Do you like to read?

Good. So do I. What started out as a place where I posted reviews, thoughts, and suggestions surrounding mostly young adult fiction has now turned into my personal venting space. I'm going to review books. I'm going to be honest. And I'm going to be snarky. You've been warned.







Jul 13, 2012

Here (On the Otherside)

Like most YA books I've been reading, I found this one on Amazon. The description and reviews of it reminded me of the TV show, Fringe, which is by far one of my favorite shows. This seemed like it was going to be a great book.


Here by Denise Grover Swank is told from Julia's point of view. Julia lives in guilt after she survives a car accident that killed her best friend, Monica. Life just isn't the same and Julia disengages from school and her family. Her peers brand her as the crazy girl. In addition to her new, gloomy outlook on life, Julia has been having dreams where she dies and Monica lives. She also has a new talent for drawing and wears a bracelet engraved with her name that no one had ever seen before the accident, and she has no idea how she got it.

Then there's Evan, the most popular, attractive guy in school. Before the accident, he never gave Julia the time of day. Now he's volunteering to tutor her, sneaking her glances whenever he can, and going against high school hierarchy to be with her. But the really weird thing is that his interest in her didn't come about until after he disappeared for two days and came back wearing the pedant she's been absentmindedly drawing. Coincidence? Probably not.

And just when things can't get any weirder, he takes her to a place where Monica is alive. And no, it's not exactly the Twilight Zone.

Before I read the actual book, I read a lot about the book. I wouldn't recommend doing that. I knew what was coming. Because of that, the mystery leading up to the big reveal was pretty much blown for me. Don't let that happen to you. I think it will be more exciting the less you know.

So despite that, what did I think? Well, I have mixed feelings. I was expecting something really sci-fi-y, and what I got was some weird love triangle that was really over the top. I ultimately felt bad for Julia for getting yanked around, which she allowed to happen because she was already such an emotional wreck. I think my problem was that I was just expecting too much. I was also confused by Reece's first appearance. Apparently Julia had never seen him before, but he was acting like they knew each other. That wasn't the case, though. They really had just met. It didn't fit. I'm not really for declaring "teams" when it comes to love triangles, but in this case, I really like Reece a hell of a lot more than I like Evan.

