tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14466855698702468942024-03-13T18:33:37.726-04:00Get Lost in LiteratureI read mostly fiction, a little bit from every genre. I hope you'll join me as I get lost in my next adventure!Idea-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201579778489181627noreply@blogger.comBlogger298125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446685569870246894.post-27745303899233829922024-03-11T06:19:00.007-04:002024-03-11T06:19:00.128-04:00Salem's Cipher by Jess Lourey<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1707231105i/199541107.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="518" height="200" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1707231105i/199541107.jpg" width="130" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">"They stepped into the chilly November afternoon, the tangerine and gold of the setting sun at odds with all the darkness in their lives."</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"><br /></span></i></div><div>This is a story about Salem, an agoraphobic cryptoanalysist, and her best friend Bel. Their mothers Vida and Grace go missing one night, leaving behind clues as to what happened to them. It's up to Salem and Bel to crack the code and find their missing moms.</div><p></p><div>The first thing that stands out to me is how fast-paced this is, unlike the few follow-the-breadcrumbs stories I've read. Salem and Bel discover a clue and immediately decode it to move onto the next. In fact, it seems almost too easy; too easy to find the clues and too easy to break them. Jess Lourey knew the story she wanted to write, but I'm not sure she made the puzzle hard enough... Or maybe the speed is a blessing, the story not taking up too much of your life to be worth reading.</div><div><br /></div><div>In between clues, the story keeps itself moving by the switching of the POVs. There's FBI agents Stone and Clancy; Stone who is instantly attracted to Salem because what's not sexier than a crime scene, and Clancy who may or may not have been compromised by the Hermitage: a secret society founded by Andrew Jackson. We've got Jason, a seriously depraved villain, assassin for the Hermitage, working to destroy a secret society known as the Underground which is made up of women fighting for equality.</div><div><br /></div><div>There were a few details that I didn't like though. </div><div><br /></div><div>First for a book that's got some pretty feministic ideals, Salem and presidential candidate Gina Hayes were both given body image issues. I suppose it's not impossible to be a feminist and self-conscious, but I really would have liked to see strong female leads embracing their own bodies.</div><div><br /></div><div>And the attraction between Salem and Stone. It has nothing to do with anything. He likes her but they only share a few sentences in the beginning. Salem doesn't seem all that interested until the end when it's too late to do anything about it. Not that she's upset at the missed opportunity, so why even mention that Stone was attracted to her? It contributed nothing to the story.</div><div><br /></div><div> I also didn't understand why a savant code breaker needed so much help with clues. It felt like she was standing on the backs of people smarter than herself (at one point literally).</div><div><br /></div><div>Over all, this was a fast paced, fun, little story, even with the character inconsistencies. I just wish Salem hadn't need a child to teach her the correct way to read a letter.</div>Idea-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201579778489181627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446685569870246894.post-18971148151542677222024-03-07T07:00:00.016-05:002024-03-07T07:00:00.138-05:00Quotable Thursday<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1707231105i/199541107.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="518" height="200" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1707231105i/199541107.jpg" width="130" /></a></div><i><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"><br /></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">"Worrying about another man's motives was a sure way to drive yourself crazy in this business. All you could complete your own mission." Jess Lourey, Salem's Cipher.</span></i></div></i><p></p><div style="text-align: right; text-decoration-line: underline;"><u><br /></u></div><div style="text-align: right;">Thursday Quotables invented/hosted by <a href="https://bookshelffantasies.com/" style="text-decoration-line: underline;" target="_blank">Bookshelf Fantasies</a><u>.</u></div>Idea-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201579778489181627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446685569870246894.post-91371273824878016172024-03-04T09:19:00.000-05:002024-03-04T09:19:00.130-05:00The Conference of the Birds by Ransom Riggs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1576452919i/46011880.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="595" data-original-width="383" height="200" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1576452919i/46011880.jpg" width="129" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">"Right now we were hunting the wights, but if they ever realized it, they'd start hunting us right back." The Conference of the Birds by Ransom Riggs</span></i></p><p>The plot of this story isn't that spectacular. Jacob rescues Noor and helps her look for the mysterious V, with the usual fights with hollows and wights mixed in. Oh yeah, let's not forget the love at first sight teen romance that's about to unfold. That's pretty much it.</p><p>I'm not sure that this plot offered enough, I certainly expected more from it. The previous stories have been so successful with Jacob and his friends, I didn't understand the sudden teen romance that pushed all these other great characters into the background. </p><p>With every book the photos are fewer and fewer, so if pictures are what you're after, don't depend on it. That's fine by me, because with every book the author is pulling more and more from imagination, and I'll give credit where it's due: he's got plenty of imagination. The world building is good, the peculiars are peculiar, he has a clear view of what he wants to happen and he shows it happening. He just doesn't plan a solid enough happening to create a solid enough storyline.</p><p>It's an adventure to be sure, but without the characters that made the story great, does it really matter?</p><p>3 Stars</p>Idea-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201579778489181627noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446685569870246894.post-29946554002839588142024-03-03T06:50:00.001-05:002024-03-03T06:58:08.409-05:00The Sunday Post<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/326/2023/09/Sunday-Post-x.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="800" height="160" src="https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/326/2023/09/Sunday-Post-x.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div> Happy Sunday!<div><br /><div>Welcome to my Sunday Post, a weekly blog news meme hosted by <a href="https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/">caffeinatedbookreviewer</a>. My blog is on the small side, so I decided I'll only be posting the first Sunday of each month and I hope you'll join me.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>The month of February has been eventful. I've had some wild weather in my neck of the woods: real feel listed as 11 degrees one day, switching to 60s and endless rain, and then to dry windstorms that brought trees down. I successfully managed not to freeze, drown, or fly. I became an aunt to a beautiful niece, who just narrowly escaped being a leap year baby, and I'm pretty excited about her arrival. My Kindle Touch was finally lost to the ravages of time but was replaced swiftly with a Kindle Paperwhite. I also reviewed the following stories:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://getlostinlit.blogspot.com/2024/02/lethal-white-by-robert-galbraith.html">Lethal White by Robet Galbraith</a></li><li><a href="https://getlostinlit.blogspot.com/2024/02/training-strategies-for-dressage-riders.html">Training Strategies for Dressage Riders by Charles de Kunffy</a></li><li><a href="https://getlostinlit.blogspot.com/2024/02/what-feast-at-night-by-tkingfisher.html">What Feasts at Night by T.Kingfisher</a> (just released!)