Volleyball awesomeness

Isn't it sad how you can forget happy memories? This week, while watching the Olympics, I was reminded of a happy college memory.

For some reason, my friends and I watched the 2005 NCAA National Men's Volleyball Finals. Why? I have no idea other than it was on ESPN and had tons of good-looking athletic men playing. My favorite athlete was Sean Rooney from Pepperdine. His skill helped Pepperdine win the league...and my heart. Just kidding. Anyway, somehow I had forgotten about him for the last three years--until I saw him play for Team USA Men's Volleyball in the Olympics. I was shocked--how had I FORGOTTEN about Sean?!? So to make it up, I've watched all the USA men's volleyball matches for far (admittedly fastforwarding until Sean plays). Sean now has a "gimpy knee" according to a newscaster, but whatever, he's still amazing. Go #2!!

Haven't the Olympics been awesome so far? I'm fortunate enough to live far north enough to get the Canadian channel (CBC) so I've been able to enjoy more than just NBC and USA's coverage. I've been loving my DVR, too....and I've watched more TV this week than in the last two months combined. Yikes.

Sparkly

I read Neil Gaiman's Stardust last year, before the movie came out. I really enjoyed it--it was a fairy tale, romance and adventure all tumbled into one.

Isn't this cover gorgeous? My copy is the movie edition but I like this cover much more.

The story follows 18-year-old Tristran Thorn, who promises his beloved Victoria that he will fetch a fallen star for her. If he does, she will do whatever he wishes. Tristan must go into the land of Faerie and brave witches, enchantments and murdeous kings in order to fetch the star and bring her (yes, the star is actually a girl) back to his love. The ending is delightful and ties the plot together nicely.

It's definitely appropriate for a YA audience but adults will like it just as much. For me, it's a comfort read--easy, delightful and worth savoring.

Rating: 10/10

Regency magic

The description of The Magicians and Mrs. Quent by Galen Beckett caught my eye:
"In this enchanting debut novel, Galen Beckett weaves a dazzling spell of adventure and suspense, evoking a world of high magick and genteel society—a world where one young woman discovers that her modest life is far more extraordinary than she ever imagined."

And this description: "Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë and H.P. Lovecraft collide in Beckett's periodically entertaining debut."

Magic and Regency? Count me in.

The story follows three sisters who live in a land like England--but one vastly different and magickal. After tragedy strikes, the oldest sister, Ivy, is forced to become a governess. It is at this house (that whole plotline resembled Jane Eyre far too much) that her fate entangles toward magick even more. There's also romance, intrigue and secondary characters that make the story make the story even more interesting.

Overall, I liked it. My only comment would be that it reminded me of too many other books--a Jane Austen novel, Jane Eyre and Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke. So, perhaps there was a lack of total originality, but as T.S. Eliot said, "Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal; bad poets deface what they take, and good poets make it into something better, or at least something different."

I'm not convinced that Beckett reworked those books into something new, but I still liked the book. One of my favorite aspects was his (or she? I haven't been able to find any gender uses in reference to Beckett, so I have no idea) use of language--it definitely felt like a Regency work. The book is the first in a series, so I'm assuming the second one will follow the middle sister, Rose. But who knows?

Rating: 8/10

My rating is ironic, yet true

After I added The Eight by Katherine Neville to my wish list, I started seeing it everywhere. At bookstores, on random websites, blogs, etc. I thought it was a bit odd, especially since the book is 20 years old. As the cover proudly proclaims, it is an "INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER."

Overall, it was good. The story shifts between the 1790s and 1970s--it follows two women who are playing "The Game." Basically there's this chess game that has been in existence for thousands of years and holds a secret too powerful for ordinary people. Both women are playing the game and yet are connected through time. The story crosses over the world and history.

While the changing perspectives and years sometimes were a jarring shift, the book keeps your interest. Both plotlines are interesting. I'd recommend this book for fans of The Da Vinci Code or an academic thriller.

If you'd like to read it for free--and online--visit here before August 18 and download it.

Rating: 8/10

Run

I've realized that my four of my five last posts or so have been 6.5. I think I'm in a rut. In my defense, none have warranted a 7...except maybe The Lace Reader...but a 6 was just too harsh. Hmmm. Well, I guarantee my next review will not be a 6.5! I'm partway through the book and it's good. You'll just have to wait and see what it is...

