Saturday, February 18, 2012

Day 09 – A Book You Thought You Wouldn’t Like But Ended Up Loving:


Let's not & say we did experience: Extremely Difficult.

I don't normally read books unless I want to, even-pathetically-school textbooks were quite enjoyable for me. And I am probably to only person in the world who gets excited about reading 1924 circa encyclopedia's.
Anyhow, one book does come to mind. Plays It As It Lays, was an emotional whirlwind of a read that I had been putting off for some time, so while on vacation in Oak Beach, Long Island I packed the book and was determined to read it. I did and it left me utterly breathless, the words were brutally honest, thought invoking and intoxicating. A beautifully frigid portrayal of an era of women oppression, break through modernist movements, and a woman's bitter wit. I had never fully enjoyed a book so much that I was oblivious to the weather around me. 

One day while reading this lovely book out on the weatherworn deck of our friend's house I was so immersed into the story that I hadn't realized it had started to rain, twenty minutes later, my coffee is cold, my Grandma and Uncle are ready to go sightseeing and reminiscing and I am soaking wet the pages of Play It As It Lays warped through to the spin. Later when I was back home, in my small desert town I took my flat-iron to the book. Because that is the only reason I ever use the thing now! For flattening warped book pages. Do not ask for my reasoning on this subject, I fear my mind has left me little of it. 
During this vacation this book sparked inspiration that thrived off of my Grandma's life story and I had a new book to start writing, of course me being the me that I am, decided that not bringing my laptop was far better than risking it getting stolen on the plane. Don't ask for my knowledge behind this...So what do I do, I go long-handed cursive on the story boiling inside me and buy a yellow 50 cent spiral bound notebook. 
Play It As It Lays invoked so much inspiration! I would recommend this book for anyone who has writer's block or just anyone who likes historical novels, the way it is written makes you think that the chapters are really just craftily rephrased dairy pages.


This is just a snippet of the review to come. Stay tuned.

Hunger (Riders of the Apocalypse #1):

"As there was no saddle,
Lisa said to the horse,
"May I pull myself up?"
And damned if the horse didn't nod."
My rating: 4 out of 5 stars.
A gritty, dirty and rough book to write. Kessler, however, with her sense of stark realism, bitter witty retorts and convulsion to shed light on a darkened subject that haunts a lot of today's youth and adults, manages to craft a strikingly precise story of a seventeen year old who suffers from anorexia.
Lisabeth Lewis counts calories, she works out in her makeshift gym; housed in her dank basement, and inspects her body in the mirror before her nightly shower. Normal teenage girl stuff, right. 
Wrong.
Lisabeth Lewis is in trouble, she is obsessed with her weight, and she needs help. Between her always neatly primed mother, and her insanely busy father Lisabeth's anorexia goes unnoticed. When a handsome man comes to her door one night and leaves Lisa a set of scales she isn't quite sure what to do with them. Little does she know, those scales are the very things that are going to save her.
When a bad night leads to the consumption of far too many of her mother's sleeping pills Lisa meets Death, here is where Kessler decides to give Death a modern make over. The  quirky, handsome and witty rock god of a man is nothing of what most would assume Death to be, but this does not stop him from giving Lisa an ultimatum. 
Take on the role of Famine, one of the four horseman of the apocalypse, or die. Lisa doesn't have much choose in the matter and so begins the descriptive whirlwind of Lisa's new job. Her job takes her to the very brink of Famine crushed country sides, sends her straight intoWar's lioness' den where they go head-to-head and amongst it all Lisa finally learns acceptance. 
A brutal portrayal of a suffering teenager who looks in the mirror everyday and is disgusted. Kessler shows the underbelly of today's youth with such swift delicate words that I feared at one point, if I was not careful the ink would bleed together and the story would be lost. It had been a while since I stayed up late to finish a book, the feeling was welcome. 

