tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27490902035621332852024-02-19T07:55:48.308-08:00The Bounty Of My BookshelvesAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296377004250796661noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2749090203562133285.post-60689566347327763172013-04-10T19:05:00.000-07:002013-04-10T19:05:02.082-07:00Book Two of The Mara Dyer Trilogy
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm always asked how I can possibly read as much as I do and the
answer is simple: Because I love to read, I make time for it. It’s not easy
because I am busy, really, really, busy but I make it work. I always bring a
book with me wherever I go. I know some people can't read in public or
in a car or on the train but that’s not me; the minute I start reading I shut
everything out and before you know it, I’ve read a couple chapters while
waiting for the doctor or on my ride into school. And, I usually always read a few
chapters before I go to sleep at night. Sure, sometimes a couple of chapters
turns into 20 and I’m exhausted the next day but it’s worth it for me. And, if I have a free day or a few hours I’ll spend it reading(usually with some booze in my hand), Bliss. And here’s the other thing, it’s not about
skimming the books. I’m not rushing through the novels just so I can add to my
ever-growing “Read” pile. What would be the point of that? I read because I
want to. Don’t get me wrong though there are some books that I read more quickly than others but usually that’s because the book is just that good. And then there are other books, like the one I’m reading right
now, that take me for-ev-er because they're sooooo boring. But I just
keep chugging along because unless a book is god awful, and I mean really,
really god awful, I have to finish it. Oh! And here’s the other thing, if you’re
skeptical about how many books I read, just take a minute and let it sink in
that I’m probably a better reader than you are.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #666666;">So, I just finished </span><i><span style="color: #990000;">The Evolution of Mara Dyer</span></i><span style="color: #666666;"> by Michelle Hodkin and man alive, things are just getting better and
better with this trilogy. The first book, </span><i><span style="color: #990000;">The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer</span></i><span style="color: #666666;"> started
off with Mara, not her real name, moving down south with her family following a
horrible accident. An accident she was able to survive but killed everyone else involved. Even though strange events begin unfolding around her, like
seeing her dead ex-boyfriend around school, imagining people dying and then
having them really die, she stills manages to meet Noah. Ahhhh Noah, the extremely
handsome, extremely rich, extremely sweet English boy who walks through life
batting away all the shallow, popular girls who fawn over him. This book falls
into all sorts of genres: paranormal, love, horror, mystery/suspense. Something
for everyone.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2LH04C6t9kVHI3rv16pH4YdlyWWBQQQmVYylIrqAypjzAi0mI7BLdULKXrvJDMcDdt5dkoDggEIZpniPbSqVuJqYVj98RhknzNF_sV4aVxvdN5hZepBkMbOBnjbv-vPLYblm42MOoyLxv/s1600/12950372.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2LH04C6t9kVHI3rv16pH4YdlyWWBQQQmVYylIrqAypjzAi0mI7BLdULKXrvJDMcDdt5dkoDggEIZpniPbSqVuJqYVj98RhknzNF_sV4aVxvdN5hZepBkMbOBnjbv-vPLYblm42MOoyLxv/s1600/12950372.jpg" height="320" width="209" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #666666;">Like I said, </span><i><span style="color: #990000;">Evolution</span></i><span style="color: #666666;"> was even better.
Everything about this book was so subtle but absolutely terrifying! Mara is
finding out more about who she is, and what she’s capable of, I’m still in love
with Noah (pretty sure he’s one of my top ten book boyfriends), and shit just
keeps getting crazier and crazier. I was about three fourths of the way through
reading it in bed one night, minding my own business, thinking that I would just
read a chapter or two. Psshhh, um yeah,
we all know how that turns out. One chapter turns into the rest of the bloody
book. It was just so good! In those last pages I went into shock, I cried, I was
talking out loud, honestly, it was insane! And I hate that I don’t know anyone who's read it because all I wanted to do when I finished was talk to someone
about it! My poor husband had to listen to me babble nonsensically about this
poor girl and whether or not all these crazy events are really happening to her or if
she’s losing her mind like everyone else assumes. The author does a great job
of leaving that determination up to you. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So, if you’re looking for an intriguing and horrifying
summer read that you cannot put down this is it!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And onto the next, I’m currently reading <s>trudging</s>
through The Sexual History of London: From Roman Londinium to the Swinging
City---Lust, Vice, and Desire Across the Ages by Catharine Arnold.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296377004250796661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2749090203562133285.post-48102384041378595082013-04-04T08:19:00.001-07:002013-04-04T08:19:23.678-07:00Don't Judge Me<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So I’m waiting
on some really big news, hopefully good news, and the wait is stressing me out.
When I get stressed out I read because books offer a welcome escape (kind of like booze but people don't judge you for it when you're indulging in the morning or in public). Reading provides a portal into another world, allowing me, for that period
time, to forget about whatever is freaking me the fuck out. I've done it since
I was a kid. Anytime I did something stupid, or more often when my mom was
being simply being unreasonable (obviously), and was yelled at, I would run to my room, grab
a book, and poof! Problems-be-gone. Point of the story? I’ve read a lot this
past week. </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFH1y7Htg3dg7-XuaTC3Fm2gmtaTRvAQxR00Pwmbr5ToaiRwMCHZ6766gfWOhccDQ4H8fU-HOHOi3VpqhkjY1vXi5FfYqv4M5j8bdLuS4gF5dUhpEG3v-lvWJ0Qrhf-ghtpLPRXeBeaG9S/s1600/clockwork.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFH1y7Htg3dg7-XuaTC3Fm2gmtaTRvAQxR00Pwmbr5ToaiRwMCHZ6766gfWOhccDQ4H8fU-HOHOi3VpqhkjY1vXi5FfYqv4M5j8bdLuS4gF5dUhpEG3v-lvWJ0Qrhf-ghtpLPRXeBeaG9S/s1600/clockwork.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I finished up</span>
<b style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="color: #990000;"><i>Clockwork Angel</i></span></b> <span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">by Cassandra Clare last week and I really, really enjoyed it.
Let me start this off by explaining that this is not normally my type of book. Well,
maybe that’s not necessarily true anymore because I feel like in the past 5
years I’ve really started to let in the paranormal/ya/fantasy genres. I don’t
know if this is because I’ve grown into these types of books or if it’s because
these books have become increasingly popular. Either way it’s working for me. I
should say that if I had gone to a bookstore I wouldn’t have picked out the
book because the cover doesn't appeal to me nor does the description sound
particularly interesting to me. Nonetheless, all the book blogs I’ve been
reading were talking about it and I hate being left out, especially when
it comes to books. Long story short, I read and loved it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The basic
premise: Our heroine Tessa’s aunt has just died and she is leaving New York
for London where her brother is waiting for her to start their lives together.
Unfortunately, when she arrives her brother is nowhere to be found and she gets
sucked into a world she never knew existed, the Downworld. Set in Victorian
times, the Downworld is full of all sorts of our favorite characters: vampires,
werewolves, demons, and ghosts. You name it they exist and will play a part in
the book, although not a main part because Clare introduces us to the
Shadowhunters. The Shadowhunters are half-human and half-angel creatures meant
to protect the mundanes (that’s us!) from all the evil creatures of the
Downworld who wish them harm (aka sacrifices and other creepy shit). There’s also the beginning of a love triangle,
which is always welcomed. I also liked the characters. Normally the female leads in YA books are super naïve and annoying but she seemed like a stronger role
model (not Katniss “I volunteer” strong, but still) and Jem was sweet and
reliable. Will though, Will was my favorite. Not a lot is revealed about his
life before joining the ranks of the Shadowhunters and I’m really intrigued to see how is character evolves.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But like I said,
this description wouldn’t normally pull me into a book but I really couldn’t
put it down! And, while normally I hate reading a series all at once, because I like
to make the series last, that wasn't the case with this series. I seriously ran out to get the next one as soon as I finished it and, wouldn’t you know it, the bloody store didn’t have it! The one freaking time
I want to read the next book in a series . . . <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And onto the
next . . . I just finished reading The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin. </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296377004250796661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2749090203562133285.post-66618673482451463112013-03-27T17:15:00.001-07:002013-03-27T17:15:08.837-07:00Fall Book Roundup
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="color: #666666;">I absolutely hate when random people ask you
what you’re reading and you’re reading book candy. It never happens when you’re
reading War and Peace or some other classic. And it’s not like the book is
garbage, on the contrary, the book is actually pretty amazing and you’re
enthralled by it. Instead, it just has some crazy title like “Clockwork Angel”,
is full of fantasy creatures (yes, vampires. There are always vampires.), and
the cover page makes you look like the type of person who collects unicorn and
fairy figurines. So just like you usually you do when someone asks what you’re
reading, you show them the cover and you see their eyes get all judgey and
haughty. It makes me crazy! I want to be like “I read close to a hundred books
a year asshole, they can’t all be literary masterpieces so shut the hell up and
keep the judgment to yourself.” And this is especially true when you know, just
know, that these people don’t read themselves. Mother truckers.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="color: #666666;">Okay,
back to what I have been reading lately. I know I’ve been gone awhile. It’s
just that I started this new master of laws program and it’s like law school
all over again, a freaking time suck. And I know I say it every time but here’s
the thing people: law school is bloody hard work because it literally takes
over your life and the time you spend doing other things like showering or
eating is really just time that you spend feeling guilty that you’re not doing
more work in school or studying harder. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="color: #666666;">Even
still because I can’t stand to take too long of a hiatus from books, I have
found some time to read (hooray for the metro!). While I don’t have the time to
go through all of the books I’ve read recently, I mean it has been around 6
months since my last post, I am going to give you the highlights on what to
read and what to skip because let’s be honest that’s all you need to know
anyways.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDwzT1RkQoN0zmR7NQpFoDI5CtFfq6nReH8lMYjKv7qBGPCcaNLTwQqWmsnWBr7VEu_xwX-Kg9HmV86EW_FGITLGbwz_qn8p12RIhGk3DRXTRiYzJ9wARzWaOPI4n-81Eut5MAJ7odmYjP/s1600/kevin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDwzT1RkQoN0zmR7NQpFoDI5CtFfq6nReH8lMYjKv7qBGPCcaNLTwQqWmsnWBr7VEu_xwX-Kg9HmV86EW_FGITLGbwz_qn8p12RIhGk3DRXTRiYzJ9wARzWaOPI4n-81Eut5MAJ7odmYjP/s1600/kevin.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">We
Need To Talk About Kevin</span></i></b><span style="color: #666666;"> by Lionel Shriver: <b>Must-Read</b>. A book told from the
point of view of a mother whose son committed mass murder at his high school.
This book was as thought provoking as it was heartbreaking. I was left thinking
about it long after I finished reading it. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCVKjJHM8dHq2uViudSI9s1mzJQSr3fM2zF8KU6i6rmmu725jACD831vVNpHrw75a3Z1aqh3Z4ezaJwW7jTLgTfyHDj57kep-7ma4wjw5kwo8jWEaUk6ElQDYpzBjg2zIYOj7fJJm12tW9/s1600/casualvacancy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCVKjJHM8dHq2uViudSI9s1mzJQSr3fM2zF8KU6i6rmmu725jACD831vVNpHrw75a3Z1aqh3Z4ezaJwW7jTLgTfyHDj57kep-7ma4wjw5kwo8jWEaUk6ElQDYpzBjg2zIYOj7fJJm12tW9/s1600/casualvacancy.jpg" height="320" width="207" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">The
Casual Vacancy</span></i></b><span style="color: #666666;"> by JK Rowling: </span><b style="color: #666666;">Maybe Read-It</b><span style="color: #666666;">. Rowling is an amazing storyteller there is no
doubt about that and regardless of the reviews concerning this book I was going
to read it. My only complaint was that it took me awhile to fall into the book
and it took me until the very last 100 pages to get to the point where I
couldn’t put the book down. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">The
Jane Austen Book Club</span></i></b><span style="color: #666666;"> by Karen Joy Fowler: <b>Skip-It.</b> A book about women who love
Jane Austen so much they start a book club revolving around her books. The only
reason I read this was because a reviewer said they envied those Austen virgins
who are coming to book club without having read any Austen novels. The review
mirrored my feelings towards Harry Potter virgins. Unfortunately, the book
wasn’t all that good luckily, as my next review highlights, I didn’t hold it
against Austen. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">Sense
and Sensibility</span></i></b><span style="color: #666666;"> by Jane Austen: </span><b style="color: #666666;">Read-It</b><span style="color: #666666;">. A classic that was so beautifully and
humorously written, I now consider myself an Austen fan and I cannot wait for
my next Austen novel. Confession time: I listened to part of this book on tape
and liked it more than the parts I read to myself. I think the main reason is
because some of the humor was so subtle that I missed it when I read it myself,
that, and the reader had an amazing British accent. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">If
I Stay</span></i></b><span style="color: #666666;"> by Gayle Forman: </span><b style="color: #666666;">Read-It</b><span style="color: #666666;">. A YA novel about a girl’s choice to stay in
this world or leave following a horrible car accident. This book was an easy
read that touched my heart and made me cry (so many books have been making me
bawl lately and I’m getting real sick of my husband asking why I bother reading
something that makes me so sad). Want more reasons to read it? There is a
sequel! If you’re looking for a good book that you’ll blow through quickly and
keep you interested, this is it. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">The
Book Thief</span></i></b><span style="color: #666666;"> by Markus Zusak: <b>Read-It</b>. Throughout this entire novel I was waiting
for the other shoe to drop. I was literally terrified for the future of each
and every character in the book. Let me tell you, this is not the way to go
through a novel, so stressful! That being said, this book will be a classic so
even though it will stress you the fuck out you should read it. Now. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">Outlander</span></i></b><span style="color: #666666;">
by Diana Gabaldon: </span><b style="color: #666666;">Must-Read</b><span style="color: #666666;">. This is the first book in a series of seven (?)
and I’m hooked! I have found my new series! A fellow bookworm recommended this
to me a couple of years ago and from her description I could tell she adored
the series. It’s recommendations like those that lead me to seek out a book. If
it can capture one reader’s heart I want to let it capture mine. The story
follows Claire, a combat nurse during WWII, who is vacationing in the Scottish
Highlands with her husband following the end of the war. After discovering a
mysterious rock formation, think Stonehenge, she is transported back to 1743.