Drama, drama

I liked Anna Godbersen's The Luxe when it came out last year. So, I was somewhat eager to read Rumors, the sequel.

This pic doesn't do the cover justice. The model's dress spreads out and covers the back of the book, too. Here is the first book's cover, just to give you an idea:

Gorgeous! I wish I lived in an era where I could wear a dress like that...although, naturally, I would also be very rich because let's be real; no poor or middle-class person could ever afford that luscious dress.

The Luxe series follows two sisters, Elizabeth and Diana Holland, as they navigate New York society in the very late 1890s. The pretty, used-to-be-rich-but-now-secretly-poor girls both love guys they can't have and suffer the consequences.

In the first book, Elizabeth ends up faking her death and running away with the stable boy, Will. They end up happy together in California (which was a weird place for them to go, but whatever). Diana realizes that she loved Elizabeth's ex-fiancé, Henry, who is one of the reasons why Elizabeth faked her death. Yeah, somehow she just couldn't break off the engagement, so instead she sends her whole family into mourning. Her mother was forcing her to marry Henry so they could be rich again. Anyway, Diana and Henry finally find out that Elizabeth is alive--but everyone's arch-enemy, Penelope, knows Elizabeth is alive, too. Penelope schemes, blackmails and extorts Diana and Henry--because she wants Henry for herself. Everyone's plans go awry and basically no one ends up happy at the end of book two.

****Spoiler**** Seriously, the ending is not happy. Will freaking DIES. He and Elizabeth finally get married and he gets shot that same day. Good thing I accidently peeked ahead and saw that or I would've been really ticked. And Henry marries Penelope! Both sisters are now alone and thwarted in their love. I just don't see how the ending in the third book, Envy, will be that great. Penelope and Henry divorce? Penelope dies? Diana falls in love with someone who will actually stand up for himself (let's hope so)? Elizabeth spends the rest of her life mourning Will (a la Rose in Titanic)? Hmmm. I guess I'll have to find out. *****

Rating: 6.5/10

Happy Olympic Monday

Since tennis is live today in Beijing, let's feature an American tennis player: James Blake.

He seems like a really nice, good guy. I know my father would approve my dating him. (And James is friends with Andy Roddick! Score!)

Good luck, Mr. Blake!

I read it!!! and loved it!!!

The suspense was killing me and so I broke down and bought Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer. And I am so happy I did.

I did not read any reviews of BD before I read the book because I didn't want to have any influence on my opinion. I'm glad I did because there's quite a few negative reviews on Amazon. I'm actually a bit sad at how many people seem angry at the ending. I have no idea why--it was a freaking HAPPY ENDING, people! It was as if some reviewers wanted a great tragedy....why, you crazies? Why?

The story picks up with Bella preparing for her wedding and honeymoon--and then a few chapters later, the story takes a totally unexpected twist. A new character is introduced that transforms the rest of the book and shapes Bella's destiny. Plenty of closure is given, as necessary.

Here's what I liked about the book: Bella finally becomes Edward's equal. She's not whiny or indecisive. That was also a major complaint about the series--but no longer. She's matured greatly from the girl in Twilight. She can handle the challenges her new life is presenting her. And finally she and Edward can be truly together (and Jacob gets his happy ending, too! Seriously, I gasped out loud when he imprinted but I love how it works out).

We all know that I really admire Meyer but honestly, I liked the ending. It was thoroughly happy. It's an author's right to end a series how she likes--if she wants it to be perfectly happy, isn't she allowed to do that? And seriously, how do you think the legions of teenage girls who live and breathe this series would handle a tragic ending? I read an interview with Meyer and she's had the ending planned out for years (literally). The story is fantasy; happy endings can occur in fantasies. Real life can suck; I want my books to be joyous.

Here is an excellent review of the book from All About Romance Novels. It sums up my feelings nicely.

Rating: 9.5/10

(Spoiler: the only reason why I'm giving it a 9.5 instead of a 10 is the last 100 pages or so--the story is building up to a fight, which I wanted, but then it just doesn't happen. It was a bit anticlimactic. Other than that, it was soooooo good.)

