Thursday, June 28, 2012

Juicy Pens Thirsty Paper: Gifting the World with Your Words and Stories, and Creating the Time and Energy to Actually Do It by SARK

Read: June 27, 2012
read in an hour
pages: 192


This has to be one of the best finds I've literally stumbled upon in the library! I love when I just start wandering around searching for one thing and find something else that I end up loving!

One of the most inspirational books I've read in a long time, or maybe ever. I admit my mood was in a funk for a couple days....I read this and not only get sucked into it but I get this urge to start writing! I've wanted to write and toy around with the idea of writing more than just these blogs and reviews, and here now that I've read this book I'm thinking even more that I need to get STARTED!! I mean even if I don't write whatever it is I decide to write and don't intend to publish it....well I should STILL write it! 

The one of the last novels I read mentioned something about how it is common for authors to carry around a notebook and paper to write down phrases or ideas that they read in one novel that catch them or inspire them. And I realize that I have been doing this for a very long time. I just never really thought about WHY it is that I do it. I'm pretty inspired now to write, now if only I could figure out WHAT to write!

 I enjoyed the layout of the book. The colorful writing, the random little pictures, and inspirational quotes. Apparently the author writes the first few drafts of all of her books by HAND and from the looks of it with a sharpie or some kind of marker. Very creative. I wish I had a vision like hers. I'll be picking up more of her books and I recommend others do as well!! I've included a couple of my favorite quotes below that I snapped photos of.

Below....this one seems particular fitting given the venue of choice for a blog = )



One of my favorite quotes in the book that I thought oh my goodness I feel the exact same way was that I thought OH MY GOODNESS I FEEL THE SAME WAY:
"Journals and Blank books are inviting containers for our writings. Some of us feel hesitant write in new journals "because they are so nice," but its really because we feel that our writing isn't as good as the journal. Are those blank pages really that valuable?"
I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to be inspired.

Forget Her Nots by Amy Brecount White

Read: June 21-26, 2012
read in 6 days
pages: 384


14 year old Laurel becomes obsessed with flowers after reading a letter written to her by her mother. The letter had a lily attached to the top with the phrase that catches her attention. She finds a book that informs her that the lily of the valley has a meaning of "return of happiness". The phrase leads her to explore the word of flowers and she stumbles upon a book that covers what all the flowers are and their meaning. After doing her research she presents the Victorian idea that flowers were meant to send secret messages. She begins to find that she is able to use flowers herself to make things happen, namely to help her friends, and enemies, snag that certain someone they have had their eye on. Rumors spread through school and she becomes popular and reclusive at the same time. Antics ensue as she discovers strange things happening that she never planned.

She eventually learns she comes from a long line of women who are capable of flower speak. This means she not only has a knack with putting together just the right flowers, but she has an influence over them as well. The novel ends in such a way that you almost expect there to be more. We are left thinking that Laurel will continue her training in flower speak, but I'm not sure if there is another book to come out or not.

I was intrigued with the idea and while I did get into the middle parts somehow I lost interest by the end. Its not a bad novel, and I would recommend it for anyone who has an interest in flowers. There is even a love interest for Laurel. So that is a nice little addition to the story.

If you are at all interested in the idea that flowers have a particular meaning I found the authors website that has this really neat link. This link contains the list of flowers and their meanings, which just so happens to be part of the back matter of the book. ENJOY!

Friday, June 22, 2012

A Thirty-Something Girl by L.M. Stull

Read: June 17-21, 2012
read in 5 days
pages: 224


Hope is a young woman who turns 30 just as her life is falling to shambles. This story is her road to recovery; the trials she faces as she tries time and time again to not only start living her life, but coming to terms with the fact that she deserves a great life. One that she has always wanted despite the mistakes she has made in the past. The novel chronicles her struggles as she overcomes a stifling depression. Her journey is heart breaking and honest. The novel reads more as a journal rather than as fiction. Hope's story is one that will hit home with anyone who has struggled to understand their own place in this crazy world we live in. Her story is one of hope, and I don't think it too ironic that she shares her name with the one emotion she lacks but comes to find over the course of the novel.

A Thirty-Something Girl is chock full of raw emotions that will grip the reader. There are so many times where the novel just slaps you with these emotions that you think WOW that is what that feels like. One of my favorite quotes about her depression is early in the novel:

"I slap that "everything's perfect" smile on my face and make my way down the busy street, and along the way if you listen carefully, you can hear it splash and hit the ground as I move - it's despair - and it pours from me, flooding any possibility of happiness. No one seems to notice it sloshing about, but I do. And it's all I can do not to drown in it."

