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welldweller

That New Book Blog Smell

MMMMMMMMMM. I love reading books, I aspire to write a few as well!

Currently reading

Sanctum
Sarah Fine
Progress: 61 %
Hanging by a Thread
Sophie Littlefield
Progress: 28 %
Anansi Boys
Neil Gaiman
One for the Money
Janet Evanovich
A Game of Thrones
George R.R. Martin
The ABC Murders
Agatha Christie
Grave Sight
Charlaine Harris
Progress: 45 %
Elsewhere
Gabrielle Zevin
Day by Day Armageddon
J.L. Bourne
Oh Danny Boy
Rhys Bowen

Nanowrimo Night of Writing (DANGEROUSLY)

I'm looking for donations for the Night of Writing Dangerously! I need to raise at least 250 for a ticket for myself or 350 for Kevin to join me. Its for a great cause and even if you can't donate will you share this and see if others will? 
Help this great nonprofit for future readers and writers!
http://www.stayclassy.org/fundraise?is_new=1&fcid=281790

 

thank you so much for any support (verbal, monetary, shares, likes the works!) 

I love you alll!!!!

 

Rock on!

SPOILER ALERT!

An Ice Cold Grave ( Harper Connelly #3)

An Ice Cold Grave  - Charlaine Harris

SPOILER ALERT

 

So In this installment of the Harper Connelly series, she is tasked with finding the body of a young boy (assumed dead) after a string of boys have gone missing in the last 6 years.

It apparent there is a serial killer pattern and what she finds is gruesome to say the least.

The book centers around the murders and the "building sexual tension" between her and her step brother Tolliver. this is where it goes down for me. Their relationship was awkward and forced and I couldn't believe the romance at all.

The written sex scenes I had to glance over because they were so awkward and weird.

I just...didn't believe the "we could do whatever we wanted to each other and its just amazing and fireworks" The description of his parts was kinda weird too.

"i thought I would weep with joy"

 

SO yes on the mystery no to the bromance.

Reblogged from Sharon E. Cathcart:
"Autumn is a second spring, where every leaf is a flower."

Albert Camus

Comics: Batman The Man Who Laughs

Batman: The Man Who Laughs SC - Ed Brubaker, Doug Mahnke, Patrick Zircher, Aaron Sowd

I like this comic, it deals with the Joker origin as the comedian who got into a bad situation and ended up in a vat of chemicals. so far its my favorite origin of the joker and seeing a story as the aftermath was great.
Its a good story, and a quick read and the art style is dark and gritty
But I'm always generous when it comes to Batman

Favorite Batgirl: Comic starts Strong

Batgirl, Vol. 1:  Silent Running - Kelley Puckett, Scott Peterson, Damion Scott, Robert Campanella

Cassandra Cain is hands down my favorite Batgirl. Followed by Miss Barbra Gordon herself and then the short lived batgirl Stephanie Brown (aka Spoiler).

Cassandra Cain is a child raised from birth by the master assassin David Cain. Raised without any other human interactions saved for training, she is mute and learned to see the body's movements as a language itself.

With direction from the original Batgirl, now Oracle (a computer genuis), she fights crime and makes her way into masked vigilantism, But she has her own past and demons to battle as she battles gothams low level criminals.

Go on this journey with Cassandra and discover her past, present and how she'll continue to her future! Will she give in to her fathers way? Who is her mother? Find out and definitely give this one a read if you're a fan of the Bat-Family.

Batman: The Man Who Laughs - Steve Bird, Aaron Sowd, Ed Brubaker, Doug Mahnke, Patrick Zircher I like this comic, it deals with the Joker origin as the comedian who got into a bad situation and ended up in a vat of chemicals. so far its my favorite origin of the joker and seeing a story as the aftermath was great.
Its a good story, and a quick read and the art style is dark and gritty
But I'm always generous when it comes to Batman
God Is Dead #1 - Jonathan Hickman,  Di Amorim I'm very excited to read this series, it holds such promise. how do you take on the gods of lore? what's left of the human race is about to try yo find out!
great read!
Paranormalcy - Kiersten White so cute and a quick read. I read it in a few hours.
Perception - Kim Harrington SO I'm pretty big on paranormal and murder mystery genres, so when they are put together its pretty much a win win from there. I loved the first Book clarity and perception was no exception(heh rhymes).
Clare is a character who is special, has two guys who dig her...and I don't hate her for it. There tends to be a fine line for that kind of thing and most authors bunk it and mary sue the stuff out of it.
The book was a bit predictable but the author makes the ride count and that is always a great thing. Plus she makes the things that happen to Clare make sense instead of just happening cause shes oh so special and daisies and lilacs. ick.
So yes, I love the book recommend it and plan to read anymore (please do more pretty please?

