6.3.10
My Problem With The Sisterhood
Before I went to work yesterday, I started watching Gilmore Girls. I absolutely love that show, and I started thinking about the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. From the movie I then went to the books. I absolutely love those books. I think Anne Brashares is a genius for writing them, because I can connect to every character in them. But, I asked myself, why did she write a fourth book? I mean yes it tied up loose ends about Kostos and, B does truly commit herself to Eric, and the end does tie up the series. But, beside those three points why did she not have everything stay the same as it did in the third book. For one I think Lena ending up with Kostos was bad. I hated what Kostos did to her, he got married for crying out loud, and then he suddenly comes back to see if she will take him back? No don't agree with that. I felt the Lena/Paul story line should have taken off. I loved Paul. He is a great wonderful guy, and I felt that not developing him more was a mistake for Brashares. Also I feel that Win was perfect for Carmen, absolutely wonderful, and I feel that tin the fourth book she's just no where, and I definitely feel that true Carmen would always know where she is. Tibby, I truly liked where she ended up in the third book. I really really did, and I felt in the fourth she was just taking steps backwards to where she was pre-baily, and pre-brian. And Lastly B. The third book was amazing because it left off with someone who was taking care of her, and don't get me wrong I am so so so glad that Eric and her (spoiler!) end up together, but the fourth book just kind of twisted her story more than I would have liked. (I'm all about the concrete endings)
25.2.10
Honolulu
So this week I had the time to read a really fantastic work. Honolulu by Alan Brennert chronicles the life of Jin or Gem Kwon as she travels to Hawaii as a picture bride in the early 1900's. As the brides reach Hawaii they realize that there husbands to be are not everything that they had imagined them. Jin ends up in a an abusive marriage, and ends up running away from him to start a new life on her own. A beautiful story that tells of the struggles of everyone not haole (white) in this territory at this period in time. I would recommend this for any history buff, as it has some great ties to real people in history. Brennert is a master at making the reader feel the anguish of the people who struggle. Over all a very good read.
Originality: 7.5
Plot: 7
Easiness of Read: 8
Overall Score: 8
Originality: 7.5
Plot: 7
Easiness of Read: 8
Overall Score: 8
23.1.10
One down 3 to go...
Just finished Sizzle, and I must say it was a pretty decent read. Tad more romance, but hey who says that is a bad thing? First off, I feel like the whole murder plot was kind of loose, there were a lot of things that just seem like they were thrown in and then added to the story line to make it seem more solid. (Flynn Anyone?) Other than a few minor details I feel like it was a solid story. I definitely would be interested in reading some other works that Garwood has out there. However for right now I will have to content myself with an LJ Smith book that just came in the mail for me. Yipee!
By the way if you dear reader ever feel like you can never find a decent deal on books, check out Costco usually the second week your book hits bookshelves. They usually offer your book at about half the price that you would find it at regular chain bookstores! Or also the first week a book is released check Amazons Bargain Books! There is a treasure trove of inexpensive books in there, and with a free trial of prime you can get your book delivered free in two days! Just something to think about. However if both of those resources are non existent to you, check out Target. However if money is tight go to The Library. My mom keeps telling me (yes I know mom) to go to the library, however my dreams of Belle's Library will not be attained if I borrow books!
Till Next Time
-Jess
By the way if you dear reader ever feel like you can never find a decent deal on books, check out Costco usually the second week your book hits bookshelves. They usually offer your book at about half the price that you would find it at regular chain bookstores! Or also the first week a book is released check Amazons Bargain Books! There is a treasure trove of inexpensive books in there, and with a free trial of prime you can get your book delivered free in two days! Just something to think about. However if both of those resources are non existent to you, check out Target. However if money is tight go to The Library. My mom keeps telling me (yes I know mom) to go to the library, however my dreams of Belle's Library will not be attained if I borrow books!
Till Next Time
-Jess
22.1.10
The Reads I Want to Read!
So just expressing my desires in print so this way I have some accountability with what I want to read!
Sizzle, Julie Garwood: Lyra Prescott, a Los Angeles film student, is closing in on graduation and facing important decisions about her future. She's already been offered a job at her hometown TV station, an opportunity that could ultimately launch her dream career as a film editor. But heading back home would also mean dealing with her overprotective brothers, social-climbing mother, and eccentric grandmother. Unsure of her future, Lyra dives into work on her final school assignment: a documentary transformed by a twist of fate into a real-life horror film.