Friday, February 17, 2012

Day 08 – Most Overrated Book:


Overrated! = The Twilight Saga
Now I am the first to admit that I immensely enjoyed the book, the writing style was immature but I countered that with what Meyer was writing, her point, her plot of the beginning of her Saga was simply and to the jest of it a cheesy YA love affair. I never understood why people just ripped into her, did they not ever think "Oh well maybe she wrote her novels simplistic because that was the way she wanted to write it?" Who are we to tell other people how they should write, I feel that as the volunteer job I have taken on it is my duty to make it clear that each of my blog posts, whether it be for my poetry blog or this blog that the words I write are solely my opinion. 
Where I am concerned the hate something you have to devote an immense amount of effort into keeping up with the hating. Hate is vastly overrated really. Too much energy, too much fuss. Is what I say, keep it simple, dislike things to a degree where they don't effect your daily life.
Anyhow now that my ramblings have thoroughly been put to doc. format. 
Onward with the show!
I admit I was one of those people who was swept up in the entire whirlwind of Twilight, I never stalked Rob Pattinson or waited in the rain to see the movie's opening night premiere but I did what it every night straight for like four weeks, just before I went to bed. But I feel the need to point out that I now find myself doing the same thing with Leverage - I have a secret love affair with that long haired guy who sings country music and always goes around beating people up, give me a bad boy any day of a polo shirt - and before that Seinfeld, then before that the movie Leap Year, and so on so forth. I think you get my point. 
I rather liked Twilight, of course I was stubborn and hadn't read the first book until I finished the entire series, proclaiming that I already saw the movie and therefore I had read the book. I was wrong, never see a movie and think it is the same at the novel itself, it never is. 
There are good things that came out of the Twilight Fever Epidemic, examples being: The Vampire Dairies, - love me some Damien - The Secret Circle, new Vampire/Supernatural YA novels finally burst through, and I give credit to Robert Pattinson, he was stunning in Remember Me, I mean the ending - who saw that coming?! Any-who, the books however, blew up so big that it made my admiration towards them shrivel, you know what I mean? Like when you hear a song over and over and over again on the radio and soon enough you turn it up screaming 'Let someone else have a turn!' 
That is what happened with me with Twilight, I barely touch the novels, never watch the two first movies, and haven't bothered to buy the remaining three. I don't really seem the point, the hype went up and then it deflated. Does that mean Meyer is not a good author, Hells' no! Her novel's  made me cry, laugh, squeal, swoon, and jump for joy at one point, not to mention the thrill of the ride. 
It really is a shame the hype got carried away. 

I Was Tagged Homes'


I was tagged by Debdatta Dasgupta Sahay.@ Book Reviews  here are the questions I was to answer hope you enjoy.

Rules of The Tagged:
1. You must post the rules.
2. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post and then create eleven new questions to ask the people that you have tagged.
3. Tag eleven people and link to them on your post.4. Let them know you've tagged them!

1.) What is it about Books that you love the most?
My new vintage encyclopedia set of ten from 1924.
The smell of a really old book is awesome! I love how they can transport you into a world that isn't possible in ours. I love how a book breaks through bounds, how memoirs tell a person's brutal truth, and how a persons poetry sings to you off the page of a book.

2.) What is your favorite Genre and Why?
Some example of YA Supernatural books that I have own.
Young Adult Supernatural Fiction. I am fascinated with the idea of magic and vampires. I am not in a craze over Twilight, do I own the series, sure- bought on sale from Walmart- but I also am collecting Harry Potter and the writing style, the way its formatted the story plot itself is so much better. Young Adult literature is a genre that will always bring me back to my freshman and first semester of my junior year of high school. I changed so much in such a sort amount of time that it still gets me. My freshman year was bliss, I had a best friend a grade above me who knew all the right people, hung out with the cool seniors and I was 'in' instantly and then she left, had to move away, the rest of the year our group began to fall apart and by my sophomore year I was enrolled in the Independent Studies Program my high school provides, which really is just a home schooling program run through the football couch of my high school. My junior year I went back because I missed what I had, had my freshman year, I was missed up and falling into a bad place, I was the girl in the corner at lunch, huddled ten feet from the stoners who sat and read all lunch when the library was not open. I didn't have any friends outside the classroom and  part of me really liked that. Then things started to get too much for me and I went back into ISP, through this all I read, and wrote, and rekindled my love for poetry. I read Young Adult novels, and the Classic's, and Adult Mystery Fiction, and Memoirs. I just started to read.

3.) Which was the first book that you had read in your favorite Genre?
New Moon (Twilight Saga #2), I am not afraid to admit that I picked up the book because I loved the movie, but I will say that I would never wait in line for twelve hours just to see Robert Pattinson. Free tickets to Stage Couch, hell yeah I'd be out there with a tent  and a sleeping bag waiting for the front doors to open.









