All Good Things Must End Someday....

Hello! I've been gone for way too long. I have some really good excuses, though. I haven't been reading much. How could this be, you say? Summer reading is a treat all on it's own that comes once a year.... 


Well first, my mom fell down the stairs and broke her back. No, literally. She was sleep walking and fell down the stairs. It's been a long summer road to recovery, but she is getting there. I've had my hands full with helping her. 


Second, I've been searching for jobs like nobody's business. Many hours...and I mean many hours per day have been spent this summer searching jobs, applying, and going on interviews.



Finally, I did get hired and started about a month and a half ago. Yay, me! But starting a new job, moving to a new apartment, in a new area, doesn't leave a ton of time for reading. In fact, I've been tearing through the Netflix Series of One Tree Hill for the last month, trying to finish all the seasons. 


(If you're wondering I'm stopping after season 6 because Lucas and Peyton are not involved and it's just not the same) 



Phew, that's a lot of stuff! The good news is that now I am finally on my feet, I can catch up on all the reading and TV shows I've been missing!


First up, 



Nalini Singh Guild Hunter's Series 

Because this time, it's not a wayward vamp she has to track. It's an archangel gone bad. 

The job will put Elena in the midst of a killing spree like no other—and pull her to the razor's edge of passion. Even if the hunt does not destroy her, succumbing to Raphael’s seductive touch just might. For when archangels play, mortals break
Because this time, it's not a wayward vamp she has to track. It's an archangel gone bad. 
The job will put Elena in the midst of a killing spree like no other—and pull her to the razor's edge of passion. Even if the hunt does not destroy her, succumbing to Raphael’s seductive touch just might. For when archangels play, mortals break
The job will put Elena in the midst of a killing spree like no other—and pull her to the razor's edge of passion. Even if the hunt does not destroy her, succumbing to Raphael’s seductive touch just might. For when archangels play, mortals break

Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux knows she is the best- but she does not know if even she is good enough for this job. Hired by the dangerously beautiful archangel Raphael, a being so lethal that no mortal wants his attention, Elena knows failure is not an option—even if the task is impossible. 





I've put off this series for a long, long time. Mostly because I thought I'd reached my fill when it came to paranormal romances.  BUT, I will say these  books are pretty good. Don't be put off by the cheesy sounding summary. If you want a good paranormal romance, this is it. Ms. Singh pulls off romance and practicality (if that's possible).  The romance part is as far from cheesy as can be, which is always a good thing. There are never any over the top things happening, where the hero kills his love interest's family by ripping their intestines out and she still loves him.  And you're thinking WHY? Why am I wasting my time on this. These books are not like that. Give them a shot! 

Anywho, as I make my way through this series, trying to stay off netflix (it's really my biggest competitor to books),  I am really excited for some future upcoming books. I'm going to post them soon. 

The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead

From Goodreads: In the aftermath of a forbidden moment that rocked Sydney to her core, she finds herself struggling to draw the line between her Alchemist teachings and what her heart is urging her to do. Then she meets alluring, rebellious Marcus Finch--a former Alchemist who escaped against all odds, and is now on the run. Marcus wants to teach Sydney the secrets he claims the Alchemists are hiding from her. But as he pushes her to rebel against the people who raised her, Sydney finds that breaking free is harder than she thought. There is an old and mysterious magic rooted deeply within her. And as she searches for an evil magic user targeting powerful young witches, she realizes that her only hope is to embrace her magical blood--or else she might be next.



First off, I finally read this book.  This was one of the books I've been waiting a long time for, from one of my favorite authors. I had put in for it at the library, but was still in line, so I just decided to buy it. 

Me after having the book in my hands!!

Where to start? Well, first this book is the third in a series of books called Bloodlines.  It is a spin off from Mead's vampire academy! If you haven't read the first book, Bloodlines, then you probably shouldn't read this one because it WILL spoil it for you. 

I really liked this book. I have a certain list of YA authors that I like and Mead is on that list. So, I knew I definitely wanted to read the Indigo Spell. I thought this book was awesome, and props to Mead for writing a great book. 

Go Richelle!!

I thought there was a lot jam packed into this book, in a good way. Mead did an excellent job on building the romance between certain characters. However, I felt the plot suffered just a teensy, little because of it. As I said I really liked this book, but without getting too spoilery, I will say certain parts of the book felt anticlimactic. I felt like Mead needed to either pick the Alchemists or the witches to really focus on.... but I'm no writer, and I enjoyed the book anyway.