After she unwittingly captures a shocking crime on camera, a rash of mysterious, treacherous incidents convince Lyra that she's trapped in a sinister scenario headed for a violent ending. Running scared, she turns to her best friend, Sidney Buchanan, whose connections bring dauntless and devilishly handsome FBI agent Sam Kincaid into Lyra's life. As the noose of deadly intrigue tightens and the feelings between them deepen, Lyra and Sam must place their faith in each other's hands - and stand together against the malevolent forces about to break loose.
REMARKABLE CREATURES, Tracy Chevalier: From the moment she's struck by lightening as a baby, it is clear that Mary Anning is marked for greatness. On the windswept, fossil-strewn beaches of the English coast, she learns that she has "the eye"-and finds what no one else can see. When Mary uncovers an unusual fossilized skeleton in the cliffs near her home, she sets the religious fathers on edge, the townspeople to vicious gossip, and the scientific world alight. In an arena dominated by men, however, Mary is barred from the academic community; as a young woman with unusual interests she is suspected of sinful behavior. Nature is a threat, throwing bitter, cold storms and landslips at her. And when she falls in love, it is with an impossible man.
Luckily, Mary finds an unlikely champion in prickly Elizabeth Philpot, a recent exile from London, who also loves scouring the beaches. Their relationship strikes a delicate balance between fierce loyalty, mutual appreciation, and barely suppressed envy. Ultimately, in the struggle to be recognized in the wider world, Mary and Elizabeth discover that friendship is their greatest ally.
The Swan Thieves, Elizabeth Kostova: Psychiatrist Andrew Marlowe has a perfectly ordered life--solitary, perhaps, but full of devotion to his profession and the painting hobby he loves. This order is destroyed when renowned painter Robert Oliver attacks a canvas in the National Gallery of Art and becomes his patient. In response, Marlowe finds himself going beyond his own legal and ethical boundaries to understand the secret that torments this genius, a journey that will lead him into the lives of the women closest to Robert Oliver and toward a tragedy at the heart of French Impressionism. Ranging from American museums to the coast of Normandy, from the late nineteenth century to the late twentieth, from young love to last love, THE SWAN THIEVES is a story of obsession, the losses of history, and the power of art to preserve human hope.
Alice I Have Been, Melanie Benjamin: Alice Liddell Hargreaves’s life has been a richly woven tapestry: As a young woman, wife, mother, and widow, she’s experienced intense passion, great privilege, and greater tragedy. But as she nears her eighty-first birthday, she knows that, to the world around her, she is and will always be only “Alice.” Her life was permanently dog-eared at one fateful moment in her tenth year–the golden summer day she urged a grown-up friend to write down one of his fanciful stories.
That story, a wild tale of rabbits, queens, and a precocious young child, becomes a sensation the world over. Its author, a shy, stuttering Oxford professor, does more than immortalize Alice–he changes her life forever. But even he cannot stop time, as much as he might like to. And as Alice’s childhood slips away, a peacetime of glittering balls and royal romances gives way to the urgent tide of war.
For Alice, the stakes could not be higher, for she is the mother of three grown sons, soldiers all. Yet even as she stands to lose everything she treasures, one part of her will always be the determined, undaunted Alice of the story, who discovered that life beyond the rabbit hole was an astonishing journey.
Hopefully this week I will get to read some of these!
Sizzle, Julie Garwood: Lyra Prescott, a Los Angeles film student, is closing in on graduation and facing important decisions about her future. She's already been offered a job at her hometown TV station, an opportunity that could ultimately launch her dream career as a film editor. But heading back home would also mean dealing with her overprotective brothers, social-climbing mother, and eccentric grandmother. Unsure of her future, Lyra dives into work on her final school assignment: a documentary transformed by a twist of fate into a real-life horror film.
After she unwittingly captures a shocking crime on camera, a rash of mysterious, treacherous incidents convince Lyra that she's trapped in a sinister scenario headed for a violent ending. Running scared, she turns to her best friend, Sidney Buchanan, whose connections bring dauntless and devilishly handsome FBI agent Sam Kincaid into Lyra's life. As the noose of deadly intrigue tightens and the feelings between them deepen, Lyra and Sam must place their faith in each other's hands - and stand together against the malevolent forces about to break loose.
REMARKABLE CREATURES, Tracy Chevalier: From the moment she's struck by lightening as a baby, it is clear that Mary Anning is marked for greatness. On the windswept, fossil-strewn beaches of the English coast, she learns that she has "the eye"-and finds what no one else can see. When Mary uncovers an unusual fossilized skeleton in the cliffs near her home, she sets the religious fathers on edge, the townspeople to vicious gossip, and the scientific world alight. In an arena dominated by men, however, Mary is barred from the academic community; as a young woman with unusual interests she is suspected of sinful behavior. Nature is a threat, throwing bitter, cold storms and landslips at her. And when she falls in love, it is with an impossible man.
