Welcome 2011- A Year of Bookish Delight

Ah... my sense of Humor is engaging

With the new year started, I thought to make a short post about my plans on reading and how I hope to make it to the overall goal of all the challenges I am participating in: to read 50 books in 2011.

While I have decided to read at least one book each week, I thought I might give myself a little inner challenge as well. I don't know how it will turn out, and I am sure that some days are going to be harder than others, but I won't put myself down if I end up a little of track [Which I am confident I won't let myself fall]

What? You say? What is this mad, loon, bookish freak thinking of trying to do?

Something probably most book lovers can achieve, but I haven't been able to do since high school.

I am going to try and read a book a day- If not a book in two days.

Yes that's right. It means I really have to sit there for more than 10 minutes without wondering if the cats are fed, if the ceiling is dusty or whether the dishes in the sink have grown mould in the past 20 minutes since dinner and started an eco system of their own. [I am so OCD about everything around me – I don't make time for myself]

2011 Will be different & it starts with little goals. Achievable I know, if I let myself relax and enjoy life. Because reading is my passion. So cheer me on.

Here I go...

Yours For Eternity- Janet Whithead- Book Review

Pages: 221

Rating: C

Published: 2007

Date Finished: 31^st December 2010

I didn't really have much expectation for this novel. I picked it up because I wanted something fresh, quick and readable to finish of my own set aim for this years 50 book challenge [my goal is 40] With those expectations I did succeed in my goal and did enjoy the book enough to give it a review for you guys to check out and hopefully respond to with your own review or opinions.

I thought it was humorous that the first two romances[Guilty pleasure romances] that I have read upon deciding to take a challenge to read more older novels were so similar in context yet brilliantly different. Where in 'To Give a Heart Wings” the female main character was the photographer, gender was turned around and I got to see a different side to of the industry.

While in this novel, careers and fashion don't play a big part of the overall plot, I found it compelling to read and found myself feeling the characters motions, her passion and indecision and the pain of her past that was like a recurring nightmare, once buried, now flaunted in her face within the first few chapters.

There were times in the novel where I thought it was a little far fetched, especially when it came to the relationship between the two characters Danielle and Ben. After reaching the halfway mark I realised that beyond the fast paced motion of their relationship that it isn't as uncommon for two people to fall madly and passionately in love [especially in the industry they are from] and to become so close that breathing becomes hard without them. I know anyone reading this book will connect with that feeling and it made the story more realistic in its sadness.

One scene in particular around the 100 page mark had be baffled. I was taken back by the authors choice to portray the character like she did and what happened didn't sit right with me on many levels. It outraged me, but still managed to encouraged me to continue reading even though the circumstance was devastating.

For an tensely, quick read I would strongly recommend reading Yours for Eternity. It kept me involved for the most part and I could connect with the characters emotions and reasoning of the characters. However some parts were dull to read and didn't have me wanting to turn pages and I often found myself dog-earring them to do something else. Which is why I am giving this book a C- It wasn't astounding, but it wasn't a let down either.

The Modern Library Writer's Workshop- Stephen Koch

Date Finished: 23^rd December 2010

Pages: 214

Rating: C

I wanted to enjoy this book thoroughly, but I ended up more disappointed than enlightened and educated.

To much of this book read like a long stream of pretentious lecturing and I didn't connect with the modern aspect of writing that I'd hoped it would read.

Stephen made some brilliant points and shared not only his own valued experiences, but those of classic and current writers. I found this part of the book to be inspirational and the first chapters were my favourite, as were the last.

I loved the passage in chapter seven on revision where Stephen makes note of a rule Stephen King learnt himself about the drafting process.

“ Formula: 2^nd draft= 1^st draft [- minus] 10%”

I would greatly recommend this book to students and readers who like more in depth discussions of writing and the history of writing. I believe those who have a more fundamental understanding of classic literature would take more from it than I have.

