Swedish time, baby

My copy of The Girl Who Played With Fire came into the library today. YESSSSSSSS.

Now to finish what I'm currently reading as quickly as possible.

Happy Times

I'm happy because:

1. Chuck has been renewed!

2. Dollhouse has been (shockingly) renewed! Seriously, I had about an ounce of hope it'd get a second season; everything I read said Fox was absolutely merciless and is all about ratings (and Dollhouse doesn't have great ratings). Yet, a network FINALLY took DVR recordings and online viewings into account (which makes sense for a show aired on Friday night...sheesh). Fox, thank you for giving us more of this fabulous show!

3. I read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and adored it. The plot seemed a little sketchy to me (a bunch of kids forced by the government to fight to the death) but it was so well-written and engrossing. It makes me happy to read a book that I wouldn't normally read but then end up loving it. That's when I tell myself risk can be a good thing.

Rating: 10/10

4. I'm neutral emotionally toward Robin McKinley's Beauty; it didn't make me happy or sad. It was a nice retelling of Beauty and the Beast, complete with her own little reworkings. Good YA read but I think I like her adult books more.

Rating: 7/10

5. Lauren Groff's The Monsters of Templeton was a really interesting read in that it features numerous chapters by different ancestors of the main character. Basic plot line: girl comes back to hometown and learns that her father is someone in the town and that her mother is distantly related to him. A genealogy search ensues. Also interesting is that the main girl is kind of a snobby jerk. She's not exactly an anti-hero but is certainly flawed. Intriguing, postmodern book.

Rating: 8.5/10

A week's worth

Evidently I haven't been in a posting mood. Ah well, inspiration comes in waves. So here's what I've been reading this week:

Mark of the Lion by Suzanne Arruda

Plot, courtesy of Amazon: An ambulance driver during WWI, Jade del Cameron promises a dying soldier that she'll track down his brother. The only problem is that the soldier's mother, whom Jade goes to visit in London, insists that she had only one son. Jade reasons that the missing brother must have been born to another woman, conceived when the now deceased family patriarch was exploring East Africa. So off she goes to Nairobi, where she mingles with the colonial elite, kills a hyena, learns Swahili, fingers a drug smuggler, romances a man twice her age, uncovers a murder and attracts the attentions of a local witch.

My thoughts: Kind of dark with a mystery I wasn't a huge fan of, interesting setting, I'll probably read the next one...

Countdown by Michelle Maddox

Again, courtesy of Amazon: Kira Jordan wakes up in a pitch-black room handcuffed to a metal wall. She has 60 seconds to escape. Thus begins a vicious game where to lose is to die. The man she's been partnered with--her only ally in this nightmare--is a convicted mass murderer. But if he's so violent, why does he protect her? No one to trust. Nowhere to run. And the only hope of survival is working together to beat the COUNTDOWN.

My thoughts: Action-packed, fun, quick reading...it's a SHOMI book and I think I may like the genre.

As Shadows Fade by Colleen Gleason

My thoughts: The last book in the Gardella series...and it had an excellent ending. I am thoroughly satisfied with how Gleason ended the love triangle.

Trends

This winter is my Carol Goodman season, where I'm going to devour everything she's ever written. Yay for favorite new authors. Up next is the one that made her name: The Lake of Dead Languages.

The reviews for this book are accurate: it is fast-paced, with creepy atmosphere and secret after secret being revealed. Honestly, I was a bit surprised because I was able to pretty much figure everything out before Jane, the main character, did. Perhaps Goodman wanted us to know before Jane did? Because I'm honestly not that clever at mysteries.

Here's the summary, from Goodman's website: "Twenty years ago, Jane Hudson fled the Heart Lake School for Girls in the Adirondacks after a terrible tragedy. The week before her graduation, in that sheltered wonderland, three lives were taken, all victims of suicide. Only Jane was left to carry the burden of a mystery that has stayed hidden in the depths of Heart Lake for more than two decades. Now Jane has returned to the school as a Latin teacher, recently separated and hoping to make a fresh start with her young daughter. But ominous messages from the past dredge up forgotten memories. And young, troubled girls are beginning to die again--as piece by piece the shattering truth slowly floats to the surface..."