This is book one in the On the Other Side series. I don't know when the next book will come out, but I'm on the fence about reading it. I have so many other books on my reading list that we'll see if I'm still invested when the next book comes out. The book didn't end on some crazy cliffhanger, so I wasn't left annoyed -- just curious. But I'm not sure if that curiosity is enough.

~~~~~~~~~~

Haven't seen Fringe? Well you should! Dr. Walter Bishop is the best character. He's a little crazy, a little goofy, and really likes food and LSD. Even so, he's a brilliant scientist that knows all about weird, crazy stuff.

Jul 10, 2012

The River of Time Continues

Just when you thought the series was over, another e-novella is released. I, of course, immediately bought, downloaded and read the fifth installment, Tributary, as soon as it was available.

Tributary begins a year after the last novella Bourne, ended. I hate to say it, but this was my least favorite. I almost want to forget that I read it. Almost.

  

What I didn't like: What happens to Gabi in the end. That was a big giant UGH for me. Especially since she was so oblivious. The point of view shifts from 1st person to 3rd were annoying (at first) -- mostly because the whole series up until now has been told in 1st person. I found Lord Greco's turmoil more on the verge of whining. The action in this book compared to the others was definitely lacking. It was one of the things I loved about the series. This installment was also really predictable in a way I found annoying. Maybe I could have forgiven that if there was more action.

What I did like: Lia and Luca. No matter how much I missed seeing things from Gabi's point of view, I just really like Lia. And Luca steals the show.

Though I was disappointed, I would still urge those who have read the River of Time series to read this latest e-novella if they are looking for closure. If you haven't read any of the books yet, see what I had to say about them here, here, and here. Lisa Bergren might write more about these characters in the future, but that all depends on book sales. If she does end up writing more, I -- despite my disappointment with Tributary -- will read them all.

Jun 22, 2012

Guardian Trilogy

As soon as I was done with finals, I pointed my finger and landed on Fallen. As I've previously mentioned, Fallen is the first book in the Guardian Trilogy (followed by Eternity and Reckoning) by Laury Falter. It follows Maggie, a not so average teenager who moves to New Orleans after the aunt she has lived and traveled with her whole life gets a job in Paris. Now she has to live with a house full of strangers and attend a preppy boarding school. And as if she wasn't already dreading that, as soon as she arrives, bad things start to happen. Then she meets the infuriatingly handsome and arrogant Eran who always seems to be in the right place at the right time. Slowly, she starts to realize that she's in the middle of a war between the Fallen Ones and the Alterums.
I read the trilogy within days. Of the three, Fallen was my favorite. This was my first real plunge into angel-themed books, so I wasn't sure how I'd like it. Overall, I think Falter did a good job creating a captivating story and unique characters. I loved how Maggie rides a motorcycle, back talks, sticks up for herself, hangs out with tarot card readers and caricature artists, and is adamant that she does things for herself. Eran is also a great male lead, and I really liked Maggie's roommates. The names throughout kind of bugged me, though. For example, Eran, Ezra, and Elam are too similar.

The last book, Reckoning, was actually probably my least favorite. The ending was just so sappy and for the most part unbelievable. The sexual tension between Maggie and Eran throughout the series was also way drawn out. I mean, if two people really want to be together then they should just get it over with and stop making it so impossible. It reminded me too much of the whole Twilight thing. Ugh. I also wanted to know what happened to the aunt that went to Paris. It was like she just magically disappeared -- or never existed. I also didn't find it believable that Maggie and Eran would end up going back to school after all that happened.

Regardless, I really liked these books. I think I've realized that I should only read books in a series if all the books are already written or don't end on some ridiculous cliffhanger (I'm talking to you, Infernal Devices). I would absolutely recommend the Guardian Trilogy -- just be prepared to let things slide and accept that things will be over the top. You just might get hooked.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Angels remind me of this movie. I love this movie. This is the boardroom scene, so be warned.

May 10, 2012

Hush Money

I found this book while I was dinking around, procrastinating writing papers. And I'm really glad I put off writing that damn paper.


The main conflict of Hush Money reminds me of The Incredibles, or even X-Men. Those who are born with special abilities, called Talents, are feared. And when they're discovered, they're taken and no one ever sees them again. So the Talents try and keep their abilities secret as best they can. But people slip up, and then they're taken. This is why Joss is taught to be invisible. Don't get close to anyone. Always have a plan, and always have a way out. But then she makes a friend she never wanted, and gets stuck trying to protect her from the feared bully of the school, Marco. And Marco's not a normal bully. He's a scheming jerk who will do whatever it takes to get his way. As if that wasn't enough, the boy Joss has always liked, Dylan, has finally started to talk to her. Uh-oh. How's she supposed to stay invisible now?

It's been a long time since I've read a YA book and just really loved it. Though this is part of a series (The Talent Chronicles), Hush Money by Susan Bischoff did not give me some annoying cliff hanger or love triangle. Yay!

I think what made this work for me was how real the characters feel. They have depth to them. They're funny. They're idiots. They're assholes. And I love them for it. The dialogue is really great, too. It's realistic, how I'd expect teenagers nowadays to talk. So yeah, there's a lot of swearing. But that's never bothered me before.

