Monthly Archives: September 2012

The Patron Saint Of Butterflies

Posted in Books by

Book: The Patron Saint Of Butterflies by Cecilia Galante

Published by Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Purchased for my Nook (320 pages)

Genre: YA: Contemporary

Find out more: Goodreads~Barnes And Noble~Amazon~Cecilia Galante

Goodreads Summary: Agnes and Honey have always been best friends, but they haven’t always been so different. Agnes loves being a Believer. She knows the rules at the Mount Blessing religious commune are there to make her a better person. Honey hates Mount Blessing and the control Emmanuel, their leader, has over her life. The only bright spot is the butterfly garden she’s helping to build, and the journal of butterflies that she keeps. When Agnes’s grandmother makes an unexpected visit to the commune, she discovers a violent secret that the Believers are desperate to keep quiet. And when Agnes’s little brother is seriously injured and Emmanuel refuses to send him to a hospital, Nana Pete takes the three children and escapes the commune. Their journey begins an exploration of faith, friendship, religion and family for the two girls, as Agnes clings to her familiar faith while Honey desperately wants a new future.

I really liked The Patron Saint Of Butterflies.  The title was intriguing, and I just love the cover.

I loved that we have two narrators- Agnes, who is a huge believer in the community, and Honey, who isn’t.  It worked really well, and you get two very different perspectives on what life is like at Mount Blessing.  Patron saints are really important throughout the book, and it was nice to see Agnes go from believing she needs to be perfect and to atone for any sins she commits, to realizing that doing the right thing is more important.

It’s a really good look at what a religious commune is like, and I could picture everything so clearly.  The grounds of Mount Blessing seem beautiful, and I loved the idea of a butterfly garden.

Obviously, patron saints were pretty important.  And while butterflies were mentioned, I’m not really sure why they were included.  I’m not too sure why Honey is so attached to butterflies and it didn’t really work for me.  Maybe it’s supposed to be a nice contrast or it’s supposed to represent transformation.

Emmanuel refuses to let Agnes’ younger brother go to a hospital after he hurts himself, and that is what leads Agnes and Honey out of Mount Blessing and into the “real world.”  This is where Agnes got really annoying but at the same time, she did try to stick to what she believed in, because it’s the only thing she ever knew.  But Agnes and Honey really were like kids in a candy store.

Of course, there’s a family secret that changes both of their lives…which I predicted at some point when I was reading.  It definitely changes things for both girls.

I thought it was great, and I loved seeing their journey.  They really changed a lot.

It gets a 4 out of 5.  I really liked it, but I didn’t love it.

Fun Times

Posted in General, Podcasts by

So, over the weekend, I listened to the Pride48 marathon.  And while I didn’t get to listen to every single podcast, I still listened to a lot.  It was so fun listening to all the different podcasts- from the ones I love to the ones I don’t normally listen to.  I’ll definitely miss it, and I can’t wait until next year.  It was so fun to listen to!

Over the weekend, I went shopping for a bedspread.  And I really need to complain about this.

So, my old bedspread had this really big hole in it, so I was in desperate need of a new one.  I kind of, sort of, but not really looked at a few places online, and didn’t really find anything, so I figured it was time to stop at Bed, Bath and Beyond.

Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a bedspread or comforter for a twin bed?

Pretty impossible in the store I was out.  Mind you, they have a great selection of bedding, and I did find one that I really liked.

But I didn’t have much to choose from, because…having a twin bed eliminated most of my choices!  If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear that most people who sleep in a twin bed are either 10 year-old girls or in a college dorm.  That also eliminated most of the remaining choices.  Nothing against the  dorm-room bedspreads, but I just didn’t like them, and the 10-year-old girl ones…let’s just say that’s a bit too young for me.  It’s been a while since I’ve been 10.

I did manage to avoid bedskirts, and the more I see my new bedspread, the more I love it, so it’s cool.

I am curious as to whether it’s just this particular store or if it’s just in general.  I get that certain age groups need twin-sized bedding more than others, but a more varied selection would have been nice.

And now I have this need to go to different stores and check their bedding section just to see what they have.