4 out of 5 stars (just because of predictability)<3<br/>
(wow my review is jumbled. I willlll take notes next time)
The Selection - Kiera Cass I liked this book. it wasn't a marvel of words but I enjoyed it. Mostly.
But I love these kinds of books, the I want to be a princess book. Winning the heart of a prince? Living happily ever after? It sounds like something i would dream....
and that seems to be how it was written. A bit like a fantasy of girls novel where in every way she is genuine smart and clever and doesn't want what the other girls want giving her that advantage on the prince.
It does have its cliches and there were some parts that annoyed me greatly ( The not controlling emotions things always make me furious I can only think why is because I can so why can't every girl? xD)
Plus the descriptions of it are usually icky. "passionately" "desperately" HUNGRY FOR WARMTH. ugh. gross. At the same time I still enjoy it.
So not the greatest novel of all time. Not a Teen must read. Still readable for a novice reviewer like myself.
Demonic Dora - Claire Chilton Okay, so I enjoyed this book...mostly. It is not a great book, nothing spectacularly new or an ingenious idea but I found it pretty funny and a VERY easy read.
I really enjoyed it until halfway through and then the magic was gone. Her personality started to wear on me and I found the writing style a little unclear. It seemed as if it was from the current chapters main characters perspective, but then it seemed as if they knew more than they should have at the time. I also couldn't tell when this was supposed to take place. Since they tried to burn her(which I assume was Kierons parents doing really but I am unsure.)but she seemed so modern with ebay and the like I got confused part of the time but I am not very worldly in a manner of small religious towns as such she was trying to portray.
So Dora is the daughter of a religious zealot on tv and summons a demon. It prompts her parents for an exorcism and then a witch burn when it fails. The demon takes her to the Highway to Hell and their journey in love, friendship..oh wait. I mean darkness and evil begins. Through this whole endeavor, there are all these "I underestimated her evil abilities" and"shes better than I thought" moments which I got tired of. Felt like Mary-Sue slipped in a few times which is my PERSONAL pet peeve so that may or may not be a strike against it for others.

Overall I will read the next book but probably not as quickly as I did this.
still I give it an A for effort. B for writing and C for characters.
Ba dun tiss.
Ink - Amanda Sun first of all, that cover is gorgeous. that is what drew me to the book in the first place. (so guilty of judging books by their covers)

Now. I liked this book. I had every expectation of a manga-like story and I was not disappointed. Now yes this book is plenty filled with those cliches (some of which I hate but feel they kinda need to be there for a romantic YA with powers cause if you're going for reality the story can get weird and stalkerish)
So the Main Characters mother dies and she is sent to live with her aunt in Japan since her grandfather is fighting cancer(?) (i get diseases confused sometimes) and she has to learn Japanese while aching to get back to the good ol' north america.
Luckily she has made a few friends by the time we join in her story. Which is nice and seems more normal and likable than "I'm an outcast and weird I'll brood and watch from afar"
while learning all the faux pas' she can make she stumbles on bad boy tomo breaking up with his girlfriend over getting another pregnant.
DRAMA BOMB. Oh man this is getting juicy
photo gustermmmm_zps52e0b8d8.gif
then more rumors???
well after all these nasty things and weird encounters (like panty flashing) she still ends up all over the guy and he has DUN DUN Magical paper powers.
and she is some sorta weird conduit. So yes. They are magically drawn to each other. All the while his good buddy wants him for the yakuza and she keeps bumping into some other hot dude in places. It all comes to the dragon. When you read it you'll see.
So Yakuza Stuff happens and it all comes down to a choice for her.
DO I STAY OR DO I GO. NU NU NU NU NUNUNU
anyway I will be continuing this series to see where it leads but I got what i expected out of it. I feel some people just had their hopes up a little too high.
Give Up the Ghost - Megan Crewe I loved this book. Its exactly everything I like to read in one book. although I wish there was a teeeeennyyy bit of romance but I know the pacing of her character would be off, but the school teen life, outcasted by feeling like a freak and the delivering of slight vigilante justice (okay well the dirt on her classmates) was believable and well written. I really enjoyed this and couldn't stop reading it.
The ending was a bit too open for me so I wonder if there could be a sequel? I mean I feel that her ghost pals were left a little wanting besides her sister, and even then it almost felt like the resolutions for them is helping them pass over.

Overall an enjoyable light young adult read.
The Dark Knight Trilogy: The Complete Screenplays with Storyboards - Christopher J. Nolan, Jonathan Nolan, David S. Goyer I had the pleasure of reading through this book from Netgalley recently.
It's just what it says, the complete script plus some storyboard art.
I must admit I wanted more storyboard art than was given, but that is my favorite part.
If you love the movies this is a great addition to your book collection and makes a great coffee table book!
5 out 5 stars!
Princess Academy - Shannon Hale This book really reminded me of books I read when I was younger, princess books are usually a great treat and this was no exception!