Issues

I wasn't a huge fan of The Lace Reader but I have to admit that I thought about the book the whole day. That is definitely a sign of a quality book (or one that has a really unsatisfying ending).

I'm just a mess in general because I really want to read Breaking Dawn. However, I'm on a budget and as pathetic as it sounds, I don't want to buy BD yet when I know I'll be able to buy it in a month or so for $5. Thankfully my best friend is mailing me her copy! Thank you Mary!!!

I read Pomegranate Soup by Marsha Mehran earlier this year and picked up its sequel, Rosewater and Soda Bread, at the library.

Pretty cover, yes? Yes. The inside was a bit messier, however. The story is about three Iranian sisters and their new life in Ireland. There's plenty of delicious food and magic realism. What was lacking was a coherent plot. This sequel featured several plotlines but none were fully developed.
The romance was shaky, the girl who shakes up their life just kind of fades away and "threats" to the sisters' way of life were mentioned and then just dropped. It was so odd. I really liked the first book but this one just didn't match up to it.

Rating: 6.5/10

Liars

I tend to be someone who trusts book reviews. So when I read in BookPage that "If you choose just one novel to read in these waning days of summer, it should be the lovely and terrifically paced The Lace Reader," I decided to read it. My conclusion? I wish I had been reading Breaking Dawn.

Alright, so The Lace Reader wasn't really that bad. Here's the plot, straight from the BookPage review: "Towner has returned to her hometown of Salem after her beloved Aunt Eva drowns in the harbor while out on her daily swim. It's a suspicious death: a volatile local evangelist had lately been accusing Eva, who ran a local tea room and could tell people's fortunes by reading images in lace, of witchcraft.

Towner's homecoming is a reluctant one. She's spent years in Los Angeles to avoid Salem, where her twin sister committed suicide and her eccentric mother remains on an isolated island, operating a modern-day Underground Railroad for abused wives. Coming home brings Towner face to face with painful secrets that still haunt the Whitney family."

The narrator, Sophya "Towner" Whitney, is a liar. The first sentence establishes that. She's tricky, though; you don't know what she's lying about. If you're like me, you forget she's a liar and believe everything. And at the end, when a HUGE twist is revealed, you're in shock and then don't really understand the whole novel. Seriously, the twist is that huge. Hints of the truth are there, but you'd never put it together.

My main issue is that I don't understand Towner. Does she know the truth and is just suppressing it? She was institutionalized and had shock therapy--did that twist her mind? I can't go into detail without ruining the twist but her reality seems so real. What, then, is truth?

The story is set in Salem, MA. The author creates excellent atmosphere and her writing is very...stylized. I don't think this is the only book you should read this summer, however. If you like unrealiable narrators and postmodern works, read it. (Let me clarify this: I don't mind postmodern work. I just think the twist in this book so contorts reality that I needed more explanation and truth. That's all.)

Rating: 6.5/10

Random facts

Did anyone else know that Sophie Kinsella wrote under the name Madeline Wickham? Evidently she wrote like seven novels under that name. I guess it's not secret knowledge, but I had no idea that she had written several other novels in the past.

Special guy

I'm going to be out of town until Monday or so--and then I'll be busy, busy--so I'm doing my hottie post way early. And, well, basically, I think this guy is incredibly hott and even beats how sexy Jeffrey Donovan is in his sunglasses. It's Jules De Martino from The Tings Tings!

Isn't he divine? Mmmm, those glasses are excellent and flatter his face so nicely! He's good looking without the sunglasses, too. And I like their music (seriously, "Shut Up and Let Me Go" and "That's Not My Name" are both addictive--and get stuck in your head faaaaar too easily). Ok, one more time just because:

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

Sorry America

Alright, my hottie of the week isn't American. (Sorry, America; I will be cheering for other countries during the Olympics.) It's Bulgarian Jordan Jovtchev, who I remember from the 2004 Olympics.

I couldn't find a better photo of him; most of them involve him in some weird gymnastic position. Jordan is 35 and will retire after this Olympics--he's been in six Olympics. I'm impressed.