Joss is a great main character. She's not your average girl. I love how she wears a military jacket and combat boots every day. The book switched between Joss' point of view and Dylan's, but stayed mostly with Joss.Which is fine, because I like Dylan, too. He's always wearing a leather jacket. He just screams You're going to like me, so deal with it. And so I did.

Perhaps the one thing about this book that I didn't like was how typically bad Marco was. Some of the stuff he said and did left me cringing and rolling my eyes. But if you love superheroes and want an easy, deliciously fun read, choose this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Speaking of The Incredibles.


Muahaha

May 4, 2012

Clockwork Prince

Gawd damn this book.


Alright, let me take a step back. Clockwork Prince is the second book in the Infernal Devices series. I read the first one, Clockwork Angel, back in March. Having never read Cassandra Clare before, I really liked it, more than I thought I would.

I did not feel the same way about Clockwork Prince. Maybe that has something to do with my overall annoyance with books in a series, and how this one ended with a major cliff hanger that won't be resolved until next year.

So this story picks up pretty much right where Clockwork Angel left off. In Victorian London, Tessa's finally found a place she feels she belongs. And she feels safe. But of course, things can't stay like that. Rogue forces in the Clave want Charlotte, the head of the Institute, thrown out. The Magister is still hell bent on getting Tessa. And as if that wasn't enough, Tessa's finding that she likes both Will and Jem.

Okay, so what I did like: the characters grew in this book, even the minor ones. I wasn't surprised with some of the betrayals that happened, but I liked watching how they played out. There were some really great scenes and moments that were beautiful. I think my overall gripe with this book was Tessa. I wanted to kick her in the shins. I understand why the whole annoying love triangle happened and it's supposed to be heart breaking, but I never got the impression that she was really in love with the other guy. It felt more like she just wanted to make certain people happy and do the right thing. Why can't people just do what they want for goodness sake? And that's what pissed me off. Is that supposed to be noble of her? I didn't buy it, not when she kept flip flopping.

And Will. Oh Will, you're such an idiot. But he's still hilarious. I think he's my favorite. He should have his own series. The revelation of his past and secret was hilarious. And I don't think it was meant to be funny.

So if you read Clockwork Angel, go ahead and read this. Most people enjoyed this book, and maybe you'll be less annoyed with certain events. I'm sure Clockwork Princess will drop some major bombs. In freaking March.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sometime while I was reading this book, I thought of this scene from Interview with the Vampire. I'm not sure why.



Buffoon!

Apr 18, 2012

On the Road Update

Back in May, I posted about On the Road and how it was getting turned into a movie. At the time, it was supposed to be released in December of 2011. That didn't happen. It looks like the movie starring Sam Riley (from Control and 13) as Sal and Garrett Hedlund (from Tron: Legacy) as Dean will come out sometime this summer, or maybe even in May.

This little push back is nothing in comparison to the big picture. The movie industry has been talking about turning Jack Kerouac's novel into a film since the late 50s. The rights to the book were bought in 1979 and numerous screenplays have been written since then. A version was almost done in 2001 that would have had Colin Farrell in it. I'm kind of relieved that one never got made. I'm not sure how I feel about this movie version, but I'll still see it.

Here's the "official" trailer. And by the way, I hear they took the quotes from the original scroll, aka the unedited book. So don't freak out if they appear to be wrong.

Apr 16, 2012

Glimpse and Fallen

I've been a horrible blogger, I know. I haven't had a chance to read anything new. But here's a few supernatural books I plan on reading when time allows:

Glimpse (Zellie Wells #1)
This book by Stacey Wallace Benefiel is the first of three. And this one is free on Amazon for kindle right now.


The story follows Zellie Wells (duh), who has what the book description describes as a "devastating" crush on Avery Adams. Avery isn't just some boy from school, he's also the son of her mom's high school sweetheart. On her birthday, she discovers that Avery has a crush on her, too. But of course, things can't just be perfect. Zellie has a premonition of his death. Though freaked out, she tries to ignore it. And then their parents find out they're dating, and ban them from seeing each other. Turns out, their parents know something they don't. The visions are hereditary, and if Zellie and Avery stay together, the visions will come true. So how do they get around that pesky little bit of information?



Fallen (Guardian Trilogy Book 1)
This book by Laury Falter is about Maggie. She gets dropped off at a boarding school in New Orleans when her aunt gets an overseas photography job. If that isn't weird enough, she can also send messages between the living and dead. Now that she's in New Orleans, it seems as though her life is in danger from the moment she arrives. A "mystifying stranger," Eran, repeatedly steps in to save her, and she starts to realize that he's probably the one person who can help her understand why she has such dangerous enemies. And maybe they'll fall in love, too -- because what kind of story would this be without young love?


Mar 30, 2012

BFFs

I wrote a series of vignettes on best friends I've had over the years. Here is one of them:


Jennifer
Jennifer’s mom married my uncle when I was still in preschool. She was two years older than me and we’d always play when our families came together. Because we were about the same height, my grandma would always buy us matching outfits and we’d go out in public and be mistaken for twins. For a long time her family lived across the street from my grandparents, so whenever I was there we’d play. She liked to boss me around, but she was older and therefore allowed to.