</li><li><a href="https://getlostinlit.blogspot.com/2024/02/troubled-blood-by-robert-galbraith.html">Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith</a></li></ul><div>I originally planned to review <u><i>The Conference of Birds</i></u> in February, but there was a scheduling change when I received an ARC of <a href="https://getlostinlit.blogspot.com/2024/02/what-feast-at-night-by-tkingfisher.html">What Feasts at Night by T.Kingfishe</a>r. I tend to push ARCs to the head of the list out of respect for the authors and publishers who generously make those available. So <u><i>TCoB</i></u> will be the first review of March.</div><div><br /></div>This month I plan to review:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The Conference of Birds by Ransom Riggs</li><li>Salem's Cipher by Jess Lourey (3/26/24 release date)</li><li>The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie</li><li>Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey</li></ul><div>But not necessarily in that order.</div><div><u><i><br /></i></u></div><div><u><i>Salem's Cipher</i></u> is to be released on 3/26/24 and, although I haven't gotten very far into it yet, it hooks the reader immediately with a gruesome murder in an apartment building where a tenant five pages earlier is seen unlocking and relocking a door with 4 deadbolts. Four deadbolts? If you need four deadbolts to secure your door, on top of the original lock that came installed on the knob, you might be living in a bad neighborhood. But maybe that's just me.</div><div><br /></div><div>I've just re-read <i><u>Call of the Wild</u> by Jack London</i> because it will be my C-entry for April's A-Z Challenge should I participate, which is looking likely. I've also added to the list of re-reads <i><u>Eragon</u> by Christopher Paolini </i>which gives me an entry for E. I want to read his newest book <i><u>Murtagh,</u> </i>but it has been so long since I've read the original series, I wanted to refresh my memory. That just leaves me looking for a book for Q and reading it before April.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>And I think that's everything.</div><div><br /></div><div>What's new with you?</div>Idea-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201579778489181627noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446685569870246894.post-26436210712697947892024-03-02T11:21:00.000-05:002024-03-02T11:21:03.947-05:00Friday Book Blog Hop<div style="text-align: center; width: 100%;">
<span style="border-radius: 5px; border: 1px solid lightgrey; display: inline-block; margin: 5px; padding: 5px;"><a href="https://www.coffeeaddictedwriter.com/p/blog-page.html" rel="_nofollow"> <img height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNJch37zUnHBqtcfU3XSGVsIGQY-ff_swrt_VTFnk8zOUVk319iWnfeEURhOO4jGJnNop0mw50mAvez1IMIDJHhvr9Hz5oBk5Th35WqTkik-M6wnofTCOOgvmAGGhlENeH7W2se4_A0bA/w200-h168/Book+Blogger+Hop+%2528Final%2529.png" style="border: 1px solid gray; height: px; width: px;" width="200" /> <p style="allign: center;">
Book Blogger Hop</p>
</a></span></div>
<p style="text-align: center;">Q: "What was your gateway book—the book that made you want to read more—into reading or into a specific genre?" -- Submitted by <span center="" face="Roboto, sans-serif"> </span><b style="font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; outline: 0px; text-align: center; transition: all 0.3s ease 0s;">Meezan @ <u style="outline: 0px; transition: all 0.3s ease 0s;"><a href="https://caboodleofcozies.blogspot.com/" style="margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.3s ease 0s;" target="_blank">Caboodle of Cozie</a></u></b><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="text-align: center;">.</span></p><div style="text-align: center;">A: OMG, what an interesting question. I honestly don't know what made me develop my reading bug, I've been reading for as long as I can remember. But I remember certain books that made me develop a liking for certain genres. <i><u>Mattimeo</u> by Brian Jacques </i>got me into fantasy and <i><u>Dracula </u>by Bram Stoker</i> got me into horror. <i><u>The Secrets of Belltown </u>by TM Murphy</i> got me into mystery, and <i><u>Call of the Wild</u> by Jack London</i> mostly got me into trouble.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">What are you reading this week?</div>Idea-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201579778489181627noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446685569870246894.post-56286474929763378402024-02-26T09:51:00.000-05:002024-02-26T09:51:00.137-05:00Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1594422316i/51480561.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="528" height="200" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1594422316i/51480561.jpg" width="132" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">"They’re drawn to the church, women like dat. Nearly every congregation’s got a couple. Outward observance, inward poison. They say the words, you know ‘Father forgive me, for I have sinned,’ but the Dorothys of this world, they don’t believe they can sin, not really." Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith</span></i></p><p>Strike and Robin are partners at the Detective Agency, and business is booming. They've hired subcontractors to help sort through all the work, and they need the help because they're personal lives are becoming increasingly more complicated. Robin's tied up in a toxic divorce, while Strike's father and ex-girlfriend try to suck the life out of him... And then they get contacted about a 40 year old murder of a doctor, suspected victim of a serial killer, whose body was never recovered.</p><p>This was the best one yet. The author skipped the usual tedious character introductions and just went directly into storytelling. The creep factor was high and thick with suspense; it was one of those stay up all night books because even when I stopped reading it, I couldn't stop thinking about when I could restart reading it...</p><p>I loved all the characters. After 40 years of hiden secrets and faded memories, the suspects and witnesses had great stories to tell the detectives. And the main investigator on the Doctor's case had been severely mentally ill which adds to the chaos of clues. And Dennis Creed was delightfully disturbing predator.</p><p>I don't want to take away too much from this book by discussing controversial events, BUT: JKR did the book a disservice when she decided to discuss her political views online, and so close to this book's publication date. I'm not going to debate with you on whether or not she's transphobic. I will say I do not believe the book is transphobic. Whatever her personal views on the trans-community are, she kept to Twitter. There is however a serial killer who cross dresses to trick a victim... and while cross dressing isn't the same thing as being trans, I know there will be many who are offended by that detail given the circumstances. If you can't read an author based on their politics and personality this may not be the book for you.</p><p>As for other political content, this book is soaked with feminist ideology and includes a scathing indictment on toxic masculinity, so there is that. It won't be a book for everyone.</p><p>But the ending, I never saw coming. I have mixed feelings with Who-Dunnits. If the clues are too easy and I guess who did it, I'm never happy. If the ending isn't based on any clues at all, I'm equally unhappy because it is like the game being rigged. So the ending, I never could have guessed at, and its all connected to clues in a way I never would have thought. So I'll say it again: Best one yet.</p><p>5 books in, and I have to ask a serious question: Do people in England really call Coarse, Curly Hair, "pube-like" at every opportunity? Or is that unique to RG/JKR? Surely there's another way to describe it?