Monthly Archives: July 2013

And So the Month Ends…

Posted in Books, Entertainment, Freshly Pressed, Literature, Novels, Reading, Reviews, Uncategorized by

calendarI know everyone has already said it today, but I can’t believe it’s the last day of July. It makes a little part of me sad as life is about to start happening which makes me antsy! However, thanks to my new blogging friends I feel ready to conquer anything life has to throw at me. So bring it on life, give me the best you got! (Note: I knocked several times on wood after writing the former statement).

I was looking back at what I did this month, and I feel that July was when I really started to find my groove. I started the 15 Day Book Blogger Challenge, which I have yet to finish. (I’m an awful person) I recieved three blogging awards this month (I’m saying three even though it was really two of the same kind of award), the Inner Peace, the Liebster and… well the Liebster Award again.

I jumped into two new features: Wishlist Wednesday and Friday Favorites. Both are so much fun and keep me writing, even when all I want to do is stare mindlessly at the computer (I lead an exciting life).

I wrote 7 book reviews: (don’t judge my slow reading speed)

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I revealed my trust in you guys by sharing a scary dream of mine: Deserted Island Interview (still gives me shudders)

I shared my embarrassing Need to Finish quirk. (I really need to learn self-control)

I totally spilled the beans on my friends convo about The Book vs. The E-Reader. (They were a bit miffed with me)

I talked about the day I got Sidetracked where I was running around the house like a mad woman distracted by every book I saw (yeah, that’s pretty much my life).

I told you guys about my peculiarities when it comes to Reading with Music. (I can be weird).

I vented (just a tiny bit) about my beliefs on the whole Reading for Fun vs. Reading for School argument.

I shared the embarrassing way my reading taste evolved (I went through a lot of phases).

And of course I enjoyed several posts this month from the following blogs:

…and many others!

July has been a fun month and I’m sure August will be even better, at least blogging wise it will. I plan to start a new weekly feature called Spread the Word dedicated to talking about a blogger that I like for any or no reason at all. I also want to make a couple changes to my blog format and rating policy so keep an eye out for those.

But now I really want to hear from you! How was July for you guys? What did you blog about? Feel free to link back to my blog so I can go through (in a non creepy way of course) your month’s worth of posts! Happy reading folks!

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Wishlist Wednesday

Posted in Books, Entertainment, Freshly Pressed, Literature, Novels, Reading, Reviews, Uncategorized, Wishlist Wednesday by

Wishlist WednesdayIn the famous words of Snow White, “I’m wishing (I’m wishing) for the one I love, to find me (to find me) today.” In this case (actually in most cases) the one that I love is a book, three in fact.

I came about Wishlist Wednesday hosted by the ever so lovely Pen to Paper. (Please check out their blog, it’s awesome).

Wishlist Wednesday is a meme that allows you to turn the spotlight on a few books that have been sitting on your get-to-eventually list for a while. Books that you dream of claiming their rightful spots on your bookshelf. Really you’re suppose to just pick one but I can’t pick just one (I know, I’m a rebel), so I have chosen three novels that I can’t wait to get my hands on.

incarceron_book_coverIncarceron is a prison so vast that it contains not only cells, but also metal forests, dilapidated cities, and vast wilderness. Finn, a seventeen-year-old prisoner, has no memory of his childhood and is sure that he came from Outside Incarceron. Very few prisoners believe that there is an Outside, however, which makes escape seems impossible.

And then Finn finds a crystal key that allows him to communicate with a girl named Claudia. She claims to live Outside– she is the daughter of the Warden of Incarceron, and doomed to an arranged marriage. Finn is determined to escape the prison, and Claudia believes she can help him. But they don’t realize that there is more to Incarceron than meets the eye. Escape will take their greatest courage and cost more than they know.

It sounds cool.

I guess I have to give you more than that; a prison so vast that it has become its own metal entity? Sign me up! (To read the book, not to go to prison). It sounds interesting and is a concept I’m not familiar with so I’m willing to give the book a try. Wishing fairy, if you’re listening I would really like a copy of Incarceron under my pillow please! (If you could throw in a couple bucks that would be great too)!

pet“Sometimes dead is better….”

When the Creeds move into a beautiful old house in rural Maine, it all seems too good to be true: physician father, beautiful wife, charming little daughter, adorable infant son – and now an idyllic home. As a family, they’ve got it all… right down to the friendly cat.