4.) Which book are you eagerly waiting for to release this year?

Nothing particular really, i just read what ever catches my fancy at my local library. I'm so back-logged on reviewing books I've read in the past that I barely have time to do anything else.

5.) Name your all time favorite character.
Katsa's multi colored eyes.
Katsa from Graceling because she is strong and determined, blunt and handy with a knife. She is adventurous and able to always protect herself, this causes her great sorrow, everything i like in my heroine's. 







6.) If you could suddenly be a part of a story, you would choose to be a part of...?
The Vespertine, or Betraying Season because I love me some dark romance and magic, plus with the Vespertine I could see the future and that is something that would help me out tremendously, not to mention it has always secretly been my favorite power.

7.) One book you simply hated!

Never Let Me Go: I wouldn't say I hated the blog but i disliked it tremendously. The3 story was morbid and sad, the only thing that kept me going was the hope for a happy ending. The happy ending that never came; mind you. It was offal to think that something like that might have been attempted, though the work was fiction.

8.) Which book would you like to see converted into a movie?
Hold Still: The book was heartbreaking. I'd like to see how an actor would handle such a role, how well she would do and how believable it would be. Not to mention stories like that - though this book was Fiction - really happen, suicide in teens is growing steady more and more and the recognition of depression should be brought further into the light.


Portrait of the three sisters.
9.) Jane Austen or Bronte Sisters?


The Bronte sisters, Anne being my favorite sister, her work was eloquent and deeply thick with her emotions, she was vastly underrated by my standards.

















Misc. page from Wuthering Heights.
10.) Wuthering Heights or Jane Eyre?

I haven't read Jane Eyre yet, weird? Yes, extremely seeing as how I read both Emma and Wuthering Heights. I love Wuthering Heights, dark romance and all that. I started a new in-the-works tradition where I am determined to read Wuthering Heights the week of New Years Eve.








11.) Do you prefer physical or electronic copy of a book?
My book lovelies.
Physical!!!!!!! 
E-reader's and I hold a deep, hard and forever on-going; mutual dislike for each other. I really don't see the point to the monstrous things, nothing beats a book you can hold and place on a dusty old floor to ceiling shelf. The sum collection of my books, all held in various shelving units and scattered like balled up lined paper in my room, I swear my mother and I have taken over my brother room and shoved in cardboard boxes of books. But I'd never tread it for the world, I like the sight of books. I will be the bride who asks for three things: 1. A study with wall the ceiling book shelves and a wheeled ladder, 2. an extremely large walk-in closet with soft hue lightening and lots of shoes, and 3. an outside Garden, with many, many red, pink, yellow, white, peach, etc. roses.

My Questions:

1. Favorite T.V. series?
2. Your personal muse? 
3. Do you have a nickname? If so what's the story behind it?
4. What is one constant thing you do everyday?
5. What is your favorite heroine?
6. What do you want to be when you grow up? Same applies: Or what are you  doing now?
7. Favorite guilty pleasure book? (I.E.: A book you read a lot because you can't help yourself.)
8. What does the word poetry mean to you?
9. Your favorite memoir?
10. A book that left you reeling? In other words, a book that stuck with you long after you read it?
11. When your in your car what are you listening to? Same applies: what are you mostly listening to on your I-Pod, I-Phone, etc.?

Tagged Peeps:

2. A Mother's Wisdom my mom's blog, she's just getting started help her out, if you get the chance...

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Day 07 – Most Underrated Book An Unexpected Good Read:

The unexpected good book: Simple.

At War's End by Perry, Anne. I was just at the Veteran's hospital, in a waiting room one day, when I found this book. My Grandma and uncle were trying to get a meeting with a man who would later direct us to another man who would talk about my Grandpa's disability coverage. I just wanted something to read, to take my mind off of the situation I had been thrust roughly into, I had expected to be there for a while. We weren't. I had expected to like the book. I did. 
Now I can't find the book anywhere. I got twenty pages in and was hooked, unfortunately I had to leave because my Grandma was leaving. Little had I known that At War's End was two books in one, it included both "At Some Disputed Barricade", "We Shall Not Sleep" now I have placed them both one hold and am determined to finally finish the wondrously frank rendering of war.

Monday, February 13, 2012

I Was Totally Tagged Bloggers!

