always Have Summer (summer #3) By Jenny Han
What an ending! A love triangle done right.

Falling for Hamlet by Michelle Ray
I'll stick to the original thanks.

Favorite of the month was We'll Always Have Summer. I was so emotionally invested in the love triangle. Least favorite...Hmmm, not sure. I didn't HATE any this month. Crazy huh?

Review: Falling For Hamlet

Title Falling For Hamlet
By Michelle Ray
Genre YA Contemporary
Pages 348
Recommended by Me

First Sentence Zara leans in, looking like a schoolgirl sharing a secret.

Synopsis
A modern day re-telling of the classic play by Shakespeare.






What it has going for it
Hamlet is my favorite Shakespeare. I could write a whole review on it and why I love it so much but I won't bore you to tears, don't worry. Needless to say ever since I heard about this one I've been eyeing it nervously. See, every time I read a re-telling of a favorite book I'm usually painfully disappointed. I think if you can re-write a story with very little differences from the original and still keep the reader glued to the pages, even if they already know how it's all going to end, then you deserve a round of applause. Michelle Ray managed to keep me flipping pages late into the night several times so hats off...although.....

What's lacking
....I think the original story and what I love about it is what really kept me reading. In my opinion re-tellings shouldn't be THAT close to the original. I know it's walking a dangerous line to write a re-telling. On the one hand you risk taking too many liberties and pissing off lovers of the original, but on the other hand, you risk staying so close to the original that you make your readers wonder why they didn't just read the original again rather than your book. I am sympathetic to that dilemma so I won't be too harsh but this one just stuck to close to the original but it was in a modern day world. So some of those lines the author tried to squeeze in just sounded stupid. I also sort of had hopes that something was going to happen and it didn't. That's no fault of the authors but still.

Favorite moment
I adore when Ophelia loses it and starts prattling on to the king and queen and Horatio carriers her off. It's my favorite scene in the original and still was in this one too.

Yea or Nay?
Uh, yeah, I guess but if at all possible please just stick to the original.

Review: We'll Always Have Summer

Title We'll Always Have Summer (Summer Series 3)
By Jenny Han
Genre YA Contemporary
Pages 291
Recommended by Me

First Sentence On Wednesday nights when I was little, my mom and I would watch old musicals.

Synopsis 
Belly is all grown and going to college. She thought she knew what she wanted but some memories don't let go. Belly will have to decide once and for all what she really wants.



What it has going for it
I really don't know how to write this review and keep it spoiler free. This is one of my favorite series with a love triangle....well, let's be honest. It's the only love triangle in a book series that not only could I stand but had me emotionally invested. As much as Belly annoyed me and never really grew on me I loved the two guys in this book. Loved them not because they're perfectly dreamy but because they're flawed and real. Getting a glimpse into Conrad's head at last was a smart move on the author's part. If we hadn't gotten that glimpse I'm not sure how I would have felt. I love when you're reading a book, perfectly aware that you're being manipulated, but you just don't care. I knew how this whole series was going to end and I was afraid I'd be mad but Jenny Han handled this story perfectly and I was very satisfied. I know at some point I'll probably re-read these and that's the best compliment I can give a book.

What's lacking
Um, Belly never really grew on me  and that was frustrating. By the end of this series she's 18 almost 19 and I was sort of hoping she'd grow up more than she did. I also felt like a certain character, that shall not be named, did not get the respect from the author that they deserved. The whole thing was handled in what felt like a convenient for the author kind of way.

Favorite moment
When Conrad and Jeremiah got in a fight and the whole letter thing. Took my breath away.

Yea or Nay?
If you're longing for a love triangle done right, yes! But seriously, I would highly recommend this series.

Review: Forgive My Fins

Title Forgive My Fins ( Fins #1)
By Tera Lynn Childs
Genre YA supernatural/paranormal
Pages 293
Recommended by Me

First Sentence Water calms me.

Synopsis
Lilly's life is complicated. Going to high school in the human world when you've grown up as a mermaid is complicated. Being a princess is complicated. Having to find true love by your 18th birthday is complicated. Lilly definitely doesn't need the next door neighbor boy, Quince making things worse but why should anything be less complicated in her life?


What it has going for it
I don't remember who was talking about this but someone was saying they'd like, just once, for there to be a mermaid book where we get to actually see a world underwater. I remember thinking about all the mermaid books I've read and thinking, yeah! Where are all those books? Well, look no further. This one actually has an underwater world...and the half the book takes place there! Shocking, I know. I'm not sure how believable I found that world but I was happy it existed and we actually got to see it. Oh, and I really love the cover of this one!