Luckily, Mary finds an unlikely champion in prickly Elizabeth Philpot, a recent exile from London, who also loves scouring the beaches. Their relationship strikes a delicate balance between fierce loyalty, mutual appreciation, and barely suppressed envy. Ultimately, in the struggle to be recognized in the wider world, Mary and Elizabeth discover that friendship is their greatest ally.
The Swan Thieves, Elizabeth Kostova: Psychiatrist Andrew Marlowe has a perfectly ordered life--solitary, perhaps, but full of devotion to his profession and the painting hobby he loves. This order is destroyed when renowned painter Robert Oliver attacks a canvas in the National Gallery of Art and becomes his patient. In response, Marlowe finds himself going beyond his own legal and ethical boundaries to understand the secret that torments this genius, a journey that will lead him into the lives of the women closest to Robert Oliver and toward a tragedy at the heart of French Impressionism. Ranging from American museums to the coast of Normandy, from the late nineteenth century to the late twentieth, from young love to last love, THE SWAN THIEVES is a story of obsession, the losses of history, and the power of art to preserve human hope.
Alice I Have Been, Melanie Benjamin: Alice Liddell Hargreaves’s life has been a richly woven tapestry: As a young woman, wife, mother, and widow, she’s experienced intense passion, great privilege, and greater tragedy. But as she nears her eighty-first birthday, she knows that, to the world around her, she is and will always be only “Alice.” Her life was permanently dog-eared at one fateful moment in her tenth year–the golden summer day she urged a grown-up friend to write down one of his fanciful stories.
That story, a wild tale of rabbits, queens, and a precocious young child, becomes a sensation the world over. Its author, a shy, stuttering Oxford professor, does more than immortalize Alice–he changes her life forever. But even he cannot stop time, as much as he might like to. And as Alice’s childhood slips away, a peacetime of glittering balls and royal romances gives way to the urgent tide of war.
For Alice, the stakes could not be higher, for she is the mother of three grown sons, soldiers all. Yet even as she stands to lose everything she treasures, one part of her will always be the determined, undaunted Alice of the story, who discovered that life beyond the rabbit hole was an astonishing journey.
Hopefully this week I will get to read some of these!
21.1.10
One thing I forgot!
I meant to do this in the previous post, but I forgot! Anyways, I wanted to address one book that I find is a fantastic book!
Shiver, Maggie Stiefvater: This book is an awesome book. Period. Why you may ask? Well with the whole supernatural craze going on in the media today, it's really hard to get into some decent books that do deal with supernatural subject matter. The reason why I loved Shiver (and I mean loved) was because Sam is NOT a werewolf. He's just a regular wolf, the reason I loved this aspect in the book is because it is 1000000000 times more believable than someone turning into a vampire (yes I do know that realistically both of these ideas are impossible). However I feel that the way Stiefvater creates Sam's peculiarity is fantastic, also I love, love, love the fact that the two main characters did not just "fall in love at first sight" like in some other supernatural books that are out there (which incidentally I do happen to like), but this love story has developed over years. Also the fact that Grace falls for Sam while he is a wolf... even more iron clad! I definitely say give this a read, it is unlike a lot of the Vampire/Werewolf/Witch books you will find out there.
Also if you just absolutely LOVE books about Vampires, check out the Vampire Academy books, or the first FOUR Vampire Diaries books. Those are my suggestions for the good reads in that type of genre!
-Jess
Shiver, Maggie Stiefvater: This book is an awesome book. Period. Why you may ask? Well with the whole supernatural craze going on in the media today, it's really hard to get into some decent books that do deal with supernatural subject matter. The reason why I loved Shiver (and I mean loved) was because Sam is NOT a werewolf. He's just a regular wolf, the reason I loved this aspect in the book is because it is 1000000000 times more believable than someone turning into a vampire (yes I do know that realistically both of these ideas are impossible). However I feel that the way Stiefvater creates Sam's peculiarity is fantastic, also I love, love, love the fact that the two main characters did not just "fall in love at first sight" like in some other supernatural books that are out there (which incidentally I do happen to like), but this love story has developed over years. Also the fact that Grace falls for Sam while he is a wolf... even more iron clad! I definitely say give this a read, it is unlike a lot of the Vampire/Werewolf/Witch books you will find out there.