Don’t let the time traveling throw you off, this book is less about the
scientific logistics of the time and space and continuum and more about the
love story of Claire and Jamie and what a story it is!! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="color: #666666;">So
I would say my book picking skills are pretty good. I mean 6 out of the 7 books
I read are good enough for me to recommend to you. Jeez, I’m amazing! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="color: #666666;">And
onto the next . . . I am currently reading </span><i><b><span style="color: #990000;">Clockwork Angel</span></b></i><span style="color: #666666;"> by Cassandra
Clare. </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296377004250796661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2749090203562133285.post-41464035639043890592012-11-27T07:41:00.001-08:002012-11-27T07:43:14.291-08:00A Closer Look at the Curse of Camelot<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #999999;">Holy Smokes it has been a long time since I’ve blogged; to be fair though I haven’t read all that many books anyways (Damn you, law school!). Life has been crazy rushed and hectic since the last time I posted. We have finally moved and are living happily in the City of Magnificent Distances (that’s DC for all you folks who don’t get caught up in cities’ nicknames). Our neighborhood is ridiculously adorable, cozy restaurants, strung lights glittering the streets, and, best of all, a brand new library(!) all minutes from my door. And, the history in this area!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Naturally, the history lover in me is freaking out with all there is to see. I’m seriously in love with living in a capital city, you know, a place where tourists actually come. I even love my morning commute (kind of) because I pass the Washington Monument, cross the Arlington Memorial Bridge, giving me a great view of the Lincoln Memorial, and all the sites around the Nation Mall area. It’s just incredible and I really believe DC could be just as beautiful as any European City, except for the bloody skyline! DC does so well with the old historic buildings and the like but it just doesn’t have the skyline of a city like Prague with all of the church spires (Fun fact: Prague’s nickname is the City of a Hundred Spires. You’re welcome).<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #999999;">As wonderful as everything has been, it has been crazy busy. School takes up half my day and then work takes up the other half. It’s kind of funny because the place I am an extern at has me in this huge office with 8 cubicles. I take up one and the others are<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>. . . empty. Yup, that’s right completely empty. I’ll randomly see people in the hall or when I get my lunch but other than that I’m kind of separated from everyone else. Well, except for one day when the other attorneys found out I existed and then they all came in to <s>say hi</s> make sure it was true. While it is nice to be left alone I kind of wish the other desks in there were full of people and in a way I guess they kind of are. See over the summer I’m pretty sure they had 8 externs because each desk look like someone is still occupying it. Notepads are open, post-it notes, drawers are full and I even found a Birthday card pinned to the wall of one. “Happy Birthday Zach! From the gang! Signed by Suzie, Robin, Debbie, John, and Roxanne!” And all I could think was that this was once a happy place; laughter lived here once. Now it’s just a sad little room occupied me and these weird ghosts desks; which I leave alone, out of respect. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #999999;">Enough chatter, let’s get to the book! I just finished <em><span style="color: #990000;">The Kennedy Curse: Why Tragedy Has Haunted America's First Family for 150 Years</span></em> by Edward Klein. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #999999;">I originally bought the book at a book fair because I have strange fascination with the Kennedy family. I decided to read it right before finals because I thought it would be a dry, historical read. You know not terribly interesting but something educational to read on the commute. Turns out I was wrong (great for Reader Brittany, bad for Studying Brittany) and the book was amazing. It focuses on the tragedies that surround the family. One part of the book notes “one Kennedy has died every two years since the 1800s”, that's staggering.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #999999;">I enjoyed how the author arranged the book, focusing on a specific family member in each section. The main “characters” were JFK (of course, but don’t get this book expecting to read a lot about the man himself; it isn’t that kind of book, the author is really focusing on why the family is so cursed), his father, Joseph Kennedy, his sister “Kick” Kennedy, Patrick Kennedy (the first Kennedy to migrate to the States, and JFK, jr. Each section details how the curse affected(or effected? I never know) them specifically and speculates on why the family has been cursed. At first, I was a little disappointed with the obviously biased writing which didn’t portray the Kennedys in the best light. However, I then realized this was necessary in order for the author to develop his theory surrounding the curse. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #999999;">Bottom Line: I give it 4 out of 5. If you’re interested in the Kennedy family read it. It’s a unique perspective on a story that has been told a hundred times and I was never bored while reading it. I hate to say it was entertaining because the subject matter revolves around death but it was, so now you know I'm a bit dark and twisty. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia;">And I'm not sure what I will be reading next because I have finals for the next three weeks (Oh Sweet Jesus!).</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296377004250796661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2749090203562133285.post-79297686469784600602012-08-10T12:10:00.000-07:002012-11-23T22:36:10.332-08:00Summer Reading <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I have been busy since my last post. In life news: The movers came out yesterday and my house is now in disaster mode. My floor is littered with packing tape, boxes, and random crap that has been hidden under beds for god knows how long. We have five more days until we hit the road and head down south. I can’t wait to start this new chapter in my life. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I picked classes this week and I’m stoked. No longer is law school going to mean studying for torts, property, and administrative law. Nope! I’m moving into a world where I can study the things that interest me: counterterrorism, intelligence law, and military law. Bloody awesome!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">And onto my summer reading list . . . I have been plowing through books this summer and I love it. What I don’t love is being so behind on my blog posts. So look at this as a sort of Mid-Summer Reading List, what you should read and what you should skip. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><strong><em>Waiter Rant: Thanks for the Tip-Confessions of a Cynical Waiter</em><span style="color: black;"> by Steve Dublanica</span></strong></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I picked this book up because the concept sounded interesting: a waiter turned blogger giving an inside look at what it’s truly like to be server under all of that fake “How are you doing tonight?” crap. Unfortunately, the author didn’t stick to that perspective. Instead, the book was saturated with the author’s sense superiority over the people he served. Seriously?! Look, I get the reasons why most people wait tables. What I don’t understand is a grown man trying to convince me (throughout an entire book!) that he’s “better than” because he’s a waiter, a job that was <em>once</em> prestigious somewhere in Europe. If the author would have just stuck to the quirky stories of restaurant fodder he would have had a better book. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Bottom Line: Skip. <span style="color: #741b47;">I give it 2 out of 5.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><strong><em>The Count of Monte Cristo</em> <span style="color: black;">by Alexandre Dumas</span></strong></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Ahhh . . . my classic for the month of June, a story of revenge and heart ache! When I first decided that I wanted to read a classic each month everyone recommended that I should read <em>The Count of Monte Cristo</em>. After listening to everyone rave about it, I spent my dollar and downloaded the book to my Kindle. Now, I’m not going to go against the grain here and say I didn’t love it, because I did. Instead I’m going to give a bit of advice: Read this when you have the time to really read it. I read this in bits and pieces, while I was commuting, a little before bed, ect . . . and the result was that I ended up so confused and had to work at keeping all of the storylines straight.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; line-height: 115%;"></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Bottom Line: Read it. <span style="color: #741b47;">I give 4 out 5. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><strong>The Touch Series:<em> Deadly Little Games</em> (Book 3) and<em> Deadly Little Voices</em> (Book 4) <span style="color: black;">by Laurie Faria Stolarz</span></strong></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I’m still loving this series, obviously. Bottom Line: Read it. <span style="color: #741b47;">I give them both 4 out of 5.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><strong><em>The Walking Dead, Compendium 1</em> (The Walking Dead #1-48) <span style="color: black;">by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn</span></strong></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">This was one was a bit out of my comfort zone. Not because of the zombies, which I both love and fear, but because the book was a graphic novel, or comic book for those of you not down with the lingo. Prior to <em>The Walking Dead,</em> I had never read a graphic novel and I was worried that it wouldn’t read like a book. After all, I’m a reader of books here, not a gazer of comic books. Luckily, it read like a novel and I was hooked! The story was so interesting and I liked that it rounded out the television show which focuses less on the characters and more on scaring shit out of you with the zombies. The only thing that sucked was that I had to lug around this ginormous book day after day on the train. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Bottom Line: Read it. <span style="color: #741b47;">I give it 5 out of 5. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong><span style="color: #cc0000;"><em>The Revenge of the Radioactive Lady</em></span><span style="color: black;"> by Elizabeth Stuckey-French</span></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I have peculiar interest in our country’s history with radiation. So when I came across this book where a woman was unknowingly injected with a radioactive cocktail in the 1950’s, I was stoked. However, the book focused more on our radioactive lady’s revenge(should have known that from the title) and her present day adventures instead of the radioactive catalyst. It was still fun to read but I just expected a little bit more of the Golden Age to be included in the book. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Bottom Line: If you want a light and humorous summer read about the growth of a group of people read it. <span style="color: #741b47;">I give it 3 out of </span><span style="color: #741b47;">5.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><strong><em>The Perks of Being a Wallflower</em> <span style="color: black;">by Stephen Chbosky</span></strong></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Well, Let me just tell you how much I loved this novel. It was short, sweet, and desperately sad in a way that leaves you thinking about it long after you finish it. Our narrator is Charlie and there is something off about him, how else do you explain writing anonymous letters about your life to a complete stranger? No matter though, because his oddities make him endearing and vulnerable. Qualities that help you care for a character.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I wish I could give you more because there's so much more to this book but I always have trouble describing the these thought provoking books that touch my heart and this is one of those books. I fell for this book and it’s now one of my favorite books. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Another reason to start reading this book right now, as if you need one, the movie is coming out soon and Emma Watson will be starring in it! Love her!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Bottom Line: Read it or weep. <span style="color: #741b47;">I give this book 5 out 5.</span> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296377004250796661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2749090203562133285.post-88067937642579321092012-06-21T09:09:00.001-07:002012-06-21T09:09:15.287-07:00The Girl Who Played With Fire<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I recently took up reading Stieg Larsson’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Millennium </i>series again and finished <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Girl Who Played with Fire</i>. I read <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Girl with the Dragon Tattoo</i> about a year ago but you all know how I am, I will drag out a series for forever to prolong its’ life. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Anyways, super busy so I’m going to keep this short and sweet. I really enjoyed Larsson’s follow up to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tattoo</i>, so much so that I went right out and got book three from the library. Never you mind that I haven’t so much as cracked the book since then. There are just so many other books to read! My co-worker lent me <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Walking Dead, Compendium One</i> and I always feel obligated to read the books that people lend me before starting any others. Not to mention <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Walking Dead</i> book is pretty bad ass! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So back to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Girl Who Played with Fire</i>. Here’s the thing, I loved that this one didn’t have all of the Swedish financial crap that the first one had in it and I loved learning more about Lisbeth Salander’s life. However, I preferred the mystery that surrounded<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Tattoo</i> so much more! The mystery in book two was just so so. Of course that didn’t stop me from devouring the bloody book every free second I had! And that’s that. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Bottom Line: If you read the first book of the series of course you should read the second. If you haven’t read the series yet, Start! Seriously, it’s worth it just for the movies and Daniel Craig. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">And onto the next . . . I recently finished <span id="btAsinTitle"><em>Waiter Rant: Thanks for the Tip - Confessions of a Cynical Waiter</em> by Steve Dublanica</span>. </span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296377004250796661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2749090203562133285.post-78673091270051911212012-06-20T08:24:00.000-07:002012-06-21T15:12:54.319-07:00The Magicians<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Last month it was my turn to host our monthly book club and let me tell you, I’m really impressed with our little book club because we’ve managed to keep this commitment with one another each month (minus one or two because of the holidays and a wedding) even though we all have crazy and hectic schedules. It just makes my heart happy. But enough with gush. In keeping with tradition, since I hosted I was allowed to choose our book. As you can imagine, I took this responsibility very, very seriously and ended up picking Lev Grossman’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Magicians</i>. I chose <em>The Magicians</em> for two reasons: 1) I wanted to lure my friends into reading a series with me that would require them to read multiple books and have many wonderful bookish discussions with me and 2) Someone once described the book to me as being a cross between Harry Potter and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Catcher in the Rye</i>, um yes! Not only are these both books that I love but it made <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Magicians</i> sound like a grown up gritty version of Harry Potter. Wonderful, right?! Apparently not, because wouldn’t you freaking </span><br />
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">know it, they hated it. No joke. Let’s delve a little deeper shall we?</span><br />
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Quentin Coldwater is brillant but miserable. He's a senior in high school, and a certifiable genius, but he's still secretly obsessed with a series of fantasy novels he read as a kid, about the adventures of five children in a magical land called Fillory. Compared to that, anything in his real life just seems gray and colorless. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Everything changes when Quentin finds himself unexpectedly admitted to a very secret, very exclusive college of magic in upstate New York, where he receives a thorough and rigorous education in the practice of modern sorcery. He also discovers all the other things people learn in college: friendship, love, sex, booze, and boredom. But something is still missing. Magic doesn't bring Quentin the happiness and adventure he though it would.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Then, after graduation, he and his friends make a stunning discovery: Fillory is real.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Da Da Daaaaa!!! So you have to admit that this sounds neat right? Reading the description it sounds like my life: Brilliant, check. Obsessed with fantasy novels, check. Feeling like graduating from law school isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, check. But then wait for it….Hogwarts is real! Could you just imagine?! I would die. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">So you can see the appeal of the book. Unfortunately, I was kind of disappointed with it. See, I was hoping this novel would pull me into another world. Show me the magical world of Fillory and what not but alas, it was not to be. For me, since Grossman failed to adequately describe the world he envisioned the entire book felt rushed and undeveloped. I was left wanting more out of the book. It kind of reminded me of <em>The Night Circus</em> in that way, you know a good novel that need to be established a bit more to be truly amazing. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">On the plus side, I loved how gritty parts of the novel were. Since we’re following college kids and graduates, there was a lack of childlike wonder that I appreciated. As a reader, I know that life isn’t all rainbows and fucking butterflies and I respect when fantasy novels embrace that. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Now onto my friends gripes, their largest one being Grossman has not one independent creative thought in his body. They all felt that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Magicians</i> followed <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Narnia Chronicles</i> too closely. I, who have not read any of the Narnia books was ignorant of any similarities so it obviously didn’t bother me but after to listening to some of the comparisons I can see where they were going. I just wonder if, since Quentin’s obsession is with the books of his childhood, if Grossman did have a similar obsession with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Narnia Chronicles</i> and this was his way of paying tribute to the books he grew up on. Then again he may have just stolen some of the ideas. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Bottom line: Read it, it was good but don’t expect to fall into the book. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">And onto the next . . . I finally decided to come back to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo</i> series and recently finished <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Girl Who Played With Fire</i>.</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296377004250796661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2749090203562133285.post-8846556683817148082012-06-19T07:37:00.003-07:002012-06-19T07:46:42.531-07:00Top Ten Books on My Summer TBR List<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: #595959; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;">Work and planning for the big move to DC have taken a toll on my blog and instead of catching up on reviewing all of the books I’ve recently read, I’m doing a Top Ten Tuesday! Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.</span><br />
