Get Lost in Literature

I know my post is running late today, but here's my Thursday Quote, from an author who probably needs no introduction... One last moment of madness, the space between heartbeats, like the one that had sent him hurtling after her five days previously: he would stay here, after all, waiting for her to return; then cupping her perfect face in his hands and saying, "Let's try again." But they had already tried, again and again and again, and always when the first crashing wave of mutual longing subsided, the ugly wreck of the past lay revealed again, its shadow lying darkly over everything they tried to rebuild. Quotable Thursday originally brought to you by  Bookshelf Fantasies .

Lucidity. A museum for dreams. Maury Bennet is a psychologist and psychopath, who can remove dreams from people's heads. Nolan Gage is a desperate father funding a project. Kevin, a victim of horrible crime plagued by a monster... I admit I was skeptical of this book at first.With the introduction of a mad scientist and a mad millionaire funding a mad zoo... I wondered if this was going to somehow resemble a retelling of Jurassic Park (it did a little, but Kevin fixed it). Kevin: how could one kid's childhood be so awful? Its like a train wreck, you can't look away from. Parental lies, marital collapse, murder(s), no wonder he has nightmares. And he's not like typical child heroes, who are instinctively innocent, just, and brave; this kid is scared. He's scared and he's angry and he feels guilty, and he doesn't know the right thing he just knows he has to do something. And the ending. A bit of a twist at the end what with Maury and--------------No j...

My picks for the Tuesday Top Ten, as invented by  The Broke and Bookish . These are some of the scariest book covers I've seen. I only occasionally read straight up horror, so a few of these I've read, but most of these are books I've seen on Amazon or GoodReads and haven't gotten to...yet. 1. GoodReads keeps recommending I read this. I'm pretty sure its just Edgar Allen Poe with a tricked out cover. Poe is a favorite of mine, so I've probably already read this in a different addition. I just love how lyrical his prose is. 2.  Amazon recommended this. I'm not sure what its about, but that little girl is creepy...Why are little girls always creepy? 3.  GoodReads rec. 4.  GoodReads rec. 5.  GoodReads rec. I admit to wanting to read 4 and 5! I've just got to be in the mood for a good scare! 6.   This I read, and this I loved! Monsters living in a school. If you were ever dreaded going to school, this is like validation. 7. ...

You may have figured out, I'm not much of a weekend post-person. I much prefer that time for *lies* spending time with family and quiet reflection...Okay, * confesses * mostly I watch football and ride horses on weekends. But I hope the new week is starting out great for you, I realize no one really likes a monday morning. And since I have no review to post today and nothing hot-topic-y to give my opinion on, I thought I'd share a couple of things I've found in blogs recently. My affiliate at  Drunk on Reviews  also isn't a weekend poster and she's got a NaNoWriMo badge on her site--technically I didn't put my badge on my blog, but I did sign up this year so we have those things in common.  New author, JRRichardson posted an excerpt  on her blog, from her upcoming romantic/murder mystery novel, Cursed be the Wicked ...I'm not usually one for romance novels, but I know potential when I see it, and I'm excited to read a story taking place ins Sale...

Four teenage boys--a ladies man, a lover, a dork, and an oddball--are looking for one last hurrah together, partying it up and trying to get laid, before they have to grow up and go off to college.  Does the plot seem familiar? Tragically, it's the same plot given to us by Adam Herz, in American Pie . David H. Steinberg, who is credited with writing the storylines for American Pie 2  and  American Pie: Book of Love,  should, and probably does, know this. As a fan of the American Pie movies, I entered into this book with slightly more than an open mind; I was pretty damn excited! And even though the first few chapters did make me laugh, the more I read the more I found myself waiting for the story to pick up. I eventually came to a realization: This is all there is . Here's the problem and there is no way of getting around it: This story is like evidence that Steinberg peaked with AP2 . This story reads like a retelling of AP1 , with a slightly less f...

"People think it's all about following the leader and doing what he says, but the wingman's real job is to protect the leader." Noah looked at Dylan, his face illuminated by a sliver of light coming through the busted tail light. "What are you saying?" Dylan met his eyes. "The wingman doesn't need the leader. The leader needs the wingman." I just finished this book this morning and am planning to have the review ready for tomorrow! Quotable Thursday originally brought to you by Bookshelf Fantasies .

The Map of the Sky (Trilogía Victoriana #2) by Félix J. Palma, translated by Nick Caistor This book is drastically different from the first installment, but continues themes of time travel, romance, and individual perceptions of the world, while introducing a new theme: extraterrestrial invasion. This storyline moves a lot faster than The Map of Time, whether that's because Wells is in charge or because of all the explosions and carnage...But the storyline is definitely easier to follow. HG Wells, is no longer just a face in the crowd, in this story he is cast as a main protagonist. We meet some new people, and reacquaint with some familiar characters, and of course the writer of the story continues to interrupt his own tale; this time with purpose. Seeing as FJP is determined to write stories near impossible to summarize without ruining everything, I'll try to be careful: Part 1 is the start of Wells's adventure as an impudent fan invites Wells out for a couple ...