Sweet summer

Confession: the main reason I picked up The Penderwicks is the book cover. This photo doesn't do it justice; the yellow and blues are so pretty in real life.
Doesn't it look like an excellent summer read? As the cover states, it's a summer vacation story featuring four sisters, their neighbor, a dog, a teenage gardner and two bunnies.

If I had children, I would make them read this book. It follows a familiar story: an unhappy, lonely boy finds adventure/happiness/courage because of the friendship of four sisters. Jeanne Birdsall does a great job of making the four Penderwick sisters unique. It was funny, cute and evokes a child's summer perfectly.

The book is Birdsall's first novel but it won 10 awards (very impressive!). Her second book is The Penderwicks on Gardam Street.

Rating: 9/10

Again with the kick

As I am on my Elizabeth Peters kick, I picked up The Seventh Sinner, which introduces her character Jacqueline Kirby. I'm not sure if it was meant to be the first book in the series, as most of the action is told through another character's eyes.

One aspect that I definitely noticed about the book is that it's very of its era--the 1970s. There were references to "the fuzz," hippies, beads, the rebellious youth, etc.

The setting is Rome: seven students at an art and archeology school are living up their time abroad. Jean, the main character, literally runs into librarian Jacqueline Kirby. Jean and her fellow students rather adopt Jacqueline--a mother in her mid-40s--because she's witty, intelligent and has great legs.

The group is rather forced into a murder mystery with Jacqueline surreptitiously taking the lead. An interesting story follows.

I think it's one of Peters' earlier works and it lacks the strength of some of her later writing. Still, it's a fun summer read that made me want to go abroad.

Rating: 7/10

Re-reads

I have no new books checked out at the library, which means I'm doing re-reading. I haven't felt like tackling any of my library $1 buys.

Up first was Death in Kenya by M.M. Kaye. It's not my favorite--too dark and not enough romance. So I'll probably never re-read it again. I had forgotten a lot of the story but my memory is now refreshed.

Now I'm reading The Secret History of the Pink Carnation, which is one of the first books I remember Amazon recommending for me, back in January 2005. Ah, yes, that's when our love affair began, didn't it Amazon?

Anyway, it's a delightful book that sort of plays off of the Scarlet Pimpernel (another book I love). So it's always a good re-read.

Cover me up

After reading A Singular Hostage by Thalassa Ali, which was good, I wanted to follow the series. Up next is A Beggar at the Gate. Unfortunately, minor issues which bugged me in book one really bothered me in this one.

On a side note, the cover for this book is very similar to the first book. It confused me for a split second--I thought I had ordered the wrong book from the library.

The major theme for this novel is East vs. West and how one English woman finds herself torn between two cultures: Victorian England and India. In the first book, Mariana (the English woman) accidentially-kind-of marries Hassan, an Indian man, because there's several prophecies about her watching over Hassan's son. (Hassan is a widower.) There's almost a lot about the civil unrest in India and plots about who is going to be the next ruler.

Anyway, Mariana just leaves Hassan and they don't have a marriage (as they never consumated it). Fast forward TWO YEARS for book two and oh, it's time for their first interaction. Did I mention that Mariana has had Hassan's son with her the entire time? Bad daddy, indeed.

Mariana waffles over whether she wants a divorce or not, blah blah blah. She ends up sleeping with Hassan and spending some time with his family--but then again, at the end of the book, she leaves for freakin' Afghanastan. (I don't even remember whether Hassan's son is with her or not.) Evidently in book three, after more civil unrest and trouble, they hook up again. Or something.

The main issue I had is this: a true English woman--especially one like Mariana, who frequently breaks proper etiquette and basic social rules for a lady of her era--would never be content in an Indian home. The ladies of the home--at least in this book--were sequestered in the upstairs. They only interacted with other ladies and their husbands. It reminded me a lot of Muslim women today.

There is no way that Mariana would ever settle into that type of life. In the book, she can't even handle a few days in the room and escapes to do various things. Yet, through out the book, we are expected to believe she should be with Hassan and would be happy in that life. Hassan expects her to act like a normal Indian woman, too--he never bends his ideals--and gets angry when she doesn't. I just can't believe they would be happy together.