Seriously, the atmosphere just drips in the this story. I had the shivers by page 10 or so, when Jane starts discovering literal pieces of her past showing up, haunting and taunting her. While I think Goodman's writing has improved and I still like The Night Villa the best, The Lake is definitely a good read.

In good English major fashion, I've noticed a few trends in Goodman's writing. These includes: water as a major player, myths/fairy tales, a slightly older woman (think early 30s or so) and a younger woman who generally turns out to be trouble. And yet she manages to create a completely different story each time with these favorite themes. I'm intrigued to see if her other three books do, too.

Rating: 9/10

Up too late

I stayed up too late to finish Diana Peterfreund's Rites of Spring (Break) because it was so freaking delicious. Seriously, it just made me happy. And after I finished it, I may have gone back and re-read certain parts. Rites is definitely my favorite book of the series so far and not just because of one certain character (Poe!!).

After a winter semester filled with pranks against other secert societies, the Rose & Grave class of D177 is going on vacation. They're off to their own secret island, where a few members of past classes are there, too, including Amy's nemesis-turned-maybe-friend Poe. Trouble follows the class to the island, where pranks begin to spiral out of control....and a certain romance starts brewing.

The last book in the series, Tap & Gown, comes out in May. Yay!

Rating: 9/10

Sweet

Tuesday is my least favorite day of the week. My theory is that it goes back to my childhood when my mom worked Tuesday nights. My dad was home with us but I was (am) a mama's girl. Nowadays, I don't like Tuesday because it's still early in the workweek, Chuck isn't on and yeah...that's mainly why.

So that's why I was so happy to hear from Zeek at The Way I See It that I was one of her contest winners. So, thank you Zeek, for making my Tuesday a good day.

Rachel's top reads

I love end-of-the-year lists (like this one) and simply had to come up with my own.

It's been fun skimming through my blog, because I've definitely forgotten what books I've read. That's partly why I started this blog; I wanted to keep track of books I liked and those I didn't. The ratings I gave each book also interest me. Why in the world did I rate some so high but others so low? Let's just leave it that my mood obviously influences my ratings.

So, here's a few random favorites I read for the first time in 2008 (and why):

It may have used an epistolary format, but it still managed to woo a 10 out of me:
Sorcery & Cecelia or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer: A combination of Regency, fantasy and utter delight...this book made me happy and everything worked out so delightfully. I really enjoyed the romances in the book--both girls end up with different but thoroughly enjoyable men.

After the first few sentences, I knew I'd read everything she'd write:
The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen: I adore magic realism and this book is a shining example of how enchanting it can be. A mix of Southern lit, magic and romance, I love Allen's work.

Again, after the first page or so, this author had a fan for life in me. Her Lady Julia Grey series was my best new book series this year:
Silent in the Grave and Silent in the Sanctuary by Deanna Raybourn: I love this series...the writing, the characters (oh yes, Nicholas Brisbane) and the mood these books strike. Silent in the Sanctuary wins the award for the most re-reads this year--I probably read it four times or so.

Favorite series I didn't blog about:
Gardella Vampire Chronicles by Colleen Gleason: Sheer fun reading, I breezed through the first four books in this series in about three weeks. I loved the mix of Regency, fantasy and romance--and I'm so happy where the romance is headed (Go Team Max!).

Most eagerly anticipated (ok, it's a tie):
The Seduction of the Crimson Rose by Lauren Willig and Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer: Willig puts out a new book every January or so and I'm always anxious for the next installment of her spy series (and then after I finish the book, sad that I have to wait another year for the next one). She's an author that I automatically buy. And as for Breaking Dawn, well, we all know why I was anxious to read it--Edward and Bella.

Author whom I devoured:
Barbara Peters: Her Vicky Bliss series drew me in and her stand-alone novels kept me coming back for more. Like a Mary Stewart novel, you know what you're getting with Peters...and I love it.