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<a href="http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" height="213" rca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdWilbps_Qk1vP8c37aWEAtOchY8luYBvKBJfac7rFaXFeQI_tCs474aXgl_vDSog6h4f5qJGzyBcLYU0oE-JrFm9ji9H652LmUqHZzOtc2gbq-OHj6NJMl7Nu8KeUpHYi0wO0_hQyhjvx/s320/toptentuesday3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #595959; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;">This week the topic is: </span></div>
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<span style="color: #595959; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Top Ten Books on my Summer TBR List</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #595959; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;">1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The</span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Perks of Being a Wallflower</i></span></b><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="color: #595959; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;">by Stephen Chbosky</span></div>
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<span style="color: #595959; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;">I’m pretty sure everyone has at least heard of this book, if not read it. Well, I’ve decided to give it a go because I’m in love with Emma Watson and she’ll be in the movie adaption of the book coming out this fall. It was also one of the books in my $6.00 library book fair haul. Say “what?!”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #595959; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;">2. </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Out of My Mind</span></i></b><span style="color: #595959; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;"> by Sharon M. Draper</span></div>
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<span style="color: #595959; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;">I’m crazy excited for this book which is told from the perspective of a girl who can neither speak nor move but who’s mind is actually brilliant. Her story sounds haunting and it’s from such a unique perspective that I can’t help but be eager to start reading it. P.S. it also helps that critics and book lovers alike are raving about this novel. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #595959; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;">3. </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Let’s Pretend This Never Happened</span></i></b><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="color: #595959; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;">by Jenny Lawson</span></div>
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<span style="color: #595959; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;">The infamous Bloggess always cracks me up when I read her blog so there is no way I can pass up a book that promises to be just as funny. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #595959; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;">4. </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The Monster of Florence</span></i></b><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="color: #595959; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;">by Douglas Preston</span></div>
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<span style="color: #595959; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;">The description of the book reads: In the nonfiction tradition of John Berendt ("Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil") and Erik Larson ("The Devil in the White City") . . . Um can you say hooked?? Mentioning not one, but two of my favorite books ever is a sure fire way to get me to want to read this book. And as if that wasn’t enough my Best Friend in the whole world recommended it to me and then sent me the book. Score! Will be reading this very soon!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #595959; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;">5. </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The Sugar Queen</span></i></b><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="color: #595959; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;">by Sarah Addison Allen</span></div>
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<span style="color: #595959; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;">Another book in my library book fair haul, this book seems like it’ll be the perfect sit by the pool, easy cheesy read. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #595959; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;">6. </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Gone With the Wind</span></i></b><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="color: #595959; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;">by Margaret Mitchell</span></div>
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<span style="color: #595959; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;">I am a huge history buff and I’m especially intrigued with the American Civil War which is why it’s nuts that I haven’t read this book yet. Worry not, I’m tackling this bad boy this summer.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #595959; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;">7. </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Revenge of the Radioactive Lady</span></i></b><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="color: #595959; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;">by Elizabeth Stuckey-French</span></div>
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<span style="color: #595959; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;">Having just finished <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Count of Monte Cristo</i> I’m all about revenge this summer. Here’s a snippet of the book’s description: “Seventy-seven-year-old Marylou Ahearn is going to kill Dr. Wilson Spriggs come hell or high water. In 1953, he gave her a radioactive cocktail without her consent as part of a secret government study that had horrible consequences. “ Sounds awesome!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #595959; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;">8. </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest</span></i></b><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="color: #595959; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;">Stieg Larsson</span></div>
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<span style="color: #595959; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;">Confession time: I put off finishing a series because once I finish it that’s it. Well, it’s been a year or so since I started this series and I feel like it’s time to finish it. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #595959; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;">9. </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The Lord of the Rings Trilogy</span></i></b><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="color: #595959; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;">by J.R.R. Tolkien</span></div>
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<span style="color: #595959; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;">I fell in love with George R.R. Martin’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Game of Thrones</i> series so I’m hoping these books can transport me as well. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #595959; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;">10. </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The Wide Sargasso Sea</span></i></b><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="color: #595959; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;">by Jean Rhys</span></div>
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<span style="color: #595959; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;">I recently read <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jane Eyre</i> and adored it so when a friend mentioned there was a book which captures the story of the Rochester’s crazy wife I knew it had to be added to my TBR list. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #595959; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;">(Note: I’m also pretty pleased with myself because I actually have 6 out of 10 of these books waiting for me at home. Go Me!)</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296377004250796661noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2749090203562133285.post-30809889056139410422012-06-07T08:54:00.002-07:002012-06-07T15:58:42.967-07:00Jenny Pox: Avoid Her Like The Plague<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, serif;">Alright y’all I just finished <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jenny Pox (The Paranormals, #1</i>) by JL Bryan and it was amazeballs!</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, serif;">Goodreads description: </span><span style="font-family: '', serif, '', serif;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, serif;">Eighteen-year-old Jenny Morton has a horrific secret: her touch spreads a deadly supernatural plague, the "Jenny pox." She lives by a single rule: Never touch anyone. A lifetime of avoiding any physical contact with others has made her isolated and painfully lonely in her small rural town.</span><span style="font-family: '', serif, '', serif;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, serif;">Then she meets the one boy she can touch. Jenny feels herself falling for Seth...but if she's going to be with him, Jenny must learn to use the deadly pox inside her to confront his ruthless and manipulative girlfriend Ashleigh, who secretly wields the most dangerous power of all.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, serif;">Check this super eerie book trailer: <a href="http://www.bookish-brunette.com/jenny-pox-by-j-l-bryan-book-trailer/">http://www.bookish-brunette.com/jenny-pox-by-j-l-bryan-book-trailer/</a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, serif;">Ahhh Jenny Mittens! Who doesn’t feel for a girl who’s forced into wearing gloves year around so she doesn’t accidentally kill people? So being a book blogger myself, I like to keep up with the book blogging community and, people let me tell you: the community is talking about this bloody book! At first, I was a little skeptical about it because a lot of bloggers seem real keen on only reading paranormal romances, regardless of their literary value. Leaving me to worry that this would just be another weird, YA love story. But like I said, it seemed like every site I went on was raving about <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jenny Pox</i> so I decided to give it a try. Well that, and Amazon was and is offering the book free of charge for the Kindle. The whole free thing really helped make up my mind. </span><span style="font-family: '', serif, '', serif;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, serif;">Luckily, it turns out the book blogging community was right on point with how good this book seriously is. First off, the author doesn’t make the mistake (depending on who you ask because apparently tons of adults are oddly addicted to teen love triangles) of only focusing on the budding relationship of Seth and Jenny. There is more, much more, to the story and, since I was reading it on the Kindle, every time I thought the author was getting ready to conclude his story he would surprise me with another twist that contributed to the depth of this already super intriguing story. Not only that this book was much more adult (read: has some sexy time) than I originally expected it would be and I loved it! Trust me half way through the book you’ll be like “Oh my gooodnesss!! </span><span style="font-family: '', serif, '', serif;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, serif;">I also loved that Bryan took the paranormal aspect of the story into the horror genre, think Carrie. Parts of the book were eerie, gross, and other parts were downright scary. Bryan does not shy away from describing how powerful Jenny’s curse can be. I think the best part about it was that I wasn’t expecting the story to go in this direction and when it did I was like “Child, no you are not going to have those characters get all dark and twisty” but then he did and I loved him for it. Except when I was eating lunch, then I did not love him for it. Not one bit. </span><span style="font-family: '', serif, '', serif;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, serif;">My only criticism, and it really isn’t a big one, is that during the latter part of the story things escalated way too rapidly. You’ll see, one minute we’re talking small potatoes and then boom it’s the end of world. I guess I just would have appreciated a more gradual lead in, but again, it really wasn’t that big of a deal. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, serif;">Bottom line: Read this book! It’s part of a series (aren’t they all now?) and I plan on reading the rest of them sometime soon. You know, after I get to all of the other books I keep meaning to read. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, serif;">Next up: Book club was at my house last month and we read Lev Grossman’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Magicians</i>.</span><span style="font-family: '', serif, '', serif;"></span></div>
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296377004250796661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2749090203562133285.post-57159512856039789702012-06-05T12:09:00.000-07:002012-06-05T12:09:48.011-07:00Top Ten Books I Can't Believe I've Never Read<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #7F7F7F; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=50000 lumo=50000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 128;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" fba="true" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrOCICCMPCI_ehToo8NFp5IcLhFPSBC8DmEbVcFHvTQSIVfc55URyAJZMuGWgapLrNqRTos-a7R9PmNIh-aljLa-yzYpuJh5OJlb9m-EyyNmoTUZWS1smNh9v-EeaHr0CATpfUA4ubq7R7/s320/toptentuesday3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #7F7F7F; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=50000 lumo=50000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 128;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">This month over at The Broke and the Bookish we’re allowed to rewind and pick a topic from the past. I chose:</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #7F7F7F; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=50000 lumo=50000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 128;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">The Top Ten Books I Can't Believe I've Never Read:</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #595959; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;">1.</span></i></b><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"> The Chronicles of Narnia</span></i></b><b><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"> by C.S. Lewis:</span></b><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #7F7F7F; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=50000 lumo=50000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 128;">For some reason I never heard of these books before the latest movie series came out in 2005. See when I was younger I kind of jumped from reading about the Sweet Valley High twins to V.C. Andrews<em> Flowers in the Attic</em> and John Saul novels. Big jump, I know. And since I never had that transitional book phase I feel like I missed out on this series. While I do want to read them now, I'm kind of reluctant to because of how much I've heard about the Christian undertones of the novel. I just feel like I might get brainwashed and wierds me out and it. (Quit judging) Maybe once I have kids I’ll delve into this series with them. </span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3R5YzkVPslXnWDMC1Daoi17EzFh6sXYo6HmFywPAKT9jQy06TDo64_EAkpyhcCpfcR190ESnFyUeG9kmVq0O4_zlxLvcWGiMikwOXRsUwx_cAvfzV1ugUqCoDD29F9w4Rgm0DCag3mP_e/s1600/9780060244880.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" fba="true" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3R5YzkVPslXnWDMC1Daoi17EzFh6sXYo6HmFywPAKT9jQy06TDo64_EAkpyhcCpfcR190ESnFyUeG9kmVq0O4_zlxLvcWGiMikwOXRsUwx_cAvfzV1ugUqCoDD29F9w4Rgm0DCag3mP_e/s320/9780060244880.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b><span style="color: #595959; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;">2.</span></b><b><span style="color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #7F7F7F; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=50000 lumo=50000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 128;"> </span></b><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">The Da Vinci Code</span></i></b><b><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"> by Dan Brown:</span></b><span style="color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #7F7F7F; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=50000 lumo=50000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 128;"> We can all agree that I’m a reader, and when this book first came out all my friends wanted to know if I had read it. Once again I became freaked out by the sheer trendiness of the novel and I steered clear. It was too much pressure to try and want to get involved with this bloody novel. I feel like it’s a kind spite thing now. </span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizw5selZYahFyp7KsW0Ua-ToinOyysbRSmTQAEhyphenhyphenRdApvGE2HCo0vLXK2RR4hvFXT4rXwR9wJlR9AVy8sIHWe9yeB6laZRjGr-IBPVK1AwLG0R7d4dGxfKGEXhqoI_W_b400Z3p2QVPrYL/s1600/200px-DaVinciCode.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" fba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizw5selZYahFyp7KsW0Ua-ToinOyysbRSmTQAEhyphenhyphenRdApvGE2HCo0vLXK2RR4hvFXT4rXwR9wJlR9AVy8sIHWe9yeB6laZRjGr-IBPVK1AwLG0R7d4dGxfKGEXhqoI_W_b400Z3p2QVPrYL/s1600/200px-DaVinciCode.