Not much is going on right now…but I am going to an alpaca farm on Saturday! I am so excited, and there will definitely be a post about it!  Although I’m slowly starting to get ready for NaNo- I can’t believe it’s almost that time again. Hopefully it’ll go better than last year…I just need an idea!  Or 5, or something.

I honestly think that’s it for today, so happy Wednesday!

Top 10 Bookish People I Want To Meet

Posted in Top 10 Tuesday by

Top 10 Tuesday is hosted every week by the lovely folks over at The Broke And Bookish.  Bloggers from all over are invited to share their lists based on the topic of the week.  You can find all Top 10 Tuesdays here.

Top 10 Bookish People I Want To Meet

This was a fun list to put together!  It ranges from inspirations to authors that seem cool to the book blogging community as a whole.  Here’s my list!

  1. J.K. Rowling- The Harry Potter books are my favorite books of all time, and I’d just love to meet her and thank her for sharing Harry’s story with the world.
  2. John Green.  He seems like such a cool guy, and meeting him would be so fun.
  3. Stephen King.  The last time I read his stuff on a regular basis was high school.  But he comes up with some of the most interesting, strange ideas, and I’d love to know his inspiration for some of those ideas.
  4. Lani Diane Rich.  I haven’t read any of her books, but I just started listening to her podcast, yesterday, and it seems like she would be fun to have a cup of coffee with.
  5. Laurie Halse Anderson.  I’m a huge fan of Laurie Halse Anderson, and I just love her books.  She’s just someone I really admire, and if I ever write a YA contemporary, it’s because of her!
  6. Alison Weir.  I just love the books I’ve read by her, and being able to talk to her about Tudor history would be amazing.  Her knowledge of Tudor history astounds me.
  7. Tahereh Mafi.  She just seems so adorable and cool and she seems like someone I’d want to hang out with for a day.
  8. Joy Wilson.  She’s the baker behind the Joy the Baker blog.  She has a cookbook, out so that totally makes her bookish in my world  I’d love to meet her, and I wouldn’t mind talking about totally unimportant important things.  Or baking.  Maybe unimportant but totally important things while baking!
  9. Erin Morgenstern.  She just seems cool based on a couple of blog entries I’ve read over at her website.  And The Night Circus originally started out as a novel written during National Novel Writing Month, so we could totally talk about that.
  10. And of course, I can’t leave out my fellow book bloggers!  I honestly can’t pick who I want to meet the most, so I’m going with everyone!

Is there any particular author or other bookish person you’d like to meet?

GG 1 x 5: Cinnamon’s Wake

Posted in Season One, The Gilmore Girls Project by

Cinnamon’s Wake originally aired on November 2, 2000.  It was written by Daniel Palladino and directed by Michael Katleman.

In Cinnamon’s Wake, Rory acts awkwardly around Dean.  The death of Cinnamon, Morey and Babbette’s cat, brings the entire town together for a memorial.

We start off with Friday night dinner, with Lorelei making jokes about Nazi’s.

From there, Rory and Lorelei talk about the bake sale and how Lorelei has it covered.  We get our first look at Cinnamon, who’s being pushed in a wagon because she’s not feeling well.  It’s too bad we don’t see a lot of Morey, because I like him.  I’m glad Star’s Hollow is so strange.

Dean and Rory talk on the bus…right after he scares Rory.  At the inn, Michel pretends he is from Texas and isn’t from France.  Of course, the French businessmen are glad he’s from France.  I love the conversation between Lorelei and Michel about how he left France because the French are insufferable.

At the bake sale, Sooki makes the tablecloth catch on fire, and Lorelei uses lemonade from the stand next to them to put it out.  And Lorelei is still annoyed at Max over the Shakespeare test.  He talks to her at the bake sale, and asks her out on a date.  Lorelei has mixed feelings because he’s Rory’s teacher, but at the same time, I don’t blame her.  It’s an interesting relationship they have, at least in these early episodes.

Rory goes into Doosey’s market, because she sees Dean in there.  She runs into Miss Patty, before going to a different part of the store.  She buys some lettuce and a mouse-trap before realizing she doesn’t have enough money.

