Teaser Tuesday (4)

It's time for Teaser Tuesday, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:


Grab your current read

Open to a random page

Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
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My Teaser:


"By the time I had chased three rabbits and teased a couple in a boat with a close-up glimpse of my lovely, furred self on the shore of the river, I felt much better.  I don't have to change with the moon, but if I go too long on two feet I get restless and moody."
                                -p16 of Moon Called by Patricia Briggs

Review of Fallen by Lauren Kate (i.e. My First Time!!)

Fallen by Lauren Kate

Info:

Published: Dec 8, 2009
Pages: 452 (in hardcover)
Description (from goodreads):

There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.
Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she ...more There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.
Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.
Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce–and goes out of his way to make that very clear–she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.



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From the get-go, I was excited about this book.  The cover art is amazing, the title is interesting, and the description was intriguing!  So, I bought this book with high hopes. 

I enjoyed this book. However, I think it was missing a little something. There were a few plot holes, a few questions left unanswered, and a few too many coincedences. I just didn't connect fully with the characters. When there was a tragedy (no spoilers here) with one of the students (a main player in the story) at the school, I wasn't really upset at all. And there were a few characters that seemed to show up only when convenient for the story lline. Otherwise they were extras.

The storyline had promise from the beginning, but it just fell short, in my opinion. I would have like to have seen a little more character depth, more explanations (or maybe just better), and maybe a little less clichès.
It was still a good simple read, and I will most likely read Torment, the second book, just to see where she takes the story.



Overall, three stars for entertainment, and I would recommend it, BUT, with a warning that you must take it as it is, and hit the "I Believe" button and just enjoy it at face value. 

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Hope you all enjoyed my review, it's short, and not the most positive of reviews, but it is my first public review.  Let me know how I did!  :)

In My Mailbox (1)

This is my first "In My Mailbox", hosted by The Story Siren. 

Up for Review This Week:

My very first review.........it is.........

Fallen by Lauren Kate!!

(I'm so nervous...hope you all like my review)

What I Bought This Week:

Title:  Evermore by Alyson Noel

Format:  Ebook for the Nook

Pages: 320 (ebook pages)

Description (from goodreads):  Since a horrible accident claimed the lives of her family, sixteen-year-old Ever can see auras, hear people’s thoughts, and know a person’s life story by touch. Going out of her way to shield herself from human contact to suppress her abilities has branded her as a freak at her new high school—but everything changes when she meets Damen Auguste…

Ever sees Damen and feels an instant recognition. He is gorgeous, exotic and wealthy, and he holds many secrets. Damen is able to make things appear and disappear, he always seems to know what she’s thinking—and he’s the only one who can silence the noise and the random energy in her head. She doesn’t know who he really is—or what he is. Damen equal parts light and darkness, and he belongs to an enchanted new world where no one ever dies.

Title: Moon Called by Patricia Briggs
Format: Ebook for the Nook
Pages: 240 (ebook pages)
Description (from goodreads): Werewolves can be dangerous if you get in their way, but they'll leave you alone if you are careful. They are very good at hiding their natures from the human population, but I'm not human. I know them when I meet them, and they know me, too.
Mercy Thompson's sexy next-door neighbor is a werewolf.
She's tinkering with a VW bus at her mechanic shop that happens to belong to a vampire.
But then, Mercy Thompson is not exactly normal herself ... and her connection to the world of things that go bump in the night is about to get her into a whole lot of trouble.
 
 
 

Title: Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert

Format: Ebook for the Nook

Pages: 304 (ebook pages)

Description (from goodreads): At the end of her bestselling memoir Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert fell in love with Felipe, a Brazilian-born man of Australian citizenship who’d been living in Indonesia when they met. Resettling in America, the couple swore eternal fidelity to each other, but also swore to never, ever, under any circumstances get legally married. (Both were survivors of previous horrific divorces. Enough said.)

But providence intervened one day in the form of the United States government, which—after unexpectedly detaining Felipe at an American border crossing—gave the couple a choice: they could either get married, or Felipe would never be allowed to enter the country again. Having been effectively sentenced to wed, Gilbert tackled her fears of marriage by delving into this topic completely, trying with all her might to discover through historical research, interviews, and much personal reflection what this stubbornly enduring old institution actually is.

Told with Gilbert’s trademark wit, intelligence and compassion, Committed attempts to “turn on all the lights” when it comes to matrimony, frankly examining questions of compatibility, infatuation, fidelity, family tradition, social expectations, divorce risks and humbling responsibilities. Gilbert’s memoir is ultimately a clear-eyed celebration of love with all the complexity and consequence that real love, in the real world, actually entails.

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And that's all I've got folks!  Happy Reading!!

Book Blogger Hop (4)

It's time again for the hop!  Here are the rules, they are new by the way. :)

ABOUT THE HOP:

In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs to read! So, grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog, and start HOPPING through the list of blogs that are posted in the Linky list below!!
The Hop lasts Friday-Monday every week, so if you don't have time to Hop today, come back later and join the fun! This is a weekly event! And stop back throughout the weekend to see all the new blogs that are added! We get over 200 links every week!!
Your blog should have content related to books, including, but not limited to book reviews.
RULES:
1. Enter your book blog link in the Linky List below
In your link, please state the main genre that you review: eclectic, contemp. fiction, ya, paranormal, mystery, non-fiction, etc. Please do not list every genre you review - if you are review a variety, please put eclectic! The Hop gets jumbled up if the title is too long, so please limit to one genre. I will be limiting the number of characters in the title to ensure the Hop doesn't look messy! Thank you!