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b><span style="color: #595959; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;">3. </span></b><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">The Lord of the Rings</span></i></b><b><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"> Series by J. R. R. Tolkien:</span></b><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #7F7F7F; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=50000 lumo=50000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 128;">Pathetic, I know but let me defend myself! I haven’t read these yet because I’ve just started giving fantasy novels a chance. (Thank you, Mr. Martin) Fear not, I just purchased the series, including <em>The Hobbit</em>, so I will be reading sometime soon. Although, I’m kind of terrified to start <em>The Hobbit </em>because it seems like everyone who has cannot get into it. Talk about ringing endorsements. </span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7jkbc5agXMv8CLoLxEwIDMnhyphenhyphenUcP8iPODT6EbDMOJGsgHuFrmns_Nd1JASeYwThcTShJsXeBdTOeVH2_iTUKHI6PAmKFv6eCzI7wxcHmy9VIMfnTamGnnhyphenhyphendZdBuMGpK4coaXkwL0ykSZ/s1600/lord-of-the-rings.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" fba="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7jkbc5agXMv8CLoLxEwIDMnhyphenhyphenUcP8iPODT6EbDMOJGsgHuFrmns_Nd1JASeYwThcTShJsXeBdTOeVH2_iTUKHI6PAmKFv6eCzI7wxcHmy9VIMfnTamGnnhyphenhyphendZdBuMGpK4coaXkwL0ykSZ/s320/lord-of-the-rings.gif" width="319" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b><span style="color: #595959; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;">4. </span></b><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Eragon</span></i></b><b><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"> and the other books in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Inheritance</i> series Christopher Paolini:</span></b><span style="color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #7F7F7F; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=50000 lumo=50000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 128;"> People love these books. I mean my sister rushed out and paid top dollar for an English version of the last book as soon as it came out in Europe. I just don’t know if they’re my thing. I love <em>The Game of Thrones</em> series but don’t know how keen I am about reading fantasy novel without the grit.</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijfjNSZH9RNxiDua0wZKZhGI2D-gMtT1ObVTSMNIBgwXj0LY5SGZp63i0rMqlPbYlA6nU1amHOVO4pOdQVTvvriMDfusb0d0Vx0AZqd3RoHbjdbWSZ1oCgzUe21IA4haOib-MqdyXS2Jeo/s1600/220px-InheritanceCycleCovers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" fba="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijfjNSZH9RNxiDua0wZKZhGI2D-gMtT1ObVTSMNIBgwXj0LY5SGZp63i0rMqlPbYlA6nU1amHOVO4pOdQVTvvriMDfusb0d0Vx0AZqd3RoHbjdbWSZ1oCgzUe21IA4haOib-MqdyXS2Jeo/s320/220px-InheritanceCycleCovers.png" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b><span style="color: #595959; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;">8. </span></b><b><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Any Classic Ever Written:</span></b><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #7F7F7F; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=50000 lumo=50000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 128;">I get it. This is kind of broad but seriously y’all I haven’t read any classics because apparently no one thought to put me in advance placement courses in high school (Their loss, because this lawyer turned out to be brilliant and, maybe, not so humble) and the classes I was in didn’t place too much emphasis on reading. So like I said I can't believe I haven’t read any classics: Bram Stoker’s Dracula, The Scarlet Letter, Great Expectations, Pride and Prejudice (I did read Pride, Prejudice, and Zombies but I’m guessing that doesn’t count). You name it I probably haven’t read it, but I am trying to rectify the situation by reading one classic a month. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b><span style="color: #595959; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;">9. </span></b><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">War and Peace</span></i></b><b><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"> by Leo Tolstoy:</span></b><span style="color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #7F7F7F; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=50000 lumo=50000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 128;"> Bookish people read this book and since I consider myself to be bookish I am ashamed to admit that I haven’t completed it even though I’ve tried to read it once before a million times. I will conquer you!</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b><span style="color: #595959; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #595959; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=65000 lumo=35000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 166;">10. </span></b><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;">Gone With The Wind</span></i></b><b><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%;"> by Margaret Mitchell:</span></b><span style="color: #c00000; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="color: #7f7f7f; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: #7F7F7F; mso-style-textfill-fill-colortransforms: "lumm=50000 lumo=50000"; mso-style-textfill-fill-themecolor: text1; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 128;">My friend mentioned this book when I brought up the list and I was actually quite surprised. It seems that I completely forgot that this book even existed, which is crazy because it’s one of the top five most read books of all time. The more I think about it the more astonished I am that the book isn’t on my “to be read list”. Seriously, my BA is in history and aside from WWII, the Civil War and Sherman’s march is what drew my interest to the subject. I should be ashamed of myself.</span></span></span></div>
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</span></span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296377004250796661noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2749090203562133285.post-35036471116204157302012-05-17T08:37:00.001-07:002012-05-17T08:37:35.081-07:00Classic Time!<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #999999;">Way back a couple of months ago, I challenged myself to read one classic book a month. Easy Cheesy right? Apparently not. I was doing so good! I pumped out <em>The Red Badge of Courage</em> during month one, even though it was god awful. Month two was redeemed with <em>Jane Eyre</em> . . . and then I ran out of days in April and kind of skipped that month. Who knew bettering yourself would be so difficult?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luckily, I stuck to my guns this month and took in a classic. I just finished F. Scott Fitzgerald’s <em>The Great Gatsby</em>. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #999999;">A portrait of the Jazz Age in all of its decadence and excess, Gatsby captured the spirit of the author's generation and earned itself a permanent place in American mythology. Self-made, self-invented millionaire Jay Gatsby embodies some of Fitzgerald's--and his country's--most abiding obsessions: money, ambition, greed, and the promise of new beginnings. "Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgiastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter--tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther.... And one fine morning--" Gatsby's rise to glory and eventual fall from grace becomes a kind of cautionary tale about the American Dream.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #999999;">First off, I liked this book and enjoyed the bajezzus (yes, that’s a word) out of it. The most amazing thing was that this novel took me by absolute surprise because it wasn’t anything I expected. Everyone who hates the book describes it as a book detailing the lives, and problems, of rich people, leaving me to imagine a book that was probably disjointed and lacking any real story. (You’re probably wondering why I bothered to read it in the first place if I thought it was going to suck but here’s the thing 1) Everyone has heard of this bloody book and I don’t like feeling behind when it comes to books 2) I kept confusing this book with Matt Damon’s movie <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Talented Mr. Ripely</i>, don’t ask, and it led to many puzzling scenarios 3) A movie adaption of the book is coming out, starring the stunning Leonardo Dicaprio, and I’ll be damned if I’m heading to see the movie without having read the book and 4) It is considered <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><strong>The</strong></i> Great American Novel (you can just imagine how this infuriates the haters)).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately, the book was nothing like I expected and I became engrossed in an interesting story of a man trying to reclaim what he once lost. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #999999;">See Gatsby and Daisy once upon a time ago had a love affair. Unfortunately, the world was in the middle of a war and when Gatsby deployed it became too difficult for rich, popular Daisy to continue waiting for him and she married another man. Now it’s easy to hate Daisy for abandoning Gatsby, especially for someone like me who stopped reading <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dear John</i> because I began to loathe the main female character (Not to rant, but the two stars of <em>Dear John</em> fall in love within like what? a week? and then as soon as he's been deployed for awhile she starts pulling for apparently no reason! Okay maybe there was a reason but I stopped reading the stupid book so who knows), but with Daisy and Gatsby it seemed different. True they had fallen desperately in love with one another, but it was the type of love that had to overcome obstacles, ie: Gatsby not having enough money to provide for Daisy, and it’s easy to let hurdles that once seemed so minute when you’re together to grow wild when you’re apart. Once Daisy lost the magic they had held together, she began to question what exactly she was waiting for. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #999999;">And that's it. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #999999;">You’ll have to forgive me but I’m currently enamored in the lives of the characters in my current book <em>The Magicians</em> so it’s hard to reflect any more on my last book and this is all I feel like sharing. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #999999;">So bottom line: If you are trying to get into the classics give <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Great Gatsby</i> a try. Good novel and it’s short!</span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">P.S. When looking for a picture of the book for the blog I realized another reason why I was so iffy on reading this book. The freaking cover! Seriously, the cover is really wierd. Why are there eyes above a carnival scene? I mean I know what the eyes are meant to represent but still! Covers draw people in and this repels them. No joke. </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296377004250796661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2749090203562133285.post-88894689782281760452012-05-11T08:50:00.001-07:002012-05-11T12:56:53.274-07:00I Wanna Dance With Dragons!<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I just finished <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Dance With Dragons</i> by George R.R. Martin and while I’m super sad that I have to wait for the next book to come out, I’m also glad because now I’m all caught up and can theorize with the rest of the Game of Thrones fans. Seriously, I need to know who John’s momma is!</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Even though I really enjoyed this book, I was left with the feeling that not a lot happened but I’m going to attribute that to the way the book was structured, ie: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ADWD</i> picks up where <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Feast For Crows</i> left and runs simultaneously with it. That being said the stuff that did happen was awesome! </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(Plan on many <strong><span style="color: #ea9999;">SPOILERS</span></strong> in the text below, that means you Jen!)</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">You have been warned:</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">John Snow</span>:</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"> The last we saw of everyone’s beloved crow he had just been made Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch and was saved from a wilding attack by King (one of the many) Stannis. Now normally I dread reading John’s chapters (gasp!) and it’s not because I don’t like his character it’s just that I always feel so god awful for this poor boy who gave up everything to defend the realm’s largest cock block and all because he’s a bastard (or is he?). But this book brought about some big changes and I really looked forward to his chapters! After Ramsey Bolton, believing John helped his bride, the fake Arya, escape, threatens John and flays some wildlings John has finally decided to cast aside his vows and help rid the North of Bolton. Finally! I have been waiting for John to leave that stupid wall for foreva and now he finally is. Or was. Slight hiccup, when he told his men and the wildlings his plans some were very supportive and others kind of stabbed him. A lot. So we’re left with a dying John and his smoking wounds lying on the snow at the wall. Some cliffhanger and the worst part is you can’t comfort yourself with the whole “Georgey would never kill him off” because let’s face it who saw Ned Stark getting his head cut off?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Daenerys Targaryen</span></span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">: She pissed me off so much in this book. So her story goes something like this: Captures Mereen and sets the slaves free, turns down the offer of a bunch of ships to take her to Westeros, and continues sitting in Mereen ruling as their queen. She then marries a local because the masters of Mereen are pretty pissed at her (join the club) for freeing the slaves and she needs something to bring everyone together. Shortly after her wedding, one of her dragons attacks someone and in order to stop the mob from slaying him she tries to tame him and ends up riding away with him . . . where she promptly gets dropped off in the middle of nowhere and the last we see of her she runs into her sun and stars’ old Khlalsar who probably aren’t going to be super pleased to see her. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Seriously, that took up her whole portion of the book and the entire time I was reading her chapters I just wanted to shake her. I mean why isn’t she headed to Westeros to reclaim her freaking kingdom? Her dragons are big enough to ride now, she has a freaking army of unsullied and sellswords, and the Kingdom is ripe for the taking. And I get it she’s super young and tired of all this moving and fighting but she just needs to buck the fuck up, she’s Daenerys Stormborn of House of Targygeran for crying out loud.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Tyrion Lannister</span></span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">: My poor giant of Lannister has had a really tough go of it ever since he was convicted of murdering his nephew/king and then killing his dad and Shae. After successfully rescuing Tyrion from the executioners blade Varys, with Jamie’s help, plans to send him east to Dany. Unfortunately, that didn’t quite work out because Jorah Mormont captured him and then together they were both captured and sold as slaves. My poor heart was so sad for him and I hated reading about his humiliations. And trust me, without the power of the Lannisters behind him there were many. Hopefully, in the next book, he’ll be able to return to Westeros as Lord of Castlery Rock soon. Here’s to hoping!</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Theon Greyjoy</span></span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">: Let me start by explaining that I hated this man, who betrayed the Starks, with a passion and luckily, I didn’t have to hear about him for two whole books. A co-worker, who shares my love for Games, told me to just wait until book five when Theon gets what’s coming to him, you’ll probably feel bad for him. Psshhh is what I said, never in a million years would I feel bad for Theon. Well, turns out he was right, I do feel bad for Theon and I know this is going to sound crazy but I might even be starting to like his character. Crazy right? You don’t have to answer that because I know how it sounds, I mean the man betrayed Robb! Well, here’s the thing, my puny little mind couldn’t even fathom a punishment that would be enough for Theon. Georgey on the other hand, whose imagination is apparently limitless, created a scenario in which I pitied Theon and even wanted things to start going right for him. And while I’m not going to describe the particular hell he went through because it was so intense to read that I don’t want to spoil it for anyone. Just know it’s horrifying. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Okay, so those were the stories of the main characters and here are some other crazy tidbits that happened: Davos, and Lord Wyman Manderly, suspect Bran and Rickon are alive and now Davos is headed to some scary ass place to find them. Bran found the three eyed crow beyond the wall, and the last children of the forest, but instead of fixing his legs, like Bran thought he would, the three eyed crow is helping him to change skins with the world around him. This isn’t as exciting as it sounds because Bran is probably going to have to spend his life in a cave becoming one with a tree. Small price to pay, eh? Arya has her sight back (Thank God!) and is on her way to becoming one bad ass assassin. Oh and let’s not forget Jamie! He officially turned his back on Cersei (YES!) and is headed off with Brienne, who has claimed to have found Sansa, who might be getting ready to kill him. And the biggest revelation . . . Aegon, Rheagar’s son (you know the one that supposedly had his bashed as an infant?), is alive. Let that sink in for a minute. Varys and the Mad King’s exiled hand, John Connington, have been keeping him safe and raising him to reclaim the throne. And yeah that’s about it. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Oh, and the coolest news ever? Georgey himself is heading to Missoula, Montana and my momma is going to see him! I’m so excited for her and I have begged her to tell Martin how in love I am with Jamie because if anyone will appreciate my love for that man, it will be Georgey. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And onto the next . . . I am currently reading <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Great Gatsby</i> by F. Scott Fitzgerald. </span></span></span></div>
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296377004250796661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2749090203562133285.post-35386384416215358542012-05-08T08:47:00.002-07:002012-05-08T08:50:32.801-07:00Top Ten Favorite Book Quotes<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