When I was in high school she lived with me until she graduated. Her mom and my uncle had long ago divorced. We still referred to each other as cousins. Even today we like to confuse people by saying we’re ex-step cousins. Because my house wasn’t that big, Jennifer lived in my room. We even had to sleep in the same bed. The upside, though, was that we got to share clothes. It wasn’t until Jennifer got her first car that our escapades really began. We’d speed to school, go to shows, and even make drives up to Seattle just to get cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory. One time we drove out to the Warped Tour at the Gorge. I got so hot and dehydrated that I ended up getting sick. Like a true best friend, Jennifer was there to take pictures of me while I puked in a trashcan. “You’ll want to remember this,” she had told me.

There’s a picture of us before we went into the Gorge. We’re standing in the grassy parking lot after just sharing a warm Zima. My hair is frizzy from heat and you can see my adolescent pimples that wouldn’t stay covered up by foundation. I’m wearing the balled necklace I always seemed to have on and the frog necklace Jennifer had given me. They were my favorite animals. Jennifer is grinning widely per usual.

This was before I got sick and before we saw the Casualties, Pennywise, and the Ataris – the band responsible for the anthem of our friendship. One of their songs has a lyric we loved to shout out:

“I’d rob a Kwik-E-Mart for you.
 I’d go to the pound and let all the cats go free,
Just as long as you’d be with me.”

We also took an after photo where we tried our best to look like we were dying. I didn’t have to try very hard.

Even though the Warped Tour wasn’t as epic as we had hoped, I still look at all our pictures and smile and laugh inside. There’s so many stories – like how the singer of the Ataris got into a fight with someone from the crowd and ended up dropping his pants. I still wonder how we drove home in one piece.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Ataris, "I Won't Spend Another Night Alone"


Our jam

Mar 19, 2012

Clockwork Angel

Thank goodness for spring break. I had a list of books growing and it was driving me mad. Out of three books I really wanted to read, I decided on Clockwork Angel. I've never really been a fan of fantasy, but then again, I've never actually read fantasy, either. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare is set in Victorian times, and reading historical novels is something that I do love. And something about this book just sparked my interest.

  

I know this book -- part of The Infernal Devices -- is a prequel to The Mortal Instruments, but I really just wanted to start here and see what I thought. You don't have to read or know about the Mortal Instruments trilogy to get into this book. Though I thought it was rather interesting that a lot of reviewers thought that the characters in this book were clones of characters from other books. I've never read any of Clare's books, so that really didn't bother me much.

Meet 16-year-old Tessa Gray. She travels from New York to London in search for her brother. When she gets there, though, things are not what she expected. And without wanting it, she's thrust into a world she never knew existed, one where demons, warlocks, vampires, and Shadowhunterss -- part-angel demon-fighters -- are real. The more involved she gets, the more she realizes that her brother's disappearance and and the things happening in London are because of her and what she is. But no one's quite sure what she is. But she's not alone. She's found an ally among the Shadowhunters, and possibly even love.

So, what did I think? Well, I thought it was good. I really liked Clare's writing style -- er, well most of the time. It's hard to explain what bugged me, but what I did like was how she describes things, though it did become excessive at times. In fact, I couldn't help but skip over a lot of long descriptions. I did find it odd how she stayed mostly in Tessa's point of view, but still switched to other character's points of view. I wish it would have been more consistent with the switching. When it came to how women of the Victorian ages were portrayed -- the expectations of proper ladies, the struggles they faced to be taken seriously -- I appreciated the accuracy. At the same time, I also felt like that point was overdone. As for the main character, I liked Tessa. For the most part. She just asked so many damn questions that it came off as manufactured, like it was just a way for information to get out. As characters go, I really liked Will, too. He was fantastically hilarious. But he's also dark and can be a bit of a jerk, mostly because he has a secret past he doesn't want to discuss. So obviously Tessa is drawn to him. Ugh. That sounds typical, right? I thought so.

The other boy, Jem, (ahem, love triangle), was like Will's opposite. Of course. The one to balance him. My main problem with Jem was his name, Jem. If you know me at all, you'll know what a huge Jem and the Holograms fan I am -- that fabulous cartoon from the 80s about a girl rock band. So whenever I saw the name Jem, it made me think of huge, pink 80s hair and makeup. Not a pale boy with silver hair and eyes. But alas, he's a sweet, deep guy. I couldn't hold his name against him.

I thought the plot was cleverly executed, though it seemed to drag out in parts. Overall, I would recommend it to people who love the Victorian era, fantasy mixed with a little steampunk, and creepy villains. Though if you've read Clare's other books and fanfiction, you might not enjoy it. Now, I'm off to read book 2, Clockwork Prince. Unfortunately, I won't get to read Clockwork Princess until 2013 (this is where I'd curse a lot).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Who's Jem and the Holograms? Well, I'm glad you asked.


Truly truly truly outrageous.

Mar 9, 2012

I Must Get it From My Mom

I've always loved hearing about my mom's adventures growing up and of the concerts she went to. I've already written a fictional story based off some of her adventures. For my writing class, though, I decided to bring one of those real adventures to life. So no, this isn't fiction, but it's still fun. In the early 80s, my mom and a group of friends went and saw the Rolling Stones. And this is a snippet of what happened (PG 13).