Also if you just absolutely LOVE books about Vampires, check out the Vampire Academy books, or the first FOUR Vampire Diaries books. Those are my suggestions for the good reads in that type of genre!
-Jess
Hot Chocolate on a Rainy Day
Is there anything more perfect than reading a wonderful book on a cold rainy day with a wonderful cup of hot chocolate next to you? No there isn't! Today I did just that! Books for a rainy day:
Moloka'i, Alan Brennert: on a whim I decided to read this book because it related somewhat to my Hawaiian culture, it ended up being a fantastic read. It centers on young girl named Rachel Kalama who at a very young age comes down with Leprosy, and is sent to the island of Moloka'i because of the disease. The book then focuses on her life on the island and her struggle to be a regular girl, when so many distrust her because of her disease. It's an awesome story and will make you feel the injustice of sending the people to the island, and the treatment they received. I definitely recommend this if you just want to truly lock yourself away for a day.
The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, Katherine Howe: This book is also an excellent choice if you want to hide yourself inside on a rainy day. It has all the ingredients for a good read: magic, witches, present times, and a little dose of the past you will truly like this story if you're up for a little magic. :)
I'm sure there will be plenty more rainy days, and don't worry there will be more good reads for these days!
Till Next Time
-Jess
Moloka'i, Alan Brennert: on a whim I decided to read this book because it related somewhat to my Hawaiian culture, it ended up being a fantastic read. It centers on young girl named Rachel Kalama who at a very young age comes down with Leprosy, and is sent to the island of Moloka'i because of the disease. The book then focuses on her life on the island and her struggle to be a regular girl, when so many distrust her because of her disease. It's an awesome story and will make you feel the injustice of sending the people to the island, and the treatment they received. I definitely recommend this if you just want to truly lock yourself away for a day.
The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, Katherine Howe: This book is also an excellent choice if you want to hide yourself inside on a rainy day. It has all the ingredients for a good read: magic, witches, present times, and a little dose of the past you will truly like this story if you're up for a little magic. :)
I'm sure there will be plenty more rainy days, and don't worry there will be more good reads for these days!
Till Next Time
-Jess
20.1.10
My Favorite Books of all Time!
So I figure many many of these books will never be mentioned by anyone except me but here they are:
The Blue Castle, L.M. Montgomery: I love this book with all my heart. I really really need to buy myself a new copy because my current is in really bad shape. This book is about a women named Valancy Stirling who is diagnosed with a terminal heart condition. Up until this point she is single and under the rule of her mother and strict family. When she hears this news, she finally breaks free of her family and goes to work for a outlaw in her town, and eventually marries a man who is shunned from the community because he is "peculiar." This book always gives me a case of the warm fuzzies. You must read it if you eve have the chance!
The Last Summer of You and Me, Anne Brashares: Seriously a Great Great Book! This book is one of my favorites because of the emotions that the readers actions invoke in you. It centers on the lives of Sisters Riley and Alice, and their best friend paul. The title has so many different connotations that I will let you reach on your own. But, definitely take a stab at it!
Redeeming Love, Francine Rivers: I was down in San Diego last summer before I had even head of this book. I actually spent 4 hours on the beach reading the first half of it, and let me say once you start reading it you WILL NOT be able to put it down. Trust me on this, I watched one of my closest friends read the whole book yesterday. It is that good! This is one of those books that truly stops and makes you think. The book is supposed to be a mirror to the book of Hosea in the bible, and let me tell you it is fantastic! Set during California's gold rush it focuses on a girl named Angel and a man who loves her so deeply (Michael Hosea) he will do anything to bring her back. Must must must read!
So these are just 3 of my favorites and I will post some more eventually, but I did just discover bargain books on Amazon, so I will be shopping now!
-Jess
The Blue Castle, L.M. Montgomery: I love this book with all my heart. I really really need to buy myself a new copy because my current is in really bad shape. This book is about a women named Valancy Stirling who is diagnosed with a terminal heart condition. Up until this point she is single and under the rule of her mother and strict family. When she hears this news, she finally breaks free of her family and goes to work for a outlaw in her town, and eventually marries a man who is shunned from the community because he is "peculiar." This book always gives me a case of the warm fuzzies. You must read it if you eve have the chance!
The Last Summer of You and Me, Anne Brashares: Seriously a Great Great Book! This book is one of my favorites because of the emotions that the readers actions invoke in you. It centers on the lives of Sisters Riley and Alice, and their best friend paul. The title has so many different connotations that I will let you reach on your own. But, definitely take a stab at it!