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<a href="http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/">The Broke and Bookish </a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Every Tuesday over at the Broke and the Bookish they have a Tuesday Top Ten. This week we're detailing our Top Ten Favorite Book Quotes:</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> 1. “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.” </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> <span style="color: #999999;">-</span><span style="color: #e06666;">George R.R. Martin</span>, <i><span style="color: #cc0000;">A Dance With Dragons</span> </i></span></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #999999;">Never has a truer statement been said. Every time I read a good book I fall in love with the characters and their stories. I become engrossed and attached to their lives and ultimately they become my friends. This is why reading is magic. It takes you somewhere else in an instant. It opens your heart and creates an escape for your mind. Reading is brilliant and this quote epitomizes that.</span></span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #999999;"> 2.“Sleep is good, he said, And books are better.”</span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #999999;">-</span><span style="color: #e06666;">George R.R. Martin</span>, <i><span style="color: #cc0000;">A Clash of Kings</span></i></span></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #999999;">For every reader who has spent a day groggy because they were engrossed in a novel until the wee hours of the morning. It’s always worth it. After all, you can always sleep when you’re dead. </span></span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>3.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"After all this time?” “Always," said Snape.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #999999;">-</span><span style="color: #e06666;">J.K. Rowling</span>, <i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows </span></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #999999;"><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">I love this quote because it shows how deep true love runs even if it’s painful. </span></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #999999;">4. “Most maidens are perfectly capable of rescuing themselves in my experience, at least the ones worth something, in any case.” </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #999999;">-</span></span><span style="color: #e06666; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Erin Morgenstern</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">, <i><span style="color: #cc0000;">The Night Circus</span></i></span></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #999999;">Truth.</span></span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>5. “Rule number one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.” </span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">-</span><span style="color: #e06666; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">John Berendt</span><span style="color: #999999; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">, </span><i><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil</span></i><span style="color: #999999; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Calibri;"><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> If you want to get to know people and bond with them you have to commit. You’ll see the truer side of people the longer you stay. That’s when people start to relax and let down their “hoity toity” good behavior vibe. And again, You can always sleep when you’re dead. Notice a theme? Although, I do understand if you wanted to pass up that drink so you could head home and read, reading is always more important. Obviously.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">6. “The moment you stop to think about whether you love someone, you've already stopped loving that person forever.” </span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #999999; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I love this quote because it is so tragically sad. It seems to me that if a person is questioning whether they love someone it isn’t because they want to be out of love but because they desperately want to be <strong>IN</strong> love with that person. Life would be so much easier if people could just choose the ones they give their hearts to. </span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>7.</span> <span style="color: #999999;">“In the shop we buy and sell them, but in truth books have no owner. Every book you see here has been somebody’s best friend.” </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #999999;"><em> I love this about books! A story can belong to everyone and you can instantly become best friends with all the other readers of that story. </em></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>8.</span> <span style="color: #999999;">“This book is to be neither an accusation nor a confession, and least of all an adventure, for death is not an adventure to those who stand face to face with it. It will try simply to tell of a generation of men who, even though they may have escaped shells, were destroyed by the war.” </span></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><i><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #999999;">This quote speaks volumes. People need to be reminded that war is not some great game. War has casulties, far beyond the death count, that will mark and change our society years after the war is over</span><span style="color: #999999;">.</span> </span></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">9. “No sight so sad as that of a naughty child," he began, "especially a naughty little girl. Do you know where the wicked go after death?"<br />"They go to hell," was my ready and orthodox answer.<br />"And what is hell? Can you tell me that?"<br />"A pit full of fire."<br />"And should you like to fall into that pit, and to be burning there for ever?"<br />"No, sir."<br />"What must you do to avoid it?"<br />I deliberated a moment: my answer, when it did come was objectionable: "I must keep in good health and not die.” <br />-</span><span style="color: #e06666; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Charlotte Brontë</span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">, </span><i><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Jane Eyre</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #999999; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Saucy and smart, I love it.</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">10. “Good-night, my-" He stopped, bit his lip, and abruptly left me.”<br />-</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <span style="color: #e06666;">Charlotte Brontë</span><span style="color: #999999;">, </span><i><span style="color: #cc0000;">Jane Eyre</span> </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><em><span style="color: #999999;">You truly didn't think I would end a post without mentioning tortured love did you? One of the reasons I love Jane Eyre as much as I do is because the whole book oozes the kind of desperate love that tightens my heart. And sure, there may have been a million other quotes to depict that feeling but I like this one best. It shows the simple anguish and torment Mr. Rochester feels when he's near Jane. Nothing is better than that. </span></em></span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999;">P.S. I realize that I may have cheated and used the same book twice but I couldn't help it! The books I love have so many amazing quotes, it was hard to choose!</span></div>
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296377004250796661noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2749090203562133285.post-41490057947344002972012-05-07T13:00:00.003-07:002012-05-08T17:35:39.226-07:00If You Loved Twilight, You'll Like The Touch Series<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: large;">I just finished <em>Deadly Little Lies</em> by Laurie Faria Stolarz over the weekend. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: large;">This is book two out of five of the <em>Touch</em> series and the series is really growing on me. I finished book one, titled <em>Deadly Little Secret</em>, long before I started blogging so I’ll give y’all a brief description to bring everyone up to date. The story follows a Camelia, a teenage girl whose life was exceptionally normal until, seemingly, bad boy Ben shows up. Camelia is drawn to Ben even though he fled his old town to escape the accusations that he had something to do with his ex-girlfriend's death. Now Camelia is being stalked and threatened and she isn’t sure who to trust. Intense, I know. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: large;">Okay, so I know the book sounds incredibly corny but so what? I like it. I originally bought it because I kept seeing the book pop up in random places, like on pinterest and book store display cases, and like the avid reader I am I wanted to keep up with any possible/future best sellers. You know, before they hit it big. Unfortunately, the series hasn’t hit it big (yet!), even though I really like it. Like, I like it in a “the bloody thing has grown on me like the weirwood has grown on/into the three eyed crow” way. (P.S. if you read Game of Thrones you'll appreciate this, if not I'm judging you). I think part of the series’ misfortune is that the author picked a really crappy way for Ben and Camelia to meet. Stop me if you’ve heard this before. Girl is walking in school parking lot when suddenly a student’s car goes rogue and is headed directly for the girl. Luckily, a mysterious man, who she has never met, pushes her to safety and in that moment they experience an intense connection. (Oh, it gets better) Turns out boy and girl are in the same science class together and are partnered up, only boy finds it difficult to be near girl. <em>Twilight</em> anyone!? Seriously, I don’t know what the author was thinking when she wrote (can it even be called writing at this point?) this part. When I read it I was pretty pissed off, but I was also on a plane to Miami and free of any other reading material so I persevered. Turns out the story was interesting enough, and aside from the beginning chapters it no longer resembled the <em>Twilight</em> saga and that’s why I chose to read book two. Well, that and because it’s something I can read when I’m on the elliptical for forever and it’s not a book I need to necessarily keep up on to remember the story. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: large;">P.S. I hate writing posts about books in a series because I find it difficult to describe the book I’m on without having to go into a million details about the story up until this point. Meaning, I’m not going to even try and describe the goings on of book two. If you liked <em>Twilight,</em> you'll like this, more book candy although maybe not as much desperate love. But seriously trying to “out desperate love” <em>Twilight</em> is next to impossible. I mean vampires ooze desperate love. Well, the kind of vampires that exist in the books and shows I read, maybe not actual vampires. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: large;">Oh, and one last “you should read these books” push, the author does a good job at adding little quirks that make the books interesting. For instance, Camelia’s mom is a crazy vegan, Camelia herself sculpts, and her best friends, who I find very annoying, are very individualistic. Now I’m not saying that these oddities make the book, they don’t, the story does, but it does help to give the characters depth and that’s something all young adult books need help with. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">P.P.S. I know there has been a lot of talk about <em>Twilight</em> in my last two posts and for that I apologize. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">And onto the next (well not really) . . . I'm still reading George R.R. Martins,<em> A Dance with Dragons</em>.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296377004250796661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2749090203562133285.post-13339022007559574862012-05-01T12:30:00.000-07:002012-05-02T04:27:18.322-07:00I Read Porn On The Train Like It Was No Big Deal<br />
<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I just finished <em>Fifty Shades of Grey</em> by E.L. James and I feel so scandalous. </span><br />
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<br />GoodReads Description:<br />When literature student Anastasia Steele is drafted to interview the successful young entrepreneur Christian Grey for her campus magazine, she finds him attractive, enigmatic and intimidating. Convinced their meeting went badly, she tries to put Grey out of her mind - until he happens to turn up at the out-of-town hardware store where she works part-time. The unworldly, innocent Ana is shocked to realize she wants this man, and when he warns her to keep her distance it only makes her more desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her - but on his own terms. Shocked yet thrilled by Grey's singular erotic tastes, Ana hesitates. For all the trappings of success – his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving adoptive family – Grey is a man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a passionate, physical and daring affair, Ana learns more about her own dark desires, as well as the Christian Grey hidden away from public scrutiny. <br />
<br />Book one of a three part series, <em>Fifty Shades</em> started off as <em>Twilight</em> fan fiction and even though the names and world of the characters had to change in order for the book to be published, anyone can clearly see Bella and Edward in these characters. Since this was my first tryst into fan fiction I was a little weary that I would be rereading the same old story. Luckily, James’ novel seemed a world apart from<em> Twilight</em>. Gone are the vampires and werewolves and all that truly remains of the <em>Twilight</em> saga is an awkward young girl and the gorgeous domineering man that loves her. Okay, and the corny writing style. Seriously, both books are terribly written and cannot be taken seriously by anyone. For instance, a recent college graduate would never describe herself as <em>smartly</em> dressed for a date, nor would that same girl not own a computer (seriously, what age are we in?!). However, like the <em>Twilight</em> saga, I was unable to put <em>Fifty Shades </em>down. It's addictive! That being said I completely disagree with the book’s self-description of being “deeply moving”. Deeply moving it is not but it is, however, the ultimate book candy and I’m not ashamed to admit it. Probably because I'll read anything. The people who should be ashamed are the ones who only read these types of books because holy hell, there are a lot of other, and better, books out there.<br /><br />Oh, and did I mention the book is essentially porn? I’m actually quite surprised that I made it so far into this post without just shouting out that fact. In fact, you may as well just ignore the whole last paragraph because what this whole post boils down to is that I read an entire book of porn and loved it. Well, most of it. There were so many hot, dirty scenes that I ate right up but then they were other parts that had me cringing, especially the parts when Anastasia referred to Christian as “Sir”. Weird isn’t it, I didn’t bat an eye when a leather riding crop was introduced but I wince just thinking of her willingly calling him Sir. Luckily, there was a balance of power and even tortured love (I really should just devote a whole section of each post to tortured love because I’ll find, and immediately become enamored with, it anywhere). But no really, if it wasn’t for Christian’s obsession with Anastasia and how forlorn he becomes without her I wouldn’t have been nearly as interested. I mean everyone wants a sex god, but a sex god and tormented heart? Gahhh!!<br /><br />Bottom Line: Read the book. Even if it is porn. You’ll like it, I promise. <br /><br />P.S. I would like to set the record straight that this book has been on my radar, and to read list, for foreva! But since I just read it I’m now stuck with the masses and am reading a trendy book while it’s trendy. I hate that. <br /><br />And onto the next . . . I finally gave in and I’m currently reading the final book in <em>A Song of Fire and Ice: A Dance with Dragons</em> by George R.R. Martin. <br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296377004250796661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2749090203562133285.post-68051181395777839522012-04-29T15:21:00.000-07:002012-04-29T15:27:20.763-07:00A Whole Lotta Books<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Okay, and I’m back! Like I said in my last post instead of
trying to catch up and post separately on every book I’ve recently read, I’m
just going to try and smush them all in this post. Also, I read a lot of books
and I may be missing one or two, whatev.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>The Westing Game</i> by Ellen Raskin<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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GoodReads description: When an eccentric
millionaire dies mysteriously, sixteen very unlikely people are gathered
together for the reading of the will...and what a will it is!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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After purchasing this book I learned that a lot of people read this in grade
school and loved it. As the description mentions, a wealthy man dies and 16
people are chosen as potential heirs, if they can solve the mystery of who
killed the millionaire. Throughout the book the readers are given the same
clues as the characters and are encouraged to join in solving the puzzle.
Sounds fun right? Not so much. I can fully understand why children would become
intrigued and enamored with this book and as a result remember it fondly as an
adult. However, for me this was not one of the books you can read for the first
time as an adult and enjoy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Bottom line: Skip it and
when you start having kids make them read it. On a side note, my future kids
better be readers or I will hate them and judge them harshly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>The Heart is a Lonely Hunter</i> by Carson McCullers<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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GoodReads description: At its center is the deaf-mute John Singer, who becomes
the confidant for various types of misfits in a Georgia mill town during the
1930s. Each one yearns for escape from small-town life. When Singer's mute
companion goes insane, Singer moves into the Kelly house, where Mick Kelly, the
book's heroine (loosely based on McCullers), finds solace in her music.
Brilliantly attuned to the spiritual isolation that underlies the human
condition, and with a deft sense for racial tensions in the South, McCullers
spins a haunting, unforgettable story that gives voice to the rejected, the
forgotten, and the mistreated--and, through Mick Kelly, to the quiet, intensely
personal search for beauty.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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This is another one of those books I bought years ago and has been sitting on
my shelf ever since. To be honest I wasn’t particularly fond of it. I think
that it’s one of those books that either touches you deeply and you fall for it
or you don’t. It was incredibly sad and it should have touched my heart but it
just didn’t. Maybe something is wrong with my heart.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Bottom Line: This book may be right for you; thousands of other people adore
it. But if you’re not a reader of many books I wouldn’t take a chance on this
one when there are so many other books that are sure to please.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother</i> by Amy
Chua<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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GoodReads description: All decent parents want to do what's best for their children.