</p><p>5 Stars</p>Idea-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201579778489181627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446685569870246894.post-58715802873761513462024-02-19T08:09:00.064-05:002024-02-19T11:47:29.578-05:00What Feast at Night by T.Kingfisher<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1683668946i/127306440.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1683668946i/127306440.jpg" width="125" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> <i>"I edged Hobb away from the side of the road, where a tangle of vines draped over a bare tree like spilled entrails." What Feast at Night by T.Kingfisher</i></span></p><p style="text-align: left;">We're back for another story of Alex Easton, who is headed to <i>her</i> family lodge and is in for a surprise. Upon arrival she and Angus find the caretaker Codrin has died in their absence and the town talks of a demon of nightmares that stalks the grounds.</p><p style="text-align: left;">T.Kingfisher was inspired by Edgar Allen Poe. Now some people like Austin or Dickens, but I hold Poe to be one of the best classic writers of time. It all comes down to atmosphere. A good Gothic Horror should have a setting as ghostly as its monster and as much a character as its hero, and Kingfisher delivers.</p><p style="text-align: left;">In the opening pages, it's implied that Alex is a she, which surprised me. (I'd been calling her he, up until she announced that her father had no sons.) She is an interesting character, war heroine, naive skeptic, and altogether force to be reckoned with when pressed. Her chaperone/sidekick Angus is always steadfast in his support and Miss Potter, a quirky companion, returns to analyze her mushrooms in a new location.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Kingfisher writes a second fast-paced, gripping mystery as good as the first. You can read it one sitting if you've got the time or savor it slowly if you don't.</p>Idea-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201579778489181627noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446685569870246894.post-31584798138699466732024-02-16T08:00:00.029-05:002024-02-16T08:00:00.136-05:00Friday Book Blogger Hop<div style="text-align: center; width: 100%;"><span style="border-radius: 5px; border: 1px solid lightgrey; display: inline-block; margin: 5px; padding: 5px;"><a href="https://www.coffeeaddictedwriter.com/p/blog-page.html" rel="_nofollow"> <img height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNJch37zUnHBqtcfU3XSGVsIGQY-ff_swrt_VTFnk8zOUVk319iWnfeEURhOO4jGJnNop0mw50mAvez1IMIDJHhvr9Hz5oBk5Th35WqTkik-M6wnofTCOOgvmAGGhlENeH7W2se4_A0bA/w200-h168/Book+Blogger+Hop+%2528Final%2529.png" style="border: 1px solid gray; height: px; width: px;" width="200" /> <p style="allign: center;">Book Blogger Hop</p></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #2e2e2e;"><b>Q: </b></span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #2e2e2e;">Do you keep an active list of favorite authors—that you would spend your milk money on—to have it when they publish a book? (submitted by Laura @ </span><a href="https://laurasbookbinge.wordpress.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #441300; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.3s ease 0s;" target="_blank">Laura's Book Binge</a><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #2e2e2e;">)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>A:</b> Absolutely! If their writing is consistent then I want their book without question. Don't even bother to read the book blurb half the time, why spoil the surprise? John Ajvide Lindqvist, JKRowling, Chris Paolini, to name a few. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">What about you? Do you have authors you compulsively read?</div>Idea-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201579778489181627noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446685569870246894.post-35697425064395000732024-02-13T08:00:00.016-05:002024-02-13T08:00:00.143-05:00Top Ten Worlds I'd Never Want to Live In<p>Today's topic was listed as Love Freebie <span style="background-color: #1d1d1d; color: #9ba2a8; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 18px;"> hosted by </span><a href="https://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/" style="background: rgb(29, 29, 29); color: #2196f3; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 18px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">That Artsy Reader Girl</a><span style="background-color: #1d1d1d; color: #9ba2a8; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 18px;">, </span>but I couldn't think of anything romantic, so I picked the <u>Top Ten Worlds I'd Never Want to Live In</u>. In a book, you can go anywhere, do anything, meet anyone... But not every captivating story has a pleasant setting. It's one thing to imagine a world, it's entirely another to actually go there.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1546269682i/43419431.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="283" height="200" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1546269682i/43419431.jpg" width="113" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p></p>1. Arrakis, from <i><u>Dune</u> by Frank Herbert.</i> It's too effing hot! Too much sun, too much sand, too much sweat. If the heat doesn't kill you, the sand-worms might...<br /><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1516730342i/37638068.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="530" height="200" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1516730342i/37638068.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>2. Purgatory-Golf Course, from <i><u>I Am Behind You</u> by John Ajvide Lindqvist</i>. It's got never-ending blue skies and green grass, what's not to love? I'm just resistant to the idea of a place with no food, no water, no sun... A place where the sins of your past will haunt you until you bleed.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1491248986i/26827675.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="200" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1491248986i/26827675.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>3. Hollywood & Church of Scientology, from<i> Leah Remini's <u>Troublemaker.</u></i> These are two locations that actually exist in the real world... Hollywood and Scientology have a lot in common: They'll both try and take your soul and you'll feel judged for who you are and who you hang out with. Hollywood will pay you for the self-abuse and Church of Scientology will take that paycheck to cover the costs of staffing abusers.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386803701i/19161852.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="200" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386803701i/19161852.jpg" width="132" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>4. The Stillness, from <i><u>The Broken Earth</u> trilogy by NK Jemisin.</i> With my luck, I'd trip and fall into a volcanic fissure.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327874267i/6690798.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="296" height="200" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327874267i/6690798.jpg" width="132" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><br /></div><div>5. What's left of USA, in<i> <u>The Passage</u> by Justin Cronin</i>. Where everyone you know, and yourself, will likely be ripped to shreds in the night.<br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1421248376i/23215468.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="200" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1421248376i/23215468.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>6. Utgard from<i> <u>Zodiac Station</u> by Tom Harper</i>. It's too cold, too wet, and a poorly executed Deus ex machina roams free.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1641921333i/59807968.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="326" height="200" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1641921333i/59807968.