Sydney and Adrian were so cute! How sexy was Adrian in that paining scene. Seriously. Swoon. 

I felt like Sydney made a lot of character progress with him compared to how she was in the first book. 

Super excited the Fiery Heart (#4) comes out this year   Usually we have to wait a year for a sequel, so I'm looking forward to it. The way The Indigo Spell ended certainly will put a wrench into Sydney's social life, though! 

Please go read this book.  Richelle Mead has over 4 star reviewer average on all of her books but one. If you like YA, try out some of her books! 

The Taker by Alma Katsu

From Goodreads:
True love can last an eternity . . . but immortality comes at a price. . . . On the midnight shift at a hospital in rural Maine, Dr. Luke Findley is expecting another quiet evening of frostbite and the occasional domestic dispute. But the minute Lanore McIlvrae—Lanny—walks into his ER, she changes his life forever. A mysterious woman with a past and plenty of dark secrets, Lanny is unlike anyone Luke has ever met. He is inexplicably drawn to her . . . despite the fact that she is a murder suspect with a police escort. And as she begins to tell her story, a story of enduring love and consummate betrayal that transcends time and mortality, Luke finds himself utterly captivated.

Her impassioned account begins at the turn of the nineteenth century in the same small town of St. Andrew, Maine, back when it was a Puritan settlement. Consumed as a child by her love for the son of the town’s founder, Lanny will do anything to be with him forever. But the price she pays is steep—an immortal bond that chains her to a terrible fate for all eternity. And now, two centuries later, the key to her healing and her salvation lies with Dr. Luke Findley.

Part historical novel, part supernatural page-turner, The Taker is an unforgettable tale about the power of unrequited love not only to elevate and sustain, but also to blind and ultimately destroy, and how each of us is responsible for finding our own path to redemption.


This book was recommended to me by my sister, and it has been on my to read shelf for about a year.  I kept promising that I would read it when I had more time.  I was able to pass my national exam, and now that I'm not studying 298347892834 hours a week, I have more reading time!! SO, I checked this out on GR. This storyline initially intrigued me.  What kind of immortal bond is this Lanny girl dealing with? What is this about a crazy ER doctor? I read a lot of paranormal, so I was interested to see what supernatural creature Lanny would turn out to be.


Turns out, this book really is a cross between genres. This is the type of "paranormal" book for a person who likes normal fiction (no chick  lit, urban fantasy, etc), because it's kind of diet paranormal...paranormal for beginners.  This book is a cross between historical romance (real life romance, not the fluffy, corny stuff) and mystical arts.  It was refreshing to have a different type of book that I wouldn't normally read. And not to mention, the author has written this book excellently.  It's not often you come across an author who has a writing style like this.  It just pulls you in..... 

  I stayed up late both nights to finish it.  The one thing that I did not like about this book was the sad, depressing tone it took about halfway through the book.   When I turned to the last page, the book left me feeling really unhappy, just because it turned out not to be a happy book, and IMO, did not have a happy ending.  

So, if you want a book that is flawlessly written with a very intriguing historical aspect to it, then please read this book, and let me know what you think. 

Time Travel Tuesday

So, for the last two weeks on Tuesday nights, I've been completely exhausted and need a light read to help me relax. In comes the light, fun romantic reads! For some reason I've been stuck on the idea of time traveling romances. 


Vanquishing A Viking by Nancy Dillman 

Modern attitudes clash with medieval mores when Esme Pederson, a small-town librarian from Minnesota, time travels to Viking Norway and is sold as a bed slave to a fierce warrior bitter over his dead wife's infidelity. The last thing Stein Magnuson needs is another woman to complicate his life, especially one who thinks females have rights! Irresistibly drawn to each other, however, their passion flares hotter than an Icelandic volcano. But can love bloom when neither is willing to compromise and all they ever do is argue?

I was skeptical that this book would be any good at all, because you never know what kind of romance book you'll get, especially when you add in the element of time travel. But, I was glad I purchased this book. I felt the author portrayed the realities of living in that era accurately. I enjoyed the read and the romance. I thought she portrayed interactions between characters well, so you felt they were almost real.  The only thing I wasn't too crazy about was the sex scenes. I'm not into the things the main character was (the arrogant male attitude). But I did enjoy the book.






The Geek Girl and the Scandalous Earl by Gina Lamm

The Goodreads summary is a little long, so I figured I'd make my own.  A modern day girl, Jamie Marten, gets teleported into the year 1816 into the home of Micah Axelby, Earl of Dunnington.  Micah is a stunningly handsome earl, and Jamie tries to fight her feelings for him. From the very start, Jamie tries to figure out a way to get back, but ends up entangled with the Earl in more ways than one.  Can Jamie make it back to her current year? Does she even want to anymore? 