What <i>Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother</i> reveals is that the Chinese just
have a totally different idea of how to do that. Western parents try to respect
their children's individuality, encouraging them to pursue their true passions
and providing a nurturing environment. The Chinese believe that the best way to
protect your children is by preparing them for the future and arming them with
skills, strong work habits, and inner confidence. <i>Battle Hymn of the Tiger
Mother</i> chronicles Chua's iron-willed decision to raise her daughters,
Sophia and Lulu, her way-the Chinese way-and the remarkable results her choice
inspires.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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This book was April’s book club pick and man alive is the mom crazy! The book
is a sort of memoir by Chua explaining her parenting style, which was crazy
strict. I really enjoyed reading this book though. Some parts were like
watching a train wreck (the oldest daughter used to run home from school so she
didn’t waste any time that could have been used to practice the piano, how sad
is that?) but you can’t argue with the results because her children are
obviously smart and talented. What I took away from the book is that parents do
need to push their kids to succeed, ie: if they’re having trouble in math give
them practice tests, although maybe not 100 like Chua did. You just can’t go to
the extreme.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Bottom Line: Read it. It was entertaining and offers a glimpse into other
people’s cultures.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dark
Places</i> by Gillian Flynn<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbQMo_SNjpza1SvDZ_5B1rWIl_Iuw6Ejuiw7ZBjmHXx1wv7ybhyphenhyphenEYM2P6jgUPWet1iEWV06EemKZNsluJUK-XGoPrizMRI3BN2hoDoGOLBB3ORbGLu4UquzCGV8z2dOvASRVMnvGRSu_6X/s1600/dark+places.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbQMo_SNjpza1SvDZ_5B1rWIl_Iuw6Ejuiw7ZBjmHXx1wv7ybhyphenhyphenEYM2P6jgUPWet1iEWV06EemKZNsluJUK-XGoPrizMRI3BN2hoDoGOLBB3ORbGLu4UquzCGV8z2dOvASRVMnvGRSu_6X/s320/dark+places.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
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GoodReads description: Libby Day was seven when her mother and two sisters were
murdered in “The Satan Sacrifice of Kinnakee, Kansas.” As her family lay dying,
little Libby fled their tiny farmhouse into the freezing January snow. She lost
some fingers and toes, but she survived–and famously testified that her
fifteen-year-old brother, Ben, was the killer. Twenty-five years later, Ben
sits in prison, and troubled Libby lives off the dregs of a trust created by
well-wishers who’ve long forgotten her. The Kill Club is a macabre secret
society obsessed with notorious crimes. When they locate Libby and pump her for
details–proof they hope may free Ben–Libby hatches a plan to profit off her
tragic history. For a fee, she’ll reconnect with the players from that night
and report her findings to the club . . . and maybe she’ll admit her testimony
wasn’t so solid after all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Seemingly the same old tired mystery/killer story, however, Flynn takes it
above that and writes a smart novel. I was intrigued throughout the book and
was not able to guess precisely who dun it or their motive, although I had my
suspicions, and I love that in a book. I want to be kept guessing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Bottom line: If you want a quick and suspenseful read give <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dark Places</i> a go and you won’t be disappointed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">American
Psycho</i> by Bret Eastman Ellis<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> I’m just going to
be honest with you guys, I didn’t finish this bloody book. I blame my mother.
Living in France, my little sister has a limited selection of books to read
from and so she has been forced to scour her employer’s bookshelves. She came
across American Psycho and described it to me as disturbing. In a later
conversation, my mother mentioned to me that Heather wanted me to read it so
that we could discuss it together. So like the wonderful sister I am, I bought
and started plowing through this miserable book. Seriously, it is so weird! The
entire book is so disjointed, the main character describes every article of
clothing anyone wears, the author jumps form one time period to another, andthen
there’s the random brutal killings. I don’t even know what to say. Maybe I’ll keep
reading it, maybe I won’t. Oh, and it turns out Heather said no such thing.
Thanks Mom.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And onto the next . . . I am finally caught up! I just finished Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James. Scandalous. </span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296377004250796661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2749090203562133285.post-18656453358000669352012-04-25T09:33:00.000-07:002012-04-26T08:22:43.414-07:00More Game of Thrones Goodness (and Another Amazing Book)<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #999999;">Oh My Gooooodnessss it’s been a long time. Life has been busy, and let’s face it a blog about books is the first thing to go. I have, however, had time to read because, well, there is always time to read. No really there is. So I read a couple amazing books and a couple not so amazing books and instead of trying to do one post per book I read, freaking eight, I’ve decided just to include them all in only a couple posts. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><strong>Ken Follett’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pillars of the Earth:</i></strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I have a new series y’all! This book was soooo good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, I have a million (slight exaggeration) books at home that I bought at one point and then, being distracted by other amazing books, set on my shelf to read another day. Most of these books have been hanging out all comfy cozy on my shelves for years but since I got tired of looking at the same book titles on my Goodreads<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“To Read” bookshelf, I decided to start at the top and start reading some of the books I already own. So glad I did because some of these books were bought, not because I really wanted to read them but because the title looked familiar or because they had awards on the cover and had I kept up with my miserable ways I would have missed out on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pillars</i>.</span><span style="color: #8d8d8d; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I remembered vaguely hearing about<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Pillars</i> but I had no idea what it was about and even when I tell you what it’s about you’re going to be just like me and say “fuck no, I am not reading about monks and cathedrals.” Only you probably won’t be exactly like me because you probably wouldn’t have bought a book about monks and cathedrals in the first place just because you may have heard about it once upon a time. But here’s the thing, since you’re not exactly like me you would have missed out on seriously good find because this book was the cat’s freaking meow, even though it’s about monks and cathedrals. That’s all I’m going to say about it because I really feel as though you should just trust my judgment and also the judgment of the world (a mini-series was based on the book, although it was awful) and read it. </span><span style="color: #8d8d8d; font-family: "Georgia", "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
</span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><strong><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Feast for Crows</i> by George R.R. Martin:</strong></span></span></div>
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296377004250796661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2749090203562133285.post-4657574492633847462012-03-23T08:45:00.001-07:002012-03-23T08:53:09.063-07:00The Disappearing Spoon, Those Scientists Are Such Tricksters<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I recently finished <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales
of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the
Elements</i> by Sam Kean and all I can say is “eh.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">GoodReads description:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The
Periodic Table is one of man's crowning scientific achievements. But it's also
a treasure trove of stories of passion, adventure, betrayal, and obsession. The
infectious tales and astounding details in THE DISAPPEARING SPOON follow
carbon, neon, silicon, and gold as they play out their parts in human history,
finance, mythology, war, the arts, poison, and the lives of the (frequently)
mad scientists who discovered them. We learn that Marie Curie used to provoke
jealousy in colleagues' wives when she'd invite them into closets to see her
glow-in-the-dark experiments. And that Lewis and Clark swallowed mercury
capsules across the country and their campsites are still detectable by the
poison in the ground. Why did Gandhi hate iodine? Why did the Japanese kill
Godzilla with missiles made of cadmium? And why did tellurium lead to the most
bizarre gold rush in history?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">So the description makes the
book sound downright amazing which is why I bought it in the first place. Unfortunately, I was fooled. I was expecting the author to describe the various
elements of the periodic table and then show the quirky ways they popped up in
history, and while Kean did do that every now and again, I felt as though he
spent way too much time on the actual science of the elements. Now far be it
for me to tell an author how to write their book, but Kean really should have
focused the book on the personal stories because those
were the parts that I was enthralled with. And I know what you’re thinking, “Brittany,
the book is about the periodic table, of course it’s going to be about science.”
To which I say, “It’s also supposed to be about tales of madness and love, its
right there in the title!” And I’m not begrudging that the author wanted to
teach the world about the periodic table, in fact I was actually looking
forward to learning something. I am after all the person who read <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Speckled Monster, </i>, a historic tale
about small pox, by Jennifer Lee Carrell
just because I was interested in learning more about one of the deadliest
diseases known to man. On a side note, I highly recommend <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Speckled Monster</i> it was fascinating to learn about how inoculations
were started. Seriously, it amazes me that it even started, today’s equivalent
would be, “Here let me inject you with the HIV virus to prevent you from getting
AIDS.” Craziness!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Anyways, like I was saying
about <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Disappearing Spoon</i>, I just
wish there would have been more interesting tales and fun facts along with all
the science mumbo jumbo. Although to be fair, as a history major and lawyer
science isn’t really my thing. I’m sure that the lawyer/chemist that I work
with would fall in love with this book; mostly because she’ll probably understand
everything that went way over my head. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Bottom line: I was literally
counting out the pages and chapters until I was done, which is never a good
sign. So while I do recommend this book to all the science lovers out there, I
suggest anyone who does not have firm grip on chemistry and physics to steer
clear. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">And onto the next . . . I just
finished, and fell in love with, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Pillars
of the Earth </i>by Ken Follett. </span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296377004250796661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2749090203562133285.post-39490572450946575582012-03-20T09:15:00.001-07:002012-03-20T16:31:36.427-07:00Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">February’s book club was at my friend Jess’s house and she
picked <i>Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F.
Kennedy</i> by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Michael Beschloss, and Caroline
Kennedy. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjipQpE1sQB3o-uNgeKJ7UAXYwowKS7Ho4YZmsDHY5c_qzqNf3kCunbUOHUoDOcuTqY4wt4Audb-0nNjKsBfXQZegcHNiOTlBi2iiXkqht961SLTzQDPwH3aI1K85pmtF3aOZhnp3aon0bA/s1600/IMG_0835.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjipQpE1sQB3o-uNgeKJ7UAXYwowKS7Ho4YZmsDHY5c_qzqNf3kCunbUOHUoDOcuTqY4wt4Audb-0nNjKsBfXQZegcHNiOTlBi2iiXkqht961SLTzQDPwH3aI1K85pmtF3aOZhnp3aon0bA/s320/IMG_0835.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crazy, happy that us ladies do this every month!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">This is such a unique book and I’m so glad Jess picked it.
In 1964, in an attempt to preserve her husband’s legacy, Jacqueline Kennedy recorded
eight and a half hours of conversations detailing her first-hand accounts of
John F. Kennedy and insights on many of the people and events which helped to shape the
presidency. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span class="stars" id="stars11432116_6120945"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2749090203562133285" rel="nofollow"><img alt="didn't like it " class="star" height="15" id="star11432116_0" src="http://www.goodreads.com/images/layout/gr_orange_star_active.png" title="didn't like it" width="15" /></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2749090203562133285" rel="nofollow"><img alt="it was ok " class="star" height="15" id="star11432116_1" src="http://www.goodreads.com/images/layout/gr_orange_star_active.png" title="it was ok" width="15" /></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2749090203562133285" rel="nofollow"><img alt="liked it (my current rating) " class="star" height="15" id="star11432116_2" src="http://www.goodreads.com/images/layout/gr_orange_star_active.png" title="liked it" width="15" /></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2749090203562133285" rel="nofollow"><img alt="really liked it " class="star" height="15" id="star11432116_3" src="http://www.goodreads.com/images/layout/gr_orange_star_inactive.png" title="really liked it" width="15" /></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2749090203562133285" rel="nofollow"><img alt="it was amazing " class="star" height="15" id="star11432116_4" src="http://www.goodreads.com/images/layout/gr_orange_star_inactive.png" title="it was amazing" width="15" /></a></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
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It took me weeks to decide which version of this book to buy. Seriously, with
the book version at Barnes and Noble costing $60.00 and the Kindle version
lacking the audio cd’s, it was a toughie. I ended up locating a brand new copy
on Amazon for half the price and I’m so glad I did because the book is only a
transcript of the conversations and the cd’s really brought the interviews to
life. Not only could you hear ice tinkling in Jackie’s glass and cigarettes
being lit, but you really were given a glimpse into the life of this notoriously
private person. </span></div>
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The Good: You’ll learn a lot about JFK and his presidency. I have always been
enamored by this seemingly cursed family and their brief reign of Camelot so
it was very exciting, and somewhat intimate, to delve into their lives with
Jackie as my tour guide. I also loved how wonderfully personal some parts of
the interview were, for instance, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, Jackie
begged the President not to send her away so that if their worst fears came to
fruition they could stand on the White House lawn and die together as a family.