The novel is beautifully written. It takes you in and holds you to Hope - her fears are your fears, her triumphs are your triumphs. Her journey is one we all may travel at one point or another in our lives. I do admit I felt a bit lost in the beginning of the novel because the reader is thrown into Hope's troubles with little context, but before long you are right there with her.

I'll leave you with one last quote that I really loved in the novel:

"You should come to peace with your past and all the pain and happiness that filled it. Forgive those painful memories, but never forget them. We learn from emotions. All of them. Being hurt is tragic, but forgetting means we never felt. Never loved. And that would be true tragedy."

I'm thankful to the author for sharing her novel with me and allowing me to review it. I'm glad I found her on goodreads.com! I hope others take time out of their busy reading schedules and read this fine debut novel. I look forward to reading more by L.M. Stull in the future.

You can find the e-book and novel in hard copy at AmazonBarnes and Noble, and Smashwords.

Monday, June 18, 2012

Author Highlight: Interview with Jenna Elizabeth Johnson

Hey everybody!

I have a special treat for you! Today's post is an interview with author Jenna Elizabeth Johnson author of Oescienne Trilogy. If you are thinking that the name sounds a bit familiar....well you would be correct! Just last week I reviewed the first book in her newest Otherworld Trilogy Faelorehn. I want to thank Jenna for taking the time to answer a few questions about her new series and what inspired her to write the series.



What initially inspired you to begin writing Faelorehn? 


A few things. I’ve been seriously writing for about seven years now and in the past year or so the idea for a YA urban fantasy centered on Celtic myth began to formulate. I knew I wanted to write a story that would help bring the otherworld of the Celts to life, but not until I read Amanda Hocking’s Switched did I finally get going with it. Switched felt very similar to what I had in mind, yet instead of writing a story where the premise was based on changelings and trolls (something more from Norse myth), I wanted create a series centered on the Celtic gods and goddesses and their world. 



When you began writing did you know it would be a trilogy? 


Yes, I purposely planned the series to be a trilogy. I think I might have even had all the cover art ready before I was halfway done with Faelorehn. The other two books will be titled Dolmarehn and Luathara. 



The Celtic mythology you wove into the story was very interesting. Can you tell me about your personal interest in the area and how that became the base of your novel? 


I discovered Celtic mythology while in college. I attended a career fair one day and there happened to be a table with information on the Celtic Studies program. I had always had some interest in Irish culture and history, so I signed up for a few classes to try it out. I was hooked ever since. Why did I decide to make it the premise of my series? I think the main reasons were first, I wanted to share my appreciation of all things Celtic with others and secondly, not much is known about this mythology. In grade school and high school we learn about the Greek and Roman pantheon, but nothing is taught about the ancient Celtic people and their beliefs. 



Were any of the characters in Faelorehn inspired by anyone you know in real life or can you see people you know in any of the characters? 


Good question. I would say that some of Meghan’s friends are based off of my own friends from high school, but don’t necessarily reflect exactly who those people were then. I’ve also taken inspiration from people around me. I work full time at a school and I’m sure I’ve gleaned personality traits from the kids there to help me weave my characters together into plausible people. I can say that the two popular kids who bother Meghan the most are directly based on people who harassed me while in high school. I’ve changed their names of course, but there’s nothing like real-life experiences to help build realistic characters ;). 



About how long would you say it took you to write the novel? 


Faelorehn didn’t take me nearly as long as it took me to write my very first novel. I’d say it took about a month or two to finally get it complete. The way I write is very sporadic: I can’t just sit and write every day for a set period of time. A section of the plot might come to me and I’ll sit and write until I’ve got it all down, and then I might not be able to think of anything to add and a week or two will go by until I get another flood of inspiration. It all depends on what my Muse is up to. If the story is there, it doesn’t take me very long to write it at all, but if it isn’t there, it might take me months to get it out. 



I love the character Cade! While he plays an important role in Meghan's learning who she is the reader does not learn a lot about him. Will we be learning more about him later in the series? 


Oh goodness yes, you will be learning a lot more about him, especially in the second book. He has his reasons for being secretive, and that will all be revealed in Dolmarehn ;). If anyone is knowledgeable in the Celtic myth department, they might already have some suspicions about him . . . but alas, I shall not reveal anything more. 



Do you know where the Otherworld Trilogy is going in terms of plot or is it a work in progress? 