~~~~~~~~~~

My mom grew up in the seventies. She was always going to concerts and has probably been to hundreds of them. The goal was always to get as close as possible so she could take pictures with my dad’s 35mm that had the giant zoom lens. She likes to tell me that for her, going to concerts really was like that movie, “Almost Famous” – it was about the music and loving the band so much that it hurt. Her favorite band of all time was and still is Led Zeppelin. She never got the chance to see them live before John Bonham died. She’s already told me that if they ever go on a reunion tour, I get to camp out a week in advance to get tickets.

In 1981 – before she was married and had kids – she went and saw the Rolling Stones at Candelstick Park in San Francisco. My dad and their friend, Mike, camped out overnight in order to score tickets before they went on sale. There were seven people altogether who made the trip from Sacramento to the concert – my mom, her little brother Rod, her best friend Jennine, my dad, his little sister Cindi, Mike, and a seventh person no one seems to remember. My mom thinks it was some dude who was a friend of a friend and my aunt says it was a girl they picked up along the way as someone’s date.

(I found this picture online of the same concert. My mom and I are pretty sure that woman in the black is her)


The group drove over the night before in a Winnebago and camped out in the parking lot. There were so many people there that it was like a giant party with free drugs and alcohol. My aunt Cindi actually didn’t have a ticket. My dad made her buy one from someone as soon as they arrived and she ended up spending all her money. She had to trade the t-shirt guy some shrooms for a concert shirt. An hour later, he had quit the business and had no more magic mushrooms. People kept coming up to the Winnie and asking to use the bathroom like it was no big deal. Bathroom privileges were given in return for money, pot, or beer.

My dad’s favorite song was “Sympathy for the Devil.” The Stones rarely played it during concerts because fights always seemed to break out during it. Because of that, my mom and some of the group made a giant banner that said “Sympathy for the Devil.” She bought four white king-sized sheets and sewed them together in the front yard. She spent so much money on red glitter just to fill in the word devil and a pitchfork. It was so huge that when they hung it from the balcony, it blocked the box seats and they had to keep moving it. Security threatened to kick them out. Mick Jagger acknowledged them by pointing and saying, “Thanks Sympathy.” My mom wasn’t up in the balcony when it happened. She was down in the crowd on my dad’s shoulders, cheering and bragging. The band didn’t play the song that day.

My mom said that one of the good things about my dad was that she could sit on his shoulders all night. Sometimes he would need a break. Then she’d pout because she couldn’t see. He would always let her back up, though. If she didn’t go to a concert with a guy, she’d always find a tall one and ask if she could sit on his. They would always say yes.

Mick went out over the audience in a cherry picker. He had a bucket of water and carnations with him. When he dumped it into the crowd, it went all over my mom because she was the closest to him. Later, her and my dad got so close to the stage that there was no one in front of them. She said it was like she was eye level with Mick and there was no one else around. He even blew her a kiss. It was one of those moments that seemed too good to be true. She had captured it with her camera. Those pictures became a source of argument between my parents when they split up. My dad wanted them. My mom didn’t care what he said. In the end, neither one of them got them. They were lost when their storage locker was sold. My dad forgot to, or just didn’t, pay the bill.