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><br /></div><div>7. The creepy world <i>Hiron Ennes</i> creates in<i><u> Leech.</u> </i>Makes my skin crawl.<br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1362417533i/13641105.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="308" height="200" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1362417533i/13641105.jpg" width="130" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>8. As long as we're talking creepy crawly, what about <i>Mira Grant's</i> sci-fi series,<u> <i>Parasitology</i></u>? Nope. Nuh-uh. No way would I agree to hosting a tapeworm in exchange for permanent good health.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442723971i/2346615.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="318" height="200" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442723971i/2346615.jpg" width="127" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>9.<i> <u>The Terror</u> by Dan Simmons</i>... And we've come back to too cold. But with a side of demon-bear, frostbite, malnutrition, cannibalism, tongue removal... It's essentially a haunted Arctic circle.<br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1519874475i/38888359.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="200" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1519874475i/38888359.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>10. The North End in <i><u>The City Where We Once Lived</u> by Eric Barnes.</i> Climate change and economic collapse have ravaged this city, left it vacant and prone to catastrophic tornadoes and floods. The people who remain in this ghost town are left troubled and alone, dealing with a government that doesn't think they're worth the effort.<p></p></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>What fictional world would you hate to live in?</div>Idea-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201579778489181627noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446685569870246894.post-2882232496304952152024-02-12T09:37:00.001-05:002024-02-12T09:37:00.184-05:00Training Strategies for Dressage Riders by Charles de Kunffy<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1177612227i/718915.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="312" height="200" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1177612227i/718915.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">"...the horse is a living organism and a unique individual that can develop only at his own rate. The horse is the clock, and he provides the calendar of progress." Training Strategies for Dressage Riders by Charles de Kunffy</span></i></p><p>I don't know if this book is still in print, but if it is and you are a dressage enthusiast, or even just looking to improve upon your horsemanship skills, this is the book for you. Like many books written by experts in their field, there are some braggy bits in the beginning, but I am awed by how much the author emphasizes having empathy and consideration for the horse. Too many professionals today are viewing the horse as a means to an end, and we need do better by our animals, be better both as riders and as human beings.</p><p>Some of the information is repetitive, but the best way to learn sometimes is through repetition. Book includes descriptions of basic, but sometimes confused, equestrian terminology like the much sought after "collection." It includes detailed instruction on the rider's body position to best train and influence the horse's body position, and what to do with green, or resistant horses as well as the advanced horse. It provides descriptions of the basic gaits plus the variations on them, transitions and other movements that will be required of the competitive dressage rider. Stresses the importance of cross training and gymnastics to improve upon the horse's physical and mental well-being as well as having a well-rounded rider. It even includes a chapter on tack to instruct what to use and how to use it. The author tried to include everything a dressage rider could want to know into one book.</p><p>I'm a non-competitor, riding for pleasure, but with a long-time interest in dressage, and I found the contents of this book to be highly informative and highly helpful. Information that both highlights what I'm doing wrong and what skills I need to apply to do better. I do believe I'll be a better rider for having read this book.</p><p>5 stars</p>Idea-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201579778489181627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446685569870246894.post-2386076452464278822024-02-08T08:00:00.001-05:002024-02-08T08:00:00.146-05:00Quotable Thursday<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1654730743i/50009069.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="518" height="200" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1654730743i/50009069.jpg" width="130" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"><br /></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">"No one cares about the past anymore," he whispered. "They don't see that you can't have a future without a past." --<u>The Blade Itself</u> by Joe Abercrombie</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #9ba2a8; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 18px; text-align: right;"><u><br /></u></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #9ba2a8; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 18px; text-align: right;"><u>Thursday Quotables</u> invented/hosted by <a href="https://bookshelffantasies.com/" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #2196f3; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Bookshelf Fantasies</a>.</i></div><div><br /></div>
Have you read any good quotes lately?Idea-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201579778489181627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446685569870246894.post-58437912549899292042024-02-05T07:30:00.005-05:002024-02-05T07:30:00.136-05:00Lethal White by Robert Galbraith<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1559867637i/42283287.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" height="200" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1559867637i/42283287.jpg" width="134" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">"He left Della sitting in the darkness, a little drunk, with nothing else for company but the picture of the dead daughter she had never seen."</span></i></p><p>It was tough to decide where to rate this because parts of this book were incredibly enjoyable and others not so much.</p><p>Parts I enjoyed:</p><p>THE WRITING. The writing is impeccable. Any English teacher would wish they wrote so well. The words are a doorway to another world and within minutes I felt like I was off on an adventure in the UK and not sitting home in my rocking chair.</p><p>THE CRIMES. A crazy man is looking for justice for a child he'd seen murdered. A politician is being blackmailed by a protester, and in response he's looking for dirt on political rivals. Mysterious trespassers are on an estate in the country, but eyewitnesses are unreliable... And let's not forget a murder that looks like a suicide.</p><p>CHARACTERS. There's plenty of them and they merge seamlessly into this plot. Each one a little nuttier than the last.</p><p>Parts I didn't enjoy:</p><p>CHARACTER CONFLICTS. For starters, Matthew and Robin. I think the conflict stems from the need for Robin to be portrayed as Not-Your-Mary-Sue. To say the marriage is loveless is an understatement: it is toxic. It didn't take me all that long to grow tired of the fighting; if I'm tired of it, how could they not be?</p><p>I admit to not always being sure how Strike's girlfriends are always emotionally needy super-models. England must be very different from America if emotionally closed off, one legged, overweight, pube headed, hairy guys are what's most sought after by the size 0 community. I suppose that's not really a character conflict, just an observation.