Favorite Books of 2010

Even though I technically haven't finished my goal yet. I have decided to do my post of my favorite books in 2010. Most of the early novels you cannot find reviews on here, but from Blue Bloods onwards you can. [In no particular order]

1. Blue Bloods Melissa De La Cruz [1]- 5 stars
2. The Book Of Joe - Jonathan Trooper -5 stars
3. Sensing Spirits - Michell Coombes- 5 stars
4. Frostbite- Richelle Mead- 5 stars
5. The Sugar Queen- Sarah Addison Allen- 5 stars
6. Blue Eyed Boy- Joanne Harris - 5 stars
7. Angels 101- Doreen Virtue - 4.5 stars
8. Hush, Hush- Becca Fiztpatrick - 4.5 stars
9. The Secret- Rhonda Bryne- 4 stars
10. The Power- Rhonda Bryne- 5 stars
11.Wicked Appetite - Janet Evanovich - 4.5 stars
12. Masqerade - Melissa De La Cruz [2] - 4.5 stars
13. The Nanny Diaries - Nicola Kraus & Emma McLaughlin - 5 stars
14.The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner- Stephenie Meyer - 4.5 stars
15. To Give a Heart Wings - Mary Kay McComas- 5 stars
16. Bang The Keys - Jill Dearman - 5 stars
17. The Uglies - Scott Westerfeild- 4 stars

To Give a Heart Wings- Mary Kay McComas- Book Review

Loveswept - # 506
Pages : 179
Date Finished: 12 December
Rating: A

Synopsis: Some Enchanted Evening...

Colt McKinnon spotted her from across the crowded nightclub, and knew he must meet the mystery woman, the temptress who met his commanding gaze--and returned it! Hannah Alexander figured the man was probably flirting with every woman in the place, but moments later he stood next to her, claiming her with a look that made her feel excited and safe all at once. Dancing with the powerful stranger was like coming home, like feeling her body cleave to his with electric satisfaction. But when the music stopped, she escaped his sensual net--before he could discover her secret and gaze on her pain. How could she know he would track her down, determined to possess the woman who'd convinced him of love at first sight? Colt yearned to know the lady whose angel eyes and siren body made him want to slay dragons, but Hannah needed a lover who could face and fight his fear. Could she teach the man who'd made her believe she was beautiful how wonderful it felt to fly?

Review:

To kick start my pre- romance challenge I decided to take one of the Loveswept novels of my shelf and devour it with my wicked guilty pleasure for old style romance. Admittedly, I smiled in delight at reading a so called 'trashy' novel, but To Give a Heart Wings was anything but trashy and a reminder to never judge the date a book is published or the somewhat laughable cheesy cover of the book.

What I loved first and foremost about this novel was that the author, Mary Kay McComas tackled provoking issues in her novel with respect and intrigue. Each character had something at stake, both in their past and in the present and I found myself warming to each one, wanting to peal back the layers of their addictive personalities. Mary came at each issue with strength and I could see, especially with the two main characters and love interest that she has a lot of respect for her characters, which lent me a lot of respect for them too.

The theme of the story isn't a hard one to cover, but the author wrote it in a way that didn't at all read clich'e to me and I found myself in the early hours of the morning unable to stop turning the pages. I had to read more. I wanted to feel more and be inspired by the story Mary was sharing. The way the title is incorporated into the story played a beautiful part and I took something from it that I think will keep me positive and motivated and will be a notion I can follow myself with my dreams and passions both in romance and life in general.

There isn't much about this novel that I disliked. In some parts I found it to be slow, due to my own slowness, and in others I found myself seeing things that were coming, but never often and I thoroughly enjoyed the twists of humour and suspense.

I'm not a huge fan of cars, sports or the life that a business man leads, but I feel that it was well researched and information was given out in small doses, making me warm to learning more about the male characters world and not feeling stupid for not understanding anything about it. I loved that I was drawn into it, rather than standing on the side lines, pottering along and trying to convince myself I understood. It made reading this book more enticing and I recommend it to women who both like and dislike sport.

This is definitely one to track down online, or if you can find in a second hand bookshop. While this book was written when I was two, I pushed that aside and am ecstatic that I have let myself rekindle my old passion for paperback romances. I have no trouble recommending this to anyone and would love to discuss it with anyone who has already read it.