Example: Crazy-for-Books (literary fiction)

NOTE: You no longer have to enter the length of time you've been blogging, but do let us know if this is your first time hopping with us!
2. Post about the Hop on your blog. Spread the word about the book party! The more the merrier! In your blog post, answer the following question (new question each week!). I have to thank my friend, Lori, for this week's question! I was drawing a blank and she came up with this fab question! If you have a question that could be used in a future Hop, leave it in the comments! Thanks!
This week's question comes from Chelle from The Prairie Library!

Do you listen to music when you read? If so, what are your favorite reading tunes?
3. Visit other blogs in the Linky List! Make new friends! Follow new book bloggers! Talk about books! Rave about authors! Take the time to make a quality visit! Check out other posts and content, make a new friend! Don't randomly follow someone if you never intend on actually following them! No spamming please! (Please do not leave your link and not visit other blogs - it's just not cool and not in the spirit of the Hop!)
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To answer this week's question, no I don't listen to music when I read.  It's too distracting, as I enjoy music almost as much as I enjoy reading! :)  The only exception is maybe classical piano music, as it is easy to hear but not listen to.  Thanks to all who stop by!  Happy hopping and reading!!

Eat, Pray, Love - The End

Finish Indonesia and discuss general feelings on the book. How did it affect you?

Overall, as I have said in previous posts, I aboslutely lovelovelove this book.  I keep talking about connections, and that is important to me with a book, to connect with the content, with the words.  But my soul opened up and let this book in.  It planted a seed that is starting to grow ferociously into a giant tree.  I love it!

The Eat part started out very depressing, but it was the truths I needed to hear about my own feelings about myself.

The Pray part was a little text-bookish, but helpfully informative.  I loved this part a lot, but the least out of all the parts.  I still connected with it, but I haven't found the balance she speaks of, so it was hard to connect with that.  It also had a lot of comic relief mixed in.  Plus I really am looking for spiritual guidance through meditation and yoga and such, so it was interesting to learn about it.

The Love part was slower for me, but I loved hearing the stories of all the people she met in Bali.  I was happy to follow her on her bicycle rides through paradise, as well as watch her find balance and ultimately Love.


Will you go see the movie?

I will absolutely go see the movie, and already have plans for August 14th to watch it with a bunch of friends.


Will you read Committed which is Gilbert’s follow up to Eat Pray Love?

I was not aware (somehow) of there being another book!  I will be looking for it as soon as I'm done with this post!

***Edit***  I looked up this book and will surely be reading it soon!  I can't wait to see what happens when Elizabeth gets, *gasp*, married again!

What are some of your favorite quotes from the book?

"This part of my story is not a happy one, I know.  But I share it here because something was about to occur on that bathroom floor that would change forever the progression of my life - almost like one of those crazy astronomical super-events when a planet flips over in outer space for no reason whatsoever, and its molten core shifts, relocating its poles and altering its shape radically, such that the whole mass of the planet suddenly becomes oblong instead of spherical.  Something like that."
 
"...he did my laundry."
 
"Because God never slams a door in your face iwthout openeing a box of Girl Scout cookies (or however the old adage goes)..."
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There were more quotes, but I already lent the ebook to my friend from my nook, so I can't access all the quotes I saved.  Oh well I suppose, they will make their way into other posts.  :)
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Thanks to all for sharing so much of themselves with the rest of us while we went on this little journey together.  I know not all of you connected with the book as much as some of us, but I'm still glad you read it.  Happy Reading to all - I wish you all well!

WAG # 32

The Writing Adventure Group is held by India Drummond at http://www.indiadrummond.com/

Writing Adventure Group Topic #32: “Altered State”. In the past week, I’ve read three different books that had scenes where a main character was either inebriated or taking drugs, and each scene was very different. So this week, either create a character or observe someone (unfortunately it isn’t hard to find someone drunk on the streets these days) who is partaking of a mind-altering substance. Your piece can be as long or short as you want, using any form you like. No Rules! Now Write! (You may add links to this list between now and 3 August 2010.)



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Noelle ran her fingers around the rim of the glass, contemplating taking the last sip of the crimson inside.
"One glass is never enough. Hell, one bottle isn't enough, these days."
She drained the crystal vessel and erased a few more memories. The dark bottle stared at her from across the kitchen countertop, just out of reach. It taunted her, knowing she needed its contents more than ever.
"Just one more glass," she slurred. "It'll only be one more glass."
As she turned to get off her stool, her equilibrium went the opposite way. She fell on the kitchen floor hard, cracking her forehead wide open. Blood trickled down her nose, dripping onto the floor next to her. She cried out, but to no avail, as anyone who cared about her was gone. Macey was gone. And no one cared that Noelle was still here, still grieving for losing Macey. Hot tears welled in her eyes and crept down her cheeks, mixing with the blood still flowing down her face. She had been mourning for a year, filling the emptiness with bottle after bottle.
It startled her when she heard footsteps, knowing she had been alone in the apartment. She looked up through the blood and tears, and saw Macey's angelic face. Her own face lit up with a smile, as she was lifted off the floor and set squarely upon her feet.
"Macey? What, how, I'm so confused!"
"Don't worry now my dear, I'm here to save you."
"Save me from what?"
"From yourself. Follow me, and it'll all be over quickly. I love you Noelle. Now let's go."
Noelle thought she glimpsed a flash of her body still laying on the floor as she followed Macey in a direction that seemed like up.

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Hope you liked it, I really struggled with writing this topic for some reason.  I've been wrestling with it all weekend.  Happy writing!

Teaser Tuesday (3)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
Grab your current read

Open to a random page

Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
 
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My Teaser:
 
 
"She had sand in her mouth and between her toes, the briny wind raising goose bumps on her skin, and the sweetest spellbound feeling spilling from her heart.  She could, at that moment, have died for him."

-p197 of Fallen by Lauren Kate-