Other parts were filled with juicy gossip tidbits, like President Eisenhower’s
wife did not want “that woman”, meaning Jackie, in her house (or as us mere mortals know it, the White House).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> The
Bad: The book’s greatest fault is its failure to include more about the personal
lives of the Kennedy's. Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., the interviewer, was
primarily concerned with asking Jackie about her husband’s feelings concerning
various world leaders, somewhat interesting, and members of America’s
government, not so interesting. There was so much talk about people that I’ve
never heard of before that I truly believe that had I only been reading the
transcripts, instead of listening to Jackie, I would have been bored silly. I was
also frustrated with Schlesinger because he was given such a unique opportunity
to find out more about Jackie herself and he squandered it by only focusing on JFK. And lastly, I know this may be perverse, but I
was really hoping to hear Jackie’s thoughts on the President’s assassination
and unfortunately, they never came. We were warned in the foreword that because
the interviews were done in the months following the President’s death and because
Jackie had been interviewed by another man around the same time that Schlesinger was not going to put
Jackie through the ordeal of answering more questions about the tragedy. However,
I was hoping that those interviews with the other interviewer would be included and I was disappointed when
they weren’t. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Bottom
line: This book is a piece of history (and how often can you say that?), about a legendary family and it should be
read. True, parts of the book were dry but the confidential and intimate parts
more than made up for it. Oh, and don’t screw yourself over by trying to pinch pennies, spend a bit more
and get the cd’s. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> And
onto the next . . . I finally finished the <i>The Disappearing Spoon: And Other
True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic
Table of the Elements </i>by Sam Kean. </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296377004250796661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2749090203562133285.post-49654901765317915622012-03-13T13:17:00.000-07:002012-03-13T15:13:00.931-07:00A Unique Theory on the Dead<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Another book I recently finished was <i>The
Brief History of the Dead</i> by Kevin Brockmeier. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span class="stars" id="stars30072_6120945"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2749090203562133285" rel="nofollow"><img alt="didn't like it " class="star" height="15" id="star30072_0" src="http://www.goodreads.com/images/layout/gr_orange_star_active.png" title="didn't like it" width="15" /></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2749090203562133285" rel="nofollow"><img alt="it was ok (my current rating) " class="star" height="15" id="star30072_1" src="http://www.goodreads.com/images/layout/gr_orange_star_active.png" style="cursor: move;" title="it was ok" width="15" /></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2749090203562133285" rel="nofollow"><img alt="liked it " class="star" height="15" id="star30072_2" src="http://www.goodreads.com/images/layout/gr_orange_star_inactive.png" title="liked it" width="15" /></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2749090203562133285" rel="nofollow"><img alt="really liked it " class="star" height="15" id="star30072_3" src="http://www.goodreads.com/images/layout/gr_orange_star_inactive.png" title="really liked it" width="15" /></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2749090203562133285" rel="nofollow"><img alt="it was amazing " class="star" height="15" id="star30072_4" src="http://www.goodreads.com/images/layout/gr_orange_star_inactive.png" title="it was amazing" width="15" /></a></span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">GoodReads description:</span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The City is inhabited by
those who have departed Earth but are still remembered by the living. They will
reside in this afterlife until they are completely forgotten. But the City is
shrinking, and the residents clearing out. Some of the holdouts, like Luka
Sims, who produces the City’s only newspaper, are wondering what exactly is
going on. Others, like Coleman Kinzler, believe it is the beginning of the end.
Meanwhile, Laura Byrd is trapped in an Antarctic research station, her supplies
are running low, her radio finds only static, and the power is failing. With
little choice, Laura sets out across the ice to look for help, but time is
running out. Kevin Brockmeier alternates these two storylines to create a
lyrical and haunting story about love, loss and the power of memory.</span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">This was one of those books that was not
particularly engaging while I read it, but ended up having a lasting impression
on me. I’m always left flabbergasted because on the one hand, I hate that I
didn’t enjoy parts of the book, like lots of parts, but I love that the idea of
the story is still floating around in my head and making me think. </span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">For me the true wonder of the book was its’
main premise; ie: that after we die we head to a place similar to the
existence we held on Earth, so long as we’re remembered by the living. It’s
such a neat and unique theory. Weeks after reading the book, any random
memory I had made me realize that the people of these memories would be populating the City.
Even more interesting is that my contribution to the City’s population wouldn’t
just be obvious people, like my family, best friends, co-workers, ect . . . but
also those casual connections that are subconsciously. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">For instance, a friend (Hey, Jill!) and I
vacationed in Lipari awhile back, and while exploring the island we discovered a
very small hot springs that the locals used. The keeper of the springs was a
little old, Italian man who gave us a tour (tour might not be the right word
because that place was tiny!) of the above ground spring and the cavern
underground and while we were there a very large man in a very small speedo was
using the above ground spring. Now every time I think of a hot spring, I think of
these two men, and if the premise of this book is true these two men will
inhabit the City of the Dead when they pass. </span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC0M_St6xEz0EymmVt6Ui8My00OoA-wPmOIAaSt-aFiHLZd1hnjHG-AAlbCOVvXlj8dmiLwFEQmcHS2ygCiBE7sA1jdJ7rnzkU8qdgo9FW2_YSki5sde565Nbs1ZxaRFBUawMi1Vv3ymE9/s1600/108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC0M_St6xEz0EymmVt6Ui8My00OoA-wPmOIAaSt-aFiHLZd1hnjHG-AAlbCOVvXlj8dmiLwFEQmcHS2ygCiBE7sA1jdJ7rnzkU8qdgo9FW2_YSki5sde565Nbs1ZxaRFBUawMi1Vv3ymE9/s320/108.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mr. Speedo himself was bathing himself in this exact spring. Room for one. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyvtgyR4-QE70TF3nxEminUIBEiElTTEtyo4bAS6ExeszBPh4N3ZPDH1u7BHRbAkmjhhHHHdSPF0nqAxHDL5KEDfzsFEXxfTZXSrOWKhPJXcQSfP9RErFKZKQJd1yOdFjswCcEHv5td4jP/s1600/101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyvtgyR4-QE70TF3nxEminUIBEiElTTEtyo4bAS6ExeszBPh4N3ZPDH1u7BHRbAkmjhhHHHdSPF0nqAxHDL5KEDfzsFEXxfTZXSrOWKhPJXcQSfP9RErFKZKQJd1yOdFjswCcEHv5td4jP/s320/101.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I just want to be clear, we did not bathe in this stuff. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">On a complete side note, Lipari was amazing.
It’s a part of the Aeolian Islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the north coast of
Sicily and even though it’s not very large, it was absolutely gorgeous. The
islands were created by volcanic movement, all of the islands form a volcanic
archipelago that straddles the gap between Vesuvius and Etna, the result is a hilly landscape that allows for breathtaking views and a serene vacation
right of the coast of Sicily. Ahhhh….loved it!</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6iHJ-pGWPCExOVKwMSnxvtcGclxDrPOAyCYl-5fo4xi7qXoqgSkGXNFIOAhYLUhaXJjMomz7d18j6S3ZRQiws1q9mVQtyo8E9D-FzPF-rUJTJ3eUD-tFvjHFeKzHhNyl6x7aRmhMk0Hu2/s1600/168270_180131738684053_100000616839693_473430_4524393_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6iHJ-pGWPCExOVKwMSnxvtcGclxDrPOAyCYl-5fo4xi7qXoqgSkGXNFIOAhYLUhaXJjMomz7d18j6S3ZRQiws1q9mVQtyo8E9D-FzPF-rUJTJ3eUD-tFvjHFeKzHhNyl6x7aRmhMk0Hu2/s320/168270_180131738684053_100000616839693_473430_4524393_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The island is accessible by ferry only, here's the port.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOI8J-9XV6ksDLmpdHDGQg_eSYTcTmOwO8g4S0jQHRw6YGiUoS27dQz18d7qLADyjUNmCijOYq4K3aAo52xuub7PyToWdt3iaUgsFrl9z4QdAcZxgPWfDNkHF0fV-z4-Ogr92AwnIYooMR/s1600/166428_180132025350691_811783_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOI8J-9XV6ksDLmpdHDGQg_eSYTcTmOwO8g4S0jQHRw6YGiUoS27dQz18d7qLADyjUNmCijOYq4K3aAo52xuub7PyToWdt3iaUgsFrl9z4QdAcZxgPWfDNkHF0fV-z4-Ogr92AwnIYooMR/s320/166428_180132025350691_811783_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gah! Gorgeous views!!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxfMTJpJwSE2IYWnexoKbSW7PSmSu3tpGpjtKLTrxOf6Lutd9mll_LTI4eCxZpOTkm7bJ9nfhk9A-PklTBifB3ERdKy3XLzckL-z5dOL0d-7BntngNPLt0BRS5Qy6WEzOpEKAnKSQrkCQx/s1600/164046_180132248684002_100000616839693_473445_5195407_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxfMTJpJwSE2IYWnexoKbSW7PSmSu3tpGpjtKLTrxOf6Lutd9mll_LTI4eCxZpOTkm7bJ9nfhk9A-PklTBifB3ERdKy3XLzckL-z5dOL0d-7BntngNPLt0BRS5Qy6WEzOpEKAnKSQrkCQx/s320/164046_180132248684002_100000616839693_473445_5195407_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Another memory that occurs more frequently, as
in every day I put my contacts in, I remember that when I first started
wearing them I couldn’t put them in by myself. My friend Jeannette used to
have shove those buggers onto my eyeballs (Yeah, apparently I used to be
incredibly incapable of even the smallest tasks, thank goodness I had good friends!).
Of course I remember Jeanette for other things, but I just want to demonstrate
how populous the City would be because people remember the minutest of things,
sometimes daily. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">However, as amazing as this theory is, I
really feel like Brockmeier missed the boat when it came to describing the City. Since he simultaneously told the story from both the City of the Dead
and Laura’s perspective it was hard to become involved with any of the
inhabitants of the City. Brockmeier just threw so many people at
you. It felt incredibly disjointed, but hey, maybe that was the point. Another thing
I thought was odd was Brockmeier’s deliberate mudslinging at Coca Cola (Didn’t
see that coming did you?) Seriously, this guy hates America’s soft drink, the
polar bear mascots, and everything else associated with the corporate giant. So
weird. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Bottome line: Skip the book and spend a second pondering who you would add to the City. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">And onto the next . . . February’s book club
read was Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F.
Kennedy. And it was amazing. </span><span style="color: #999999; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296377004250796661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2749090203562133285.post-75147830724801148202012-03-10T16:00:00.000-08:002012-03-10T19:02:55.447-08:00Not All Young Adult Books Are Winners<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;"> One of the last books I finished
was <i>The Kidnapping of Christina of
Lattimore</i> by Joan Lowery Nixon. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #131313;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ZAbDgMjVRbi5ZXTL2ujIm0OwyecCqxGDqIX77WIhLVAxnPiXJS6fg4D_iDQ06PgEMSK3Tu5ohBY-6apn4uAIc4Q5fHecMAS8i8A5bOMuRkP61eK3hLhlQDo7B5n7nmrgnZRqF0lRhY73/s1600/102314611.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ZAbDgMjVRbi5ZXTL2ujIm0OwyecCqxGDqIX77WIhLVAxnPiXJS6fg4D_iDQ06PgEMSK3Tu5ohBY-6apn4uAIc4Q5fHecMAS8i8A5bOMuRkP61eK3hLhlQDo7B5n7nmrgnZRqF0lRhY73/s320/102314611.jpg" width="204" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2749090203562133285" rel="nofollow" style="color: #666600; text-decoration: underline;"><img alt="didn't like it " class="star" height="15" id="star403673_0" src="http://www.goodreads.com/images/layout/gr_orange_star_active.png" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: pointer;" title="didn't like it" width="15" /></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2749090203562133285" rel="nofollow" style="color: #666600; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="it was ok (my current rating) " class="star" height="15" id="star403673_1" src="http://www.goodreads.com/images/layout/gr_orange_star_inactive.png" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: pointer;" title="it was ok" width="15" /></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2749090203562133285" rel="nofollow" style="color: #666600; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="liked it " class="star" height="15" id="star403673_2" src="http://www.goodreads.com/images/layout/gr_orange_star_inactive.png" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: pointer;" title="liked it" width="15" /></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2749090203562133285" rel="nofollow" style="color: #666600; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="really liked it " class="star" height="15" id="star403673_3" src="http://www.goodreads.com/images/layout/gr_orange_star_inactive.png" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: pointer;" title="really liked it" width="15" /></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2749090203562133285" rel="nofollow" style="color: #666600; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="it was amazing " class="star" height="15" id="star403673_4" src="http://www.goodreads.com/images/layout/gr_orange_star_inactive.png" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: pointer;" title="it was amazing" width="15" /></a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Good Reads description:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">She spots the masked man in the dark, lonely parking
lot--but too late. Grabbed and drugged, Christina is kidnapped and held for
ransom. When her family pays, she thinks her ordeal is over. But then she
realizes that her family thinks she planned the kidnapping! How will Christina
prove her innocence?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> I am so behind on my posts! Books and books behind, but as my
friend Meghan said, “The reading is more important.” Truth. But here I go
trying to catch up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> The only reason I bought this book
was because I found it for super cheap, like $2.00, and it had an award on the
cover. Nixon won an <a href="http://www.theedgars.com/">Edgar Award</a>, which recognizes the best mystery novels of the
year, in the young adult category in 1980. I unfortunately did not find this
book to be of award winning caliber and I’m glad that I only spent a couple of
bucks on it. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> My primary issues with the novel
were its’ predictability and unrealistic story line. For instance, you know
from the description that our main character, Christina, escapes from her
kidnappers, which would be fine, if her escape from the kidnappers didn’t take
up nearly half of the book. Seriously, the whole time I was reading I didn’t
give a crap about how her kidnappers treated her because I already knew she was
going to get away. And onto problem number two, the way Christina acted in
trying to prove her innocence was sooooo improbable! No one who has been held
captive for days in a basement is going to head back to the scene of the crime
for stake outs and confrontations with her kidnappers. I mean, cheese and rice, come on!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> Had this book attempted to deceive
its’ readers into believing that maybe Christina herself was involved in the
kidnapping it could have given the book some depth, but no dice. Bottom line:
skip it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> And onto the next . . . I recently
finished <i>The Brief History of the Dead</i>
by Kevin Brockmeier. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">P.S. I have decided to try out a rating system so y'all aren't forced to decipher my gushes and gripes. </span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296377004250796661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2749090203562133285.post-30953429984237394202012-03-07T13:20:00.001-08:002012-05-22T06:21:18.548-07:00Jane Eyre: Swooning<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"> My classic for the month of February, never you mind that I’m just getting to this post now, was <i>Jane Eyre</i> by Charlotte Brontë. </span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidUFDjxcbBAzVJgVMEmDwLmn2pYnMmVcdxaSEp3NSHdq_QXKx7zHPAvRe6Y8HaLGuoH6xnO1IHDb73vEvjV1r6uUqm7TY8RDAFRgBeu9tID1He3hovEJ98UXrjSqVv2zej6ZcYK9C5AkPF/s1600/76378208.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidUFDjxcbBAzVJgVMEmDwLmn2pYnMmVcdxaSEp3NSHdq_QXKx7zHPAvRe6Y8HaLGuoH6xnO1IHDb73vEvjV1r6uUqm7TY8RDAFRgBeu9tID1He3hovEJ98UXrjSqVv2zej6ZcYK9C5AkPF/s320/76378208.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This cover caught my eye in a bookstore more than a year ago, which is one of the reasons I picked this as my classic.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> Goodreads description: </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Orphaned into the household of her Aunt Reed at Gateshead, subject to the cruel regime at Lowood charity school, Jane Eyre nonetheless emerges unbroken in spirit and integrity. She takes up the post of governess at Thornfield, falls in love with Mr. Rochester, and . . . from there a story . . . transcends melodrama to portray a woman's passionate search for a wider and richer life than Victorian society traditionally allowed. With a heroine full of yearning, the dangerous secrets she encounters, and the choices she finally makes, Charlotte Bronte's innovative and enduring romantic novel continues to engage and provoke readers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> Alright y’all after sludging through classic after classic (okay, okay, one or two books) that weren’t all that amazing, I have finally found a classic that I’m in love with. Do you hear me?! IN LOVE WITH! Literally, this book made me swoon, but it also made me so angry with the heroine that I just stopped reading the book all together for a couple of days. But more importantly and as one fellow Goodreader said, it made me want to bang Mr. Rochester like a screen door. I don’t know what it was about his character, but I fell for this fictitious man and fell hard. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> So, what exactly else did I love about this novel? Well, here’s a fun fact about me, I love tragic love, the more heartbreaking the better. There is just something about lovers who desperately want each other and have obstacles to overcome that makes my heart skip a beat. I suppose that’s part of the allure of every vampire series, you always have two people who are so in <s>lust</s> love with one another but their very nature dictates that they should be apart. Same goes for love triangles. Give me two men in love with the same woman any day, ahhhh what’s more tragic than watching the woman you love with another man? And this is exactly why I love Vampire Diaries and True Blood, poor Erik and Damon! So, obviously <i>Jane Eyre</i> fits into this category and is heart wrenching. Parts of this book had me sobbing. On trains. Full of people. But I loved that about it, I mean here is this love story that was published in 1847 and it still has the power to break my heart today.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> What I didn’t love was some of the religious reasoning that Jane used when making certain choices. Look I get it, you have religious beliefs and morals and all that jazz, but we’re talking about true love here!!! When you read it you’ll see what I mean and man alive did those parts really chap my ass. The only other downside of the story was that the middle of the book had parts that kind of lagged but just so you know, the story more than made up for it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> Bottom line, if you want to expand your horizons by reading something more cultural than the Twilight series, and you should, read this book. Truly, for the first time I understand why this book is a classic and I’m so glad I ventured to read it. Oh, if you have a Kindle, or don’t have a Kindle but have an ipad, iphone, or itouch with the Kindle app you can download the novel for free. Eh? Talk about incentive!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> And onto the next, I recently finished the <i>Kidnapping of Christina Lattimore</i> by Joan Lowry Nixon and will be posting about it soon. </span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296377004250796661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2749090203562133285.post-3824674737348179472012-02-25T12:19:00.003-08:002012-02-25T12:20:20.493-08:00How To Pick Amazing Books<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Goodreads just posted an
article for authors and publishers explaining, or rather trying to explain, how
books are discovered. While some books may be unearthed through online
recommendations, ie: customers who bought <i>Night
Circus</i> by Erin Morgenstern have also bought <i>The Tiger's Wife: A Novel</i> by Tea Obreht, or from mandatory book
club lists, the vast majority of people discover books by word of mouth.