Redeeming Love, Francine Rivers: I was down in San Diego last summer before I had even head of this book. I actually spent 4 hours on the beach reading the first half of it, and let me say once you start reading it you WILL NOT be able to put it down. Trust me on this, I watched one of my closest friends read the whole book yesterday. It is that good! This is one of those books that truly stops and makes you think. The book is supposed to be a mirror to the book of Hosea in the bible, and let me tell you it is fantastic! Set during California's gold rush it focuses on a girl named Angel and a man who loves her so deeply (Michael Hosea) he will do anything to bring her back. Must must must read!
So these are just 3 of my favorites and I will post some more eventually, but I did just discover bargain books on Amazon, so I will be shopping now!
-Jess
Oh dear!
Oh Book Blog I have ignored you for so long! I have a new goal to return to you more frequently! So some good reads:
Days Of Gold: Jude Deveraux: If you like Scottland and love stories this is definitely a good read for you. I do like myself a good love story, however I did feel that this one lagged somewhat. It was a little meager in the villain plot, and I do feel like the four year gap was a tad too long. Also there was some really surprising love connections at the end, and it felt like the author was just trying to have all of the characters have a happy ending. I mean I like myself some happy endings, but I feel as if the author was just reaching for straws at the end. You'll understand if you read it. Overall thought I would say it's a decent book to read, it was entertaining, and I don't regret reading it. :)
Next up: The Vampire Diaries The Return: Nightfall. This was an epic disaster. Not only is there a huge discrepancy between time periods (the first books take place in the 90's, new books now suddenly take place in present day) but also come on leave the series alone! LJ Smith you are a smart author, why are you putting your readers through more pain by making Elena choose between the two brothers again!? Also why why why whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy can Damon not remember Matt's name. He definitely knew it in the first four books. This book made me mad. If you like the Diaries, don't ruin the series for yourselves and stay away from the newer ones.
The Lace Reader, Brunonia Barry: So I read this, and yes it was beautifully written, however it was confusing as heck! The ending was definitely a twist and made you wonder what the heck is going on? I didn't know whether to think of the main character as just plain crazy or severely messed up. I don't even know what to make of this book. I'll give it a second read and update if I feel like I was way off base in my judgments about it first.
The Help, Kathryn Stockett: Honestly when I picked up this book I really thought it was going to be about Cinderella's mice. Boy I was wrong. This was a fantastic book. Discussing the trials of black maids in Jackson, Mississippi in the 60's this was an awesome story. It was original and I truly felt like I knew every character in the book. It also made me want to literally punch the white ladies in the book. I also thought it was fantastic how they had kind of a calendar girl-esque thing going with calling the white employers ch. 1, ch. 2 You get my drift. Overall this is my recommendation for this post!
Happy reading!
Days Of Gold: Jude Deveraux: If you like Scottland and love stories this is definitely a good read for you. I do like myself a good love story, however I did feel that this one lagged somewhat. It was a little meager in the villain plot, and I do feel like the four year gap was a tad too long. Also there was some really surprising love connections at the end, and it felt like the author was just trying to have all of the characters have a happy ending. I mean I like myself some happy endings, but I feel as if the author was just reaching for straws at the end. You'll understand if you read it. Overall thought I would say it's a decent book to read, it was entertaining, and I don't regret reading it. :)
Next up: The Vampire Diaries The Return: Nightfall. This was an epic disaster. Not only is there a huge discrepancy between time periods (the first books take place in the 90's, new books now suddenly take place in present day) but also come on leave the series alone! LJ Smith you are a smart author, why are you putting your readers through more pain by making Elena choose between the two brothers again!? Also why why why whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy can Damon not remember Matt's name. He definitely knew it in the first four books. This book made me mad. If you like the Diaries, don't ruin the series for yourselves and stay away from the newer ones.
The Lace Reader, Brunonia Barry: So I read this, and yes it was beautifully written, however it was confusing as heck! The ending was definitely a twist and made you wonder what the heck is going on? I didn't know whether to think of the main character as just plain crazy or severely messed up. I don't even know what to make of this book. I'll give it a second read and update if I feel like I was way off base in my judgments about it first.
The Help, Kathryn Stockett: Honestly when I picked up this book I really thought it was going to be about Cinderella's mice. Boy I was wrong. This was a fantastic book. Discussing the trials of black maids in Jackson, Mississippi in the 60's this was an awesome story. It was original and I truly felt like I knew every character in the book. It also made me want to literally punch the white ladies in the book. I also thought it was fantastic how they had kind of a calendar girl-esque thing going with calling the white employers ch. 1, ch. 2 You get my drift. Overall this is my recommendation for this post!
Happy reading!
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