I don't I'm going to read book three. If I see it at my local Borders, I'll read the ending but I don't want to waste my energy on something I can't swallow.

On a positive note, Ali really captures Indian life well! She certainly has done her research.

Rating: 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!

So sweet

I have found an author that I love and I will read all of her books from now on. Her name is Sarah Addison Allen.

I stumbled across The Sugar Queen randomly on Amazon and decided to give it a try.

I must admit, the absolutely gorgeous cover drew me in. Isn't it so pretty and magical? Anyway, the story is about Josey, who at 27, lives with her really old mom and does everything her mother tells her to do. It actually reminds me of Valancy and The Blue Castle.

One day, Josey opens her closet door--her secret closet, where she hides oodles of sweets and romance novels from her mother--and there sits Della Lee. Della Lee refuses to leave Josey's closet. That's where Josey's new life begins.

The story, although it sounds a bit odd, is adorable. The story has plenty of magic realism, which I love. Josey slowly blossoms and breaks away from her mother. A sweet love story flourishes with Josey and a certain young man.

Can I make it any clearer? This is a really sweet, cute book. I liked Allen's style of writing so much that I will read all of her books. All of her books feature "love and magic." I know her Garden Spells was a huge hit, so I'm going to read that, too.

Rating: 10/10

Bite me.....oh wait, don't

I have a quest: to read one classic work each month that I somehow avoided reading during my English major undergrad years (or earlier in my life). This month I picked Dracula.


It wasn't exactly what I expected; like with Frankenstein, the character has been so dramatized and changed from the original that your expectations get twisted. Anyway, the basic story is guy gets sent to Count Dracula's castle for business; freaky business ensues. Guy comes home, Dracula follows, a girl becomes a vampire. The guy, the guy's wife, a doctor, a professor, the girl's fiancé and a cowboy from Texas (SO random!) decide that Dracula must die.

It's a suspenseful story, albeit a bit unbelieveable at times...but it's about vampires so why would I expect true realism? One aspect that did surprise me was the gore. A girl (her name is Lucy--sorry if that just ruined the whole book for you; but then again, if you are reading it and didn't know she was becoming a vampire, well, I have no words left for you) who became a vampire had to have her head chopped off! Wow.

One aspect I really liked is how the main girl (Mina, not Lucy-vampire-girl) was portrayed as so intelligent. How refreshing to have a smart girl in a pre-1900 book!

I'm sure a lot has been said about this book and I don't have anything new to really add. I'll just have a better appreciation for Breaking Dawn now.

Rating: 8.5/10

Book sale pickings

The library's book sale was overflowing with hardcover books for $1. I picked up four books, including a nonfiction read (shocking for me!), a mystery, an Anne Stevenson mystery and an academic/history mystery.

I only bought Hell Hath No Curry because it is a "Pennsylvania Dutch Mystery with Recipes." How...odd. Unfortunately, it's also like book 20 in the series, so I'm way out of the loop. The series features a Mennonite woman who solves mysteries. All the titles feature a play on some type of food.

I haven't finished it yet and I'm not sure I will...I hate coming into a series blind. So we'll see.

Jump on the night train

I finished Elizabeth Peters' Night Train to Memphis, the last published Vicky Bliss book, which I learned from Google is also a movie and a song. I think Peters had a bit too much fun with this one--but it made the book thoroughly enjoyable.

Peters has really developed the relationship between Vicky and John Smythe (actually John Tregarth, as we learn). It's believable and satisfying. Also, this book was very romantic--not that it involved a lot of lust/sighing/sex, but in that the characters were willing to sacrifice their safety and their own needs for the other person. That is love--placing someone else's needs above your own.

Rating: 9/10

India's history

Again, I have to thank a random reader's Listmania for pointing out Zemindar by Valerie Fitzgerald to me.

As you can tell by the cover, it is an EPIC novel, published in the 1980s. The story follows Laura Hewitt, an English spinster, who accompanies her cousin Emily (and Emily's husband, Charles, who Laura secretly loves) to India.

The three meet up with Oliver Erskine, Charles' half-brother who has lived his whole life in India. He is a "zemindar"--a hereditary ruler of a vast parcel of land. Laura and Oliver connect...and maybe fall in love.