Lorelei and Max have a pre-date at a coffee shop and talk about why they should date.  Lorelei is still resistant to the idea, and Max isn’t.  She hesitantly agrees to go out to dinner with him.

At Luke’s, Lorelei and Sookie are talking about Max.  Sookie starts fixing people’s food at Luke’s while they’re talking about Max and how Lorelei feels about him.  Luke isn’t happy Sookie is behind the counter “helping.”  And we learn Lorelei hasn’t told Rory, but before Lorelei can finish explaining how she was speaking metaphorically to Sookie, we find out that Cinnamon dies.

There’s a memorial at Babette’s house, where there is a wake for Cinnamon.  Michel’s reaction was funny…and how did they fit so many people into that tiny house?  Naturally, Sookie and Luke are fighting about placement of food.  Sookie’s trying to be all organized while Luke just sets the food down and lets people go at it.

Rory finds out about Lorelei’s date with Max, which Lorelei forgot to cancel (because of the wake).  She reschedules and goes back to the wake, where she talks to Babette about Cinnamon and her medications.  Babette is so sad about Cinnamon and her relationship with Morey.  That house is designed for Babette.  I wish I could live in a house where everything was designed for my height.  The joys of being not quite 5 feet tall.  Fun fact: Sally Struthers, who plays Babette, is 5’1″

Rory tells Dean she’s interested in him and then runs off.  She and Lorelei finally talk about Lorelei’s now-cancelled date with Max.  Rory’s upset (again, I don’t blame her) but they work out the weird feelings the date brought up.

The episode ends with Lorelei and Emily talking about how Emily couldn’t reach Lorelei.  Emily’s not happy that Lorelei didn’t go to her cousin’s funeral but went to a cat’s wake.

Crazy References: Henry VIII, M. Night Shamalan, Iran Contra scandal

Favorite Lines/Scenes: Emily, to Rory: “Rory, correct me if I’m wrong, but men have landed on the moon, regardless of whether your mother remembers it or not.”

Rory: “That’s the rumor.”

Michel, to a French business man: “I am from Texas.”

Emily, to Lorelei: “Hold on, I’m looking up aneurysm in the medical dictionary to see if I just had one.

Final thoughts: I like this episode, but it’s just average.  The town attending a wake for a cat really is Stars Hallow, and it’s the first of many town events we get to see during the series.  Granted, it’s not, like, a festival or anything, but we do see some fun things.

This episode gets 3 mugs of coffee.

Die For Me

Posted in Books by

Book: Die For Me by Amy Plum

Published by HarperCollins

Purchased for my Nook (259 pages)

Genre: YA: Paranormal- Zombies

Find out more: Goodreads~Barnes And Noble~Amazon~Amy Plum

Goodreads Summary: My life had always been blissfully, wonderfully normal. But it only took one moment to change everything.

Suddenly, my sister, Georgia, and I were orphans. We put our lives into storage and moved to Paris to live with my grandparents. And I knew my shattered heart, my shattered life, would never feel normal again. Then I met Vincent.

Mysterious, sexy, and unnervingly charming, Vincent Delacroix appeared out of nowhere and swept me off my feet. Just like that, I was in danger of losing my heart all over again. But I was ready to let it happen.

Of course, nothing is ever that easy. Because Vincent is no normal human. He has a terrifying destiny, one that puts his life at risk every day. He also has enemies . . . immortal, murderous enemies who are determined to destroy him and all of his kind.

While I’m fighting to piece together the remnants of my life, can I risk putting my heart—as well as my life and my family’s—in jeopardy for a chance at love?

I didn’t like Die For Me.  It’s an interesting idea, dying for people so they can have another chance at life.  While Vincent and his family aren’t true zombies, it is what they call themselves.

I found that things only picked up towards the end, but by then, I didn’t really care about what happened.  I was kind of bored when reading Die For Me.  Even the battle was a lot more boring than I expected.

As for the characters, I didn’t particularly care about any of them.  I felt like I didn’t really get to know them.  Kate was especially boring, and I just felt like something was missing from every single character.

I loved the setting- it felt like Plum just loves Paris, which you can tell by the way everything is described.  It’s always cool when a book takes place in a different country.  Paris is such a good setting, and while we see a lot of it, it somehow felt like we didn’t see a lot of Paris.