If I had children, I'd be forcing them to read this book right now:
The Penderwicks on Gardam Street by Jeanne Birdsall: I gushed over this book in my review. It reminds me of my favorite childhood reads--innocent, interesting and a classic.

I seriously hate to admit this, but the most memorable:
The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry: This book's ending rocked my entire interpretation of what I had just read. I couldn't stop thinking about it (mainly in anger--but also in admiration). It was truly a work of literature and one that probably deserved most of the attention it got. But dang, that main narrator is such a liar!

Hilarious classic read:
Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons: Aww, my first blog post was about this book. It's so clever, witty and funny. The movie is funny, too. And it's one of Lauren Willig's favorites and she even makes a funny reference to it in Crimson Rose (I think--it's definitely in one of her novels).

Happy New Year--and happy reading!

A whole book

My library finally had Andrea Beaty's Cicada Summer in. As I've mentioned, I read the first 138 pages when it suddenly jumped back to page 110. It was a random binding error and I'm happy to have read the whole book now.

So now that I've read the WHOLE book, I can give my opinion! First of all, one thought I kept on having was that this book could've been a much longer novel. I really could've seen it being stretched into a 300-page YA novel. I would've liked that.

I don't want to give away too much of the plot but here's a little summary: Lily, at age 11, is completely silent. Everyone thinks she's brain-damaged, but as you read, you realize there's a reason why she's silent. Lily is accepting of her quiet, silent life until Tinny comes to town. Tinny is slightly older than Lily but far more experienced in life. Tinny suspects Lily is hiding something--but then again, Lily knows Tinny is, too. The girls force each other to expose truth, bringing healing and hope and new lives.

I liked Cicada Summer. I wish I would've re-read all of it; that way I could've enjoyed the ending even more. A decent part of the book was done via flashbacks, which added to the story, revealing little by little. The language in the story was lovely and well-done. (And the cover is gorgeous, too.) The story is set somewhere in the Midwest, I don't remember where, but the setting is tangible--the heat, the cornfields, the farmlands. It's definitely a good summer read for children and adults.

Rating: 8/10

Almost like Mary Stewart

Evidently I had a busy week because I didn't post on here at all. However, I wasn't busy enough to not read.

So I've been in the mood for a Christmas read. I had in mind a very specific type of Christmas read, though: one that is set at Christmas time but isn't a "Christmas" (aka sappy, ho ho ho, let's kiss under the mistletoe) book. Deanna Raybourn's Silent in the Sanctuary is a fabulous example of the kind of book I wanted to read. The whole story revolves around Christmas and visitors, but is still just a great book. So I was thrilled when I somehow remembered that Susanna Kearsley's Named of the Dragon takes place during Christmas--but again, it's not a Christmas book.

(Does anyone have any suggestions for other Christmas-time-books-that-aren't-"Christmas"-books? I'd love to hear any ideas!)

I really, really like Kearsley's writing. It reminds me of Mary Stewart (a high compliment, indeed!), perhaps just more gothic. Both authors create great atmosphere that completely sucks you in to the story.

Named of the Dragon is set in Wales. A literary agent, Lyn, and one of her clients, a children's author, are invited to spend Christmas at a famous writer's home. There's a whole Arthurian plot aspect, as well as a small romance. The characters are all lovely and interesting. With all Kearsley books, there's a bit of supernatural activity, but this one was much tamer than some of her other works, like The Shadowy Horses. The Christmas aspects were subtle but a major part of the story. Still, you definitely could read the book any time of year.

Rating: 9/10

A postponing

So I've been thinking about not doing a Hottie Monday anymore, mainly because it's so superficial. A guy may be hott but so what? If his character is ugly, then he's not even worth considering. (And sadly, doesn't there seem to be many good-looking guys that are so vain, shallow and just not quality? The same goes for girls, too.) Paul Newman's post kind of sparked this thought in me. So I'm taking a break for now. I may post random Hottie Mondays in the future but for now, I'm going to hold off.


On a side note, Angie over at Angieville gave me a shout out the other day. Thanks! As you can see from my blogroll, your blog is one of my faves.