I was tagged! How devastatingly exciting!
Oh I do love these questionnaires, being tagged makes me feel so giddy! Another Thanks to A Little Shelf of Heaven who tagged me, now I have these lovely questions for to read. Click on the blue blog title to go to the blog. My questions for the people I have tagged are at the bottom of these questions and are different.


The Rules:
  1. You must post the rules.
  2. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post and then create eleven new questions to ask the people you've tagged.
  3. Tag eleven people and link to them on your post.
  4. Let them know you've tagged them!
Questions:

  1. If you could live in any book universe, which would it be? Why?



~ That is really difficult because most books I read I fall in love with the main characters universe. Another universe that involves handsome immortal men and magic! But if I had to choose one, I would go with Bewitching Season (Leland Sisters #1) by Doyle, Marissa. Completely loved those two novels, I devoured them, magic and balls, mischief, taffeta and sateen gowns with layers upon layers of lace, curled to perfection hair and corsets,  handsome men and possibly a love affair? All wrapped tight, sealed with a silk red bow and mystery. What was the question again?


  1. Which ten books can you not live without?


~ Only 10, seriously? I couldn't live without my library of books, life would be so dreadfully boorish.

1.) Holy Bible. Mock, un-follow my blog, leave crass insults as a comment, degrade me as a fearful person it will not, I guarantee 100%, effect my beliefs. The greatest gift a person can ever give is the gift of God's word, this was given to my brother by his youth pastor, whom became my youth pastor later, and my brother gave it to me. At the lowest moment in my life, at the heart of my darkest sin I never lost my faith and I never will. Because once you open the book, once you step foot in a church, once you truly listen and open your eyes you'll see. He was always the truth. He was always real.
In order from left to right.
Front Cover and Misc. page.
2.) The Original Illustrated Sherlock Holmes by Doyle, Arthur Conan. The best detective stories out there. I would be content locked away in a castle's dungeon if I had this thick book to keep me company.
In order from left to right.
Front Cover and Misc. page.
3.) The Complete Tales of Beatrix Potter by, Potter Beatrix My favorite illustrator, Colin Thompson coming vastly second, Potter as the smoothest strokes in her cute cuddly creatures, and she spins a tale that even as an adult I fawn over. Miraculous.
In order from left to right.
Front Cover and Misc. page.

 4.) The flash Of Lightening Behind The Mountain by Charles Bukowski. This man has mastered his art, has taken it and mangled it with his very own personal way of creating poetry, by far my favorite poet.
In order from left to right.
Front Cover and Misc. page.
5.) The Declaration of Independence and Other Great Documents of American History by Various Authors. Picked up at the gift shop of Prudence Crandall's school I adore this little book. Interesting fact: bet you didn't know she was a great, great, great, great, great aunt of mine. I love my country and plan to be a history Professor when I get older and this little book will be required reading material for my students. If people do not take the time to acknowledge their past than do not be an irritant when it repeats itself. Who is a person if they do not know where they come from? Every person's life deserves to be remembered, no matter how simple they may seem.
In order from left to right.
Front Cover and Misc. page.
6.) Veterans of Foreign Wars: This Is America My Country. This book details America's start, the first settlers, the pilgrims, the 13 colonies, the rise for independence, the gaining of independence, the indians, both world wars, and various other wars and other details that make up America. A brilliant research novel I am constantly going to.
In order from left to right.
Front Cover and Misc. page.
7.) Beachcombing at Miramar by Richard Bode. I love the beach, it is a place where I believe I left part of my soul, drifting along with the waves. My childhood - up until I was in third grade - consisted of Disney Land every Friday with my brother and parents, Hunnington Beach every Saturday morning - where I was always forced to wash the sand out of every toy, bathing suit, wet suit, boogie board and surfboard, even though my brother was the one who wore the wet suit and surfed regularly - and Knott's with my Grandparents and my cousins. The very best of my childhood lies in those places, this book reminds me of every trip.
In order from left to right.
Front Cover and Misc. page with scribbles in the margins.
8.) Mary Poppins In the Park by Travers, P.L. I loved Mary Poppins this book is so giddy and with such eloquent illustrations, such detail and rich writing. A good hearted, clean children's read.
In order from left to right.
Front Cover, Misc. page, and Back Cover.
9 & 10.) Anna, Grandpa, and the Big Storm by Stevens, Carla. This book makes me cry, because the Grandpa in this story is my Grandpa. He would have done this, every word is little piece of him. He is my world, no one has ever looked at me the way he does, his brown eyes shining bright, a smile on his bristled beard face. I was never happier or complete than when I was with him.
Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Bach, Richard. This book was originally my mothers, she says that is it is a sweet love story where Bach master transforming inaudible objects into a living breath, feeling thing that can and does fall in love. Written for adults, but can be read to children, I highly recommend this short fantastic read, it still has particulates of beach sand stuck between almost every page.
In order from left to right.
Front Covers, Livingston Seagull Misc. page, and Anna, Grandpa Misc. page.