Do you ever crave crappy books ???

Do you ever crave crappy books – Response to Why I love Crappy Books

***

For me I often just read for enjoyment. Many genres, themes, books can be classed as crappy, but it really depends on the person and often the mood at times. I think it's wrong t ocall certain books crappy, but am often conflicted with giving an honest opinion and being harsh. In the end this question is hard to define, but easy enough for me to answer. Ah- the contradictions.

I crave books that people might see as crappy. My weakest hunger is old fashioned Mills and Boon, Love swept, Sweet Valley High, paperback fiction. I love looking in charity shops and second hand places for these books. Because they are cheap [usually costing me 20 cents] & easy to hold and take with me in my handbag. I also love that they are quick reads, most of the time with messages and inspiration. I love them because they feel like dirty pleasures. My crappy collection of romance books that people see and cringe. I love them.

To me though, if a book is crappy it goes into my DNF [Did Not Finish] collection. But I still crave many books that the fans and media still class as being crappy.

Link to the post: http://www.litdrift.com/2010/01/21/why-i-love-crappy-books/

Your Soul's Plan - Robert Schwartz - Coming Soon

ISBN 1583942726

Your Soul’s Plan (which was originally published under the title Courageous Souls: Do We Plan Our Life Challenges Before Birth?) explores the provocative premise that we are all eternal souls who plan our lives, including our greatest challenges, before we are born for the purpose of spiritual growth.

After reading the synopsis I emailed Robert to ask him if it would be possible to get a copy of his book that I could review and recommend. I was estatic when he wrote back and said he would send me a copy. The only down side is I have to wait Three weeks for it to come.

Look forward to me reading this book and reviewing it after the new year.


If you'd like more information about the book & Robert...
Link to Roberts Site

http://www.yoursoulsplan.com

Kiss Me Deadly - Edited By Trish Telep - Book Review - DNF

I did not finish this book, but rather than not give credit to authors, I have decided to give you reviews on the following Four stories I could manage to get through. In fairness I am not going to recommend or rate it. This book I did not finish [DNF]

[1] Michelle Zink – The Assassins Assistant

I would have enjoyed this story if it had of been fleshed out into novella. While the story was intense, I felt like I was dropped into the middle of a novel and it caused some inconsistencies. The main characters were rather dull, but with a little more depth to them there is a possibility I could endure the story. Rose, however was annoying and repetitive and the romance scene was brief and lacking.

Three and a half stars ***.5

* * *

[2] Diana Peterfreund – Errant

It was slow to begin with and I found myself struggling through the story's era. The concept of unicorns fascinate me and as my first unicorn story I enjoyed it. I loved the visual descriptions as it was easy to imagine in my mind and I connected well with Elise. However I had no time for Gitta, the unicorn hunter and her character. The animal cruelty of the era disgusted me and I felt myself becoming sickened when an animal was injured to death. Whether it was my mood when starting the story, the last twenty pages redeemed my liking for the style of Diana's writing. I am not certain I would read anything further by this author as it is not my style of reading choice, but as the short story is concerned I enjoyed it.

Four stars ****

* * *

[3] Spirit Jar- Karen Mahoney

At first I was confused at which gender the main character was. It wasn't apparent until a few pages into the story and I realised there were two main characters: Moth & Adam. Karen's style of writing was one I enjoyed immensely and reading this story was a breeze. The words and images flowed perfectly and apart from my confusion at the start I had no issues with it afterwards. I loved that the characters weren't two dimensional and were realistic. I also loved that the author used a creature that I've rarely heard of. The Arabic tone to the story was unique as her cast fresh characters.

****.5 Four and a half stars

* * *

[4] Lost – Justine Musk

I found the idea of astral projection intriguing. At first I thought the main character might be psychic and I believe in the end that's what made this story interesting. I would have loved to see a developed story around her abilities and Hades as I am fascinated with the underworld, yet still know nothing about it. However it was a little dull, and the characters didn't have much life in them. I would be interested in reading a longer piece of writing by Justine, but didn't favour Lost.