I saw this book reviewed on another book site I follow,
called Book Chick City.  It seemed like a pretty decent book so I decided to give it a try.  At 5.99 for the kindle price, it was a little steep.  I try not to pay more than a few dollars (hey, I'm poor!) but I decided to give it a try. 

I'm glad I did buy it.  There were things I liked and others I didn't.  I liked how accurately the author depicted what it was like in 1816: bathing, using a chamber pot, servants, what clothes women wore, the few (if any) rights women had back then.  The things I didn't like were miniscule, but I felt there wasn't really much of a plot except the back and forth love war between Micah and Jamie.  He loves her, he doesn't.  She loves him, now she doesn't.  Also, I felt that for Jamie being a smart girl, she was kind of thick.  For example, she kept rubbing in the fact that she was from a different era by swearing often.  A smart girl would realize this may not be the best way to go about things.  But regardless I liked this book and I would recommend it. 



Happy St. Patrick's Day Weekend everyone!!! :)

Holding My Breath--The Indigo Spell

I just wanted to tell everyone I am super excited about this book even though it is already out.  It was release February 12, 2013 but I am too poor to buy the book or purchase it on my kindle.


Sadly, I am 4th in line at the library.  I'm estimating I'll probably have to wait at least another month.  Boo.

The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead, Third book in The Bloodlines Series

From Goodreads: In the aftermath of a forbidden moment that rocked Sydney to her core, she finds herself struggling to draw the line between her Alchemist teachings and what her heart is urging her to do. Then she meets alluring, rebellious Marcus Finch--a former Alchemist who escaped against all odds, and is now on the run. Marcus wants to teach Sydney the secrets he claims the Alchemists are hiding from her. But as he pushes her to rebel against the people who raised her, Sydney finds that breaking free is harder than she thought. There is an old and mysterious magic rooted deeply within her. And as she searches for an evil magic user targeting powerful young witches, she realizes that her only hope is to embrace her magical blood--or else she might be next.


Richelle Mead is a YA author and has wrote The Vampire Academy, which is currently in the script writing process of becoming a movie.  That series has 6 books in it, and I actually loved that series too, but it's finished.  Richelle Mead is one of those authors that you just can't put down her book.  She has a writing prose that is very friendly, and you feel as though you can connect to the characters and the protagonist.  Plus, she uses subtle foreshadowing which I love because it shows that the author has created a well thought out plot and story. 


                                                  CANNOT WAIT FOR THIS BOOK!!!!

Book Haul---It's Been a While

Hello everyone!! Sorry I've been gone so long, I started my medical externship and have been spending long hours at the hospital.  When I'm not at the hospital, I'm spending my time researching therapeutic strategies for my clients, and finally when I have any spare moment, I'm studying to pass my national exam so that I can get certified in my profession.  Phew, that's a lot going on!!  And here I thought externship would be easier than classes! Anyway, after my bad experience with JK Rowling's newest book, I have kind of been sporadically reading for a while.

I've been filling my time with some of my favorite shows like Downton Abbey (Can you believe all the characters that have been killed off this season?) and Hart of Dixie, and Vampire Diaries.  I'm super excited for a new History Channel show called Vikings, which premier's March 3rd. Yes, I'm nerdy...no I don't care.


Anyway, onto the books!!

 The Caged Virgin by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

This muslim woman fled her home country for the Netherlands to escape an arranged marriage. The turning point in her life was after the violent murder of Theo van Gogh in 2004, with whom the author had written a film with about women and Islam called "Submission". She was threatened by the same group of people that killed him, but will not stop speaking out about the oppression that Islamic women face, and the attempts of Islamic governments to silence any questioning of their faith.  She also wants western civilization to know just what is happening to women in this faith, such as genital mutilation and forced marriages of female minors.

That was my own summary because the Goodreads one was just too long. In the past year I became some friends with Saudi Arabian women who were at my graduate school.  While they did mention cultural differences from there to the US, they never mentioned anything horrific like this author is saying.  So, I guess you could call this an eye opener for me. I was really shocked that some cultures deny what I consider to be basic human rights.  It's hard for me to imagine people actually mutilating female genitalia.  Living in the US all my life, never leaving to visit other countries, I guess you could call me sheltered. Nevertheless,  I liked this book.  Sometimes it felt a little disorganized, but to my understanding the author has an even better book that is the story of her life called Infidel.  I would highly recommend these books if you are interested in learning more about women's role in Islam.