But the nearby woods hide a blood-chilling truth – more terrifying than death itself… and hideously more powerful.

I want this book purely for the fact that my mom read it and said she couldn’t get out of bed for fear of what might be under it. Do I think I’ll be scared more than the average person? Of course. Do I expected to get a “I told you so” from my mother? Absolutely. What do I want from the wishing fairy? A copy of Pet Sematary!

everyoneMindy Kaling has lived many lives: the obedient child of immigrant professionals, a timid chubster afraid of her own bike, a Ben Affleck–impersonating Off-Broadway performer and playwright, and, finally, a comedy writer and actress prone to starting fights with her friends and coworkers with the sentence “Can I just say one last thing about this, and then I swear I’ll shut up about it?”

Perhaps you want to know what Mindy thinks makes a great best friend (someone who will fill your prescription in the middle of the night), or what makes a great guy (one who is aware of all elderly people in any room at any time and acts accordingly), or what is the perfect amount of fame (so famous you can never get convicted of murder in a court of law), or how to maintain a trim figure (you will not find that information in these pages). If so, you’ve come to the right book, mostly!

In Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, Mindy invites readers on a tour of her life and her unscientific observations on romance, friendship, and Hollywood, with several conveniently placed stopping points for you to run errands and make phone calls. Mindy Kaling really is just a Girl Next Door—not so much literally anywhere in the continental United States, but definitely if you live in India or Sri Lanka.

I love this woman! But not in a creepy way in the totally normal way…because there definitely is a totally normal way! This woman is HILARIOUS and mega talented and mega smart. If she wrote instructions on how to fill a balloon with spaghetti sauce I would read them, so it should be no surprise that all I want from the wishing fairy is a copy of Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? under my pillow. (Or actually on my nightstand, under the pillow makes for an uncomfortable night).

What books made it on your wish list this Wednesday? I would love to hear all about it so comment below and happy reading!

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15 Day Book Blogger Challenge: Day 14

Posted in 15 Day Book Blogger Challenge, Books, Entertainment, Freshly Pressed, Literature, Novels, Reading, Reviews, Uncategorized by

15-Day-ChallengeIf you haven’t heard of this challenge by now then you should know it’s so much fun! It was created by the blogger of Good Books, Good Wine and has really been causing me to think of how I run this here old book blog. Now, on to today’s challenge!

Day 14: Tell us your deal breakers

I have very few as I sincerely try to keep an open mind nowadays so don’t expect a long list! (I better not see anybody sighing in relief)!

  • Bad Endings— What do I mean by this? No resolution. I don’t want to read a whole entire book just for there to be a lack of resolution! Nothing makes me more angry (except specifically saving all the red skittles for last and then somebody else eating them)!
  • “Sad” novels– What I mean by “sad” is when the author builds this connection with a character and then kills them off to make you cry so that they can say they “touched” you. No. That drives me bonkers, killing off a character because it is necessary for the story is one thing, but killing off a character just to make me cry makes you a jerk.
  • Written by Nicholas Sparks– See both reasons above

That’s about it for me. I really try to read everything so I’m not generally prejudiced against any one kind of book (with a few exceptions as you can see above). What about you guys? Do you have any deal breakers? I hope you’ll share them with me by commenting below and happy reading!

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The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis

Posted in Book Reviews, Books, Classic, Entertainment, Fantasy, Freshly Pressed, Literature, Novels, Uncategorized by

horseboyNovel Facts:

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Plot:

This is the story of an adventure that happened in Narnia and Calormen and the lands between, in the Golden Age when Peter was High King in Narnia and his brother and two sisters were King and Queens under him. It is during this glorious era in Narnian history that Shasta, a young boy living in Calormen with a cruel man who claims to be his father, dreams of traveling to the unknown North. One night he overhears his “father” offering to sell him as a slave, and Shasta decides that now is the time to begin his journey. When he meets Bree, a Talking Horse of Narnia who is a slave himself, the two decide to escape together.