The good news is I’ve already written the second book, but I’m waiting to complete Luathara before releasing Dolmarehn (plus, Dolmarehn needs LOTS of editing). I have a broad idea of where the series is going. I’ve got the basic structure you might say, but just the other night I thought up a new plot development that may or may not influence the final outcome. We shall see where it ends up ;). 



I recall reading on your blog and in the blurb at the end of Faelorehn's ebook that you are an artist as well as being an author. You sound like a naturally creative spirit. Can you imagine doing anything other than being an author or artist? 


This is a fun question! Hmmmm, well, like I mentioned above, I work full time at an elementary school which actually gives me the opportunity to use my art degree and writing skills quite often. Could I do something else? I guess I could, but I would always have to keep writing and it would have to involve the creative process. The good thing about being creative is that you can use that creativity over a broad spectrum, but writing (or perhaps I should say story telling) is my heart and soul, to be sure. When I picked up writing I was just finishing up college and I told myself that it was all great and wonderful that I had these stories flitting around in my head, but what good were they if I didn’t write them down and share them with others? I’ve been addicted to writing ever since. Also, I’ve always had this fun idea of opening up a tea house/bakery/book store type place where my friends and I would serve a variety of teas and treats to people who wanted to just sit down and chat about the things that interested all of us. It would be even better if it turned into the local hang out for aspiring authors ;). 



Are you currently working on the Otherworld Trilogy or are you working on other projects at this time? 


I am always working on something, but yes, I’m actively working on book three of the Otherworld Trilogy, Luathara. I also want to finish the fourth book in another series of mine, The Legend of Oescienne, and I have ideas for more books dealing with the Otherworld that would focus on at least three of the minor characters from Faelorehn, Dolmarehn and Luathara. I have a whole file full of book ideas ranging from children’s picture books to middle-grade adventure all the way up to adult fantasy novels. Some are just a few sentences worth of an idea that came to me, some are nearly halfway written. When I have a yearning to work on one of them, all I have to do is open up the file and add to it. One day I’ll have them all complete :). 


I just want to say a quick thank you to Amanda for giving me this opportunity to talk a little bit about my books and my work as an author. I really appreciate your taking the time to read Faelorehn and coming up with this great interview for me. If you have any more questions for me or if you just want to drop by and say hello, feel free to visit my website/blog: www.jennaelizabethjohnson.com 


All the best and happy reading! 


-J.E. Johnson

Thanks again to Jenna for the interview! And readers don't forget to pick up your own copy of Jenna's latest novel Faelorehn!

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Impossible by Nancy Werlin

Read: June 13- 16, 2012
read  in four days
pages: 376


I

I have seen Nancy Werlin's novel Extraordinary in the library before but never picked it up. I didn't look into reading it because for some reason I thought it was part of a series or something. It wasn't but there was something about that that made it stick in my head telling me to read Impossible first IF I could ever find it in the library at the same time I went in to get books. Finally at a new library I find the book and pick it up. I knew little about it and aside from the back cover telling me that there was something to do with the song "Scarborough Fair" I went in blind. Which is completely fine with me.



For starters I'm glad I read this book. I really enjoyed the characters and the story line. Parts of it were predictable like for instance the truth behind this mysterious character Padraig Seeley who is introduced who has NO prior knowledge of working in a hospital let alone in a mid-wife setting, but strangely enough he charms the woman into hiring him and placing him exactly where he wants to be. Ok a little obvious that he is going to play an important role. The other aspect that was predictable was Zach the neighbor boy and friend of Lucy the main character. It was pretty obvious from early on that while there weren't sparks in the beginning and he had his life on course, this summer coming "home" would change things drastically. Although it was predictable I still liked the character so it worked ok for me. As for the ending itself while expected, of course there is a happy ending when are we not given a happy ending?, I wasn't 100% sure that the ending would be exactly as I thought. A slight twist which makes it, but I didn't feel the tension you would think you could expect in the culmination of this build up in story.

Lucy is 17 and the most practical and logical girl you could imagine. It was a bit odd really, but I could see her point at times. Without giving too much in terms of spoilers away, she becomes pregnant and seems doomed to live out her family's curse IF she believes there really is a curse, HOWEVER, if she is able to complete the tasks she is given she may be able to free herself. Her tasks are: 

~    Make a magic shirt without needle or seam   ~

~     Find an acre of land between salt water and sea strand   ~

~     Plow the land with a goats horn, and sow it with one grain of corn   ~

So the novel then follows Lucy through the course of her pregnancy to find out whether she is successful or not in freeing herself, her unborn child and her family line from this curse. Luckily there is little meandering and not a lot of extraneous time spent on the story. There are passage of time we don't see, but are acknowledged at the beginning of chapters as X amount of time has passed. It does not ruin the effect or the flow of the novel.