What's lacking
So, the whole time I was reading this one I kept thinking, really? That's it? There really isn't much of a plot here. I find that rather sad. I like a touch more substance to my stories but, hey. Then came the epilogue. WTH?! Seriously? What was that? We just finished this weak plotted book with no real conflict and suddenly the evil cousin steps up and turns the whole thing into a bad daytime soap? Ugh! No thanks. I shan't be reading the rest of the series.

Favorite moment
Despite the weak plot, I did find Quince rather dreamy...before he got too sweet. I loved his snarkiness.

Yea or Nay?
If you want weak plot, sure.

In My Thoughts This Fine Day # 7

1 I finally got to watch Downton Abbey season 2. So here comes the gushing. First, Branson and Sybil! Eeep! Favorite part ever was when the house was putting on a show for the soldiers and Mary was singing. The way Branson was looking at Sybil....Sigh!!!! All the drama with Bates and Anna was stressful. Enough said. K, Mary didn't annoy me quite that bad this season but...and don't kill me...I just don't get the fascination with Matthew. I don't particularly like him. He's too effeminate and whiny!

2 I'm finally getting a little reading steam back but the blogging is still overwhelming me. Mostly I'm just so busy and tired all of the time that when I get home from work all I want to do is watch TV and sleep. If I try to read, I fall asleep almost instantly. It's driving me crazy, people! I don't know what to do! :(

3 Speaking of TV...I'm not overly impressed with some of the new shows. I was looking forward to a few of them and was not wowed...at all. The Arrow just can't hold my interest and Beauty and the Beast is way too detective-y for me. Anyone else disappointed in our new shows this season? Thank goodness for some old favorites!

Review: The Adventures of Tilda Pinkerton (Blog Tour)

Title The Adventures of Tilda Pinkerton (book 1: Crash Landing on Ooleeoo)
By Angela Shelton
Genre Scifi, fantasy,
Pages 272
Recommended by Teddy

First sentence Umberto Uranoscopy looked up at the stars, staring into the night.

Synopsis
Somewhere out in the Sombrero Galaxy, Tilda Pinkerton–mystical maker of mysterious, magnificent, magical hats–is being hunted by the Keeper of Darkness. Yet Tilda simply does not recall, at all, after taking a tremendous fall. No one on Ooleeoo, where Tilda crash-landed, knows she is from another planet. Only Star Jumper Randy can tell her—but he’s light years away, frantically searching for his missing love, desperate that without her, the entire galaxy soon may be lost. Even in the middle of cosmic danger, Tilda loves to create hats, for which she has a rare and uncanny knack. All who receive them sparkle, in fact—and spark their innermost talent. With a Tilda hat, people can suddenly do whatever they dream of, causing brilliant ideas to grow madly.With Gladys the toad, who thinks she’s a cat, and Frank the fish, who lives in her hat, Tilda must discover who she is and what her enemy wants from her so badly. (From Goodreads)

What it has going for it

When Teddy of Virtual Author Book Tours contacted me and invited me to participate in this book tour I decided I definitely wanted to. This book sounded unusual and crazy and just plain fun. Lucky for me it was just that. Even in my current reading slump it was easy to get lost in the wacky world of Ooleeoo. Who wouldn't want to visit a world with chocolate, strawberry and vanilla flavored grass that results in like flavored milk from the cows who eat it? I thoroughly enjoyed the sophisticated language you'll find in these pages; the "big" words. I'm not positive what age group the book is geared towards if any, but I could definitely imagine reading it out loud to preteens. I think they'd love the imaginative adventures within these pages and I'll be hanging on to this one for the day I have my own kids to read it to.

What's lacking

Sometimes the story felt slightly more like a strange dream than a coherent plot but that might have been my easily distracted mood. 

Favorite moment

The idea of that flavored grass, of course! 

Yea or Nay?

Yes, I'd say give it a go...particularly if you have kids to read it to. I think they'll like it and you'll both enjoy the experience. 

author photo: Laura Burke

About Angela Shelton:

Angela Shelton is an author, actor, blogger and public speaker. She has been writing since she was eight years old. Her first novel was adapted into the movie Tumbleweeds. Angela won a regional Emmy award for her portrayal of Safe Side Superchick in The Safe Side video series created by Baby Einstein’s Julie Clark and America’s Most Wanted’s John Walsh. After living in Los Angeles for over a decade, Angela left the big city for a one-light country town to marry her first love and fulfill her dream of writing books in a barn house.

Find out how Angela has incorporated the character of Tilda Pinkerton into an entire line of book projects, each geared towards a different age group at  www.MagicHatShop.com

My thanks to both Teddy and Angela for a copy of this book to review.