The reason for Kate and Georgia moving to Paris didn’t feel like a big deal.  Their parents died, and while they move to Paris to live with their grandparents, it felt really forced.  Like Plum just picked the reason out of a hat or something.

I give it a 1 out of 5.  It’s an interesting idea, but I was bored reading it.

Pride48!

Posted in Podcasts by

So, this is weekend is Pride48!  It’s 48 hours of live podcasting, and I’m super-excited.  I can’t believe I didn’t mention it before, but there’s still today and tomorrow, if you want to check out any of the podcasts, and I’m sure most (if not all) of the podcasts will go up on the Pride48 website.  And probably through each podcast.  Maybe I’ll find some new podcasts to listen to!  Because 57 aren’t enough.

There are more than a few I’m excited about, like Cocktails And Creampuffs, Greetings From Nowhere, What Some Would Call Lies, the Satyrsphere and Game Night Guys…to name a few.  Also a bunch I’ve never of, or have heard of but never listened to.  Sadly, I didn’t make it out to Vegas this year, but maybe next year.  It’s been fun hanging out in the chat room though.

Big Fatty’s show was great.  I have no clue why I *don’t* listen to Big Fatty, but since I’ve subscribed, I’ll be able to listen to every single episode!  Cocktails and Creampuffs was great, and hilarious.  And Greetings From Nowhere was great as usual.  I missed the first 5 to 10 minutes for the Satyrsphere because I turned off the stream and it took forever to connect!  But…it was a great episode!  It’s just fun to hear some of my favorite podcasts live.  And a whole weekend of podcasts just make it more fun!

There’s really not much else to say…at least for now.  But I’ll probably talk about some of the other podcasts next week.  Maybe.  We’ll see.

I’m super tired, since I’ve been up for a really long time.  I think I’m off to bed!  Have a happy weekend everyone!

Unseen

Posted in Books by

Book: Unseen by Rachel Caine

Published by Penguin Group

E-book borrowed from the public library (320 pages)

Genre: Fiction: Paranormal/Fantasy

Find out more: Goodreads~Barnes And Noble~Amazon~Rachel Caine

Goodreads Summary: After Cassiel and Warden Luis Rocha rescue an adept child from a maniacal Djinn, they realize two things: the girl is already manifesting an incredible amount of power, and her kidnapping was not an isolated incident.

This Djinn—aided by her devoted followers—is capturing children all over the world, and indoctrinating them so she can use their strength for herself. With no other options, Cassiel infiltrates the Djinn’s organization—because if Cassiel cannot stop the Djinn’s apocalyptic designs, all of humanity may be destroyed.

I really liked Unseen.  I just love seeing Djinn (or genies) and how there’s a serious battle ahead.  I just love her determination to destroy Pearl while in a human body.  And seeing her change over the series has been interesting.

She has the chance to become a Djinn again, but passes, because she is much sympathetic to humans now.  It turned out to be a good move on her part, at least at the end of the novel.  But who knows how it will turn out in Unbroken?

There’s a lot of action in this one, which made it go by really fast.  I thought Esmeralda was an interesting addition, being caught between two very different forms.  And there were some things I never saw coming.  Like someone betraying the wardens…and it being the last person I expected.

I have no idea how Cassiel is supposed to destroy Pearl, what with being human, Pearl turning children into assassins and making their powers and abilities manifest way earlier than they should.  Where the most powerful wardens are, I have no idea.  They’re mentioned, but we have yet to see them.  And we have yet to see a lot of the Djinn.  Maybe they’ll make an appearance in Unbroken.

And all of the drama with Cassiel and Luis.  I so want things to work out between them, but I have a feeling things won’t end happily for them.  And poor Ibby!  Things are not looking up for her.

Overall, the characters are pretty interesting, and I like some of the new ones that were introduced.  We still have some of old characters as well, but she has no problem with having her characters make really hard, gut-wrenching decisions.  Or kill them, if need be.

This is the first time I felt like I was missing some of the backstory- and the first time I wished I read the Weather Warden series first.  I have the feeling that some of my questions could be answered if I read it.