</p><p>The Robin-Strike relationship. Robin is not a Mary-Sue, she just wishes she was. But we are going down the road of "a man and a woman can't be in the same plot unless they're in love." I've got mixed feelings there. It's cliché. BUT. There's been so much focus on how perfect they are for each other, and everyone knows it but them, that if they aren't put together in the next book I'm going to be pissed.</p><p>My general conclusion:</p><p>If you want a fun, character driven mystery, that you don't have to think too hard about, this is it. As some of the other reviewers have pointed out, it's got far too many pages to be classified as light reading, but I disagree that the book was too long. It went by quickly. I still look forward to book 5.</p><p style="text-align: right;">3 Stars</p>Idea-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201579778489181627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446685569870246894.post-16301012318586741892024-02-04T14:52:00.001-05:002024-02-04T14:52:56.345-05:00The Sunday Post<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/326/2023/09/Sunday-Post-x.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="800" height="160" src="https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/326/2023/09/Sunday-Post-x.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Good afternoon!</p><p>This is my first ever Sunday Post, a weekly blog news meme hosted by <a href="https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/">caffeinatedreviewer</a>. I probably don't have enough content to post every Sunday, but I hope if you are following me, you'll appreciate the attempt.</p><p>It's a beautiful day today, not a cloud in the sky and a sweltering 32 degrees Fahrenheit. I'm about to put on my thermals and go out for some fresh air.</p><p>If you've been following me you probably know that I started reading <i><u>Training Strategies for Dressage Riders</u> by </i><i>Charles de Kunffy,</i> like three years ago. I picked it up and put it down every time I needed a break from fiction. I don't really know if it's good to admit it took three years to finish a book, but there it is.</p><p><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1177612227i/718915.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="312" height="200" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1177612227i/718915.jpg" width="131" /></a></p><p> I've had an ambitious start to 2024, reading three books right off the bat, although I'm counting the aforementioned dressage manual as one of the three (is that cheating?). I've also already managed one book this February. So I've got reviews coming up for:</p><p>1. <u style="font-style: italic;">Training Strategies for Dressage Riders</u><i> by Charles de Kunffy </i></p><p><i><u>2. Leviathan Wakes</u> by James SA Corey, </i></p><p><i>3.</i> <u style="font-style: italic;">Running Grave</u><i> by Robert Galbraith</i></p><p><i>4.<u>The Conference of Birds </u>by Ransom Riggs</i></p>I'll also be posting reviews for <u style="font-style: italic;">Lethal White</u> and <u style="font-style: italic;">Troubled Blood</u> by Robert Galbraith, although <a href="https://getlostinlit.blogspot.com/2022/11/the-ink-black-heart-cormoran-strike-6.html?zx=3d4219cd9ecc8f1c"><i>The Ink Black Heart</i></a> won't be posted because it already is. And since I'm on a RG kick, I'm planning to review the tv adaptation for you.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/uEk4CCD4tu7LW0SCyCICkaabuw7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="533" height="200" src="https://www.themoviedb.org/t/p/original/uEk4CCD4tu7LW0SCyCICkaabuw7.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My upcoming reads in February are going to include two ARCs, one <i><u>What Feasts at Night</u> by T.Kingfisher</i> and the other is <i><u>Salem's Cipher</u> by Jess Lourey </i>as soon as I'm done with <i><u>The Blade Itself</u> by Joe Abercrombie. </i>I don't know if I'll have time to read more than the two ARCs, but we'll see. I was also hoping to re-read <i><u>Call of the Wild</u> by Jack London</i> and <i><u>Eragon</u> by Chris Paolini</i>, but hitting four books in less than a month seemed overly ambitious for the time I actually have available to me. March maybe?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On the list of things I'm hoping for, I'm hoping to make time for the <a href="http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/">a-to-z challenge</a> in April this year. I participated back in 2015 and wanted to go again. I'm trying to decide between posting A-Z subjects or A-Z book reviews... I'm leaning toward book reviews but it's all up in the air right now.<br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I hope you have time to join me Monday for my review of<i> <u>Lethal White</u>, </i>and I wish you all a wonderful week.</div>Idea-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201579778489181627noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446685569870246894.post-28955638683072825492024-02-01T09:17:00.049-05:002024-02-01T09:17:00.136-05:00Quotable Thursday<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1654730743i/50009069.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="518" height="200" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1654730743i/50009069.jpg" width="130" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"><i>' "The world changes, Glokta, the world changes. The old order crumbles. Loyalty, duty, pride, honour. Notions that have fallen far from fashion. What has replaced them?" He glanced over his shoulder for a moment, and his lip curled. "Greed..." ' --</i> Joe Abercrombie, <u>The Blade Itself</u></span></p><p>So far this has been slow to get into, but dark as advertised. I'm not sure yet, if Glokta is evil or just morally corrupt. I guess I'll find out.</p><p>What are you reading this week?</p><p style="text-align: right;"><i><u>Thursday Quotables</u> invented/hosted by <a href="https://bookshelffantasies.com/" target="_blank">Bookshelf Fantasies</a>.</i></p><p></p>Idea-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201579778489181627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446685569870246894.post-29927482413888262842024-01-30T17:54:00.001-05:002024-01-30T17:54:44.628-05:00Top Ten Tuesday: New-to-Me Authors in 2023<div style="text-align: left;">This week's Top Ten Topic is New-to-Me Authors I Discovered in 2023 hosted by <a href="https://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/" target="_blank">That Artsy Reader Girl</a>, I read 15 books last year, 11 of which were new to me.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpZ9aFe5Ybi9C0Md534nf6qTIJn4wAKLOqzeEWP3kSAIafy6fe3nmMtTxxpM5G7NURMppbo-jmWlNPH6U_1GMHRj_6aa2csnEy4f9kmXbuZHRR4liChdEqFFcYJ-o82OI0-njJeEchtS7qQqR9QlP7VvAjeOqXaLd2hz-TPMYkV1L4QH5P3i5HxAFE2jw/s1083/Screenshot%20(15).png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1083" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpZ9aFe5Ybi9C0Md534nf6qTIJn4wAKLOqzeEWP3kSAIafy6fe3nmMtTxxpM5G7NURMppbo-jmWlNPH6U_1GMHRj_6aa2csnEy4f9kmXbuZHRR4liChdEqFFcYJ-o82OI0-njJeEchtS7qQqR9QlP7VvAjeOqXaLd2hz-TPMYkV1L4QH5P3i5HxAFE2jw/w400-h299/Screenshot%20(15).png" width="400" /></a></div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Simon Jimenez, <i>The Vanished Birds</i></li><li>Chuck Wendig, <i>Wanderers</i></li><li>Anne Rice, <i>Interview with the Vampire</i></li><li>Jesmyn Ward, <i>Salvage the Bones</i></li><li>Alex Grecian, <i>The Yard</i></li><li>Scott Lynch, <i>The Lies of Locke Lamora</i></li><li>Eric Barnes, <i>The City Where We Once Lived</i></li><li>Khaled Hosseini, <i>A Thousand Splendid Suns</i></li><li>Jennifer McMahon, <i>The Winter People</i></li><li>Lisa Gardener, <i>Crash & Burn</i></li></ol></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Have you read any of these? What did you think of them?</div>Idea-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201579778489181627noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446685569870246894.post-90253237986777219442024-01-29T07:00:00.001-05:002024-01-29T07:00:00.167-05:00Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1380631642i/43763.