One element used in the story that I really enjoyed was the use of letters and a diary. I always like when they are used to supplement a story. In this novel they were to allow Lucy's birth mother Miranda to speak to her sanely while she is not able to do so through the course of the novel. One particular element I didn't care for was the repetition of the song "Scarborough Fair". I understand it was a key to the story that really without there was little point or base, but I didn't care for the lyrics. I really enjoy a song with a good story and to me if not for the story of the novel the song really lacks a point for me. I did like the end version however that Lucy and Zack have created, and think it was nicely done. While I didn't care for the song, the fact that is has such a varied history does allow it to helps set up the events of the novel, without which we wouldn't have one. So in a way because of the other there seems to be a point for the other.

All in all I'm glad I read the novel. I liked the characters and the element of mystery and the Elfin Knight. It was a quick read and an enjoyable one. Every time I picked it up I didn't want to put it back down again.  

My favorite quote from Lucy's friend is her explaining to Lucy about what she understands love to be while pragmatic Lucy disagrees:



Thursday, June 14, 2012

I WON I WON I WON!!!

YAY! It's always an exciting day to wake up in the morning and find an email informing you that you have won a free book! I love free books! I've been entering the goodreads.com give away contests for so long that I forget when the give away dates are because well I so rarely win. I've won one other time which was great because that time I ended up with an advance copy of Clockwork Prince. Which I LOVED! This time I have won a copy of The Possibility of Miracles. I don't know much about it but I am looking forward to reading it. That pretty much made my day!



Tuesday, June 12, 2012

A Touch of Dead by Charlaine Harris

Read: June 7-12, 2012
read in 6 days
pages: 192



This was a very quick quirky read. There are five short stories in this little book that have all been previously been published elsewhere. This was meant to put them all in one easy to access book. I'm glad I was able to find this in the library despite having bought one book with one story a while back at the used book store.

Anyways there are five stories as I said a couple work really well and actually add to the story arc of the novels while the others are just filler and I guess somewhat enjoyable.

"Fairy Dust" I think did well as it explained the fairy triplets Claude, Claudette and Claudine. This story has Sookie enlisted to help the duo Claude and Claudine find out what happened to their sister Claudette who we never meet. She was murdered and it is Sookie's job to help them solve the mystery. The story adds little else than introduce the characters and explain that there are triplets rather than twins.

"Dracula Night" was really filler and an add one at that. I didn't think the characteristics of Eric fit him in this story. He seemed a bit off. I love the character and was really disappointed with the portrayal in this story. To show Eric going ga ga over waiting to see if his "idol" Dracula actually shows up was just cheesy.

"Lucky" was also just odd. It was nothing more than a who-dun-it much like "Fairy Dust". Sookie's insurance agent enlists her to find out who is trying to sabotage his agency. Sounds very mundane given all of the other messes Sookie manages to get into in the novels.

"One Word Answer" was a good addition to the novels story arc because this opened up the readers understanding, and Sookie's understanding for that matter, about her cousin Hadley's death. This story actually works to fill in some holes in the plot line.

"Gift Wrap" I'm going to say nothing more than the whole premise of her great grandfather sending a fairy to be her "christmas" present was just odd and incredibly creepy. Ew

Overall some of the stories were better than others but it was understandable that having read her intro that she found it hard to write the stories as they were intended to be short stories in other collections, but it was hard to use the characters and not destroy or put off the story arc. She had to try to keep from jumbling things and that could be why the stories don't entertain as much as the novels.

That all said I'd recommend them for anyone reading the series who is looking to read more on the characters simply because you enjoy the characters and you even get a little filler that explains some holes! Bonus!

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Faelorehn - Book One of the Otherworld Trilogy by Jenna Elizabeth Johnson

Read: June  7-10, 2012
read in  about 4 days
pages: 228



For starters, I have to say I really enjoyed this novel! I'm so glad I contacted Ms. Johnson about reading and reviewing her novel. I was intrigued with the description and I was not disappointed at all. I was only disappointed when I had to put the novel down so I could sleep last night!! Needless to say, I am looking forward to book two in the trilogy. This was a great set up for a series because there are still so many unanswered questions that leave he next books room to explore and discover. I'm hooked and will be continuing for sure!