The pair soon encounters Aravis, a high-born girl escaping a forced marriage, and Hwin, another Talking Horse. The travelers must combine their wits and all their strength to reach the freedom they long for. And when they discover a Calormen plot to conquer Narnia, they must also race against time. The battle that ensues matches in excitement any of the adventures described in C.S. Lewis’s previous two books of the Chronicles of Narnia. Assisted by the majestic Aslan, the Kings and Queens of Narnia, first introduced in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, once again rise to the occasion to defend their kingdom.

Review of the Characters:

Shasta (a.k.a. Prince Cor)– He was a typical hero. Starts off as poor slave boy and then goes on a journey in which he proves his worth. Even though he was typical he was enjoyable to read. I loved that Lewis gave him the courage to face a lion without any weapons but when it came to battle Shasta was shaking in his boots. He was a young boy with a good heart which is somewhat surprising considering he was raised with a hateful and spiteful guardian. I guess that’s a whole nature vs. nurture argument and we certainly don’t have time for one of those.

Bree– He was definitely not what I was expecting, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I guess from the title of this novel I was expecting a wise horse that would help Shasta realize all that he can become but that wasn’t the case. If anything, Bree learns from Shasta in that he is humbled. Bree was this big, egotistical creature that almost let his proud nature allow Archenland to be overcome, but alas he is humbled two times. First when Shasta goes back to save Aravis and Hwin from the lion and secondly by Aslan himself. Bree was an example we should all take to heart, sometimes we can be extremely self-centered. (A lot of the time for me).

Aravis– Though Aravis also suffered from pride she was still a great example for all girls. She proved her strength many times especially when she was recognized by her friend. She reacted quick and thoughtfully. She definitely had to learn a lesson about being considerate but once again, it’s something all people have to learn and so made Aravis all the more realistic.

Hwin– Believe it or not she was one of my favorite characters throughout the whole novel. She was so simple and because of this at times she was the smartest creature in the room. Though she was no war-horse she proved to be just as noble if not more so than Bree, no doubt fully intended by C.S. Lewis.

Review of the Story:

I really enjoyed the story though it was not what I was expecting. From the title I was expecting a story about the relationship between a horse and boy (I can feel everybody thinking the words: literal-minded). I thought maybe the horse and boy would learn from each other and both walk away for the better because of it but throughout the majority of the novel they did not spend any time together. The story was not really about their relationship but rather them as separate beings. Also, I would have liked it if C.S. Lewis had given the reader more on the history of Calormen such as where does Tash originate from but besides these factors Lewis has written another charming story.

Review of the Writing:

Just as in his previous novels Lewis writes in a tongue-in-cheek way that speaks to children. He interacts with the reader as if he were there in person telling you this story around a fire, making it all the more magical. Also I liked that there was no moment that felt rushed as in Lewis’s previous novels. Overall, he accomplished what he wanted too, a child’s dream.

Rating:

The Horse and His Boy makes an excellent contribution to the Chronicles of Narnia and deserves just as much attention as Lewis’s popular The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. He wrote an enchanting coming-of-age story with magical influence creating a story that all ages will enjoy!

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Overall Rating:

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P.S.– My next read is Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis (I hope it’s better than the movie)!

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15 Day Book Blogger Challenge: Day 13

Posted in 15 Day Book Blogger Challenge, Uncategorized by

15-Day-ChallengeIf you haven’t heard of this challenge by now then you should know it’s so much fun! It was created by the blogger of Good Books, Good Wine and has really been causing me to think of how I run this here old book blog. Now, on to today’s challenge!

Day 13: Describe one underappreciated book EVERYONE should read

This one took some thought as I usually buy popular books just because my interest has been sparked from their promotion.

After some time however, I came up with Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen.

Some of you may say, “What? A classic as an underappreciated pick?” Yes, because surprisingly enough not many people have read it.

Northanger Abbey is often overshadowed by Jane Austen’s more popular woks: Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility and Emma. All of which are great novels but I felt that Northanger Abbey was right up there with them.

I believe it’s one of Austen’s funnier novels and actually one of her more realistic ones also. While I adore Elizabeth Bennett I related much more to Catherine Moreland. I’m not always witty and brave, I sometimes let my imagination get carried away and say the wrong things.

There’s even some slight mocking towards the Bronte sisters with their heavy gothic pieces.

Simply put, Northanger Abbey is just as fun a read as Pride and Prejudice and definitely deserves more attention.

Do you agree with my pick? What would you have chosen? Let me know by commenting below and happy reading!

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