In celebration

My Hottie Monday pick has been in two things that I love: Chuck and She's the Man. Admittedly, She's the Man is a dumb teen movie but it makes me laugh so hard that I've cried. I've seen the movie twice and have cried with laughter twice (and at the stupidest part...literally...it's the part when the sprinkler guy shows up...I could laugh right now if I think about it too much). Also, I have to celebrate that Chuck will be on next week. Yay!

Anyway, Jonathan Sadowski has had smallish roles in both but his face is so distinctive and chiseled. And I liked him in both shows. (He's the one on the right. I wasn't in the mood to crop the photo. Also, Amanda Bynes is a rather interesting looking guy, isn't she? Do yourself a favor and watch that movie.)

Happy Hottie Monday!

They won

I've thoroughly enjoyed watching the US men's volleyball team play...and win gold! Great job, gentlemen. Sean didn't play too much, but did do an excellent job subbing in to serve. In honor of the team, my hottie today is a guy who did get to play a lot: Rich Lambourne, the libero.

There may be better photos of him out there but all I could find were mainly action shots like this one. Rich is #5.

They are excited to be winners! Yay! Anyway, thanks to him, I now know what a libero is (a defensive and passing specialist who wears a different colored jersey).

So until 2010 (when hopefully my old roommate and I will be there in person), farewell to the Olympics--it's been so nice spending wayyyyy too much time with you every day.

Go U-S-A

I am so enjoying my DVR--I've been able to thoroughly enjoy USA Men's Volleyball...EXCEPT when the match GOES OVER the recording time limit. Arghghghghhhh. Anyway, they won and are going to the finals! Yay! Go Sean and the rest of the boys!

Sometimes the ball comes at the guys so hard that it knocks them over--and some of those guys are like 6'9". Wow. Imagine what it'd do to me--I'm 17 inches shorter!

Why I like living in the 2000s

If you read this blog, you know I love Deanna Raybourn's Silent in the Grave and Silent in the Sanctuary. I'm looking forward to reading book three in the series and did a bit of googling to find out more. Well, I discovered Raybourn's wonderful blog--and the name of her next book: Silent on the Moor! The bad news? It's not due out until March 2009--but the good news is that it's going to be a really long book (600 pages or so)--yay! Isn't it fabulous that authors blog and have websites and share all sorts of wonderful tidbits with their readers? I think I may re-read Silent in the Sanctuary again. I'm just in the mood for some fabulous Julia and Brisbane interaction.

Anyway, my latest read is Rebecca Ryman's Shalimar. The subtitle reads: "A novel of romance and espionage in nineteenth-century Kashmir." To be honest, I'd subtitle it: "A novel of politics, some espionage and what-some-people-might-deem-romance." This is actually one of the few times that I wanted a map in a book. The setting is in India/Kashmir/a bunch of other places I've never heard of. So....I was lazy and didn't look up a map; therefore part of the story was lost on me, I'm sure.

The book follows several storylines--politics of that era (late 1880s), Russian spies, English intelligence agents, some other people and a "romance" between Damien and Emma.

The book is seen through from Emma Wyncliffe's eyes. She is a headstrong spinister (insert conventional headstrong spinster stereotypes here) who is coerced into a marriage with Damien Granville--a landowner in Kashmir. Why didn't I like this couple? Well, in their first meeting, Damien tells Emma that he supports physical punishment for cheating wives--and in India, it's a pretty rough punishment. In their second meeting, he slaps her. Um, that sort of action is NEVER acceptable. I don't care if he was angry; it was absolutely wrong.

It's not like Damien spouted off support of wifely abuse, but his actions somewhat supported it. (Rebecca Ryman is a pseudonym for someone who was raised in and lived in India [but isn't Indian? Her bio didn't say.]. So I wonder if her heritage or religion had anything to do with presenting Damien in this manner--and Emma, for that matter. Emma was upset, etc., but didn't condemn Damien for his treatment of her.)

Basically, the convenient marriage romance--which I normally like--didn't work for me. The espionage parts of the book (and there were plenty) sometimes confused and bored me. At the end, the storylines do come together nicely, if somewhat unbelievably and suddenly (for example, the identity of the random Armenian slave girl that all sorts of people are looking for).