 Stuff White People Like by Christian Lander

This is a stereotypical, sarcastic book of the things white people like.  The whole point of the book is that "white people" like to go to extreme lengths to feel important and unique but are all basically doing the same thing. From my understanding the author has a blog from 2008 that many people visited and this book is a result of that.  Basically, the author has many different chapters devoted to things white people like such as eating organic food, apple products, brunch on the weekends, wine, etc. In each chapter he describes what white people like about the item and how to use that item to become accepted in white culture. It's meant to be funny, but it didn't really make me laugh, and the book got boring halfway through because it followed the same format.  In my opinion, they should change white people to hipsters, because that's what most of the book describes.

Victoria and the Rogue by Meg Cabot

Ah yes, one of my favorite YA authors.  Sometimes a girl just needs to read mindless, comical fiction to forget about all the stress in her life :)

The year is 1810. Victoria is a wealthy, 16 year old British girl from India who moved to Britain to find a husband.  She becomes betrothed to Lord Malfrey before she even gets off the ship from India.  But, Captain Jacob Carstairs has a few things to say about this engagement, and not all of them nice. Yes, this book follows a somewhat predictable romantic plot. But I enjoy Meg Cabot's works because she's funny and there are usually some unexpected twists in the plot that make you appreciate her creativity.  This book cheered up my mood and made me smile.

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Sometimes you just need to go with a familiar re-read right? After a bad day, or even a long week, you can come home to a book that has an awesome plot and beloved characters.

City of Bones is one of my favorite YA books. Clary Fray enters into a nightclub one night with her friend to find that she is witness to a bizarre murder that only she can see. After this event, things get stranger still as one of the murderers keeps showing up at places she goes.  Her life gets turned upside down when her mom is taken and Clary is attacked by a demon. Clary only wants to get her mother back, but as she is entangled deeper into the world of Shadowhunters (men and women sworn to protect the earth from demons) she discovers that getting her mother back might be harder than she thought and there are a few secrets about herself she discovers along the way.

The first time I read this book, I fell in love with the characters.  It is hard to find an author who can write such a suspenseful, well thought out plot and still manage romantic tension and comedy.  This book is a page turner, the type you would not want to put down.  Also, as a side note, this book is currently becoming a movie and is set to premier August 2013.  So like so many young adult books that turn into movies, this book series is probably going to blow up soon.

The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling

From Goodreads: A BIG NOVEL ABOUT A SMALL TOWN ...

When Barry Fairbrother dies in his early forties, the town of Pagford is left in shock.

Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war.

Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils ... Pagford is not what it first seems.

And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations?

(Warning: my review is brutal)

My Thoughts: Before I read this book, I read through a couple reviews on Goodreads.  I was interested to read the summary of the book and see if this is something I could get into.  Almost all of the reviews on GR that I read mentioned that Rowling wrote this book for shock value, to remind readers that this isn't Harry Potter.  Also, a few reviews said they couldn't even finish the book! I thought: "What a bunch of crap; These people just don't know how to appreciate a good book like I do!! What fools they are to not realize that they simply aren't reading HP and respect the adult book for what it is" And I could go on... 

Those reviewers don't know anything. Wannabe JK Rowling fans.

So the summary of the book intrigued me, and thus I began to read.  I got as far as chapter 6 (VI).  Yes, so that should say it all.  Take my review with a grain of salt because I didn't finish the book, but I really couldn't bring myself to. It really made me sad and disappointed because I expected so much more from Rowling.  

 She has, arguably, one of the most popular book series in the world, and we get this as her adult novel?

And guess what? Those 6 chapters that I read made me realize that the reviewers were right! No plot, just a different family with multiple characters in each chapter that you had a hard time keeping up with (since so many were introduced), talking about Barry Fairbrother's death.  That's it.  The characters all have some secret hatred or ugly truth inside of them that's supposed to interest the readers.  I get that she is trying to write something new, and depict people for how they really are (petty, shallow, greedy, mean, fake, etc) but it really does come off as though she is trying to shock us, especially because 6 chapters in there is no plot.  Not to mention the vulgarity.... in some parts it is disgusting.  I don't even want to get into it, but it involves the crude thoughts of teenage boys (and apparently according to other reviewers also rape and pedophilia later in the book).  So please, try this book if you want but really....it might disappoint you. Don't say I didn't warn you.