Miri is a cute girl just a smidge smaller than her fellow village children and believes that is why she can't work the quarry with her sister Marda. Soon a kings messenger from the lowlands comes bearing a message that it has been prophesied that a girl from her town will be chosen as a princess. The girls are whisked away under protest down the mountain to a stone home made of linder (their primary trade) to learn the ways of being a lady for his Highness Prince Steffan. The tutor Olana is a mean, witchy teacher with strict rules and even stricter punishments. Miri tries to stand up for her fellow classmates and ultimately ends up alienating herself (as much as the stranger lowlander Britta! Who had come after being orphaned) Miri tries her best to make good of the situation and finds solace in books. She becomes fascinated by the books that eventually help her town in trading! Eager to share what she has learned with her home she does her best in studies and even helps others to go when they fail tutor Olana's horribly hard tests.
After she tells her home of what she learned she hopes for some nod of approval from her father but he is as stoic and solemn. She employs her teaching with her crush Peder, but somehow manages to say the wrong things after a conversation that was perfect. In trying to return to the academy she employs the rules of diplomacy with the help from her rival Katar. The negotiations with Tutor Olana go well and all is better in the academy. Miri, fascinated with learning quarry speak tries to reach out to Britta with it and even though she does not understand it, they form a bond. As Miri continues her studies and helps her village with trading, she begins teaching her sister Marda to read on the rest weeks. Finally, she is crowned academy princess! She gets to meet Prince Steffan and is conflicted in her feeling for home, Peder and family but wanting to wander and explore her homeland. After a long night of constricted talk and dancing she gets alone time with the Prince to whom she speaks candidly and endearing. Britta has fallen ill this night as well. The next day the prince leaves and bandits appear after Miri has a small quibble with Peder. She tries many times to help her classmates escape and ends up bound and gagged. She lays on the linder floor and tries desperately to quarry speak to the village for help. After a day she tries Peder with a memory and falls asleep. She awakens and knows her village is outside to help and quickly gets a plan to get the girls out a window while the bandits sleep. most escape but nine are caught by the bandits before they can reach their families, including Miri by the bandit leader Dan. She uses quarry speak when she is able to tell them to strike but the message is only received by Peder. She takes the linder hawk Peder had carved for her and stabs Dan's hand. they both tumble to the edge and the bandit grabs Miris leg trying to climb up. The next thing she knew Dan was flailing through the air to his death and her father above her, his mallet gone.
After her recovery she finds out Britta is a noble and knows the prince! She couldn't face him, though she loved him and Miri convinces her she needs to face him. Miri decided she didn't want to be a princess and Britta was perfect for it. The prince sees Britta finally and instantly recognizes her. Now they girls are all invited to the wedding in the capital city and Britta wants Miri to be the delegate. She declines and says to choose Katar, she wants to leave so badly. Finally she gets to be with Peder and they have a small cute confession to each other. Miri also hopes to open an academy of learning for her town.
This book was lovely. I read it very quickly but I couldn't put it down once they got to the academy. I found myself reading faster to try to get when they met the prince but I wanted to know!
I was very happy with the ending and excited to know that there is a sequel! The only issue I had was that it was from Miri's perspective and she was supposed to be kinda illiterate but she used some big words in the beginning. I feel that should have progressed and been more apparent as she read her books and studied more.
Other than that it was great! 4 stars!
Entangled (Spellbound #1) - Nikki Jefford 4.5 stars
I loved this book, not to say its the best book ever but I personally really enjoyed it!
That cover too is gorgeous and that is generally how I get interested in a book. (Such a terrible weakness after that old saying but hey so many other people do it too!)
I started reading the book not knowing the plot involved her dying until right before it happened and looked it up on goodreads and was shocked!
So I kept reading now to see how she would die.
by the way the story was going I was not surprised it was her sister. Actually I had been watching a new show called ">"Monstresses" and was instantly reminded of her sister Charlene. Although Graylee's was an accident she didn't seem to have much remorse in the end (being a bitch can override mushy feelings I guess).
So what I loved about this book;An Easy read of teen life, I'm a sucker for those high school settings and this one was no exception. There is also the different narratives between her and teen bad boy Raj McKenna, I was hoping we got a narrative from her sister too, all kinds of crazy and I wanted inside that head!I know it was essential to the mystery of her death in the beginning but a short narrative at the end would have been great!
Graylee was a teeny annoying in the fact that she was so oblivious to one character liking her and not expecting some sort of betrayal after her make out session and being stood up, but I suppose its also apart of her charm. I loved that she was the down-to-earth twin, which made her easy to relate to and to want to cheer on. I mean I really had hoped there was some sort of stasis spell her mom put on her body but I guess it was a little much for her to come back to life in her own body.
Raj had all charm and a bit of a tortured past with his loyalty to Gray was inspiring and touching, making the teen heart melt a bit. I love his name too! Its like saying "rawr" or "rawh".
The thing I found a bit strange was her best friend Thea, being written out almost immediately after her death. I expected more of a longing to tell her best friend she was alive in her sisters body than swooning over boys she supposedly had no interest in at first, but I know being dead and living every other day can take its toll on your emotions.
The ending was pretty satisfying with her sister losing her powers permanently and getting justice for her sisters coma victim Stacy Lee Morehouse, who did not deserve that crash nor did her father deserve the hell he went through for her. It made me want more to happen to her sister but I guess losing her powers is pretty torturous.

Overall, the characters are fun and interesting while the witchery takes it to another level (paranormal can be so fun when done right!)I'm definitely starting the next book soon and will review it!