October Wrapup 2012

Oh boy. Well at least I read two books this month.  Life's been crazy busy and I've been stressed and depressed. I'm sorry to all my blogging friends. Excuse my absence around here and on your own blogs. I'm not giving up but I need a break. :( Anywho, Here's the two books I read this month.

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E Smith
Cute and fun with just a touch of depth.

Odd Apocalypse by Dean Koontz 
Weird and creepy but, oh, how I LOVE Odd.


Yep, that's it. And I liked them both. So I guess if you only manage two books in a month but you love them both then it's not too shabby. Am I right? ;)

Review: Odd Apocalypse

Title Odd Apocalypse (Odd Thomas #5)
By Dean Koontz
Pages 464
Genre Adult, Paranormal, Suspense
Recommended by Me

First sentence Near sunset of my second full day as a guest in Roseland, crossing the immense lawn between the main house and the eucalyptus grove, I halted and pivoted, warned by instinct.

Synopsis
After fleeing the small seaside town with Annamaria, Odd finds himself the unwanted guest at Roseland. An estate owned by an eccentric billionaire and inhabited by his loyal and creepy servants. But things aren't what they seem. Things in Odd's life rarely are.


What it has going for it
You have no idea how much I love Odd or how desperately long I waited for this one to come out! I'm ashamed that it took me so long to read. It has nothing to do with the quality of the book, though. Believe me, this one was just as amazing as the rest. Odd was great as his usual amusing, tenderhearted self. The plot was definitely wild this time around. I found myself equally confused and creeped out in a delightful way. I'm dying to see what happens next and what adventures Odd and Annamaira will get to next. I loved the reappearance of a dark room just because it's perfectly creepy and makes me wonder how all the books will eventually tie together. I also love that the new ghost is Alfred Hitchcock. This should be interesting indeed. I just love these books! If you haven't read them you should. They're funny and creepy and suspenseful and moving with a MC who you can't help but love.

What's lacking
Like I said, this one was a bit wild but that's not really a complaint.

Favorite moment
I can't say much without being spoilery but I loved the ending and Odd's heart wrenching choice.

Yea or Nay?
Of course. I'll recommend these books to all types of readers till the day I die.

My Guest Post On Markus Zusak!

My good friend Suey is having an awesome week over on her blog highlighting one of the greatest authors ever! She asked me to do a guest post about one of his lesser known books that happens to be my favorite.
Go on over and check it out.

Music Monday # 1

Marie over at Ramblings of a Daydreamer has a fun feature every Monday where we can share our favorite song of the week. Considering I just went and bought an iTunes gift card for myself because there was about a million songs I wanted to download, I thought I should participate. Plus since I don't do my Sunday Salon post very much anymore I miss torturing you all with a song. ;)

Anywho, the song of the week is Silent Sigh by Badly Drawn Boy. Why? Well, for one it's not a well known song and I like sharing obscure songs. I first heard this song on the movie About A Boy and I just love it so enjoy...or not...that's what I love about music; it's so subjective.

Now YOU Can Enjoy A Soccer Post # 3

Apparently Xabi Alonso reads before a game. Hmmm, sounds like a good way to warm up to me

I just love that these two taking the picture got caught in a picture themselves. ;)

Review: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight

Title The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight
By Jennifer E. Smith
Genre YA contemporary
Pages 236
Recommended by Roxy

First sentence There are so many ways it could have all turned out differently.

Synopsis
Hadley is on her way to her father's wedding. It should be the worst day of her life and things get worse when she misses her flight but things might be looking up when she meets Oliver.


***Warning! This is the shortest review I've ever written. Probably just a mood thing but there really isn't much to say about the book either.****

What it has going for it
I needed a light, fluffy, brain candy book in my current mood and this one fit the bill. That's not to say there is no depth in this book, because there is. I thought the almost screenplay style of writing was interesting. I don't think I've ever read a book in that style and I was sure it was going to bug me at first but I didn't even notice it after awhile. Hmmm, I really don't know what else to say. It wasn't mind blowingly wonderful but it was sweet and romantic and just what I needed right now. What more can I ask?

What's lacking
Really can't think of anything. It's not very memorable, I guess.

Favorite moment
I love books that take place in London. I love the description of the city. It brings back happy memories.

Yea or Nay?
If you need something light and sweet with a hint of depth, than yes.    

Blog For The Sake Of Blogging

Um, the post title says it all.  I might as well just type, "blah blah blah," post some silly picture, maybe throw in a hot soccer guy picture and call it good. ;)

See, lately I'm struggling with reading, struggling with blogging, and basically just struggling in general. Sigh! :( But I feel so horrible when I just fade away into depression and don't post. And when I'm not even managing to read I don't even have a book to review.