The story takes place in 1857, right during the time of the Indian Sepoy Mutiny. Fitzgerald's attention to history is amazing. You experience the mutiny and suffer with the characters through a siege...which may be why this book is almost 800 pages long.

Anyway, nice historical read about India--I recommend it, if you're in the mood for an epic story.

Rating: 8/10

Hottie Monday, Olympic Version

Breaux Greer is my Olympian hottie of the week, mostly because of his hair and his name. Yay for unique names and mohawks. He's a javelin thrower. Rock on, Breaux.

Closure is such an excellent thing

I have a deep need for closure in the fiction I read and the TV shows I watch (and I suppose, in my life). I like happy endings, weddings and good conquering evil. I can accept sad endings, particularly if I'm warned that it's sad. What I can't handle is a lack of closure--the wondering about what will happen.

For example, after watching the movie Gone With The Wind, I was so upset at the ending (will Scarlett and Rhett end up together?!?!) that I dreamt all night about the movie and created my own happy ending (they did!!!).

I knew going into Veronica Mars that there probably wouldn't be a lot of closure--after all, the producers/writers were hoping for a fourth season. And I was right. Veronica and her love interest Logan didn't end up together--although they did share "a look" before the show ended. But you know what's wonderful about watching TV on DVD? Writers' interviews!!!

An interview with creator/writer Rob Thomas reveals that the writers intended to keep those two together and had they fully known that the episode would have been for sure the last one, it may have ended with more closure. That made me happy (and able to sleep). See, writers and authors, closure is a beautiful thing.

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.

Consistency is my issue

My friend Mary finished Twilight this weekend and we had a nice gushy session over it. I'm glad I have someone to gush with now.

In other news, I'm not sure what's going on with me, but I haven't been able to really get into a book for the last week or so. I started two books and realized I didn't care at all about either story.

One such book was Chosen by Ted Dekker. I kept on feeling really out of the loop while reading it and couldn't understand why. It was bizarre; the characters would make reference to people and backstories without a lot of detail. Then I realized while Chosen was actually the first book in its particular series, it's actually part of "The Circle Trilogy." So I was legitimately confused! Yay for me.

So I ended up reading Touch Not the Cat (by Mary Stewart) and being fully satisfied. While prowling Goodwill, I found Madeline Brent's Merlin's Keep. (I love used bookstores and Goodwills for this very reason--cheap books!)

I like how Brent features Asia in his works--this novel was partially set in Tibet. The story follows an orphaned girl who was raised in Tibet but ends up in England. The story, while different from Moonraker's Bride, certainly has some similarities. However, Merlin's Keep had a lot of omens/superstition in the book, which I didn't like--some of it bordering on demonic activity.

Rating: 7/10

Now what shall I start next?

happy monday

It's Hottie Monday...and yes, it's the Olympian version. Aaron Peirsol is today's hottie.

As is well documented, I don't normally go for blonds, but this guy seems really nice. I've been watching the Olympic Trials and the newcasters have been gushing over Aaron. He's on my list of athletes to cheer on in August.

kicky

I get on reading kicks where I devour every book a specific author has written. This usually happens in the summer, particularly back when I was in college.

One summer it was Elinor Lipman (amazing writer!). One spring/summer it was Georgette Heyer. This past year or so I've read most, if not all, of Helen Fielding, Mary Stewart, M. M. Kaye and Stephenie Meyer's works.

This is definitely an Elizabeth Peters summer. I've realized I don't like her writing as Barbara Michaels, but really, really like her EP novels.

The Camelot Caper was her latest work I read. It features John Smythe from the Vicky Bliss series--but this one actually was written first. To be honest, Smythe or "Cousin John" in this book, stole the book. He upstaged the hero, even though he was one of the bad guys. I can see why Peters liked him so much that she brought him into another series. Camelot features art thievery, romance and plenty of action. It's definitely fun summer reading.

Rating:8/10

Anyway, this is the perfect time for me to devour all of Peters' books, especially her Vicky Bliss series, as there's a new Vicky Bliss book out this summer (the first one in a decade!). From what the publisher has said, it's the last one, too. The Laughter of Dead Kings will be out August 26, published by Harper Collins.