2.)What makes you pick up a book? The cover, the title? Does your mood affect your choices?

~ Yes my mood does effect the way I choose my books. If I am in the mood for a thriller I will go straight to the mystery section that lines the back wall of my library, if I just want a mushy teen book, I'll go to the young adult section. Then I scan the book title, because I can only see the spines I generally go by the script the title is written in, if I like the title then I check out the front cover and finally the summary to see if I like the plot.
Have you ever heard a song that made you think of a scene from a book? Explain.

What is your favorite poem? Why?
~  German by Charles Bukowski:

being the German kid in the 20's in Los Angeles
was difficult.
there was much anti-German feeling then,
a carry-over from World War 1.
gangs of kids chased me through the neighborhood
yelling, 'Hieneie! Hieneie! Hienie!'
they never caught me.
I was like a cat.
I knew all the paths through brush and alleys.
I scaled 6-foot back fences in a flash and was off through
backyards and around blocks
and onto garage roofs and other hiding places.
then too, they didn't really want to catch me.
they were afraid I might bayonet them
or gouge out their eyes.

this went on for about 18 months
then all of a sudden it seemed to stop.
I was more or less accepted(but never really)
which was all right with me.
those sons-of-bitches were Americans,
they and their parents had been born here.
they had names like Jones and Sullivan and 
Baker.
they were pale and often fat with runny
noses and big belt buckles.
I decided never to become an American.
my hero was Baron Manfred von Richthofen
the German air ace;
he'd shot down 80 of their best
and there was nothing they could do about
that now.
their parents didn't like my parents
(I didn't either) and
I decided when I got big I'd go live in some place
like Iceland,
never open my door to anybody and live on my
luck, live with a beautiful wife and a bunch of wild
animals:
which is, more or less, what happened.

Who is your favorite musician/band at the moment?
 ~ Ray Lamontagne, his song Jolene is amazing.

Do you like fanfics? Why or why not?
~ Yeah why not, I think it's interesting and flattering to the author to see what  other people do with their idea, I even have a fanfic account: http://www.fanfiction.net/~annabellefleur

What is your biggest book pet-peeve? Explain.
Bad writing. When a person doesn't take the time to re-proof or re-read their works.

Have you ever fallen head-over-heels in love with a book, so that you cannot stop thinking about it? Which one?
I can't say I have, and if I have, I can't remember the experience.

Do you have a favorite reading 'spot'? Explain!
The beach, I plug my earbuds in turn up a sort of  music that matches the books flow and tan. It is really quite soothing. 

 If you could choose one book character to come out of their world and into ours, who would it be?
Damien Salvator the poor man never catches a break. I wish they would let him fall in love with someone who loves him just as desperately back.

My Questions:

1.) Favorite author, why?
2.) Favorite childhood book, or fairytale?
3.) Favorite Poet? Why?
4.) What book would you want to jump into and become the main character of?
5.) Favorite childhood memory?
6.) Why did you start blogging, what do you want to accomplish?
7.) Favorite place to be? (i.e.- the beach, circus, bedroom, family gathering, park, woods, etc.)
8.) Favorite movie? Why did you like it?
9.) Favorite Season? Why?
10.) Favorite book?

My Tags:

1. Anna @ annareads (check out her new blog design while your there.)
2. Morgan @ BLT
3. Lois D. Brown & Life of Lois
6. Arielle Y. @ Chimneys and Magic
7. A beautiful feather @ A Beautiful Feather
9. Mary BookHounds @ Book Hounds
11. Magical Day Dream @ Magical Day Dream

See Jane Run:

Rating: 2 1/2 out of 5 stars.  Recommendation: Eh, it wouldn't kill you to read this.  The Intrigue: So listen, let's say you weren&...