So...overall, it honestly wasn't a bad read, just not engrossing and with a shoddy romance--but I would not re-read it, that's for sure!

Rating: 6.5/10

Canoer

Hottie Monday: Olympic version! Only three weeks away until the Olympics start. Yay!

So here's Scott Parsons, the hottie athlete of the week. He's a canoer/kayaker. I bet he's strong. I'll cheer for you in August, Scott!

Oh my, Martha

I've been reading Zemindar all week long...it's a really lengthy book. It's all about India and Sepoy rebellions. Go history.

I also request Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook from the library. Oh. My. Word. It is amazing. I think my mouth was open the entire time I was paging through it. (Pretty baked goods photos and awesome recipes tend to amaze me.) I'll be attempting my first recipe today. If the baked goods turn out anything like their photos, I will buy this book.

Today is my local library's booksale--I am excited! Yay for cheap books! I'll let you know what I pick up.

Lastly, and this is sad, I only have three discs left in the last season of Veronica Mars. In case you haven't figured this out, I really like this show. The ending of that series will be a sad day for me. I'll probably need a bowl of my Ben and Jerry's Phish Food--or a Coca-Cola. Both are excellent comforters. Good thing Burn Notice just started up again...and Psych starts next week. I will need distractions for my sorrow.

Stumbling

While I was searching for a decent link for Coil of Serpents, I stumbled across this Gothic Romance bibliography. Randomly, it's part of the Missouri Secretary of State's website. Although to be fair, it is part of (maybe?) their state library's pages.

If you click here, you'll find tons of bibliographies for all sorts of genres. I think I may go explore it now.

21st century perks

One of the coolest aspects (at least regarding books and authors) of living in the 21st century is the access we have to the authors themselves--via blogs and websites.

Stephenie Meyer, who wrote the incredible Twilight series, keeps her site amazingly up-to-date. I just read that Twilight is going to be a movie--and it's already in production. How cool!

I've already put my name on the list for The Host, which sounds a bit more sci-fi than I'm normally into, but I'll discuss that another time...

What a gorgeous cover!

How awesome is this!

I read about Amazon.com's post-order price guarantee somewhere online and then checked out refundplease.com, which automatically tracks price drops on Amazon products that you request.

My old mp3 player broke and I was kind of excited. I could finally buy the iPod I've always wanted (so I can be emo like my sister). Amazon had the cheapest price on iPods, so I bought a nano about a week ago. Today I checked the price and it had gone down by $15! It's only $15, but still......that could buy me a meal at Chili's!

I called Amazon and requested a price refund....and they did, with no hassles! How cool is that? So if you buy a lot of books and such from Amazon, give refundplease.com a try.

It's hidden away on Amazon's website, but here's what they offer:

Post-Order Price Guarantee
Amazon.com's prices for released items will change from time to time based on a variety of factors. If Amazon.com's price for an already-released item decreases within 30 days after we ship the item to you, we'll be glad to refund the difference in price if you contact us. Please click the Customer Service button on the right side of this page, and be sure to have your order number handy so we can assist you.
This Post-Order Price Guarantee is subject to the following restrictions:
*Applies only to products that have already been released. Products that have not yet been released but that are available for pre-order from Amazon.com are not covered by this guarantee, but do benefit from our Pre-Order Price Protection program (see section above).
*Applies only to items sold by Amazon.com, and not to items (or prices) offered by other sellers on our site.
*Item prices that are affected by a promotion such as "Buy one, get one free" are not eligible, unless the same promotion is also offered at the lower price.
*The price of an item after rebate is not considered to be the Amazon.com price.

How could I forget?

How could I have forgotten about Hottie Monday? Especially since I chose this hottie days in advance?

It's Dave Lieberman from The Food Network! He's even an author--two books! (Although, to be honest, most of his recipes are too bizarre for me, but whatever, I still like to watch him cook.)

My best friend saw him in Pittsburgh at a cooking demonstration and had him sign a book for me. :) That made me happy. Now if only I could meet him...