I give it a 4 out of 5.  I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Darkness Falls

Posted in Books by

Book: Darkness Falls by Jessica Sorensen

Self-Published by Jessica Sorensen

Purchased for my Nook (290 pages)

Genre: YA: Dystopic/Post-Apocalyptic/Paranormal- Vampires

Find out more: Goodreads~Barnes And Noble~Amazon~Jessica Sorensen

Goodreads Summary: When the disease spread through the world, people had no choice but to go into hiding. The Colony is hidden deep underground, far away from the vampires—humans that were transformed by the disease. The vampires are hideous, starving, and they will kill any human they come across.

Seventeen-year-old Kayla is a Bellator, a warrior that protects The Colony. In order to survive, there are three rules she must follow:
Rule #1—Never go out after dark.
Rule #2—Always carry a weapon.
Rule #3—No matter what, never EVER get bit.

But what happens when the rules Kayla has always lived by can no longer apply? 

The Highers run The Colony and accept nothing less than perfection. One slip up can mean death. Kayla has always worked hard to follow the rules and strive for perfection. But during a moment of weakness, she lets her imperfections show. Her punishment is worse than death. She is chosen for The Gathering and is thrown out into a world full of starving vampires. 

No one has ever survived The Gathering, at least that’s what Kayla’s been told.

But when she runs into a group who insist they were once part of The Gathering, Kayla discovers the Highers have been keeping secrets. Secrets that could lead to a cure.

Darkness Falls is interesting.  I like the premise of it- a virus that turned people into vampires.  That’s definitely unusual, but I like that it’s caused by a virus.  And the society is also interesting.  Things are definitely secretive and you’re not completely sure what is going on.  Plus, vampires have taken over, and everyone’s who left is in the Colony.  Or are they?  I have the feeling there’s more going on than what was revealed in the book.

But here’s the thing.  I didn’t like it.  I didn’t find the characters particularly interesting, and it felt convoluted.  I get the whole convoluted feel, because she’s been injected something that makes her forget things, and she starts to remember them.  It was slightly jarring to randomly see memories come back.  But it was interesting to see her remember and try to figure everything out.

There’s a lot going on, and it felt overwhelming.

That being said, I get why people like it so much.  There is a lot of action and adventure, and while I thought there were a lot of details missing, I get why they’re missing.

It’s just not for me, so I give it a 1 out of 5.

Glimmerglass

Posted in Books by

Book: Glimmerglass by Jenna

Published by St. Martin’s Griffin

Purchased for my Nook (231 pages)

Genre: YA: Paranormal- Fairies

Find out more: Goodreads~Barnes And Noble~Amazon~Jenna Black

Goodreads Summary: It’s all she’s ever wanted to be, but it couldn’t be further from her grasp…

Dana Hathaway doesn’t know it yet, but she’s in big trouble.  When her alcoholic mom shows up at her voice recital drunk, again, Dana decides she’s had enough and runs away to find her mysterious father in Avalon: the only place on Earth where the regular, everyday world and the captivating, magical world of Faerie intersect. But from the moment Dana sets foot in Avalon, everything goes wrong, for it turns out she isn’t just an ordinary teenage girl—she’s a Faeriewalker, a rare individual who can travel between both worlds, and the only person who can bring magic into the human world and technology into Faerie.  

Soon, Dana finds herself tangled up in a cutthroat game of Fae politics. Someone’s trying to kill her, and everyone seems to want something from her, from her newfound friends and family to Ethan, the hot Fae guy Dana figures she’ll never have a chance with… until she does.  Caught between two worlds, Dana isn’t sure where she’ll ever fit in and who can be trusted, not to mention if her world will ever be normal again…

I liked Glimmerglass.  You really can’t go wrong with fairies.  I love the idea of a fairiewalker, who can bring magic into the mortal realm and technology into Faerie.  Seriously cool.  Also cool?  The fact that whoever controls the fairiewalker has a lot of power.  There’s more mention of fairie politics in this novel than I’ve seen in a lot of other books involving fairies.  Fairie politics is usually involved, but not to this extent.  I have a feeling it’ll be pretty important in the rest of the series.