** Two stars

* * *

Naked Frame - Robert Burton Robinson - Book Review

I loved the storyline for Naked Frame. I am a dark star when it comes to crime and I love my murder and sexually based crime plots. So this story really pulled me in. It was thought provoking and I found myself questioning humanity at times and asking myself why greed is so important in the world and what it does and can do to people.

I'm in the middle with writing style. In places it flowed so easily and was enjoyable to read and others it was a little dull and bogged down, which made it a struggle to get though. For me there was to much dialogue and most of it sounded the same which made it hard to distinguish a lot of the male characters [because they all had sex on the brain].

Sometimes the scenes were jumpy, skipping from characters perspectives without much dialogue or detail and the execution of the storyline needed more work. More description and a smoother flow with scene transition would make it an easier and more enjoyable read.

I would have to say out of all the characters Gabby was my favourite, although at times his personality was at question. I didn't feel a connection with the main character, Rebecca and would have liked to delve into her personality a bit more.

There were a lot of minor characters which at times was confusing. I think with a little less development with minor characters and more with major characters I believe the characters in this book could evolve and I'd love them.

One thing that really annoyed me about the characters, especially Gabby was their lack of emotions. In certain scenes when you expect them to feel or show something there a void and the scene transitioned. It frustrated me because I wanted to feel the pain he was feeling, wanted to worry when someone he knew was in danger, wanted to cry knowing that his livelihood was lost.

I'm still looking forward to reading the next book in the series when it comes out. I loved it, despite the small issues I had. I would strongly recommend it for lovers of crime. The romance of the book is more of a dull sub-plot and the action of the book is what kept me reading to all hours of the night.

Kudos to Robert Burton Robinson for a fast read. I read this in a day and haven't done that with a book in a long time.

P.S I hope the suggestions and honest critical feedback are helpful to the author as I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series and seeing if it gets better.

***.5 Three and Half Stars

Early Review- ARC- Broken Wings (Soul Searchers- Book 1)

I recieved my second Ebook to review today. This one sounds different and not my usual style of reading, but I thought I would give it a try and then review it for Sandra who was kind enough to let me read it.


Synopsis:

Rio Laraquette thought the legend was nothing more than an enchanted tale about star-crossed lovers who left behind a fortune. That is, until she figures out that she—in a past life—was the culprit who stole a shipment of gold and silver and buried it somewhere in the hills of northern Nevada.

While searching for the treasure, Rio's heart begins to ache for a man who's been dead more than one hundred years. They say time heals all wounds, but what if it doesn't...?

You can find Sandra's Good Reads link : http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9332465-broken-wings-soul-searchers

My First ARC - Naked Frame - Robert Burton Robinson

I received my first ARC book to review this week. I am overly excited, and I have already put it on my ebook reader to start reading soon. Look forward to having a review soon. For now here is the synopsis.

NAKED FRAME - Rebecca Ranghorn Mystery Series, Book One. Chapters: 41. Print Length: 192 pages.

Rebecca Ranghorn is wanted for murder. The dead man in her office has a bullet in his head. Her bullet. But she’s not the killer. At least she doesn’t think so.

Rebecca is a private investigator working mostly cheating husband cases. She knows how to kick butt, and she’s not afraid to get her hands dirty.

In NAKED FRAME, her client is a mother wanting proof that her teenage daughter is having sex with a sleazy Dallas businessman, Big Bill Smotherburn. Once Rebecca shoots the video, the mother begins to threaten him.

Big Bill drops by Rebecca’s office unannounced, after hours, and tries to buy the video. But within minutes, Rebecca has passed out, warm pistol in hand, and Big Bill is sprawled out on the floor with half his face blown off.

Rebecca had been pointing the gun at Big Bill, unsure of his intentions. But she’s sure she wouldn’t have pulled the trigger. She believes somebody framed her.

She knows it’s only a matter of time before police discover the body, and come looking for her. It’s an odd time to reconnect with her best friend, Gabby, from high school. But he wants to help Rebecca.

The two of them will unravel the mystery. Or die trying.

You can find Roberts Good Reads link here : http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1070457.Robert_Burton_Robinson