That wasn’t the only thing from my mom’s music collection that was lost to her. The giant picture frame with all the ticket stubs from the hundreds of concerts she’d gone to, along with the banner from the Stones concert, was also in the storage locker when it was sold. When my grandparents moved up to Washington, all her posters and the 8X10s that she had bought outside of Tower Records were thrown out. Her enormous collection of vinyl, which included rare albums like one of Lynyrd Skynyrd before half the band died was lost or sold. On the album cover, the band had been standing in front of flames. After the plane accident, the records were pulled from retail stores. All my mom’s records had been stashed in a friend’s basement while my mom moved. When she came to collect them, they weren’t there. Her friend still denies she had anything to do with it. I like to rub it in my mom’s face that my Led Zeppelin’s vinyl collection is almost complete.

~~~~~~~~~~

Going on road trips to concerts reminds me of this movie. It's one of my favorites.

Mar 8, 2012

Bourne: The River of Time

I've been waiting to read this novella ever since I found out Lisa Bergren was writing more. One of the things I love so much about this series is how Bergren listens to her readers. She knows how readers hate waiting for the next book in a series to come out (er, like me). Bourne was published just weeks after being finished and edited. I guess that's the perk of publishing via ebook, but still, I highly appreciate it.


Because this is a novella, it's not very long. Still, there's a lot of action crammed into it. In ways, I was kind of expecting more. I understand that Bergren was tying up loose ends. I guess, since the whole series up until this point has been told through only Gabi's eyes (this installment is told by both Gabi and little sis, Lia), I wanted more Gabi. She didn't really do anything other than fret over Marcello and Lia. Which is fine, but if all the action is involving Lia, then I think there should have been more Lia and less Gabi. I read an Amazon review that said all Gabi did was obsess over Marcello, but I don't agree with that. She had legitimate reasons for having him occupy all her thoughts. Also, I noticed that Lia mentioned how she nocked an arrow quiet a few times, to the point where I began to take note. I don't like being distracted by minor details like that.

Other than those small things, I loved Bourne. And right now, it's only 99 cents. Can't get much better than that. I'm really glad I got to see things from someone else's perspective. I'm a big fan of switching up point of views, and Lia is just as tough and likable as her older sister.

If you haven't read the previous books in the series (Waterfall, Cascade, and Torrent, which I wrote about here and here), you really should. They have a way of transporting you to a different time that's both romantic and horrifying. Gotta love those medieval fight scenes. I did, and I didn't think they were too gory. But then again, I do love horror and action movies.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Speaking of action, this movie was on tv the other day. Oh, Mel. You just wanted freedom.

Feb 16, 2012

Bros Before Love

Happy belated Valentine's Day, folks. If you're like me, then you don't really care one way or the other about Valentine's Day. After all, it's a holiday marketed by card companies for the sole purpose of making money between the winter holidays and spring holidays. Someone gives you flowers and you get to watch them slowly shrivel up until they finally die and you get to throw them away while you think they probably would have had a fulfilling flower life had they not been cut in their prime. Or someone gives you a themed stuffed animal, which is cute at first -- until you realize you're stuck with a grinning bear holding an I Heart You sign all year long.

The way to my heart on Valentine's Day? Cheap burgers, normal looking baked goods, and -- in this year's case -- a mug with a ridiculous but cute cartoon otter wearing a suit on it. In previous years I've gotten cupcakes that spell out I Hate You and a live Led Zeppelin record (like, on vinyl). Now that's what I'm talking about.

So what's my point? I'm not going to post about some sappy love romance. I'll leave that to the thousands of other websites and blogs. Instead, let's take a look at something completely different -- brotherhood. Screw sappy love. I'd rather read about friendships and misunderstood delinquents.


I first read this book by S.E. Hinton in middle school. We read it in class along with an audio tape. I didn't like the narrator's voice and thought he sounded ridiculous when he read the girl parts. After a week or so of reading, the class got to watch the 1983 movie version. I didn't get to watch the last part because I was sick, so over winter break, I had my mom rent it. And that's when I fell in love. I watched the movie over and over again multiple times a day until I was forced to return the movie to the now deceased Hollywood Video.

Though my love for The Outsiders stemmed from my love of the movie and Ponyboy, I've read this book numerous times. Though Ponyboy's life is filled with tragedy, I still envied him for living in the 60s and being able to experience things I could never understand. It's hard to be disappointed by Ponyboy's romantic views of society and friendship. And who couldn't love his gang of greaser friends who loved fun and rumbles? Dallas Winston, you're the epitome of bad boy allure.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


How can you not love a movie that has young versions of Patrick Swayze, Tom Cruise, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, and Matt Damon?



I wish C. Thomas Howell (aka Ponyboy) had aged better

Feb 13, 2012

Personal Narrative

When it comes to my blogging career, I try and get around to posting 3 new posts a month. Sometimes that's hard. Especially when I haven't gotten around to reading any new fiction. At least not for pleasure. I could talk a lot about Chaucer and the Canterbury Tales . . .



. . . but I'm sure there's more people out there who can do a better job at it. Though "The Knight's Tale" has given me ideas for an epic story. But that's for another time.

So, I might as well take a short break from fiction. Due to my personal narrative class, I've been reading and writing a lot of -- you guessed it -- personal narrative (or what some folks like to call creative nonfiction). My favorite book I've read so far is A Common Pornography by Kevin Sampsell (For mature audiences. This is an adult book).