I liked that she knew she was the daughter of a fairie.  It’s refreshing to see someone who has a general idea of where they come from.  Of course, Dana has no clue she’s a fairiewalker, but I guess that’s the trade-off.  Dana’s okay as a character, as are the rest of them.  No one really stood out to me, with the exception of Kimber.  I felt kind of bad for her, but she’s definitely interesting.

Romance is pretty important in this book.  You have Ethan, who’s the son of an important fairie, politically speaking.  It could work because it could be a really important alliance.  Or it could not work out because a lot of power would be in the hands of just a couple people.  And I have the feeling that Finn, who taught her some self-defense moves, could be a potential love interest for her too.  I don’t like either one but maybe that’ll change in book #2. (Probably not, but I don’t want to rule anything out).  Although more guys could be introduced, considering how important it is to be the one with her on their side.

I liked it enough to want to read the rest of the series, but at the same time, it just didn’t capture my attention as much as I thought I would.  Still, Black did create a pretty interesting world, and it’s a little more complex and in-depth than other books about fairies I’ve read.

I give it a 3 out of 5.

Top 10 Books That Make You Think

Posted in Top 10 Tuesday by

Top 10 Tuesday is hosted by the lovely folks over at The Broke And The Bookish.  Every week, bloggers from all over share their lists based on the topic of the week.  You can find all Top 10 Tuesdays here.

Top 10 Books That Make You Think

This is a really interesting topic…but also a really cool one!  There are quite a few books over the years that have made me think, and all for different reasons.  That’s the cool thing about reading- it really does open up a whole new world, and you get to read about things you don’t necessarily see or know much about.  Here are 10 books that made me think.

  1. 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher.  I had some issues with the book…but you start to think about how what you say and what you do can have a lot more meaning than you’d think.  Words and actions can have a bigger impact than you think.
  2. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld.  This series makes you think about beauty and how the definition of beauty changes over time.  But I liked seeing Tally struggle with her looks and wanting to fit in and be with her friends.
  3. Unwind by Neal Shusterman.  I really liked Unwind (and UnWholly is just as good).  One reason why I liked Unwind is that Shusterman doesn’t take a side as far as abortion and reproductive rights go.  Is compromise possible?  And he does a great job of showing how extreme both sides can get.  And organ donation is pretty important.
  4. The Adoration Of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson.  The interesting thing about this book is that you start to ask yourself, where do you draw the line?  In a book about a girl who is considered illegal because of the life-saving medical treatment she received…how could you not think about the ethics of medicine and how much is too much.
  5. Still Alice by Lisa Genova.  I loved this book because you see Alice, who is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s.  You don’t think of someone in their 40’s or 50’s as being someone with Alzheimer’s, but that’s why I like this book so much.
  6. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.  What will the government do to keep it’s citizens in line?  And what will people do to make sure nothing happens to them or their families?  I just love The Hunger Games and how there’s a definite divide in terms of class and wealth.
  7. A Mighty Long Way by Carlotta Walls LaNier.  She’s one of the Little Rock 9, and this is her story of what it was like to attend Little Rock Central High School.  Brown v Board of Education wasn’t all that long ago, and that things can change.  A Mighty Long Way is such a good reminder of the not-too-distant past and it really puts things in perspective.
  8. The Coming Of The Third Reich by Richard Evans.  I know that when I hear Holocaust and World War 2, I automatically think of Hitler and concentration camps.  But this book does a pretty good job of showing how the Nazi’s (and Hitler) came to power and all of the factors that played a role in how they came to be.
  9. Hate List by Jennifer Brown.  After reading this, you definitely see how horrific school shootings can be.  But it’s about more than just school shootings.  You see how people are still struggling to deal with the aftermath of a school shooting and how it can damage or strengthen relationships.
  10. Exposed by Kimberly Marcus.  Exposed is really interesting in that it’s a book about a girl who’s dealing with the rape of her best friend…and her brother as the one who raped her best friend.  It’s nice to see how rape can affect more than just the people directly involved…because it does.  And things are not always black-and-white.

What books made you think about life or see the world differently?