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="471" data-original-width="286" height="200" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1380631642i/43763.jpg" width="121" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"><i>"They would use your life as if it were oil for a proper lamp. You must defy them, but you must defy them with purity and confidence." </i><span style="text-align: left;"><i><u>Interview with the Vampire</u> by Anne Rice</i></span></span></div><div><br /></div><div>This is the story of Louis, a vampire from New Orleans, which is the perfect place for a vampire to come from IMHO. It’s of his maker, Lestat, and his companions Claudia and Armand.</div><div><br /></div><div>I find there are two types of vampires in pop culture. The first type is the ruthless killer who embraces its vampire nature, like in classic story <u>Dracula</u> or newer <u>NOS4A2.</u> You also have the brooding vampire, overly emotional, like in <u>Twilight</u> or <u>Vampire Diaries</u>. Lestat is the former, Louis the latter.</div><div><br /></div><div>Lestat is greedy, flamboyant, reveling in his own nature; coldly and sometimes erratically trying to teach Louis what it means to be a vampire. <i>“Let the flesh instruct the mind.” </i>Louis is aghast at what he’s become and hesitant to start killing humans because he’s retained his human nature…I say hesitant because he does not wholly abhor the act, he simply wishes his introduction to vampirehood had been softer. In the beginning, Louis meddles in the affairs of humans, trying to stop Lestat’s evil from spreading. Lestat, and later Armand, try to convince Louis that immortality is a gift, while he insists it’s a curse, and young Claudia who embraces instinct, partly agrees with Louis.</div><div><br /></div><div>For the most part, I found this to be well written, intriguing, rich in descriptions and atmosphere, but it's going to miss out on a 5 or 4 store rating despite this.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now I’ve seen the movie and the tv show. The movie implies that Lestat and Louis companionship is based on more than money, convenience, or dependence (unlike the book). The tv show takes that a step further, putting two vampires with wildly passionate sexual energy on the screen. But the book is disturbingly different. Louis and Lestat have no sexual energy, no true love, mostly they despise each other… in favor of children.</div><div><br /></div><div>They’re pedophiles.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anne Rice romanticized pedophilia.</div><div><br /></div><div><div>The beginning reads like Louis is grooming Claudia, who is five years old, considering himself her father and her his child. But as the story progresses, his affections become increasingly inappropriate from where he kisses to his descriptions of her being, acting more like a lover than a father. A fact that Armand picks up on, calling Claudia a paramour which Louis denies.</div><div><br /></div><div>And Lestat is much the same, <i>“a fresh young girl,”</i> being his preferred victim, preferring younger victims to enjoy stripping them of life. It isn’t just in the killing that attracts him to children…When presented with an offering of a young victim, Lestat places caresses and kisses, sexual in nature, on his victim before feeding.</div><div><br /></div><div>Which is gross. And I don’t know how other people missed out on the fact that the main characters were attracted to children and not each other.</div><div><br /></div><div>I won’t deny this book its due, it is a fine story. And I will not be one of those people, one who would argue you not read the book because I found the content offensive. But I will say I found some of the content offensive and would never rate a book five stars when it glorifies the abuse of children.</div><div><br /></div><div>I’ll generously award it a 3-star rating, of just ok. This book won't be for everyone.</div></div><p></p>Idea-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201579778489181627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446685569870246894.post-74018066546105966712024-01-26T20:22:00.004-05:002024-01-26T20:26:32.862-05:00Friday Book Blogger Hop<div style="text-align: center; width: 100%;">
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<p style="text-align: center;"><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #2e2e2e; font-size: large; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.3s ease 0s;">Q: How long have you gone without reading? </span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #2e2e2e; font-size: large; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.3s ease 0s;">(submitted by Billy @</span><a href="https://www.coffeeaddictedwriter.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #441300; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: large; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.3s ease 0s;" target="_blank"> Coffee Addicted Writer</a><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #2e2e2e; font-size: large; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.3s ease 0s;">)</span></p><div style="text-align: center;">A: I think a year. Maybe a little more than a year, but definitely not two years. I usually read a few pages a day, a few chapters maybe on weekends, but sometimes there's no time or I get a little burnout and the weeks go by... But I always come back to it.</div><div><br /></div><div>What about you? How often do you read?</div><span></span><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: right;"><i>Join me this monday for my review of<u> Interview with the Vampire </u>by Anne Rice!</i></div>Idea-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201579778489181627noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446685569870246894.post-46027769490363065222024-01-23T19:06:00.001-05:002024-01-23T19:06:34.215-05:00Top Ten Books I Meant to Read in 2023<p>Tuesday Top Ten is hosted by <a href="https://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/">That Artsy Reader Girl</a>. This week's Top Ten topic is: <i>Books I Meant to Read in 2023 but Didn’t Get To</i>. Picking only ten seemed like a trying task because my TBR list is over three hundred strong, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized there are books on that list I'd like to read sooner than others.</p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Spare by Prince Harry (although why he's calling himself 'Prince' when he no longer is?)</li><li>Midnight Library by Matt Haig</li><li>A Weekend in Paris by Robin Sysman (a friend gave me this but I don't often read 'chick-lit'.)</li><li>Edgar Allen Poe short stories (started not finished yet)</li><li>Babel by RF Kuang</li><li>Murtagh by Christopher Paolini</li><li>The Retreat by Sarah Pearse</li><li>Fractal Noise by Christopher Paolini</li><li>The Brides of Maracoor by Gregory Maguire</li><li>A Thousand Recipes for Revenge by Beth Cato</li></ol><div>These books were all available in 2023, but for one reason or another I didn't read them. Better luck this year?</div><div><br /></div><div>What's on your list?</div><p></p>Idea-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201579778489181627noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446685569870246894.post-68382971799578857982024-01-22T07:00:00.001-05:002024-01-22T07:00:00.131-05:00A Vow So Bold & Deadly by Brigid Kemmerer<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1594380552i/53138253.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="530" height="200" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1594380552i/53138253.