Meghan Elam is a 17 year old outcast and former orphan who was very lucky to be adopted into a loving family. She struggled with visions, hearing voices and recurring dreams that she never really escaped. Plus her ever changing eye color is just icing on the cake. Despite countless treatments, nothing ever seemed to help. After having been labeled crazy by her classmates, she realizes she is better off keeping the strange happenings to herself. She has a great group of friends with whom she has bonded with given the fact that the five of them are all outsiders. They reminded me of a modern day Breakfast Club, but the twist is they are all real friends rather than friends for a day. So the beginning of the novel does a great job setting up Meghan's life with her friends and her attempt at some kind of normalcy that she tries to maintain even after the craziness begins when Cade comes into her life and offers her an explanation to those voices and visions. She is Faelorehn. A fact that will begin to shine some light on who she is as things begin to unfold.

Meghan is a strong female character which I loved! I would much rather read a story with a strong female than a weak one who becomes complete mush when confronted with an attractive boy. Ok sure she is human and does swoon over the boy, but she is capable of carrying on with her life as well which makes her a much more compelling character than say Bella in Twilight. Yay for having a backbone! I really enjoyed Cade as well. We don't see him too much with this novel. We really only get snippets of him but I'm hoping we see much more of him in the future. Cade is a mystery and I look forward to learning more about him.

The Celtic myths and lore are intriguing because with the market so saturated with Vampire and Werewolves THIS novel offers something completely different. I enjoyed learning about the myths along with Meghan rather than feeling I needed to do some research to find out just what the heck all of this is. Learning along with her helped me connect with the character more. I enjoyed learning about the legends and making the connections with Meghan to the world she was learning existed alongside her own.

I admit the pacing of this is gradual and for some people it may be too slow, but for me this worked very well. I liked the fact that everything didn't completely culminate at the end and get wrapped up in a neat little bow. As I said there are some unanswered questions lingering that have me wondering just where things are going to go.

One of my favorite quotes:

"If I were an ordinary high school girl and if her were an ordinary high school boy, I would be hoping for some romantic liaison on his part right then. But neither of us was ordinary and he was definitely not a high school boy." 

If I were to be so bold as to make any comparisons, when honestly I don't think there can be this story is a one of a kind, there are elements that reminded me of Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments series just with the fact that Meghan never knew of this world and she now has to learn how to become a part of it. I loved the Mortal Instruments and I find that I am just as hooked on this series as I was with Clare's novel.

For your reading pleasure an excerpt from Faelorehn:

-One-

Memories



The only reason I knew that I was awake was because of the pale green glow of neon stars staring back at me from my ceiling. I lay in my bed for a few moments, taking deep, steadying breaths and letting my eyes adjust to the darkness of my room. The remnants of a dream still danced in my mind, but as the approaching dawn light chased away the dark, it tried to slip away. Unfortunately, this particular dream was familiar to me, and it would take a lot more than my return to the conscious world to eject it from my mind.



I turned my head on my pillow and blinked my eyes several times at my alarm clock. Groaning at the early hour, I rolled over onto my stomach and buried my head into the pillow. I guess the darkness had some claim on the subconscious world, because instead of dispelling the dream, my actions only made it come racing back.



Huffing in frustration, I kicked off the covers and leaned over the side of my bed, scrabbling around stray pairs of shoes and forgotten socks as I searched out my current journal. Years ago the therapist I had been seeing thought it would be a good idea to keep track of these strange recurring dreams. Anytime I dreamt of anything that reminded me of my past before entering the foster system, I was supposed to write it down. That and anything strange that I saw or heard while I was awake. I hate to say it, but the visions happened more often than I would like to admit.



Although my collection of diaries held other frivolous information alongside the crazy stuff, at least once a year, on the same date, the exact same dream was described in near perfect detail.



I dusted off the cover of my latest journal, grabbed a pen from my bedside table, clicked on the lamp and opened up a brand new page. The dream was starting to slip away once again, but it wasn't as if I wouldn't be able to remember the details. I had written about this exact dream so many times before I could probably recite it in front of a crowded gymnasium without glancing at the page it was written on. Not that I would ever have the gumption to speak in front of a crowd. Nevertheless, I began writing:



I had the dream again; the one that always comes to me this time of year. The fog wasn’t as thick as usual in my dreamscape, but I could feel the grit and cold of the blacktop beneath my bare feet. I looked down. Of course I was naked, but at least I was a toddler in the dream.