My picks for the Tuesday Top Ten, as invented by  The Broke and Bookish . Today's theme is Top Ten Character Name I Love or Top Ten Most Unusual Character Names... Character names are very important, an unforgettably clever name can help secure a character's place in a reader's memory. Hermione Granger from Harry Potter series by JK Rowling Stanley Yelnats from Holes by Louis Sachar Nix Saint-Michael from Betwixt by Tara Bray Smith Oree Shoth from The Broken Kingdoms by NK Jemisin Shadow from American Gods by Neil Gaiman Leontina Scales from The Last Queen in Heaven by Gregory Maguire Mike O'Rourke from Summer of Night by Dan Simmons Kvothe from The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss Morwenna Phelps from Among Others by Jo Walton Bruno Littlemore from The Evolution of Bruno Littlemore by Benjamin Hale

This week I'm reading, Last Stop This Town by David H Steinberg. "The Steak and Egg Kitchen was a throwback to a simpler time, when grease was one of the four major food groups, and if you got sick from eating a $4.99 T-bone then that was your problem, not theirs. The simple brick building in the West Hartford Center housed some of the surliest waitresses and crunchiest pancakes in town. But the Steak and Egg Kitchen was also the only place open twenty-four hours." David H. Steinberg is the screenplay-writer, who came up with American Pie, the teen movie that teens had to sneak into...And his book? Reads like American Pie...I want to laugh and gag at the same time. But despite the gross humor, I love how he sets a scene.     Quotable Thursday originally brought to you by  Bookshelf Fantasies .

The Map of Time (Trilogía Victoriana #1) by Félix J. Palma, translated by Nick Caistor Overall, I thought this book was spectacular. This is a long, heavy book, not for light reading…More likely to be read during a snowstorm where you cannot leave your house or turn on the tv, but no less brilliant for its length. The one vice I found, was that the author takes time to speak to the reader. Although it isn't an unusual tactic, and in some books it is even necessary, in a book written with an omniscient narrator I don't feel the dialogue between narrator and reader added anything… Because he only interrupted the flow to remind the reader that he knew everything… Which the reader already knew due to the story being written in third person. Although I should note the interruptions were comical enough that they didn't detract anything either. Book One was by far my favorite of the collection. It sucks you right into the story by introducing a main character who is deter...

Noah Primeval (Chronicles of the Nephilim) by Brian Godawa. Noah Primeval is Christian/Hebrew/Religious Fiction...A richly imaginative retelling of Noah and The Ark. Noah is leader of a nomadic tribe; most people choose to live stationery lives in worship and servitude to false gods, but Noah and his village remain faithful to the one true God... And the false gods are hunting Noah and his, for their failure to assimilate. After a devastating loss, Noah postpones his true calling on a mission for vengeance, aided by an archangel and the lost sons of Cain. Meanwhile, Noah's wife and son, become prisoners of a city fated for destruction... I should probably start my opinion that I am not remotely religious. I celebrate Easter and Christmas because it's expected of me. I don't believe and I don't disbelieve. Christ could have been a miracle baby out of a virgin by a deity, but he also could have been the result of a one night stand the baby-momma wanted to take to...

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This week I'm reading a freebie I found ages ago on Pixels-of-Ink:  Noah Primeval (Chronicles of the Nephlim, Book 1) by Brian Godawa ( you can find it on amazon ) Here's a little bit of what I'm reading: "These creatures were enemy spies, scouts for the city gods, gathering reconnaissance on the last of the human tribes evading the conquering will of their Lords. This was not a hunt for food by Noah and his men. Humans don't eat evil, they destroy it." It's too soon to tell whether I'm going to love this or hate it, but it's written really long-winded and poetic...So this story is either going to rock my world or go down in flames. Quotable Thursday originally brought to you by  Bookshelf Fantasies .

I don't even know where to begin, except to say the following; While this isn't the worst book I've ever read, it was bad enough that I can't believe I spent money on it. My first and biggest complaint is the lack of attention to detail. This is science fiction; this story is based on a society no one has ever seen before, based on a landscape tortured by a steam engine take over. Where is the detail? And not just with the settings, with the people as well... Who are these people, what makes them individuals? Some of the characters suffer from "the clacks" a disease that turns humans into machines...What do their mechanical parts look like? What exactly are Mamma Engine and Grandfather clock and where did they come from? The author relies too heavily on metaphors; at some point he needed to stop telling us what things were "like" and tell us what things were. My second complaint is grammar flubs. Did an editor really approve some of these mis...

My picks for the Tuesday Top Ten, as invented by  The Broke and Bookish . This week's Top Ten is supposed to be about series enders. The best or the worst, blogger's choice. But the truth is, I haven't read so many series, that I could name ten enders that qualified as the best or the worst. I could probably name ten series enders in general...So today, since I'm serial-book-deficient, I'm going to include both, the good and the bad of series enders, and its a number that won't come anywhere near ten. Best 1.  This book tied up just about everything and left no room for anyone to hope for more. This story starts with tragedy and ends with closure, even sews up something that the main character's late-grandmother started years earlier. I was enchanted and I cried when it was over because it meant saying goodbye to good friends. 2.  Mira Grant created a terrifying world with this trilogy, filled with zombies, nightmarish conspiracies, outrageously l...