This isn't your run-of-the-mill-memoir. What I liked so much was how the book was put together. It doesn't start off from the beginning and end near the present. Sampsell's life is presented in little snippets. The memoir is made up of little stories that range from one page long to a couple of pages long. They don't necessarily fit together and they aren't necessarily told in order, but still, I couldn't seem to put it down. Sampsell's voice is natural and to the point. He doesn't use fluffy language and adjectives, but it works. And I was constantly laughing or snickering. That's always a good sign -- at least for me it is. His collection of vignettes also had a way of making me reminiscence on my own life and childhood. I love it when authors can do that. Maybe you will, too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stories from boyhood and about growing up made me think of this movie. It's the beginning of one of my favorite scenes (Note: swearing).




Check back soon for reviews for the new River of Time novella, Bourne. It's due out later this month.

Jan 24, 2012

Undead Memories Part 3

Here is the conclusion to my short vampire story. Will Edie finally get the revenge she so desperately wants? Read ahead to find out. Want to start from the beginning? Check it out here.




It didn’t take long, just two days. There was a sudden spike in violent deaths in the nearby towns. They were too random in sex, age, and type of person for authorities to declare the existence of a serial killer – or killers. The only connection between all the deaths was the mass amounts of blood loss. Edie knew exactly what was going on. It was the work of six others like her – the remaining members of the clan she belonged to. Including Warrick. We’re here, was the message.
Joel and Ruthie were close to sticking their heads in the sand. Damn cowards. Just because they left with her didn’t mean Warrick was going to do anything dire. Not unless he suspected they were going to turn on him. At least Nikolai wasn’t quivering. He had always been her favorite.
“He wants to see you.”
“Of course he does. He probably missed me.”
“This isn’t funny, Edie!” Nikolai’s grey eyes flashed with anger. The black leather he wore made his stark white face look as though it were floating in the darkness. “You know you have to.”
She didn’t like his tone. “I’m still here, aren’t I?”
They both tensed suddenly. It was instinct. They could feel his presence before they could even see or hear him. Warrick was there, in their temporary home among the homeless population.
“Ah, there you are.”
His polite, proper voice made Edie’s teeth grind together. She turned slowly to meet his smug countenance. Instead, she locked on Ruthie’s decapitated head in his left hand. Edie tried not to look shocked. He smiled widely.
“I found her trying to flee. From me. Now why would she do that?”

Jan 21, 2012

Entwined

It was pictures like this that made me want to be a princess when I grew up.


But then I grew up. And I'm not a princess. That's fine by me, though. I'd rather read stories like Entwined than be a real life princess.

This story is based off of the fairy tale, The Twelve Dancing Princesses. I always liked this fairy tale because it was the first play I saw when I was in kindergarten -- brings me to a place of nostalgia. Also,  I've never read a novel based off of a fairy tale, so why not start. Entwined seems to be just one of many. I chose this one specifically because it was 99 cents, and the Princess of the Midnight Ball -- also based off of the Twelve Dancing Princesses -- was not. Yeah, I know. I'm cheap.

So Entwined by Heather Dixon. Where to begin. This was a fun book -- not the greatest book I've ever read, but it was fun. I liked how I could see immediate connections between this story and the original tale. At first, the abundance of cheesy "surprised" or "disappointed" lines like Great Scott, or raspberries (they get better) annoyed me, but then I realized it was part of the image and world Dixon was trying to create. It grew on me. Something I couldn't get past, though, was how many times the phrase "he sucked in his cheeks" was used. It got to the point where I was like Why!? Use a different phrase, please! He's tense, I get it.

Because this is based off of a well-known tale, you know how it's going to end. What makes this so successful is how it's told and how the conflicts come about. Azalea, the oldest princess and main character, is a great lead. She's sweet, strong, and acts just how I'd imagine the oldest of 12 would act. I also like how she wasn't the prettiest sister, too. All the characters seemed real, developed -- even the King, who is supposed to come off as cold and distant. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about them all. Even the villain. You wanted to like him, even though you knew -- before everyone else -- how much of a creepy jerk he was. So if you want to be swept away to a Once upon a time land, then grab this one.

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Something else nostalgic? Barbies. And guess who did a movie about the 12 Dancing Princesses? Yep, Barbie.

Jan 9, 2012

Playing Catch Up

So, Nicole, you might be saying, you keep posting stuff you've written, but what have you been reading? Good question. I spent my winter break playing catch up. What does that mean? Well, I read books I said I was going to read a long time ago. I's about freakin time, right? Yeah, yeah. Anyway, I got around to reading three of them: Jane Jones: Worst. Vampire. Ever. by Caissie St. Onge, The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan, and Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. Here's what I thought, consolidated into one nifty post:

Book #1: Jane Jones: Worst. Vampire. Ever. I actually heard about this book from my special man friend. He told me he heard it was supposed to be good. And I like good vampire stories that don't deal with brooding, creepy, stalker vampires. Jane Jones had an interesting idea, but I just don't think it measured up. I didn't find it very believable -- believable for a vampire story, that is. First of all, I don't like vampires that can walk around in the sun. It's too easy. In Jane Jones, there are consequences for being in the sun, which I can handle. Here was my main gripe -- if you're a vampire who's a couple hundred years old, are you really going to waste your time at high school being some mean kid? I don't really think so. And let's say you're a vampire who isn't quite that old yet, but are you still going to listen to your parents like you're 16 instead of 80? Yeah, I didn't think so either.