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">"No one has tried to kill me, but this feels like an ambush all the same." <u>A Vow So Bold & Deadly</u> by Brigid Kemmerer</span></i></div><p></p><u>A Curse So Dark & Lonely</u>, covers the story of Harper, a heroine with cerebral palsy and an attitude problem, saving Rhen, a prince struggling under the weight of a cruel enchantress's curse. <div><br /></div><div><u>A Heart So Fierce & Broken</u>, covers the story of ex-Royal Guard Commander Grey, searching for sanctuary and finding it with Lia Mara, the extra heir of an enemy kingdom. </div><div><br /></div><div>So we've got our characters a set up for the exciting conclusion, <u>A Vow So Bold and Deadly</u>. </div><div><br /></div><div>The Kingdom of Emberfall is split between loyalties; those who would be loyal to the True Heir, and those who remain loyal to Prince Rhen. It appears hopeless... how can they repel an invasion, if Rhen can't unify his own people. </div><div><br /></div><div> Lia Mara, the new Queen of Syhl Shallow, is facing much the same problem. There are those who would have preferred the rule of her sister and resent Lia Mara's alliance with a magesmith. There's Grey, who is trying to reconcile his new identity as magesmith and heir to the throne of Emberfall, with who he used to be, man of action and obedience. </div><div><br /></div><div> And dear God, what did you do to Harper? She went from fighting spirit to useless, whiny, hot head. It was the opposite of character evolution. She regresses to somebody less. </div><div><br /></div><div>I feel like a good story only needs one point of view. In the first two novels, we are offered 2 povs. The stories are told through the eyes of 2 different main characters. In this story, BK ambitiously gives us 4 POVs. I can see needing a narrator on each side of the border, but I think 4 was too much. Grey and Lia seemed to have the majority of the talk time. Our tortured young Prince was found once again between a rock and a hard place, but I felt like he did not get equal opportunity to explore his side of things. And Harper's POV felt wasted altogether. She stopped being the heroine who could overcome anything and started being a victim.</div><div><br /></div><div> I do think the overall tone of the book was great, if you liked the action of the sword fights, sweet whispers between young lovers, the death threats from enemies, with a touch of magic... This book maintained the level set by the other two. </div><div><br /></div><div> I was dissatisfied by the ending. Lia Mara got everything she wanted. Grey got everything he didn't know he wanted. Harper only wants Rhen, and that's a bit of a problem because on top of the unaddressed PTSD he is apparently also depressed. And Rhen? Well, we can't make time to address mental illness so I guess we'll close out the book with him sad-sacking about his future. </div><div><br /></div><div>3 stars. It would have been better to do Lia Mara/ Harper or Rhen/Grey and not all 4. And it needed a much stronger ending.</div>Idea-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201579778489181627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446685569870246894.post-67353673578490643532024-01-15T10:29:00.001-05:002024-01-15T10:29:31.701-05:00A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1559126810i/42952728.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="530" height="200" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1559126810i/42952728.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"><i>"...his next attack is brutal and swift and brings me to the ground. I taste blood and dirt on my tongue." -<u>A Heart So Fierce and Broken</u> by Brigid Kemmerer</i></span></p><div>So this is on the list of reviews that isn't really my best work. But <i><u>Cursebreakers</u></i> is reading material heavy on entertainment but light on substance, and my reviews tend to mirror the book.</div><div> </div>In the first book, we followed Harper and Rhen on their fairytale romance. In the sequel, the story swaps between the perspectives of Grey, the used to be Commander of the Royal Guard and Not Quite Princess Lia Mara who wants to bring peace to two warring countries. <div><br /></div><div>I feel a little irritated by the character developments that had to occur for this story to take place. In the first book, Harper was a fighter and in this one the fight went bye-bye. Rhen became crueler and more defensive, aggresive. But ultimately <u><i>A Heart so Fierce and Broken</i></u> was not their story... </div><div><br /></div><div>The fairytale is gone. </div><div><br /></div><div>Grey is in hiding as a means to protect himself, Rhen, and the good of Emberfall. But he can't stay hidden forever and that's going to be a problem.
Lia Mara is the eldest daughter of the Queen of Syhl Shallow, but her younger sister Nolla is heir to the Throne. The Queen is trying to unify Emberfall and Syhl Shallow via marriage to Nolla, but Rhen won't be wooed. If she can't put a wedge between him and Harper, she'll take his country by force. That's also going to be a problem. </div><div><br /></div><div>Lia Mara, the extra sister, rescues Grey from mortal peril, and then from obscurity. This is their story. Star crossed lovers working hard to uncross their stars and unify the world.</div><div><br /></div><div>I gave this book 4 stars as it's a daring sequel, but I don't particularly care for character devolution.</div>Idea-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201579778489181627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446685569870246894.post-34092547189375212782024-01-12T20:27:00.003-05:002024-01-13T09:53:51.537-05:00Friday Book Blogger Hop<div style="text-align: center; width: 100%;">
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Book Blogger Hop</p>
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<div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #2e2e2e; font-size: large; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.3s ease 0s;">Q: How many books are on your "to be read" list? </span><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #2e2e2e; font-size: large; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.3s ease 0s;">(submitted by Billy @</span><a href="https://www.coffeeaddictedwriter.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #441300; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: large; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.3s ease 0s;" target="_blank"> Coffee Addicted Writer</a><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #2e2e2e; font-size: large; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; transition: all 0.3s ease 0s;">)</span></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;">
A: According to Goodreads, 320, although I'm sure the actual number is slightly higher. I don't own them already, I'm not some book addicted nut with 320 unread books on her shelves...I'm just a book addicted nut with shelves that contain previously read books. It is an endless list though, I no sooner read one and I add one or two more.</span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">What's your TBR look like? Do you get books to read and store them for a 'rainy' day?</span></div>Idea-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201579778489181627noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446685569870246894.post-29109057279660858772024-01-05T18:07:00.004-05:002024-01-05T18:07:38.806-05:00Looking Back and Looking Ahead<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-size: medium;">Looking Back at 2023</span></u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Happy New Year! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In 2023, I challenged myself to 12 books, determined to make time for at least one book a month. It's not a flashy number, but I was pretty excited to see myself surpass it by three, reading 15 instead of 12. Overall, I read 6,656 pages in 2023.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRUBMAiHunk3kio8mijU0pXQQqIWpQsoC6K84z0gEPdJ-uV-oVkV9iGi5d4dHIYxYdHwL6RXN7flq3CoceAkLHOZ0y-g2CYkd5CNSedbgJAASagP9Lt26DfLJp89zQo_QLNinl3QFOX5olV0V2yvnGHpH-p9TfD6KC9_5qpG7QjMIn9-tio2n2jm2kUd8/s1083/Screenshot%20(15).png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1083" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRUBMAiHunk3kio8mijU0pXQQqIWpQsoC6K84z0gEPdJ-uV-oVkV9iGi5d4dHIYxYdHwL6RXN7flq3CoceAkLHOZ0y-g2CYkd5CNSedbgJAASagP9Lt26DfLJp89zQo_QLNinl3QFOX5olV0V2yvnGHpH-p9TfD6KC9_5qpG7QjMIn9-tio2n2jm2kUd8/w400-h299/Screenshot%20(15).png" width="400" /></a></div><br />My second goal was to cut back on impulse buys and read something off my to-be-read list. <u><i>Good Omens</i></u> <i>by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaimen </i>was a book I was inspired to <b>re-read </b>after watching the adaptation of the same name. <i><u>Th</u></i><i><u>e City Where We Once Lived </u>by Eric Barnes</i>, being my only <b>impulse buy</b> of the year, was also my <b>shortest book</b>. Everything else I read in 2023 was either sitting unread on a physical shelf, or sitting on Good Reads TBR shelf.