Mattie Ross is a 14 year old girl, is hunting Tom Chaney, the outlaw who killed her father. She hires US Marshal Rooster Cogburn, accompanied by a Texas Ranger named LaBoeuf, to help her find her man. Mattie Ross is a really cold character. When her father is murdered there is no grief, when a man is hanged there is no shock at the matter. She simply keeps moving on to the next decision and the next destination. A part of me wonders, if Charles Portis, did that on purpose or not... Did he not know how to write emotion? Or did he leave it out, so the readers could see the only differences between an outlaw and good citizen is in the choices made, so the lines between good and bad could be pleasantly blurred... This is my first time reading Charles Portis, so I really have nothing to compare to. I do think the dialogue between her and Rooster is awesome. I love how this little girl just takes charge of every situation, like she has no idea of her own age; she refuses to let herself...

I expect to finish with True Grit by this evening, a review for it will probably go live sometime tomorrow. I've added an "Upcoming Reviews" section underneath currently reading. I'm going to be using Wednesdays to add some of my older reviews... First on the list is Whitechapel Gods and I'm giving advanced warning that that book earned itself a rare (from me) really negative review, so if you'd rather not read about all the ways I didn't enjoy the book, don't stop on by. I haven't decided on my next read just yet, but it's going to be something on my list of Freebies, if only because I'm dangerously close to being a hoarder.

Drunk on Books Reviews  blog has just become the first to send in the affiliate form all filled out! So I'm pretty happy about that. The book blog features Young Adult and New Adult and is currently accepting review requests. The link will be permanently featured at the bottom of my blog (not to mention this post). Check her out, if you've got time!

This week I'm reading True Grit by Charles Portis. Mattie Ross is an awfully cold character. "Who is the best marshal they have?" The sheriff thought on it a minute. He said, "I would have to weigh that proposition. There is near about two hundred of them. I reckon William Waters is the best tracker. He is a half-breed Comanche and it is something to see, watching him cut for sign. The meanest one is Rooster Cogburn. He is a pitiless man, double tough, and fear don't enter into his thinking. He loves to pull a cork. Now LT Quinn, he brings his prisoners in alive..." I said, "Where can I find this Rooster?" Quotable Thursday originally brought to you by Bookshelf Fantasies .

Battleship: A Daring Heiress, a Teenage Jockey, and America's Horse  by Dorothy Ours This story was more like the biography of Marion Dupont -- not that I'm complaining -- with flashes of Bruce Hobbs's terrifying childhood mixed in. Marion duPont, is more than an heiress, although her family never wanted for money because they had the good fortune to invent gunpowder--and no matter how bad a recession is, war never goes out of style. Her father, William Sr. was the black sheep of the du Pont family, cast out of the family and the family business after a scandalous divorce, he chose to retreat with his new wife and growing kids to an estate with show horses. She and her brother William Jr. grew up in the country; Marion duPont learned to ride with both legs on either side of a horse; first riding saddle-seat horses and later hunters until the fateful day she saw legendary Man o'War auctioned off and her dream made itself known. Both Marion and William would come ...

I was nominated for the Shine On Award by Jazmen @  This Girl Reads a lot!  blog! Her blog is amazing btw, so be sure to stop by if you aren't there already! The Shine On Award is a great way to recognize new blogs while learning a little bit about the bloggers! Shine On Award Rules 1. Visit and thank the blogger who nominated you. 2. Acknowledge that blogger on your blog, and link back. 3. Share seven, random interesting things about yourself. 4. Nominate up to 15 bloggers for the Shine On Award, provide a link to their blogs in your post, and notify them on their blogs. 7 Random Things About Me 1. I've been riding horses for fifteen years and I have no intention of stopping anytime soon. 2. People think I'm unlucky in love, but the truth is, I have no desire to be in a relationship. 3. I like to wait until my family is in bed, then pull out my laptop, and write the night away. 4. I actually like shoveling snow; it's a great physic...

My picks for the Tuesday Top Ten, as invented by  The Broke and Bookish . This week's theme is Top Ten Book Turn-Offs. Although I admit, even if the book I'm reading has one of these, I usually push through so I can give a decent critique... A book has to have a lot of problems for me to mark it DNF. Bad grammar... ...and bad spelling! There is really no excuse for abusing the English language then selling it. Love at first sight.  Unless the story is a fairytale and time is of the essence, there needs to be actual emotion in emotional issues. Metaphor/Simile overdose. When authors forget to describe what things are and not just what things are like. Vagueness.  Poor setting descriptions, that leave me asking "Where are we now?"  Detailed attention to ridiculously non-relevant things.  Do I really need to know every, single item the main character picks out to wear, along with color, pattern and textile? Unless this person's clothing is going to ...