So here it is. My pathetic post about nothing. Did you enjoy it?

How about now?

You Lucky Duck!

And the winner of Sulan is.....Jessica from The Bluestocking Society! Congrats! You're going to love it, I know it!

Thanks to Camille for writing such an awesome book and providing one for my giveaway, and Teddy for hosting the blog tour!

September Wrapup

September freaking flew by! Am I right?! I managed to read a few more books this month but I'm still disappointed in the numbers. Ah well, here they are.

The Forever Contract by Avery Sawyer. 
Not enough depth and what's with the cover not matching the story?

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
I'm still waiting for this one to makes sense...something tell's me it isn't going to. Ever.

Sulan: Episode 1 The League by Camille Picott
Awesomeness wrapped in perfection! One of my favorites this year.

A Midsummer's Nighmare by Kody Keplinger
Loved the book. Was disappointed in the neat ending, though.

When She Woke by Hillary Jordan 
Far from perfect, but, oh, how it made you think!

Odd Hours by Dean Koontz
A reread. Absolutely perfect. I love these books and I adore Odd! (Review on Goodreads)

 Favorites of the month were Sulan and Odd Hours and A Midsummer's Nightmare. Least favorite was The Forever Contract.

I upped my reading in September by two books more than August. Think I can manage eight it October?

Bloggiesta To Do List

So, today isn't going to be a productive day for me with Bloggiesta but I'll have more time on Saturday and Sunday...hopefully.  My tiny little plans are...

1 Clean up my labels. I actually put labels on all my posts LAST time for the very first time but I have way too many, I need to clean, clean, clean!  Done! Oh my heck, blogger! Find an easier way to delete labels!
2 Go through my Goodreads TBR list and delete books I no longer think I'll be reading. There's over 600 books on it! Done! Now there's 580 something. Not a huge improvement, but still.

3 I want to learn more about this Google Reader's Next button. :)
Done! Now let's see if I actually use it.

4 Write a Review policy. Done. It looks like crap and is ridiculously unprofessional but oh well.

5 Figure out what Widget may or may not be causing my comment issues. Huzzah! I think my background was causing the commenting problem. Let me know if you're still having trouble commenting...on Twitter if the comment isn't working. ;)

6 And check out all the amazing mini challenges and see about maybe learning a thing or two.


Yeah, not very lofty goals, I  know, but I have so little time! :(

Bloggiesta is hosted by There's A Book and It's All About Books. You're welcome to join still.

In My Thoughts This Fine Day # 6

Before we get started with my incoherent thoughts don't forget to enter my giveaway for the awesome book Sulan. If you liked The Hunger Games and Divergent you'll love this one too! I did and I HATED Divergent. ;)

1 I remember a time I used to read a book I'd never heard of and, if I enjoyed it, I'd try to get my hands on anything else the author had written. Nowadays, there's so many new debut authors or just so many books to read that I don't seem to have time to read more books by a certain author...at least not right at that moment. Does that makes sense? And then, at book club the other day, we started discussing how the average reader will probably only be able to read four thousand books in their lifetime. It definitely makes me wonder why I don't pursue author's books I know I'll love more. I guess I just can't help myself when tempted with lovely books and their debut authors but it's something to consider, anyway.

2 Yeah, I'm going to talk about CAPTCHA again. Yes, it's annoying and I wish people would stop using it on their blogs etc. etc....Or do I? Now that they've added those blurry, far away pictures of numbers to the incredibly hard to read letters I've decided it's my dream to see a picture of my own address on there. Can you imagine the happiness? "Oh my heck, Buns! (cause I talk to my cat like she's a person) I do believe that's a picture of our very own house numbers on CAPTCHA! And my mom thought I'd never amount to anything!"

3 Well, I've given in, people. I started watching Downton Abbey. Now I know some of you don't even know what that is but I know there's some of you who do know and are probably got all squeally when you read that. So let me gush. I HATE Thomas, hated him instantly even before he started pissing me off every episode. I don't know if any of you like Mary but if you do you should be ashamed! ;) No, I don't care who you like and dislike but she irks me so bad. She's the oldest favorite and doesn't realize how spoiled she is and every damn problem she has she makes for herself. But, no, I'm supposed to feel sorry for her. Not likely. Good grief! It makes me mad just talking about it! Now for whom I LOVE. I'm totally in love with Bates. Laugh if you will because he's really not that good looking and kinda old but he's such a freaking sweetheart! I want one! Alright, I'll stop gushing. If you read this even though you have no idea what Downton Abbey is, Kudos. ;)