Shocker! Goodreads ran a survey and found that 79% of Goodreads members
uncovered books via their friends. After all, who better to vouch for a book’s
amazingness than your own Bffs? In fact, I only read the <i>Hunger Games</i> because a friend was gushing about it, and while I
probably would have read it anyways because of all the hype, I wouldn’t have
been able to maintain my superiority in knowing that I read it before it became
the cool thing to do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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So where is all this going? Well, since I usually read way more than anyone
else I know, I don’t fall into the typical 79%. Instead, I have to go on many a book
exploration to find reading choices (Do you hear that husband?! This is why I
have to go to bookstores so often, my friends don’t read enough, blame them). Luckily, these adventures always turn out well and I kind of consider
myself to be pretty incredible at selecting awesome books. Apparently, my little sister does as well, and obviously we trust her
judgment because she introduced us to <i>The Power of One</i>, because she has
encouraged me to write this post detailing tips on how to choose a book that is
sure to please.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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So here it
goes:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Pick a cover that catches your eye.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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The first thing that always draws me into a book is the cover and since this is
our first contact with the book it had better be good. I don’t look for
anything specific but if I see a cover that looks more interesting than not,
chances are I’ll get the book. I finally bought <i>The Book Thief</i> by Markus
Zusak and the <i>Forgotten Garden</i> by Kate Morton because after multiple trips to the bookstore they both kept catching my eye,
even though their covers on not super spectacular. So be on the look out for those covers, they will
unearth hidden gems!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Be flexible.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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To their folly, too many people I know will steadfastly only read books written
by the same two or three authors. Typically these authors regurgitate the same
worn out story, their only care is mass production. Oh the horror!! I cannot
imagine confining myself to such a little category. The
same goes for people who refuse to read a certain genre. I used to be that
person, no way was I going near any fantasy-esqe novels, and the came <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Game of Thrones</i>. I mean I still won’t
read westerns or romances but those really don’t count. Obviously. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Explore your favorite authors. </b></span></div>
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Ah yes, in direct contrast to tip number 2, I implore you to explore a favorite
author’s other works. Here’s the thing, if you fall in love with one book
chances are you’ll enjoy, maybe not as passionately as the previous, the
writer’s other creations. For example, I am obsessed with <i>Midnight in the
Garden of Good and Evil</i> by John Berendt. Everything about this non-fiction
book is pure magic and since the author experienced most of the story first
hand I doubt his other book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">The City of
Falling Angels</span></i>, will be as good but I’m willing to take that
chance. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Take Recommendations From Random Strangers.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> I will look for reading
recommendations everywhere. No seriously, I creep on people on the train to see
what they’re reading, I’ll semi stalk people's perusals in bookstores, I’ll
eavesdrop on the swimmers I’m guarding. I know, my crazy is showing. Don't worry, if you’re
not a <s>crazy obsessed</s> serious book lover like me, you can also
check out the local library’s book club lists or, my personal favorite, the
Barnes and Noble’s staff recommendation shelf. Both great places to discover
new reads without all the crazy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Read more, a lot more. </b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> Some of the books I come across
aren’t so amazing and unless you read my blog you probably won’t hear me
talking about them. But the beauty of it is, I read so many other books that my
chances of finding some really damn impressive books is pretty high. And since
I devour so many books I’m more likely than most to take a gamble on a book
that I’m iffy about. Some of these gambles have had a huge payoff (I’m talking
about you <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Separate Peace</i>!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Hopefully,
these tips should be super helpful for y’all and if they’re not you might just
be horrible at picking out amazing books. If that’s the case no worries because
luckily you have me, who is always willing to give a recommendation. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296377004250796661noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2749090203562133285.post-19012891517135437582012-02-16T18:51:00.000-08:002012-02-17T07:49:42.700-08:00This Month's Stop Bangladesh!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.giraffedays.com/?page_id=10598"><img border="0" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4pfb5eQtGTfWcD-MFto72TSTd74__A-8mdSf5nOe_52yBsM02jAGNhvDHH3S5EyifRP_vTA124vYUxUcuX4X8T_nU7PMdn8XF5hHUqi20rUSxhjfGj1pCWWVVUTy422zwqkHutUX1r2Lc/s400/around-the-world-challenge.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">I just finished <i>Revenge</i> by Taslima Nasrin for my Around The World in 12 Books Challenge.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">Set in modern Bangladesh (Hello, second stop of my challenge!) this short novel follows the life Jhumur, a recent college graduate, who marries her sweetheart Haroon. Unfortunately for Jhumur, shortly after the ceremony the man she wed has disappeared and is replaced by a strict traditionalist who bears no resemblance to the man who happily spent hours listening to her sing. Haroon now wants her to quiet her laugh, confine herself to the family home unless accompanied by a male escort, despite the fact that she possesses a degree in physics, and refrain from saying his name unless the two are alone. Worse, six weeks into their life together she becomes pregnant and since Haroon doubts his wife’s pre marital chastity, and thus his link to the child, he forces her to abort the baby. Haroon’s actions, however, have repercussions.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">This book is one of the reasons why I love this challenge! I would have never in a million years come across Nasrin had I not been searching for a book to fit this month’s requirement. Nasrin as an author, and as a person, deserves some accolades. An ex-doctor turned author, Nasrin was exiled from Bangladesh eighteen years ago because of her feministic view point and her criticisms of Islam. Despite multiple fatwas she continues to write in hopes of educating people about the existing inequalities.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">The neat thing about this book is that it’s written as a type of fable, not so much a fable in that animals are playing the characters, but more so in that there is a moral to the story. The not so neat thing about the book is that I could not relate to or sympathize with the main character at all. I think part of the reason I couldn't is because while I can understand a woman’s reaction to oppression when that is the norm of their country or if they’ll be met with violence if they resist, I can't understand Jhumur, a woman who had options. I realize that part of Bangladeshi culture requires women to submit to their husbands and attempts to shelter women, however, other parts of the culture allow a woman to excel and be somewhat independent, as is clearly evidenced by Jhumur’s pre marital life. So I had trouble reconciling that a woman who has a choice between submission and her independence would choose the former, and even further still love her husband despite it. As an American woman with an amazingly supportive husband I just failed to wrap my mind around it. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia,'Times New Roman',serif;">And onto the next . . . I am currently reading my classic novel of the month, <i>Jane Eyre</i> by Charlotte Bronte.</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07296377004250796661noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2749090203562133285.post-62812904600821688162012-02-11T21:33:00.000-08:002012-02-11T21:33:40.225-08:00Columbine<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I just finished <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Columbine</i> by Dave Cullen and the reviews
praising this book were right on the mark. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxOz4GGY5jsDa2hrCnELpaISj-e3jcOI7iZiDroT2CWGBVpcLvsI1yY71y88uw4q_YcjsNUoG8vOaQ_fT4l8xbZ-GmQb5I1TBHXzLE8BhHJSMVkNJslYlzJ2DXFE_XKVm4wAXfi-0ULDbg/s1600/col.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxOz4GGY5jsDa2hrCnELpaISj-e3jcOI7iZiDroT2CWGBVpcLvsI1yY71y88uw4q_YcjsNUoG8vOaQ_fT4l8xbZ-GmQb5I1TBHXzLE8BhHJSMVkNJslYlzJ2DXFE_XKVm4wAXfi-0ULDbg/s320/col.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As soon as I heard about this book
I knew I wanted to read it. I always seem to be drawn to tragic stories and
Columbine was no exception. I also think part of the lure comes from the fact
that the shooting occurred while I myself was in high school. I remember being shocked,
but more so I remember how scared the administration seemed to be. Immediately
afterwards a zero tolerance policy went into effect No longer were kids
allowed to jest about violence, which of course, us being high school kids, only led to more jokes. Everyone’s concerns were repeatedly reinforced
because after Columbine the media reported on nearly every school shooting, some close to home. To this day I plan exit strategies in case the building I’m in
comes under attack; most rooms seem to offer no safe escape. To be fair, I also
strategize escape routes for possible zombie attacks. I assure you this is
as far as my paranoia extends. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> GoodReads describes Cullen’s novel as follows: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> "Ten
years in the making and a masterpiece of reportage, "Columbine" is an
award-winning journalist's definitive account of one of the most shocking
massacres in American history. It is driven by two questions: what drove these
killers, and what did they do to this town?</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> On
April 20, 1999, two boys left an indelible stamp on the American psyche. Their
goal was simple: to blow up their school, Oklahoma City-style, and to leave a
lasting impression on the world. Their bombs failed, but the ensuing shooting
defined a new era of school violence--irrevocably branding every subsequent
shooting 'another Columbine.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I’m always cautious about reading
books based on a gruesome tragedy because you never know what you’re going to
get. Some authors set out exploit people’s morbid curiosities and others seek
to help people understand. This book falls into the latter category. Cullen
took on an ambitious task when he endeavored to tell this story and the result
was a tasteful portrayal that helped clear up many of the misperceptions
surrounding Columbine. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I myself was stunned at how little I
actually knew about what occurred. Like many people I believed that two teenage
outcasts wearing trench coats simply snapped one day and planned their revenge
on the student body of their perceived tormentors. None
of this is even remotely true. Cullen demonstrates, based on a plethora of
evidence from police investigations, FBI profilers, and the killers own
journals, that these teenagers were not loners, they did not have an agenda retaliate against the jocks, nor did they snap. Instead, they were egotistical
boys who believed that the human race is comprised of idiotic sheep who need to
be destroyed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Parts of the book had a greater
impact on me than others. First, when I pictured what happened I never
considered the sensory overload the students were bombarded with. Not only were
the murderers shooting victims, but they were also detonating home made bombs
throughout the school, which led to thick smoke filling the air and setting off deafening sound of the school’s fire alarm. I was also unaware of how little
time actually lapsed during their rampage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Secondly, I have always had mixed
feelings towards the killer’s parents. Initially, I believed the parents were
to blame and I stereotyped them as uninvolved and negligent. Now, however, I am
more cautious about making that proclamation because they seemed like average
parents who were just unfortunate enough to have monsters as kids.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In short, I highly recommend this
book to anyone who is interested in learning more about one of our nation’s
greatest tragedies. That being said, this was a hard read that brought me to
tears on numerous occasions. My husband doesn’t understand why I read books
that have such an effect on me and my answer is always the same: If people can
survive such horrors, the least I can do is learn about their struggles and
remember. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And onto the next . . . I am going to start Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasrin's <i>Revenge, </i>which will be the second stop in my Around the World in 12 Months book Challenge</span></div>
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