<p></p><p>My<b> Favorite Book of 2023</b> was <u><i>A Thousand Splendid Suns</i></u><i> by Khaled Hosseini</i>, if you haven't read it I recommend that you do. </p><p>My <b>Worst Read</b> of the year was <i><u>Interview with the Vampire </u>by Anne Rice</i>. I don't want to say it wasn't a good book, because it hits a lot of my standards of what it means to be a good book but there was an underlying theme that I found inappropriate, atleast for myself.</p><p>My <b>first review</b> of the year was a solitary, lackluster sentence for <u style="font-style: italic;">Vengeful</u> <i>by VE Schwab </i>which I felt didn't live up to its prequel. My <b>last review</b> was written for <u style="font-style: italic;">Wanderers</u> <i>by Chuck Wendig </i>which was also my <b>longest book of 2023.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><u>Looking Ahead to 2024</u></span></p>
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Ok, still not flashy, I'm challenging myself to another 12 books. I'm also setting side goals of 1. Reading only from my TBR List, except for when 2. I will follow up on previously started series and 3. if I have to reread some of the prequels to the sequels I may...If it all goes according to the plan, which it never does, I might actually read more than twelve, based on the moderate ambition of my three goals.<div><br /></div><div>My first book of 2024 was <i><u>Leviathon Wakes</u></i> <i>by James SA Corey.</i> It was really good.</div><div><br /></div><div>How was your New Years Eve? Did you set any goals or resolutions for 2024?</div>Idea-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201579778489181627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446685569870246894.post-5073101622250419762023-11-27T07:00:00.001-05:002023-11-27T07:00:00.129-05:00A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1527068596i/40197454.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="331" height="200" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1527068596i/40197454.jpg" width="132" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">“I am always surprised to discover that when the world seems darkest, there exists the greatest opportunity for light.” ― Brigid Kemmerer, A Curse So Dark and Lonely</span></i></p><p style="text-align: left;"> So this is very young. It's also very fun.</p><p>Harper, a teenager girl with cerebral palsy is about to play the Beauty to the Beast. Her family is in trouble, and in trying to save them, she lands herself in a parallel world. Prince Rhen is cursed to turn into a monster, hell bent on destroying his own kingdom, until he finds true love.</p><p>I feel like there were parts of this that were really well thought out. Having the heroine have a disability, and combining it with a fighting spirit. I liked that Commander of the Royal Guard, Grey, was such a good friend to both the Prince and Princess. YA Romances sometimes get trapped on the love triangle. I feel like maybe having two guys fight over a girl sends the wrong message. Though his part in the story was small, I even liked that Harper's brother is portrayed as a gay gangster dating a black ER doctor. This book is inclusive, and we need more of that.</p><p>I feel like the world building was halfhearted... But we know the setting is an opulent castle, surrounded by forest, with quaint townships struggling unawares of the curse... The tale is familiar and I found myself imagining the setting I expected. I don't know that the characters really developed that much, so if you need character evolution this is really the wrong book for you. I found I just needed a little escape.</p><p>This book was quite a bit of fun if you're in the mood for a light-hearted book to take you somewhere new... Sword fights, magic, humor, teen angst, romance, and friendship...And hope. Which is something a lot of people are in need of right now, myself included.</p><p>They always put the best hopes in the YA Aisle.</p><p style="text-align: right;">4 Stars</p>Idea-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201579778489181627noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446685569870246894.post-21723672890582140762023-11-23T12:00:00.000-05:002023-11-23T12:00:20.327-05:00Happy Thanksgiving<p> Happy Thanksgiving to those who are reading this.</p><p>No matter how you celebrate, whether with the parade, the dog show, the game...maybe all of the above or none of it. With a feast and family and friends. Quiet reflection on all we have to be thankful for this year and the possibilities of next. Let's not forget the pie and books.</p><p>Wishing you a warm and happy, safe and loved kind of day.</p>Idea-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201579778489181627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446685569870246894.post-70859809372437270892023-11-21T06:00:00.044-05:002023-11-21T06:00:00.133-05:00Top Ten Reasons Why I’m Thankful for Books<p style="text-align: center;">In honor of turkey day, today's Top Ten Tuesday by <span style="background-color: #1d1d1d; color: #9ba2a8; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px;"> </span><a href="https://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/" style="background: rgb(29, 29, 29); color: #2196f3; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">That Artsy Reader Girl</a><span style="background-color: #1d1d1d; color: #9ba2a8; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px;">, </span> is: Reasons Why I’m Thankful for Books. Thinking back to how many books have passed through my hands I realize how lucky I am to even have access to books, when there are people who don't have the same privilege. Here are ten reasons why I am thankful for books.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p>1. Escapism. An opportunity to go somewhere new.</p><p>2. Education. You can always find something to learn in the right book.</p><p>3. Perspective. Every storyteller has their own 'voice' and provides the chance to see the world through someone else's eyes.</p><p>4. Comfort. On a bad day the right words can wrap around me like a warm blanket.</p><p>5. Busywork. On a slow day it's something to do.</p><p>6. Happiness. Boy, do they make me happy, from the scent to the words, from the hardcover to the soft pages.</p><p>7. Mood. What mood are you in, what mood do you want to be in, what mood do you need the book to convey... Every book had the ability to trigger an emotional and/or psychological response... And that's positively pharmaceutical.</p><p>8. Time spent with new friends. Kind of corny, I know, but everytime I go off adventuring with new characters it feels like making new friends.</p><p>9. Time spent talking with old friends. From the book club to the street you've always got something to talk about.</p><p>10. Imagination. Mine and the author's. They dreamed a dream and wrote it down for us... But take my 1, 3, 4, 7, 8 and it all amounts to my imagination. My ability to go on an adventure with new friends and feel good or bad or excited or sad (hopefully not all at the same time) with the voice of somebody else at my ear encouraging me to keep my eyes wide open...It might be in my head, but its as real as oxygen.</p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">If you have any books you no longer read, please consider donating them to readers in need. The American Library Association has this nifty list of <a href="https://libguides.ala.org/book-donations" target="_blank">Donation Programs</a> or just donate to your local library.</p><p style="text-align: center;">I hope everyone has a warm and happy Thanksgiving, with their loved ones and their books.</p>Idea-isthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09201579778489181627noreply@blogger.com0