I paused and thought about that. I had decided a long time ago that the dream was merely a subconscious illustration of the saga that was my beginning. According to my adoptive parents, I was found when I was two years old, wandering the dark streets of Los Angeles (on Halloween night of all times), completely nude and babbling some nonsense that no one could decipher. I know most toddlers babble nonsense, but according to the woman at the adoption agency, what I babbled was nothing like what normal human babies produced when trying to communicate with others. Oh well. Like the bizarre dream, I can’t explain that either. I was lucky, they told my parents, because the part of L.A. they found me in was notorious for gang wars.



Somehow, I survived that nocturnal stroll only to be reminded of that night exactly fifteen times, once a year for every year since I was found. And after fifteen years, I still don't understand why this dream won't leave me alone. I sighed and got back to my writing.



The dreamscape shifted and I noticed that my right hand was pressed up against a warm, solid shape, my fingers clinging to a wad of something rough and coarse. I could just see what it was out of the corner of my eye: a huge white dog, its bedraggled fur acting as an anchor for my small hand. The dog was massive, even from my child’s perspective. I wanted to turn and get a better look at it but something kept my eyes trained forward, as if some crazy hypnotist was twirling a black and white spiral wheel in front of me.



The city lamps glowed an eerie orange, the only color in this black and gray world, and I leaned closer to the dog next to me. It padded quietly along, not making a sound; almost guiding me to some distant point of interest. I wondered what it all meant, but before I could make anything of it, I woke up.



Just as I shut my journal and replaced my pen on the table, my alarm clock started screeching and I nearly had a heart attack. I had forgotten to shut it off when the dream woke me. I tossed the sheets back and hit the snooze button, not even bothering to turn off my lamp. I wished I could sleep in all day but if I remembered correctly it was Monday. I groaned. Mondays were the worst.


If you would like to read more of Faelorehn - Book One of the Otherworld Trilogy by Jenna Elizabeth Johnson you can purchase the novel at smashwords.com, amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com for $0.99. So what are you waiting for? Go read this novel!! 

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

LZR-1143: Perspectives by Bryan James

Read: June 5-6, 2012
read in a couple hours
pages: 63



Wow, now that was intense. Great freebie from Amazon.com 

I'm not a huge fan of horror and I've never read a zombie book, so this was my first. What the short stories did very well was create tension. I was tense the entire time I read this. And it was compelling enough that they kept me reading. It was a train wreck I literally couldn't stop reading and I couldn't put it down. The worst part was silly me decided to start reading this late last night before bed because I honestly did not know what to expect. I still did not expect what I got from the stories. I feel like I'm never going to be able to get to sleep in a couple hours as it is now. The images and the descriptions of the carnage was enough to cause my skin to crawl and cause me to look over my shoulder at every little creak in the house.

I'm not sure I can pick up another book like this. I recommend it though to anyone who would enjoy a small collection of stories that are incredibly tense. If you enjoy zombie books and this is to weak for you, then kudos to you and I hope to steer clear of those that make you tense up!

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Fanged Love: Origins of the Vampire from Hell series by Ally Thomas

Read June 5, 2012
read in 10-15 minutes
pages too short to count



Hmm. Don't even remotely get this. So there is apparently this Nathan guy who is actually a vampire. Some kind of head vampire who is out to create a vampire army to "save the world" and rid it of humans. ?!?!

For an into to the series this was not a great one. The snippet does little to really set up the story or even explain what is going on. There is a little back story that shows somewhat how things got to this point, but even that is sketchy. I'm not compelled to read the next book although I got it as well. Thank goodness both were free from Amazon and I did not pay for anything. And luckily it only took 10-15 minutes tops to read this so no too much time invested.

Oh and it appears that the author must have toyed with the POV whether in the first run through and changed it during editing and missed a few key words that should have been "I" or "me" but were "her". Might want to look into revision again and re-release.

Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice

May 22- June 5, 2012
read in  15 days
pages: 342


This was the second time I've read the novel, and I have to admit it has been so long since I read it that I have forgotten everything that happens. It has been far too long I guess. Anyways maybe this time I can continue with the series and see where things go. I own enough of the novels to get a decent start before I need to start seeking them out at the library anyways. 
The pacing of this novel is so slow that it took me far too long to read. It seemed to take forever for me to get hooked into the novel enough to want to stick with it for any length of time. So I spent a good part of the time just reading small snippets when I had a few minutes to read. I'm thinking I'll take a break from this and continue on with it after reading a different book or two in the mean time.

End of 2013 and Early 2014 Reading Recap

It has been so long since I last sat down to write here and I'd like to TRY to get back to it..... Easiest way to do that without k...