I didn't really feel the main conflict, either. The bad guys could have been a little badder in my opinion. I did appreciate how the vampires in this story longed for a human life even though they were immortal. The grass isn't always greener on the other side. Overall, I'm glad I read this story, I was just expecting more.



Book #2: The Forest of Hands and Teeth. I love zombies. Okay, let me clarify. I like reading zombie stories and watching zombie movies. I in no way, shape, or form, want zombies to be real. So when I heard there was a zombie book for young adults, I was intrigued. I wanted to know how that worked, because when it comes to zombies, there's lots of gore and death. Lots and lots. Well, I gotta say I was again disappointed. Maybe I just expected too much. But I did not feel for the main character, Mary. In fact, she annoyed the hell out of me. Most of the characters did. Everything happened very conveniently. Don't get me wrong, though. There were things I liked -- like the beginning. I loved how it opened with a seemingly innocent scene, and then it erupted into fear and chaos. I enjoyed Mary's awakening and her time spent with Travis, but she does a lot of stupid things and I just want to shake her. And shake her some more. Sure, it's supposed to be scary and the things she does is supposed to show what kind of stress she's under and what her state of mind is, but her stupidity annoyed me more than anything. And then she ends up alone and with strangers.

For the most part, I liked the writing, but found myself thinking Man, there's a lot of sentence fragments. Which says a lot because I like fragments and run-ons. This book also made me have zombie dreams, which I thought I had been cured of. But that's not the book's fault.

This is the first in a trilogy (of course). I haven't decided if I'm going to read the others. I guess the next one, The Dead-Tossed Waves, is told from a new character's perspective. I'm currently on the library waiting list for it, so I'll decide when the time comes.


Book #3: Water for Elephants. Let me start off by saying that this is an adult book. There are some scenes that very explicit. So you've been warned. Anyway, I wanted to read this book before I saw the movie. I'm not an R Pat fan, but I do have some fascination with circuses and the Depression era. Out of the three books I read, I liked this one the best. Maybe that's because I didn't have any real expectations or perhaps because this isn't a part of a trend like vampires and zombies are. Everything seemed believable. I liked how there was a lot of detail put into the description of the animals -- the reader really got a sense of their personality. Rosie was an awesome elephant. I wish I had an elephant. And I felt so bad for her when she was mistreated.

The ending surprised me -- I wasn't expecting it to go in that direction, especially with all of the build up. Though I appreciated the parts of story told in the present, they were still my least favorite parts. The old man Jacob and the young man Jacob also seemed like two completely different people. I guess that's realistic, but it still would have been nice to see some similarity. Jacob was hilarious as a 90-year-old, though. I also thought the explanation for August being such a sleaze ball was cheap. Overall, great read. It was easy to tell how much research went into it. The book was better than the movie, FYI. Aren't books always better than movies? It's much more YA friendly, though. Quick thoughts on the movie: I hated Rob's narration, and I hated how they combined August and Uncle Al's characters. Also, I did not believe the chemistry between Reese and Rob. But I still want an elephant.

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In case you wanted a more detailed book review on Water for Elephants. This guy is fun to watch.



Books I'm Waiting to Read:

1. The Timekeeper by Alexandria Monir (the sequel to Timeless)
2. Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver (the sequel to Delirium)
3. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
4. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare (Infernal Devices book 1)

Jan 2, 2012

Undead Memories Part 2

Happy New Year! I'm starting the year off with the second part of my short vampire story, Undead Memories. Want to read the first part? Then see the previous entry or click here!



The sun would not be back for a while still. Edie did not want to return to the others until she had to. She rather liked being alone and sought seclusion whenever she could. It was hard. There were always eyes trailing after her, following her for different motives. She had tried to stop noticing.

It was late for humans to be out, but she was suddenly aware that she was not isolated. Up ahead she spotted someone walking. His hands were jammed into his pockets and the collar of his black jacket was pulled up to protect his neck. After leaving Victoria so fresh with death, humans were the last thing she wanted to see. She could not ignore him, though. She began to trail behind, studying his movements and guessing his path. Edie prided herself as a good huntress.

But this was not a normal prey. He seemed to have better instincts than most. Like any good predator, she knew by his body language that he was aware of her presence.

He stopped walking. “I know you’re following me.”

Landon’s boldness continued to surprise her. As he turned to search for her, she made her move. Before he could finish turning, she was already standing before him. He gasped and jumped back at her sudden appearance.

“Holy shit!”

She grinned, but only for a second.

“Don’t do that.”

She watched the vein in his neck bulge and his jaw tighten. “I like to.”

He looked away from her. “Of course you do,” he mumbled.

“Are you still scared of me, Landon?”

“I don’t know what I am. You’re one fierce chick, you know that? I swear sometimes you’re going to rip out my throat, and then sometimes I feel . . . I don’t know.”

She couldn’t blame him for being on the fence. When they first met nearly two weeks before, upon first impressions she gave every indication that she despised him. She couldn’t help it. Never in a thousand years would she have expected to suddenly come face to face with the spitting image of the boy who had nearly succeeded in forcing himself on her. Her first teenage date would have ended very differently if Warrick hadn’t interrupted and tore him off of her. She had tried to forget that night and tried to forget that Warrick had done her some kind of service. He had not been acting out of the kindness of his nonexistent heart.